Environmental Risk

Causes of soil erosion:

• Population Increase

• Overcultivation

• Deforestation

• Overgrazing

• Over abstraction of groundwater

Natural Causes of Desertification:

• Deforestation

• Rainfall patterns

• Reduced vegetation

• Soil erosion

Sustainable Management of Soil Erosion and Desertification

• Education

• Agroforestry 

• Increase population size

• Afforestation

• Contour Stones and Terraces

Causes of Natural Climate Change

• Burning of fossil fuels

• Milankovitch Cycles

• Volcanic eruptions

• Atmospheric dust

Impacts of the enhanced greenhouse effects:

• Employment

• Homes and settlements

• Health

• Diets

Responses to climate change includes:

• Increasing afforestation

• Reducing emissions 

• Conference of the Parties (COP)

• Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC)

Future climate change problems include:

• Food webs break as species numbers are reduced

• Low-lying coastal areas and islands are at higher risk of flooding

• Frequency and severity of storms

• The location of biomes may shift

• Migration and behaviour patterns of animals

Government Actions to reduce climate change:

• Fines for businesses and industries which pollute

• Grants for solar panels

• Congestion charges within cities 

• Investment in renewable energy

Greenhouses gases are:

• CO2 from burning fossil fuels or wood

• Methane from decomposing organic matter & waste

• CFCs from aerosols, air conditioners, & refrigerators

• Nitrogen Oxides from car exhausts & power stations

Air pollution is a result of:

• Sulphur dioxide: combustion of fossil fuels causes respiratory problems and acid rain

• Carbon monoxide: incomplete combustion of carbon- containing substances causes oxygen starvation

• Nitrogen oxides: N2 & O2 from air combine due to heat (furnace/engine)

• Lead oxide: burning leaded petrol; damages nervous system