Sustainability and Water Pollution

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Questions and Answers

What is the main goal of sustainability?

To prioritize the needs of the current population

To prioritize economic growth over social and environmental components

To focus solely on environmental conservation

To meet the needs of today's population without compromising the needs of future generations (correct)

What is the primary cause of natural water pollution?

Natural events like volcanoes, algae blooms, and animal waste (correct)

Farming and land use changes

Burning of fossil fuels

Human activities such as littering and industrial waste

What is the primary purpose of tree rings in the context of climate change?

To measure the increased levels of greenhouse gases

To provide evidence of climate change from year to year (correct)

To study the effects of deforestation

To track changes in temperature over time

What is the main difference between the greenhouse effect and the enhanced greenhouse effect?

The greenhouse effect is natural, while the enhanced effect is human-induced Signup and view all the answers

What is the primary source of human-created greenhouse gases?

Burning of fossil fuels and farming and land use changes Signup and view all the answers

What is the carbon cycle?

The movement of carbon between the atmosphere, soils, living creatures, the ocean, and human sources Signup and view all the answers

What is the primary function of the greenhouse effect in Earth's atmosphere?

To trap heat and keep the Earth warm Signup and view all the answers

What is a potential cause of changes to the Earth's orbit?

Changes in the Earth's axis Signup and view all the answers

What happens to the Earth's temperature when its orbit is more oval?

The Earth gets closer to the sun, resulting in a warmer planet Signup and view all the answers

What is the result of the Earth's axis tilting more?

Summers are cooler and winters are warmer Signup and view all the answers

What happens to the North Pole when the axis 'wobbles' and points to a different direction in space?

The Northern Hemisphere becomes warmer Signup and view all the answers

What is the main factor in measuring human wellbeing?

Quality of life and happiness Signup and view all the answers

What is the key factor in measuring a country's health?

All of the above Signup and view all the answers

What is GDP Per Capita?

The total value of goods and services divided by the population Signup and view all the answers

What is the Gini coefficient used to measure?

Distribution of wealth Signup and view all the answers

What is the goal of measuring human wellbeing?

To improve the quality of life and happiness of individuals Signup and view all the answers

Study Notes

Sustainability

Sustainability means meeting the needs of the present population without compromising the needs of future generations.
Sustainability includes three components: environmental, social, and economic.

Water Pollution

Water pollution can occur through natural causes such as volcanoes, algae blooms, animal waste, and dirt from storms and floods.
Human activities that can cause water pollution include littering, driving cars, operating factories, and dumping chemicals.
Main causes of water pollution can be through waste from cities, fertilizers, and other chemicals used to grow crops.

Climate Change

Tree rings provide evidence of climate change from year to year in growth rings in their trunks.
The greenhouse effect is a process where gases in the Earth's atmosphere trap the Sun's heat.
The enhanced greenhouse effect is the impact on the climate from the additional heat retained due to the increased amounts of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases released by humans.

Greenhouse Gases

The main human activities that create additional greenhouse gases include burning fossil fuels and farming and land use changes, especially deforestation.

The Greenhouse Affect on Earth

The gases in the atmosphere keep the planet warm through the natural process of the greenhouse effect.
The greenhouse effect traps outgoing radiation from the Earth, keeping the planet warm.

Carbon Cycle

The carbon cycle describes how carbon moves between the atmosphere, soils, living creatures, the ocean, and human sources.

Space

Changes to the Earth's orbit affect the planet's temperature, with a circular orbit resulting in a cooler planet and an oval orbit resulting in a warmer planet.
Changes to the Earth's tilt also affect the planet's temperature, with a greater tilt resulting in cooler summers and warmer winters.
The axis of the Earth wobbles over time, affecting the planet's temperature, with the North Pole pointing towards the Sun resulting in a warmer planet.

Human Wellbeing

Human wellbeing means the ability for people to access the things they need to live a happy, healthy, and contented life.
Wellbeing encompasses quality of life and happiness.

Measuring Human Wellbeing

Key factors of human wellbeing include economic, health, education, political, and social components.
Economic wellbeing includes access to basic needs such as food, clean water, shelter, education, and healthcare.
Health wellbeing includes individuals' health, diet, strength, and fitness, as well as countries' health metrics such as life expectancy and infant mortality rate.
Education wellbeing includes literacy, student-teacher ratio, and government expenditure on education.
Political wellbeing includes free and fair elections, representation, and access to political information.
Social wellbeing includes crime rate, cultural diversity, gender equality, and environmental sustainability.

GDP and Gini Coefficient

GDP (Gross Domestic Product) is the total market value of all finished goods produced in a year.
GDP per capita is the total value of goods and services divided by the population.
The Gini coefficient measures the distribution of wealth.

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Description

Learn about the concept of sustainability and its environmental, social, and economic components. Understand water pollution, its causes, and the difference between natural and human-induced contamination.