Human Impacts on the Environment 7 th Science

Human Impacts on the Environment 7 th Science

Human Growth has Exploded • Currently the world holds more than 6. 8 billion people • Populationconnection. org • Our growth rate is currently 1. 4% • We add 230, 000 people each day, 9, 600 people each hour, 160 people each minute

Human Growth has Exploded • As humans, our needs from agriculture, mining, and industry has been increasing at a rate of 5. 5% per year • Our ecological demand doubles every 13 years

Human Growth has Exploded • Because Earth is a finite space (has an end) with a carrying capacity set by rates of photosynthesis and availability of resources, what we are doing to the environment is not sustainable

Human Growth has Exploded • 73% of Earth's habitable land (i. e. not rock, ice, or desert) is altered or dominated by humans • We destroy the habitat of other species or bring nonnative species into ecosystems in which they didn't belong • We drive species to extinction

Human Growth has Exploded • Current extinction rates are estimated at between 2 and 8 species lost per hour • This is a million times natural rate • Natural rate = species go extinct on their own with no human interaction • This hasn't happened since the dinosaurs went extinct 65 million years ago

Human Growth has Exploded • Humans use 54% of Earth's available freshwater

Human Growth has Exploded • 1 American = 3 Japanese, or – 6 Mexicans – 12 Chinese – 33 Indians (i. e. from India) – 147 Bangladeshis – 281 Tanzanians – 422 Ethiopians • U. S. is 5% of world's population but consumes 33% of the resources • Technology can minimize or magnify overall impact

Your Task! • With a partner at your table, create a T-chart listing the positive ways and negative ways humans interact with there environment! – Use notes and prior knowledge to help! – Not limited to the info in this powerpoint! • Now, create a poster: – – Title Positives & negatives Picture Slogan (ex: Keep Earth Clean!!)