Transcript Current Events in Environmental Science

Current Events in Environmental
Science
Current Threatened Animals
• California Condor
– Currently endangered; loss of habitat, shootings,
pesticide residue, lead poisoning, collision with
power lines, low reproductive rate
• Rhinoceros
– Poached for its horn, habitat loss, reduced genetic
diversity, natural disaster, disease
Current Threatened Animals
• Black-footed ferrets
– Specialist, completely dependent on prairie dogs,
prairie dog numbers declined because of
conversion of prairie for agriculture
• Caribou
– Aka reindeer, currently endangered, hide used for
tents, sleeping bags, food, clothing, threatened by
climate change, habitat loss, snowmobiles
Current Threatened Animals
• Humpback whale
– Commercial whaling, entanglement in fishing gear,
ship strikes, whale watch harassment
• Sea Otter
– Entrapment in fishing traps and nets, shootings, oil
spills (mats hair, lose insulation, die of hypothermia),
pollution from runoff
Current Threatened Animals
• Dolphins
– Climate change,
disappearing food
source, fishing
methods
• Grizzly Bear
– Conflict with people,
habitat loss, climate
change
Current Threatened Animals
• Bald Eagle
– Shells of eggs weakened by
DDT, illegal shooting, lead
poisoning from eating ducks,
power line electrocution,
habitat loss
• Peregrine Falcon
– Removed from list in 1999,
egg shell thinning due to DDT,
can reach up to 200 mph
when diving for prey
Current Threatened Animals
• Gray Wolf
– Conflict with people over livestock loss, habitat
loss, misrepresentation to people, proposed
removal from endangered list
Municipal Solid Waste
• Act 101 mandates at least 25% of generated
waste be recycled in LARGER municipalities
• Carbon county decided to end recycling
program citing economics as the cause
Wetlands
• Important because they prevent flooding,
provide habitats, water purification
• Engineers built levees along Mississippi banks;
wetlands destructed to make room for more
farms and homes.
Superfund
• Provides money to clean up sites
contaminated with hazardous substances.
Party responsible for contamination must foot
the bill. If no responsible party is found, EPA
assumes responsibility.
Pacific Northwest Old Growth Forests
• Most common tree is Douglas-fir and Western
Hemlock which are generally 350-750 years
old
• Only about 10% of original old growth forest
remains
Pacific Northwest Old Growth Forests
• The spotted owl lives in the Pacific Northwest
Old Growth Forest; since it is an endangered
species, loggers are required to leave 40% of
the forest intact within a 1.3 mile radius of any
nest of activity
• Harvest and transportation of timber has had
adverse effects on salmon spawning which led
to the decline of killer whales in Puget Sound
(NW corner or Washington state)
Ozone Layer
• Protects all living things on Earth from harmful
ultraviolet (UV) rays
• CFCs are depleting the ozone layer
Ozone Layer
• If ozone layer is destroyed, cancer, cataracts,
mutation, decrease in crop yield, loss or
usable land will all take place… and worse.
• Montreal Accord (Protocol) is an international
treaty designed to protect the ozone layer by
phasing out production of products
responsible for ozone depletion.
– And yes… it is working!
Global Warming
• Carbon dioxide, methane, water vapor, nitrous
oxide, and CFCs all contribute to the
greenhouse effect
– Caused by burning of fossil fuels, deforestation,
manure management, decomposition of wastes,
fertilizers
Global Warming
• Causing glaciers to melt,
animals to migrate north to
cooler temperatures, an
increase in precipitation,
rising sea levels
• Ways to prevent: recycle,
drive less, buy energy
efficient products, plant a
tree
• Ozone depletion does NOT
cause global warming
Energy Sources
Acid Rain
Acid Rain
• Cause: Sulfur dioxide (SO2) from burning of
coal and oil at power plants, volcanoes, and
sea spray
• Cause: nitrogen oxide and nitrogen dioxide
(NOx) from steam boilers, internal combustion
engines, and lightning
Acid Rain
• Cause acidification of lakes and streams,
damage of trees, accelerates decay of building
materials and paints
• Can be prevented by cleaning smokestacks
and exhaust pipes, using alternative energy
sources, preventing pollution
Tropical Rain Forests
• More than half of all species live in tropical rain
forests
• Large, commercial agriculture and timber
enterprises are responsible for cutting down the
tropical forest
• Tropical rain forests are important because of
their biodiversity which is useful for a multitude
of reasons such as medication
– Taxol is drug from pacific yew tree that helps fight
cancer
Endangered Ecosystems
• Pollution, deforestation, urbanization,
agriculture (including fertilizers) and sewage
have put the Chesapeake Bay on the “Top 10
Endangered Places”
Endangered Ecosystems
• Destruction of saw-grass marsh, loss of
aquatic species and reduced water flow have
caused Florida’s Everglades to be added to the
“List of World Heritage in Danger”
National Parks
• The U.S. was the first to establish a national
park, Yellowstone National Park in Wyoming
• In 1995 (not last winter), the killing of bison
that wandered outside the range of the park
was permitted
– Farmers were worried the bison would transfer
Brucellosis (a disease) to cattle
National Parks
• Problems
– $9.5 billion maintenance backlog for repairing
historic buildings
– Underfunding
– Illegal collection of artifacts
– Greater priority on visitor enjoyment than on
protecting resources
– Human impacts pose threats to wildlife corridors
and vital habitats
– Water quality issues from pollution
Mining Law of 1872
• Authorizes mining for gold, silver, platinum,
etc. on federal public lands
• Set price of land claim to range $2.50 to $5.00
per acre.
– Remains the same
• Current controversy: some want to place
further restrictions and royalties but that may
force domestic mining out of the country
Elected Officials
• U.S. Congressman/Representative
– Jim Gerlach (Lehigh County)
– Lou Barletta (Carbon County)
• U.S. Senators
– Bob Casey Jr.
– Pat Toomey
Environmental Agencies
• EPA – Environmental Protection Agency
• DEP – Department of Environmental
Protection