Chapter 24 - Effects of Man On The Environment

Chapter 24 – Effects of Man
on the Environment
CHAPTER 24 Effects of Man on the Environment
24.1 Population Growth
You should be able to:

■ describe the factors that affect the growth of
natural populations; and
■ explain how man overcomes the constraints to
human population growth.
UNIT V ENVIRONMENT AND MAN

Growth of Natural Populations
• A population is a group of individuals of the same

species living in the same place.
• Population growth rate is directly affected by two basic
factors – birth rate and death rate.
• The rate at which babies are born is the birth rate,
while the rate at which individuals die is the death
rate.

A typical population growth curve

Growth phase
• Initially, the population growth rate is slow as there are only a

few reproducing individuals that rarely meet and mate.
• The population growth increases rapidly (exponential growth)
because of several factors. These factors include an abundant
food supply, a lack of predation and disease.
• Amount of resources available > Amount required
+ rapid population growth + relatively low death rate = net
population growth
• Maximum growth rate is at this stage.

Stability phase
• Eventually, the population growth
slows down, due to the interaction
of a few factors:
• Food supply. As the population
increases, the food supply will start
to run out.
• Predation. The low number of prey
can only sustain a small number of
predators. With more prey,
predators have more food so their
population also increases.

Stability phase
• Competition. Since members of a

population share the same physical
space and resources, they will
compete with one another for food,
territory and mates.
• Disease. Under overcrowded
conditions, diseases spread easily,
causing sickness and death.

• When the death rate is more or less equal to the

birth rate, the population stabilises and growth
stops. This population is known as the carrying
capacity of the environment.
• This is the maximum population size that the
resources of the environment can sustain for a
period of time.
• The exponential growth of the population is kept in
check by disease and predation.

Decline Phase
• Decline refers to a reduction in the number of

individuals in a population. The possible factors
causing decline are:
▫ a sudden change in the environment.
▫ the arrival of new predators or overpredation which is
due to the increasing number of predators.
▫ Man’s actions

Human population growth
• Humans are subjected to the same population growth

constraints as other organisms, but they are able to overcome
some of these constraints.

• Space. Man has developed machines to clear forests and fill

water bodies to create more land to support his needs. High-
rise buildings can overcome land constraints to house schools,
offices and apartments.
• Food. With the help of technological advances in agriculture,

man is able to supply sufficient food to keep up with the rapid
population growth.
• Disease. With better medical care and sanitation, the

transmission of diseases has been greatly reduced. More
treatments are also becoming available for diseases that
previously had no cures.

• Although the quality of human life has improved drastically in

the past century, there is still a great divide between the
developed and less developed countries.
• The Earth’s resources, though plentiful, are limited  the

exponential growth of humans cannot go on forever.
• There are certain factors that could stop future exponential

increase in the world population.
- Increased use and knowledge of contraceptive as
countries develop.
- As status of women increase, they no longer see their
roles as only child bearers.
- More women are marrying and having children at a later
age.

24.2 Resources and their Use

■ describe various resources and their limits; and
■ understand the importance of recycling, and
explain the difficulties encountered in recycling
manufactured materials.

Natural Resources
• Resources can be classified as being renewable or

non-renewable.
• Renewable resources are those that can be reused or
quickly replenished.
• Non-renewable resources are in limited supply, and
cannot be replaced.



Alternative sources of energy
• As Man become more aware that energy resources of the

Earth are being used up at an alarming rate, they are turning to
alternative sources for energy.
• These sources include solar, geothermal, tides and wind. The

main advantage of these sources of energy is that they are
renewable.

Reduce, Reuse and Recycle

Waste can either be biodegradable or not. To better manage
waste, a strategy known as the 3Rs is developed.

Pollution
• Substances that cannot be broken down by
nature are called non-biodegradable
• Those which can be broken by nature are
biodegradable

The Importance of Recycling
• Conserves land
• Reduces pollution
• Saves energy and resources

The Challenges of Recycling
• Recycling is an attitude and a habit to adopt as garbage has to

be sorted before being discarded.
• It may be more costly to recycle products than make products
from raw materials. It is usually more profitable for large
companies.
• Recycling bins must be available and placed at strategic
locations so people can see them.
• A certain amount of waste must be accumulated before it
becomes worthwhile to be sent to the recycling factories.

24.3 Effects of Man’s Activities on the

Environment
■ understand the negative impact of human activity
on the environment;
■ discuss the implications of pollution on marine and
wetland environments; and
■ suggest means by which the environment could be
conserved.

24.2 Effects of Man’s Activities on the Environment
Pollution
• Pollution is the process in which harmful substances

are added to the environment. The substances that
damage the environment are called pollutants.
• The rapid increase in human populations also
increases industrial activities and produces many toxic
chemicals.

Air Pollution

Air Pollution

Air Pollution

Ways of reducing air pollution

• Use catalytic converters in cars to increase fuel efficiency and
reduce emission of carbon monoxide and nitrogen oxides
• Install pollution control devices such as filters on chimneys of
power plants
• Reduce the burning of fossil fuels in factories
• Reduce the lead and sulphur dioxide content of fuel used in
motor vehicles
• Burn cleaner fuel like natural gas to provide energy needs
• Use ozone-friendly products, such as spray cans that carry the
“No CFCs” logo.
• Cut down on the use of cars and motor vehicles, and switch to
using public transport or bicycles

Water Pollution

Water Pollution

Water Pollution

Water Pollution

Water Pollution

Water Pollution

Sewage Treatment
A typical sewage treatment process

Deforestation
• Deforestation is the result of several activities, some of which

are highlighted below:
▫ Urban development. Land has to be cleared for the construction of
homes, industrial buildings, roads, etc.
▫ Commercial agriculture. With rising demand for food, more land
has to be cleared for growing crops.
▫ Grazing pastures. Livestock such as cattle and sheep needs large
expanses of grassland to move about and graze.
▫ Logging. Timber is a valuable raw material in construction,
furniture-making, paper manufacture and firewood.

• Effects of Deforestation
▫ Soil erosion: no trees to hold the soil  easily eroded; fertile
soil gets washed away and over time, land is destructed 
dessertification
▫ Flooding: eroded soil may be deposited in rivers, thus
blocking the flow of water and cause flooding in low-lying
areas
▫ Species destruction: the loss of forests  loss of habitats for
species to live in
▫ Climate change: less trees to remove carbon dioxide from the
air; loss of Earth’s “green lungs”
Case Study: Simpson Bay Lagoon

Conservation
• Conservation is the preservation of the Earth’s natural

resources so that they are available for future generations.
• Conservation is important for two main reasons - to ensure that

our demand for natural resources can continue to be met, and
to maintain our quality of life.
•
• The goal of conservation efforts is to manage our natural
resources in a sustainable manner.

Conservation measures
• Education
▫ E.g. Benefits of recycling, taking
individual responsibility
• Legislation
▫ E.g. Ban the hunting and killing of
endangered animals, set up nature
reserves, ban logging, improve
sewage treatment facilities.
• Conservation agriculture

Conservation agriculture
Soil can be conserved if farmers adopt the

following conservation measures:
• Carry out crop rotation which is planting different crops that
use different nutrients from the soil,
• Implement fallow periods which give the soil ample time to
recover its minerals,
• Use of cover crops to maintain soil cover,
• Use of organic fertilisers like manure and compost, so as to
cut down on the use of chemical fertilisers,
• Plant trees and shrubs on farms(known as agroforestry) to
prevent soil erosion.

Key Concepts
• Natural population growth normally has 3 phases – slow growth,
rapid exponential growth and stability, where there is little or no
growth.
• Population is prevented from expanding indefinitely by a limited
food supply, predation, competition between individuals, and
disease.
• Human population has been growing exponentially in the past
two centuries, because of man’s ability to overcome the
constraints of natural resources.
• Renewable resources include land, biotic resources and water.
Non-renewable resources include fossil fuels and minerals.
• The large quantities of non-biodegradable waste which humans
generate can be better managed by reducing, reusing and
recycling waste materials.

Key Concepts
• Recycling is important as it helps to conserve land, reduce
pollution and save energy.
• Air pollution is caused by the incomplete burning of fuel, the
burning of fossil fuels and the manufacture of materials like
metal ore.
• Water pollution is caused mainly by land activities, when toxic
waste is discharged into seas and rivers. Water pollutants can
enter our bodies through the plants and animals that we
consume.
• Conservation is necessary to maintain the balance in an
ecosystem and to preserve resources for the next generation.

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Chapter 24 – Effects of Man

24.1 Population Growth

You should be able to:

UNIT V ENVIRONMENT AND MAN

Growth of Natural Populations

• A population is a group of individuals of the same

UNIT V ENVIRONMENT AND MAN

A typical population growth curve

• Initially, the population growth rate is slow as there are only a

UNIT V ENVIRONMENT AND MAN

UNIT V ENVIRONMENT AND MAN

• Competition. Since members of a

UNIT V ENVIRONMENT AND MAN

• When the death rate is more or less equal to the

UNIT V ENVIRONMENT AND MAN

• Decline refers to a reduction in the number of

UNIT V ENVIRONMENT AND MAN

Human population growth

• Humans are subjected to the same population growth

UNIT V ENVIRONMENT AND MAN

• Space. Man has developed machines to clear forests and fill

• Food. With the help of technological advances in agriculture,

• Disease. With better medical care and sanitation, the

UNIT V ENVIRONMENT AND MAN

• Although the quality of human life has improved drastically in

• The Earth’s resources, though plentiful, are limited  the

• There are certain factors that could stop future exponential

UNIT V ENVIRONMENT AND MAN

24.2 Resources and their Use

UNIT V ENVIRONMENT AND MAN

• Resources can be classified as being renewable or

UNIT V ENVIRONMENT AND MAN

UNIT V ENVIRONMENT AND MAN

UNIT V ENVIRONMENT AND MAN

Alternative sources of energy

• As Man become more aware that energy resources of the

• These sources include solar, geothermal, tides and wind. The

UNIT V ENVIRONMENT AND MAN

Reduce, Reuse and Recycle

UNIT V ENVIRONMENT AND MAN

UNIT V ENVIRONMENT AND MAN

The Importance of Recycling

UNIT V ENVIRONMENT AND MAN

The Challenges of Recycling

• Recycling is an attitude and a habit to adopt as garbage has to

UNIT V ENVIRONMENT AND MAN

24.3 Effects of Man’s Activities on the

UNIT V ENVIRONMENT AND MAN

• Pollution is the process in which harmful substances

UNIT V ENVIRONMENT AND MAN

UNIT V ENVIRONMENT AND MAN

UNIT V ENVIRONMENT AND MAN

UNIT V ENVIRONMENT AND MAN

Ways of reducing air pollution

UNIT V ENVIRONMENT AND MAN

UNIT V ENVIRONMENT AND MAN

UNIT V ENVIRONMENT AND MAN

UNIT V ENVIRONMENT AND MAN

UNIT V ENVIRONMENT AND MAN

UNIT V ENVIRONMENT AND MAN

UNIT V ENVIRONMENT AND MAN

A typical sewage treatment process

UNIT V ENVIRONMENT AND MAN