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The "Ecological Footprint": The Environmental Impact of A Person or Population

The document discusses ecological footprints and environmental pollution. It defines an ecological footprint as a measurement of the amount of biologically productive land and water required to support a person or population. It notes that humans have surpassed the Earth's capacity, using 30% more resources than what is sustainably available. Pollution comes from waste produced during resource extraction, processing, use, and manufacturing. Both point sources like factories and nonpoint sources like agricultural runoff contribute to pollution. Prevention through reducing consumption and pollution at the source is more effective and cheaper than cleanup. Recycling, reducing, reusing, and refusing products can lower ecological footprints.

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Rami Abdelaal
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22 views37 pages

The "Ecological Footprint": The Environmental Impact of A Person or Population

The document discusses ecological footprints and environmental pollution. It defines an ecological footprint as a measurement of the amount of biologically productive land and water required to support a person or population. It notes that humans have surpassed the Earth's capacity, using 30% more resources than what is sustainably available. Pollution comes from waste produced during resource extraction, processing, use, and manufacturing. Both point sources like factories and nonpoint sources like agricultural runoff contribute to pollution. Prevention through reducing consumption and pollution at the source is more effective and cheaper than cleanup. Recycling, reducing, reusing, and refusing products can lower ecological footprints.

Uploaded by

Rami Abdelaal
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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The “ecological footprint”

• The environmental impact of


a person or population
– Amount of biologically
productive land + water
– for raw materials and to
dispose/recycle waste
• Overshoot: humans have
surpassed the Earth’s capacity

We are using 30% more of the planet’s resources than


are available on a sustainable basis!
Ecological footprints are not all equal

• The ecological footprints


of countries vary greatly
– The US footprint is almost 5
times greater than the
world’s average

– Developing countries have


much smaller footprints
than developed countries
Ecological Footprint
• An ecological footprint
is one measurement of
a person’s resource
use

– Includes the amount of


space needed to
support each person in
a nation, including
forests, farms, cities,
etc
Where do pollutants come from?

• Solid/liquid/gaseous by-products
or waste produced when a
resource is extracted,
processed, used, or made into
something new

• Unwanted energy emissions


• Environmental pollution: volcanic
eruptions

• Anthropogenic pollution: burning coal,


usually near urban areas where
concentrated pollutants, industrialized
agriculture

• Pollution spreads without boundaries

• Point sources and nonpoint sources

• Easier to control point sources


The Harm Caused by Pollution
• The factors that determine pollution's
harmful effects are it’s chemical
nature or how active or harmful it
is for the organisms in it

• Its concentration in the area by ppm,


ppb, or ppt

• Pollutants persistence and whether it


is degradable, non-presistant,
slowly, persistent, biodegradable,
pollutants
• Disrupt life -supports system for
humans and animals, damage
wildlife/human life/health, damage
property, nuisance, noise, smell, taste

• know side effects of 10% of 72,000


synthetic chemicals in use with 1000
new ones yearly
What can we do to help clean up?
• Lower concentration of pollutant,
dilute it in large volume of air or
water

• Pollution prevention
Pollution in-put control

• Pollution clean up
Pollution output control
Solutions to Pollution

• Pollution prevention (input control)

–Front-of-the-pipe

• Pollution cleanup (output control)

–End-of-the-pipe
Problems with Pollution cleanup

• Temporary relief if
consumption level continue to
grow w/o improvements in
pollution control

• Removes pollutants from one


place to another

• Once pollutants are dispersed


in air, water, and soil in high
concentrations too expensive
to reduce
Prevention and Rewards
• Cheaper and more effective

• 99% US $ to clean up 1% prevention

• Stick approach- regulations and


taxes on polluters

• Carrot approach- tax write-off and


subsides for those who prevent
pollution
Recycle

• Refuse
• Reduce
• Reuse
• Recycle
WELLCOM TO LEBANON
Random mining
Random mining
Project 3 - Reforestation of the
Random cutting of trees for coal
Holy Valley of Qadisha

• In just a small zone, they were able to


count more than one hundred cut down
trees
Remaining Problems Abroad
• China, Russia, Poland, many eastern European
countries, and developing countries far behind
in pollution control

• Russia spill 1 out of 10 barrels of oil every 6hr

• Over use of pesticides

• Water diverted to use as agriculture

• Nuclear pollution
“Pyramid of Effects”

Death

Hospital
Admissions

Doctor visits

Asthma attacks, medication use,


symptoms

lung function changes, immune cell responses,


heart rate or heart rate variability responses
‫بسم هللا الرحمن الرحيم‬

‫(وال تفسدوا في االرض بعد اصالحها ذلكم خير لكم‬


‫ان كنتم مؤمنين)‬
‫صدق هللا العظيم‬
‫اآلية (‪ )85‬االعراف‬
Green Roofs

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