Human Impact on the Environment

Which human activity would preserve nonrenewable resources?

• deforestation
• removing carnivores from a forest 
• recycling
• heating homes with fossil fuels  

Increased industrialization will most likely

• decrease available habitats 
• increase environmental carrying capacity 
• increase the stability of ecosystems 
• decrease global warming

Which human activity is correctly paired with its likely future consequence?

• overfishing in the Atlantic — increase in supply of flounder and salmon as food for people 
• development of electric cars or hybrid vehicles — increased rate of global warming 
• use of fossil fuels — depletion of underground coal, oil, and natural gas supplies 
• genetically engineering animals — less food available to feed the world’s population

Which human activity would most likely deplete nonrenewable resources?

• use of natural enemies to eliminate insect pests
• development of wildlife refuges 
• governmental restriction of industrial pollution 
• increased use of fossil fuels

Approximately 75 percent of the Earth's surface is covered in water. So why is water considered such a precious resource?

• The greenhouse effect is causing most of the world's freshwater to be trapped in the atmosphere
• Only a small fraction of the Earth's water is freshwater available for drinking and irrigation
• Each year, more freshwater is being trapped in icecaps located at the North and South Poles
• Global warming caused by greenhouse gas emissions will likely cause Earth's oceans to evaporate

Albert wants to practice conservation. He has decided to examine his lifestyle in order to identify areas in which he can reduce the resources he consumes, reuse resources he already has, and recycle resources that he cannot reuse. In which of the following ways can Albert best reduce the resources he currently consumes?

• Use paper grocery bags as gift wrap
• Ride a bike to work instead of taking his car
• Subscribe to a daily rather than a weekly newspaper
• Use an organic rather than synthetic fertilizer in his garden

Many common products, such as wooden furniture, paper, and books, are made from trees. Which of the following is a likely consequence of humans cutting down a forest in order to make use of the natural resources there? 

• the decrease of chemical runoff into the oceans
• increased acid rain
• the increase of light pollution in cities
• the destruction of habitats

Which of the following historical events most likely triggered the largest increase in the human population? 

• the Black Death plague, which occurred in the mid-1300s
• the domestication of wheat crops, which began around 8000 B.C
• the fall of the Roman Empire, which occurred around A.D. 800
• the Industrial Revolution, which began in the late 1700s

What causes smog?

• The burning of particulates
• The formation of ozone
• Acid Rain
• the interaction of sunlight with pollutants produced by fossil fuels

What are renewable resources?

• Resources that are used faster than they form
• a.       Resources that can replenish themselves over time
• a.       Resources that exist only in urban areas
• Resources that exist only in rural areas