Expanded Deffinitions 16 questions

What is Ground water and briefly describe measures that can be taken to conserve water in the Mojave, via reduce water losses through irrigation, industry, and home use; What is one significant change you can make to conserve water? What is the Adjudication; what is the role of the Mojave Water Agency. What would be the impact of increasing the cost of water on water use?

Read only- Case Study-Water conflicts in the Middle East; The Aral Sea disaster, Flooding in Bangladesh,

Question 2

8-4 How can we reduce the threat of flooding?

Natural flooding by streams produces rich floodplains and recharges groundwater supplies. Increased human activities in active floodplains have contributed to the significant damage and destruction that result from floods. Concept 8-4 We can improve flood control by building flood control dams, and protecting wetlands and natural vegetation in watersheds and by not building in areas subject to frequent flooding.

Describe ways to mitigate flood risks on the Mojave River ?

What inherent risks are present in those approaches to flood control?

Discuss the effect of building dams on the Colorado River watershed

Question 3

8-5,6,9What are the causes and effects of water pollution? What are the major water pollution problems in streams, lakes, groundwater ? How can we best deal with water pollution?

CONCEPT 8-5 Water pollution, which is caused mostly by agricultural activities, industrial facilities, and mining, and worsened by growth in population and resource use, causes illness and death in humans and other species and disrupts ecosystems.

8-6 What are the major water pollution problems in streams and lakes?

The ability of streams and lakes to naturally recover from pollution depends primarily on flow rate and the type of pollutant.

CONCEPT 8-6 Addition of pollutants and excessive nutrients to streams and lakes can disrupt these ecosystems and prevention of such pollution is more effective and less costly than cleaning it up.

.CONCEPT 8-7 Chemicals used in agriculture, industry, transportation, and homes can spill and leak into groundwater and make it undrinkable; polluted water can be purified, but protecting it through pollution prevention is the least expensive and most effective strategy.

CONCEPT 8-9 Reducing water pollution requires preventing it, working with nature in treating sewage, cutting resource use and waste, reducing poverty, and slowing population growth.- to be taught at VVWRA

Summarize the Chromium 6/Erin Brockowitch story;

Describe the Nitrates pollution in the Barstow area and what is being done to mitigate these issues.

Where does arsenic pollution in Ground Water originate and what is the local situation.

Describe the treatment of Sewerage and the Sustainable practices at VVWRA

Chapter 9

Nonrenewable Energy Sources

Key Questions

Question 1

9-1 What is net energy, and why is it important?

CONCEPT 9-1 Energy resources vary greatly in their net energy yields- the amount of high-quality usable energy available from a resource after the amount of energy needed to make it available is subtracted.

Describe how renewable energy resources are able to compete in the US./California market because of financial and political support from the government. Describe why “wind’ energy has a higher net energy than Solar cells.

Question 2

9-2,3,4 What are the advantages and disadvantages of oil, of natural gas, and coal?

CONCEPT 9-2A Conventional oil is currently abundant, has a high net energy yield, and is relatively inexpensive, but using it causes air and water pollution and releases greenhouse gases into the atmosphere.

CONCEPT 9-2B Heavy oils from oil sand and oil shale exist in potentially large supplies but have low net energy yields and higher environmental impacts than conventional oil has.

CONCEPT 9-3 Conventional natural gas is more plentiful than oil, has a high net energy yield and a fairly low cost, and has the lowest environmental impact of all fossil fuels.

CONCEPT 9-4 Conventional coal is plentiful and has high net energy yield and low cost, but it has a very high environmental impact: synthetic fuels produced from coal have lower net energy yields and higher environmental impacts than conventional coal has.

Describe the issues associated with Fracking and coal mining.

Describe how our local Limestone mines are/are not sustainable.

Question 3

9-5 What are the advantages and disadvantages of nuclear energy?

To evaluate nuclear energy, we must consider safety, economic feasibility, and environmental feasibility of the entire nuclear fuel cycle, from mining fuel to dealing with the waste. CONCEPT 9-5 Nuclear power has a low environmental impact and a low accident risk, but high costs, radioactive wastes, vulnerability to sabotage, and the potential for spreading nuclear weapons technology have limited its use.

What are important considerations in predicting the future of nuclear power

How do we dispose of nuclear waste

Chapter 10

Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy

Key Questions

Questions 1

10-1 Why is energy efficiency an important energy source?

CONCEPT 10-1 We could save up to 40% of all the energy we use by encouraging energy efficiency through higher government efficiency standards, economic incentives, and education about the benefits of energy efficiency.

Describe Cogeneration technology and its use locally; The advantages and disadvantages of a Smart Grid; The use of “alternative” Fuel vehicles.

What is Green Building/Architecture

Questions 2

10-2 What are the advantages and disadvantages of solar energy, wind energy and biomass?

CONCEPT 10-2 Passive and active solar heating systems heat water and buildings effectively, and solar cells generate electricity, but solar energy technologies are most effective and have the lowest environmental impact when used on a small scale for local applications.

CONCEPT 10-4 When environmental costs of energy resources are included in market prices, wind energy is the least expensive and least polluting way to produce electricity.

CONCEPT 10-5A Solid biomass is a renewable resource, but burning it faster than it is replenished produces a net gain in atmospheric greenhouse gases, and creating biomass plantations can degrade soils and biodiversity. CONCEPT 10-5B Liquid fuels derived from biomass could largely replace those made from fossil fuels, but creating plantations for that purpose could degrade soil and biodiversity, and increase food prices.

What are the arguments for and against installing “industrial Scale” solar and wind farms in the Mojave?

What are the positive and negative impacts of corn-derived ethanol in the USA ?

Questions 3

10-8 How can we make a transition to a more sustainable energy future?

CONCEPT 10-8 We can make a transition to a more sustainable energy future by greatly improving energy efficiency, using a mix of renewable energy resources, and including environmental costs in the market prices of all energy resources.

List the seven key questions that must be asked about each energy alternative to evaluate energy resources.

Analyze the interactions of economic policy and energy resources. In particular, consider the results of using free-market competition, keeping energy prices low, and keeping energy prices high .

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Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy

Chapter 11

Environmental Hazards and Human Health

Key Questions

Question 1

11-1, 2 What major health hazards do we face? What types of biological hazards do we face?

CONCEPT 11-1 People face health hazards from biological, chemical, physical, and cultural factors and from the lifestyle choices they make.

CONCEPT 11-2 In terms of death rates, the most serious infectious diseases are flu, AIDS, diarrheal diseases, tuberculosis, and malaria; most of these deaths occur in developing countries.

Define risk, probability, and risk assessment. List five general types of common hazards and give two examples of each.

Transmissible diseases can be spread from one person to another. List two factors that contribute to the spread of infectious diseases.

The global HIV/AIDS pandemic has caused significant death around the world, especially in Sub-Saharan Africa. List three impacts of the AIDS epidemic on communities in Sub-Saharan Africa.

List three approaches to preventing malaria .

Question 2

11-3. What types of chemical hazards do we face? How can we evaluate and deal with chemical hazards? And risk management

CONCEPT 11-3 There is growing concern about chemicals that can cause birth defects and cancers and disrupt the human immune, nervous, and endocrine systems.

CONCEPT 11-4A Scientists use live laboratory animals, non-animal tests, case reports of poisonings, and epidemiological studies to estimate the toxicity of chemicals, but these methods have limitations. CONCEPT 11-4B Many health scientists call for much greater emphasis on pollution prevention to reduce our exposure to potentially harmful chemicals.

CONCEPT 11-5 We can reduce the major risks we face by becoming informed, thinking critically about risks, and making careful choices.

Define mutagen, teratogen, and carcinogen. Summarize current research implying chemical effects on the immune, nervous, and endocrine systems.

Define a dose-response curve. Distinguish between a linear dose-response model and a threshold dose-response model. Describe the difficulty in deciding which model applies best when low doses are involved. Assess the limits of toxicological research.

Summarize key questions to be answered in risk-benefit analysis,

Chapter 12

Air Pollution, Climate Change, and Ozone Depletion

Key Questions

Question 1

12-2,3,5 What are the major outdoor air pollution problems? What is acid deposition and why is it a problem? How should we deal with air pollution?

CONCEPT 12-2 Pollutants mix in the air to form industrial smog, resulting mostly from burning coal, and photochemical smog, caused by motor vehicle, industrial, and power plant emissions.

CONCEPT 12-3 Acid deposition is caused mainly by coal-burning power plant and motor vehicle emissions; in some regions, it threatens human health, aquatic life and ecosystems, forests, and human-built structures.

CONCEPT 12-5 Legal, economic, and technological tools can help to clean up air pollution, but much greater emphasis should be focused on preventing air pollution.

Describe a thermal inversion Define acid deposition. Briefly describe how acid deposition can affect buildings, vegetation, soil, aquatic organisms, and humans.

Briefly describe the EPA’s outdoor air pollution control strategies. Describe in detail the 1990 strategy

to reduce sulfur dioxide emissions. Describe the mandate and work of the of the Mojave Desert

Air Quality Management District. List five policies that would strengthen the Clean Air Act.

Question 2

12-6 How might the earth’s temperature and climate change in the future and with what effects? What can we do to slow climate change?

CONCEPT 12-6B The projected rapid change in the atmosphere’s temperature could have severe and long-lasting consequences, including increased drought and floods, shifts in locations of agriculture and wildlife habitats, and rising sea levels.

.CONCEPT 12-7 We can slow the rate of global warming and climate change by sharply reducing greenhouse gas emissions, increasing energy efficiency, relying more on renewable energy resources, and slowing population growth.

Summarize scientific consensus about future global warming. List 10 uncertainties of global

climate models.

Summarize the projections of possible effects of global warming on food production, water

supplies, forests, biodiversity, sea levels, weather, and human health.

Name and briefly describe two basic approaches to potential global warming. Describe three ways

to slow global warming. List three ways to adapt to global warming.

Question 3

12-8 How have we depleted ozone in the stratosphere and what can we do about it?

There is clear danger from the threat of ozone depletion. To reduce ozone depletion we must stop producing all ozone-depleting chemicals. CONCEPT 12-8A Widespread use of certain chemicals has reduced ozone levels in the stratosphere, which has allowed more harmful ultraviolet radiation to reach the earth’s surface. CONCEPT 12-8B To reverse ozone depletion, we must stop producing ozone-depleting chemicals, and adhere to the international treaties that ban such chemicals.

Summarize and assess the controversy over formation of the ozone hole.

Describe the tactics that led to a reduction in this problem Explain the causes and potential effects

of stratospheric ozone changes. Propose three ways for slowing these changes.

Chapter 13

Urbanization and Solid and Hazardous Waste

Summary and Objectives

Question 1

13-1,2,3 What are the major population trends and problems in urban areas? How does transportation affect urban environmental impacts? How can cities become more sustainable and livable?

CONCEPT 13-1 Urbanization continues to increase steadily, and most cities are unsustainable because of high levels of resource use, waste, pollution, and poverty.

CONCEPT 13-2 A combination of plentiful land, inexpensive fuel, and expanding networks of highways in some urban areas has resulted in dispersed cities that depend on motor vehicles for most transportation.

CONCEPT 13-3A Urban land-use planning can reduce uncontrolled sprawl and slow the resulting degradation of air, water, land, biodiversity, and other natural resources.

CONCEPT 13-3B An ecocity allows people to choose walking, biking, or mass transit for most transportation needs, recycle or reuse most of their wastes, grow much of their food, and protect biodiversity by preserving surrounding land.

Describe the advantages and disadvantages of urbanization;

Weigh the trade-offs in reducing automobile use in favor of alternative transportation methods .

Give an example of an ecocity and describe how they work.

Question 2

13-4, 5, 6, 7 What are solid waste and hazardous waste, and why are they problems? How can we make the transition to a more sustainable low-waste society?

CONCEPT 13-4 Solid waste represents pollution and unnecessary waste of resources, and hazardous waste contributes to pollution, natural capital degradation, health problems, and premature deaths.

13-5 What should we do about solid waste?

CONCEPT 13-5A A sustainable approach to solid waste is first to reduce it, then to reuse or recycle it, and finally to safely dispose of what is left. Various recycling methods: closed-loop recycling, secondary recycling, composting, solid waste recycling, and source separation recycling are all effective in reducing waste.

CONCEPT 13-5B Technologies for burning and burying solid wastes are well developed, but burning contributes to pollution and greenhouse gas emissions, and buried wastes eventually contribute to pollution and land degradation.

CONCEPT 13-6 A sustainable approach to hazardous waste is first to produce less of it, then to reuse or recycle it, then to convert it to less hazardous materials, and finally, to safely store what is left.

.CONCEPT 13-7 Shifting to a low-waste society requires individuals and businesses to reduce resource use and to reuse and recycle wastes at local, national, and global levels.

List seven ways to reduce waste and pollution. Describe the most ecological approaches to dealing with refillable containers and grocery bags.

Define sanitary landfill. Describe three problems associated with landfills. Evaluate sanitary landfills as an approach to dealing with solid waste.

Describe your personal committmnet to the thre R”S reduce, recycling, reuse.

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