7. Society and the environment

GEOGRAPHY AND HISTORY
YEAR 1, PART 1
www.vicensvives.es
Contents
GEOGRAPHY AND HISTORY 1.1
01
Our planet Earth
02
The representation of the Earth: maps
03
The Earth s relief
04
Rivers and seas
05
Weather and climate
06
Climates and landscapes of the Earth
07
Climas
paisajes
de España, Europa y la CA
Society yand
the environment
07
Society and the environment
1. The Earth is an ecosystem
2. Natural hazards
3. Hazards caused by human activity
4. The exploitation of natural resources
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Introduction
•  The growth of consumption, the expansion of cities and the
development of transport has intensified human impact on the
environment in recent years.
•  There is often a lack of balance in the relationship between the
natural world and society. This puts the conservation of nature
at risk and can cause environmental crises.
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1. The Earth is an ecosystem
1.1. The elements of the Earth’s ecosystem
• A marine ecosystem 1.2. The Sun, the source of life
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1.1. The elements of the Earth s ecosystem
•  Planet Earth is made up of four interrelated elements: the
lithosphere (the Earth's surface), the hydrosphere (the water
on the planet), the atmosphere (the gaseous layer that
surrounds the Earth) and the biosphere (the living things).
•  None of these elements is independent. They all share close
and complex relationships.
•  In recent years, human activity has transformed the planet
and put the balance of the ecosystem at risk.
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A marine ecosystem
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A marine ecosystem
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1.2. The Sun, the source of life •  The Sun is our planet's main source of energy and the origin of
all life.
•  The Sun heats the Earth's surface and prevents freezing
temperatures. It also allows plants to grow. This produces
oxygen and organic material.
•  The water cycle also depends on the Sun. Evaporation of sea
water by the sun means there is rain for all living things to use.
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2. Natural hazards
2.1. Types of natural hazards
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2.1. Types of natural hazards
•  A hazard is something that can be dangerous for living beings
or things. Hazards can be natural or caused by humans.
•  A third of the people on the planet live in places where there is
a risk of natural hazards including hurricanes, floods,
earthquakes and volcanic eruptions.
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3. Hazards caused by human activity
3.1. Technological hazards
3.2. Environmental pollution
• Pollution of the environment GEOGRAPHY AND HISTORY 1.1
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3.1. Technological hazards
•  Sometimes human technology causes problems for the
environment.
•  Nuclear power stations are carefully controlled and are
generally quite safe, but an accident could cause very toxic
radioactive material to escape.
•  If chemical products pollute the air or water, they can cause
many victims.
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3.2. Environmental pollution
•  The main problems affecting the environment today are: acid
rain, waste residue and climate change.
•  In many countries, air pollution is so bad that nitrogen oxides
and sulphur from industry enter raindrops, causing acid rain.
•  Many factories pollute the local environment by directly
pouring water from their industrial processes into rivers.
•  Experts say that the warming of the atmosphere, called climate
change, is increasing because of carbon dioxide emissions. GEOGRAPHY AND HISTORY 1.1
07
Pollution of the environment
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Pollution of the environment
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4. The exploitation of natural resources
4.1. The exploitation of resources
4.2. Sustainable development
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4.1. The exploitation of resources
•  In recent years, society has understood the need to conserve the
Earth's resources.
•  There are three basic problems related to resources: the
depletion of natural resources, the degradation of renewable
resources and the unequal distribution of the Earth’s resources.
•  We must not waste non-renewable resources if we want them to
last for a long time.
•  Although we can use renewable resources to generate energy,
the technology is still being developed.
•  Not everyone has access to the same resources around the
world.
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4.2. Sustainable development
•  We know that the Earth's resources cannot be exploited
indefinitely.
•  Sustainable development is the idea that improving our lifestyle
today should not cause a reduction in the quality of life for
future generations.
GEOGRAPHY AND HISTORY 1.1