Biodiversity, Climate, and Environmental Threats
The Wealth of Life: Biodiversity
We depend entirely on plants, animals, fungi, and microorganisms. They feed us, provide us with medicines and other goods that enhance the quality of our life and promise a productive and viable future. However, a quarter of all species on Earth may be lost in the next three decades.
Every year, we lose 1.5 to 2 percent of the remaining tropical rainforests due to slash-and-burn practices. 24 billion tons of topsoil are lost annually, and with over 90 million people
Read MoreHarnessing Water and Solar Power: Technologies and Applications
Water Power
Hydropower is generated using water as it moves through a channel (kinetic energy) or when it is impounded at a certain height (potential energy). When water is dropped, the potential energy turns into kinetic energy (speed), which can be exploited for various purposes. It is a renewable energy (not alternative).
There are two main applications of water power:
- From approximately 100 BC until nearly the end of the nineteenth century, all hydropower was transformed into mechanical energy
Fundamentals of Environmental Science: Systems, Models, and Earth’s Climate
Concept of Environment
The concept of environment was established in the United Nations Conference on the Human Environment. It encompasses the physical, biological, and social components that can cause direct and indirect, short- or long-term effects on human life and activities. Ecology is the science related to this concept, studying natural ecosystems, the physical environment, and living beings.
The Need for Models
A model is a simplification that mimics real-world phenomena, allowing us to understand
Read MoreWaste Management: Types, Disposal, and the 4Rs of Sustainability
Waste
Waste Products
Waste products generated in all our production and consumption activities are called waste. Waste can be solids, liquids, or gases, and when released into the environment, can cause contamination, i.e., damage or deterioration to the environment, including harm to people.
Biodegradability
Waste production is a phase within natural systems. A balance exists between the natural production of waste and its absorption by nature, through microorganisms that break down matter and reuse
Read MoreEarth’s Dynamic Processes: Plate Tectonics and Continental Drift
DYNAMIC EARTH
The Earth is not a static layer of rock but is in continuous transformation.
A) The Earth’s Crust
- The continental crust has a thickness of 35-40 km, with a varied mineral composition (outer granitic and basaltic layers).
- Continents extend hundreds of kilometers under the oceans in the so-called continental shelf, ending in a slope called the continental slope.
- The oceanic crust has a homogeneous thickness of about 7 km, with a basaltic composition and young rocks. It occupies more than
Understanding Earth’s Resources and Processes
Natural Resources
Natural resources are elements provided by nature without human intervention, which can be harnessed to meet human needs. They are classified into two groups:
Renewable Resources
Renewable resources regenerate under suitable conditions in the short term, allowing for human intervention in their reproduction. Examples include flora and fauna.
These resources are replenished through natural processes. Their use does not lead to irreversible decline as long as the consumption rate does
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