Human Impact on the Environment
➢ Greenhouse effect
- Atmospheric concentration of $\mathrm{CO}_2$have increased due to the burning of fossil fuels and forests, contributing to the warming of the Earth
- Higher temperatures cause ice caps to melt, flooding
- Can change precipitation patterns, plant/animal populations/agriculture
➢ Ozone depletion
- Caused by pollution $\text { n (ex. CFCs) }$
- Ozone$\left(\mathrm{O}_3\right)$ forms when UV radiation reacts with $\mathrm{O}_2$
- Ozone protects earth from excessive UV radiation
- Loss can increase genetic defects and cancer
➢ Acid Rain
- Burning of fossil fuels produces pollutants such as $\mathrm{SO}_2$and $\mathrm{NO}_2$
- When these compounds interact with water in clouds, acids are created
- Acidic rain causes lower pH in aquatic ecosystems, damaging water systems, plants, and soil, and kills fish
➢ Desertification
- When land is overgrazed by animals, it turns grasslands into deserts and reduces the available habitats for organisms
➢ Deforestation
- When forests are cleared (esp. By slash and burn methods), erosion, floods, and changes in weather patterns can occur
➢ Pollution
- Toxic chemicals in environment
- Biomagnification
➢ Reduction in biodiversity
- As different habitats have been destroyed many plants and animals have become extinct
- Some of these plants could have provided us with medicines and products that may have been beneficial