Research Task

In pairs, each of you pick ONE of the environmental events below. You will be
sharing your learning with the other person in your pair.

Climate Change

Australia Bushfires 2019 North American Heat Wave 2021

Ice Shelf Breakup 2021 Snowstorms in the USA 2021

Deforestation

Amazon Rainforest Bushfires. (2019) Palm Oil Production.

Increase in Carbon Dioxide from

deforestation.

Overfishing

Overfishing rate on the rise (2021) Illegal overfishing investigation (2020)

 Task: Australian Bushfires
Using the event or topics you have picked, create a slideshow or written
summary about the event or issue. Include:

What sphere of the environment was impacted? (hydrosphere, biosphere,

lithosphere, atmosphere and how):
The atmosphere was impacted by the 2019 Australian bushfires because it led to the
loss of the ozone layer and also increased the CO2 levels. The ash that was
produced by the bushfires would have washed to bodies of water, destroying the
hydrosphere. The biosphere would have also been affected because 3 billion
animals have died due to the bushfires. The loss of nutrients and water in the soil
was also caused by the bushfires, affecting the lithosphere.

What was the impact on the following areas:

Social (people):
The 2019 Australian bushfires caused people to flee their homes and also burned
down people’s homes. People died and lost their families due to the 2019 Australian
bushfires. This would have caused an increase in mental health problems due to the
anxiety and trauma around the bushfires. The increase of CO2 production due to the
fires would have caused respiratory problems in people. Prices in food have gone up
and also loss of jobs was caused due to the fact that there was less food production
due the the bushfires destroying crops, death of livestock and the burning of
farmhouses and equipment.

Economics (money):
The Australian bushfires have had a negative impact on the economy. The
Australian food system in Australia has lost around $3-4 billion because it destroyed
the crops that would be grown as food. The animals grown in farms to be eaten were
also killed by the bushfires and farming equipment and buildings would have been
destroyed, which means that it would have been harder to farm and grow food.
Tourism would have also been affected because people worldwide would have been
too scared to lose their lives to the bushfires. A significant amount of money would
have also been lost to rebuild buildings that have been damaged by the bushfires.

Environment (trees, animals, plants, land):

The 2019 Australian bushfires killed 3 billion animals in Australia and caused tree
loss. The bushfires also caused tree loss. This would cause the production of O2 to
decrease from photosynthesis. It also majorly contributed to climate change, causing
the cooling of the southern Pacific. Ash would have been transported to bodies of
water, which would have caused a lack of clean drinking water. The soil was also
destroyed because of the loss of water due to the heat and also the loss of nutrients
in the soil.