DESTRUCTION OF EARTH

Origin and Early Evolution of Earth

• Early universe had only protons & helium nuclei as condensed particles we
are familiar with, rest was elementary particles & radiation

• First stars formed from hydrogen and helium, the rest of the elements
formed in protostars by nucleosynthesis

• Stars of a certain critical size exploded as supernovae, scattering hydrogen,

He & newly formed elements as intergalactic “dust”. Other stars became
“black holes”, brown dwarfs, etc.

• Inhomogeneities in dust clouds led to formation of secondary stars, similar

to our sun, but now could contain orbiting debris formed from elements in
1st generation stars.

• Inherited angular momentum caused debris to orbit main condensation

center, and eventually gave rise to orbiting planets
 Earth
• Earth (or the Earth) is the third planet from the Sun, and the fifth-largest
of the eight planets in the Solar System. It is also the largest, most
massive, and densest of the Solar System's four terrestrial (or rocky)
planets. It is sometimes referred to as the World, the Blue Planet.
• Home to millions of species, including humans, Earth is the only place in
the universe where life is known to exist. The planet formed
4.54 billion years ago, and life appeared on its surface within a billion
years.
Land use Percentage
Arable land 13.13%
Permanent crops 4.71%
Permanent pastures 26%
Forests and woodland 32%
Urban areas 1.5%
Other 30%
 Photosynthesis

6CO2 + 12H2O + Light -> C6H12O6 + 6O2+ 6H2O

 Human activity = impacts

Ozone
Global Warming
Depletion

Water, Air, & Reduction

Land Pollution of Biodiversity

Population
Resource
Increase &
Depletion
Economic Growth
 Demography
8  Today: 6 billion human beings
7
6
on Earth
5 Developing
world

4
3 Industrialized
countries
2030: population will reach 8
2
1
billion, of which 7 billion will
0 live in the developing world
1995 2030

 Populations Will increasingly

100% move towards cities, creating
80%
megalopolises
60%

40% Rural
Urban
20%

0%
1950 2000 2030
Natural resource needs

• Population growth lead to a

rising demand for materials in
the future.

• OIL, GAS, URANIUM,

MINERALS, CLEAN, WATER …
are finite and limited
resources, and could become
rare in the near future natural
resources
 Land pollution
• Land Pollution:
Agriculture + industrial activities + waste generation
- Intensive use of chemical fertilizers
- Intensive land exploitation

Global Consumption of Fertilizers

160000
Ktons of NPK nutrient

120000

80000

40000

0
1960 1970 1980 1990 2000
Year Fertilizer consumed
 Air pollution
• Main environmental threat to human health
• SO2 and NO2 emissions  Acid rain
• One of the most beautiful and elegant aspects of our
earth is that the ozone layer is in fact generated by the
same ultraviolet radiation from which it protects us. High
energy ultraviolet photons in the upper atmosphere
react with a normal oxygen molecule, breaking it into
two oxygen atoms. Those atoms, in turn, react with
other oxygen molecules to make ozone.
How CFCs Catalyze Ozone Destruction
 Green House Effect
• The greenhouse effect is the heating of the surface of a planet or moon
due to the presence of an atmosphere containing gases that absorb and
emit infrared radiation. Thus, greenhouse gases trap heat within the
surface-troposphere system. This mechanism is fundamentally different
from that of an actual greenhouse, which works by isolating warm air
inside the structure so that heat is not lost by convection. The greenhouse
effect was discovered by Joseph Fourier in 1824.

• Global warming, a recent warming of the Earth's surface and lower

atmosphere,is believed to be the result of an "enhanced greenhouse
effect" mostly due to human-produced increases in atmospheric
greenhouse gases. This human induced part is referred to as
anthropogenic global warming (AGW).
 Biodiversity

• Global biological diversity is decreasing, due to

direct and indirect human activity: hunting, loss of
natural habitat (deforestation, desertification), etc.

• The continuous decrease in animal and plant

populations results in a loss of genetic diversity
 The role of forest
• Rainforests play the important role of locking up atmospheric
carbon in their vegetation via photosynthesis.

• The vegetation and soils of the world's forests contain about

125 percent of the carbon found in the atmosphere

• When forests are burned, degraded, or cleared, the opposite

effect occurs: large amounts of carbon are released into the
atmosphere as carbon dioxide along with other greenhouse
gases (nitrous oxide, methane, and other nitrogen oxides).
 Roles and responsibilities
PRESERVE PEACE & STABILITY
Institutions SEEK GLOBAL LONG-TERM SOLUTIONS

DEMAND MORE TRANSPARENCY, INFORMATION AND ETHICS; INCLUDE

Investors SOCIAL & ENVIRONMENTAL PERFORMANCE IN BUSINESS NOTATION

DEMAND TO BE CONSULTED AND ASSOCIATED

NGOs POWER TO INFORM AND DENOUNCE

(MEDIA, INTERNET, JUSTICE, …)

Individuals SEEK QUALITY OF LIFE AND SECURITY

DEMAND FREE CHOICE

CONTRIBUTE SERVICES, PRODUCTS AND TECHNOLOGY TO SOCIETY

Businesses BALANCE ECONOMIC PROFITS WITH THE LONG_-ERM SUSTAINABILITY OF
THE BUSINESS
Thank you