Human Impacts on Sustainability
Did you know that 154 people are born every minute? By the time you finish reading this page, there will be over 300 more people added to the planet. Try to imagine 300 people standing in the room you’re in right now… and after a minute, 154 more… then another 154 more a minute later.
That’s a lot of people! Each of these people needs food, water, shelter, clothes, entertainment, transportation, and more. Where is all of that going to come from? Where will all the waste go? In this chapter we’re going to investigate the impact of this dramatic population growth on the planet.
Unit Objectives
After you have completed this unit, you will be able to:
- Examine factors that influence the size and rate of growth of the human population.
- Describe and analyze ways to decrease the population growth rate.
- Analyze the potential environmental and economic effects of human overpopulation.
- Examine factors that influence climate.
- Identify and describe (including geographic locations) the major terrestrial biomes.
- Analyze the effects of human activities on the world’s terrestrial ecosystems.
- Identify and describe biological, chemical, geological, and physical components of saltwater and freshwater life zones.
- Describe the ecological and economic importance of aquatic ecosystems.
- Analyze how human activities impact aquatic ecosystems.
Unit Assignments
In this unit you will complete the following graded assignments:
- Writing Assignment: Age Structure Diagrams
- Lab: Life Tables and Survivorship Curves
- Impacts of the Human Population Quiz
- Lab: Heat Transfer
- Discussion: Heat Transfer Lab Conclusions
- Lab: Understanding Productivity
- Climate and Terrestrial Biodiversity Quiz
- Lab: Pond Ecosystem
- Aquatic Biodiversity Quiz
- Human Impacts on Sustainability Unit Exam: Part A
- Human Impacts on Sustainability Unit Exam: Part B
NOTE: Additional assignments and/or revised assignments may be given at the discretion of the teacher.
Unit Warm-Up
Right now there are 6.8 billion people living on Earth. Each week another 1.6 million are added. By 2050 the world population will be 9.3 billion. Can the earth provide an adequate standard of living for 9.3 billion people? Is the planet even capable of supporting the 6.8 billion of us around today? What are the environmental consequences of human population growth? Take a look at this video for some answers.
Text Version
Fact or Falsehood: Environmental Myths
Given that environmental science is the study of the very systems that support our lives and our economy, it's not surprising that people often have very strong feelings about environmental issues. Often those feelings influence how one chooses to present an issue. Are facts or statistics being used to persuade you one way or another or do they represent an unbiased view of the issue?
What do you think? Read the following statements. All of these concern issues we'll cover in detail in this course. Decide which ones you think are facts and which ones are falsehoods.
True or False?
False. There is enough food in the world to provide every person with 3000 to 4000 calories per day. Unfortunately, this food is not distributed so that everyone has access to it. In many areas like Central America and the Caribbean, where as many as 70% of the children are undernourished, at least half of the agricultural land grows crops for export, not for the local population.
True or False?
False. Population growth is occurring in many countries, but there is actually negative growth in several countries, including Japan and the countries of Eastern Europe..
True or False?
True. Only 2.2% of the water on Earth is fresh water, but much of that is tied up in glaciers and ice caps.
True or False?
True. Swamps, bogs, and marshes are among the most productive ecosystems on the planet. Although they might not look as lush as a rainforest, marshes have full sun, almost limitless water, and sediments washing down from rivers, providing high nutrient levels.
True or False?
True. In 1997, it was estimated that human activities had altered roughly half of earth’s surface. In 2008, that estimate had grown to nearly 80% of the surface.
Graded Assignments