Challenges for the Planet

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  • Created by: RGV17
  • Created on: 04-02-17 19:21

Negative Effects of Climate Change (Human)

  • Crop yields could decrease due to hotter and drier weather.
  • People are leaving atolls as they become engulfed by seawater.
  • Tuvalu is already evacuating 75 people per year to New Zealand.
  • India could suffer a 50% decrease in land able to grow wheat.
  • Glacier National Park in the USA had 150 glaciers- it now has 30. Most will have gone by 2040.
  • In 2006, Kenya suffered its worst drought in 80 years with many farmers losing all of their cattle.
  • In Kenya drought happen evry three years instead of every ten years.
  • The Peruvian village of Colca has been abandoned due to lack of water from melting mountain snow.
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Negative Effects of Climate Change (Physical)

  • 88cm sea level rise would damage London, New York and Tokyo.
  • Between 1996 and 2003 sea level rose by 3.3mm per year. That's 88cm by 2100.
  • The majority of the world's glaciers are retreating.
  • 90% of glaciers in Antarctica are melting.
  • Gulf Stream current could be diverted by cold water from melting ice in the Arctic.
  • Lack of Gulf Stream wwould lead to colder temperature in Western Europe(10 degrees cooler on average).
  • Bangladesh could lose 17.5% of its land if sea levels rise by 1 metre. 
  • Polar bears on Wrangel Island(Russia) are dying as there's not enough ice for them to travel and feed.
  • Two of the islands of Kiribati(in the Pacific) are already gone.
  • The Great Barrier Reef in Australia could be dead in 30 years due to bleaching(caused by rising temperature).
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Logging in Cameroon

The rainforests of Cameroon have been exploited by companies through logging. The tropical rainforests are home to 400 mammals species, 700 bird species and countless plant species. Large areas are cut down for commercial production. 

Roads built by logging companies are taken advantage of by illegal loggers which has made commercial hunting possible for them. The meat of mammals are sold at a high price.

The Baka pigmies (indigenous people) are taken advantage of because they show the best trees to the logging companies but aren't aware that it leads to the destruction of the forest.

The local Baka are put in unsafe working conditions such as sawmills without protective clothing and toxic products are used in the process but the workers can breathe this in which damages their lungs.

  • Almost half of Cameroon is forested- 20 million hectares.
  • The illegal timber is worth an estimated 1.5 million Euros.
  • A network of illegal roads, log ponds and abandoned logs are present over an area of 14 km squared.
  • The Dutch companies Wijma, Reef and CIBED operate illegally and cause ecological, social and economic damage.
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Oil Extraction in Ecuador

The Tiputini river and rainforest in Yasuni national park in Ecuador's Amazon forest. Oil companies have been given permit to drill for 920m barrels of crude oil.

The negative effects of the oil extraction in the Oriente region of Ecuador:

  • Toxic waste water mixed with crude oil seeps out of 600 pipelinesinto the subsoil, polluting the surroundings or freshwater supply.
  • Plants such as periwinkle near freshwater are now endangered due to toxic waste.
  • Hydrocarbons are now concentrated 200-300 times more which is unsuitable for humans to drink as it leads to health problems. Stomach cancer becomes 5 times more likely and miscarriages occur more with the indigenous people.
  • The extraction process can be destructive.Spills from burst pipelines and toxic drilling by-products may be dumped directly into local creeks and rivers.Openly stored toxic chemicals may pollute surroundings and waterways.
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Mining in Brazil

In Brazil, mining is centered on gold, copper, tin, iron and bauxite. The Carajas iron ore project uses wood to power it iron plants resulting in an annual deforestation of 6100 km squared.

Mercury is used in gold mining. The mercury is toxic and 90% of fish caught in the gold mining region surrounding the River Tapajos are contaminated with mercury. It can cause cancer if eaten and high miscarriage rates among the local tribes.

In the state of Roraima there are conflicts between gold prospectors and the local people.

Cyanide is used yo separate gold from sediment. It's supposed to be monitored carefully but when spills do occur it can cause death to wildlife and pollution of water.

Accidents can occur during the process such as landslides, incidents with machinery and explosions which have high human costs. 

Waste from mines can be deposited in rivers or lakes due to high rainfall which can damage eco-systems and wildlife.

Inhalation of coal dust can cause lung damage and build-up of toxic metals it can cause cancer.

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