Our Human Impact
An exploration
Pick an area/topic within human impact that interests you, do research, and report
Habitat Destruction
Deforestation
What are some of the main reasons forests have been cut down? This is at least a two part question..
How are animals affected, other than simple loss of habitat?
How do people try to recover the forests?
What is the difference between old growth and secondary growth?
What is the difference between clear cutting and selective tree farming?
How has this affected Maui in particular?
What is one viable solution that hasn't had enough attention brought to it and why?
(Support with research.)
Soil Conservation
What are the components of good soil?
Describe the types of soil conservation practices
How can soil be compromised/leaching?
What issues around soil conservation affect Maui or Hawaii particularly?
What is one viable solution that hasn't had enough attention brought to it and why? (Support with research.)
Strip Mining
What is strip mining?
What are some adverse effects of strip mining?
What is coal used for and how is it formed?
What other materials can be used instead of coal?
What is one viable solution that hasn't had enough attention brought to it and why? (Support with research.)
Algae Bloom
What are fertilizers made from?
What is an algae bloom?
What causes an algae bloom?
How are plants and animals affected?
How does this affect Maui or Hawaii's ecosystems?
What is one viable solution that hasn't had enough attention brought to it and why?
(Support with research.)
Air Pollution
Automobiles
What pollutants do cars add to the atmosphere?
Why are these chemicals harmful?
What is being done about emission controls?
What are some alternatives to decrease the problem?
How does this affect Maui or Hawaii's environment?
What about Shanghai's?
What is one viable solution that hasn't had enough attention brought to it and why? (Support with research.)
Ozone
What is the ozone and what is its function?
What causes the hole in the ozone?
How does the hole affect life on Earth?
What is one viable solution that hasn't had enough attention brought to it and why? (Support with research.)
Smog
What is smog and where can it be found?
What is a temperature inversion?
How does rain "clean" air?
Compare today’s smog with the past. Use real, world-wide data. Not just Hawaii.
What is one viable solution that hasn't had enough attention brought to it and why? (Support with research.)
Leaf blowers
Why are leaf blowers bad for the environment?
What is being done about them?
What is asthma?
How are asthma sufferers affected by leaf blowers?
What is one viable solution that hasn't had enough attention brought to it and why? (Support with research.)
Environmental Poisons
Lead
Where does lead come from? (products)
Why was it added to products?
What are the effects of lead on living things? (Reference Flint, Michigan)
What are some legislation that have been proposed/passed to regulate lead?
Is this an issue in Hawaii? If not, then where?
What is one viable solution that hasn't had enough attention brought to it and why? (Support with research.)
Mercury
Where does mercury come from? (products)
Why was it added to products?
What are the effects of mercury on living things?
What are some legislation that have been proposed/passed to regulate mercury?
Is this an issue in Hawaii? If not, then where?
What is one viable solution that hasn't had enough attention brought to it and why? (Support with research.)
Radon
Where does radon come from? (products)
Why was it added to products?
What are the effects of radon on living things?
What are some legislation that have been proposed/passed to regulate radon?
Is this an issue in Hawaii? If not, then where?
What is one viable solution that hasn't had enough attention brought to it and why? (Support with research.)
Methyl Tertiary-Butyl Ether (MTBE)
Where does MTBE come from? (products)
Why was it added to products?
What are the effects of MTBE on living things?
What are some legislation that have been proposed/passed to regulate MTBE?
Is this an issue in Hawaii? If not, then where?
What is one viable solution that hasn't had enough attention brought to it and why? (Support with research.)
Animal Rights
Animal Testing
What are some of the products that rely on animal testing?
Why are animals used for testing?
What are some of the ethical issues involving animal testing?
What are some of the laws designed to protect animals in research?
What is one viable solution that hasn't had enough attention brought to it and why? (Support with research.)
Zoo Animals
What are some of the benefits for keeping animals in captivity?
What are some of the health/species issues associated with animals in captivity?
What are some of the ways that zoos have tried to alleviate these problems?
What are some of the laws involving the protection of animals in zoos?
What is one viable solution that hasn't had enough attention brought to it and why? (Support with research.)
Hunting/Poaching
What is poaching?
What are some of the reasons that people hunt for sport and/or poach?
What are the effects of hunting on the ecosystem (both positive and negative)?
What are some of the laws involving the protection of endangered species?
Is this an issue in Hawaii? If not, then where?
What is one viable solution that hasn't had enough attention brought to it and why? (Support with research.)
Imported Species
Why do people import non-native species?
What is the impact of imported species on the native ecosystem? Give examples.
What are some of the laws involving the importing of non-native species?
How has this affected Hawaii and its agriculture?
What is one viable solution that hasn't had enough attention brought to it and why? (Support with research.)
Exploitation of Natural Resources
Recycling
What materials can be recycled?
How does recycling help the environment?
How do recycling plants normally work? Give examples.
What happens to the recycling here on Maui? Explain each type of recycling and how exactly it is processed.
Burning of Fossil Fuels
What are fossil fuels?
How were the formed? Why are they considered "nonrenewable"?
What is the effect of burning fossil fuels on living things?
What are some legislation passed to regulate fossil fuels?
How does this affect Hawaii?
What is one viable solution that hasn't had enough attention brought to it and why? (Support with research.)
Alternate Renewable Energy
Why do we need alternate renewable energy sources?
Where are some renewable energy sources found?
How do these sources lead to the production of energy?
What are the impacts of alternate fuels on the environment?
Is this an issue in Hawaii? If not, then where?
What is one viable solution that hasn't had enough attention brought to it and why? (Support with research.)
Thermal Pollution
What is thermal pollution?
Where does thermal pollution come from?
What is the impact of thermal pollution on the environment?
What are some possible solutions to the problem of thermal pollution?
- Is this an issue in Hawaii? If not, then where?
What is one viable solution that hasn't had enough attention brought to it and why? (Support with research.)
Biodiversity
Pesticides
What are pesticides?
What are the 4 different kinds of pesticides?
Which pesticides are best for the environment?
What are some recent legislation involving pesticides?
How does this affect Maui, specifically?
What is one viable solution that hasn't had enough attention brought to it and why? (Support with research.)
DDT
What is DDT?
How is DDT used?
What are the negatives effects of DDT?
What happened to the California Condor because of DDT?
Is this an issue in Hawaii? How? If not, then where?
What is one viable solution that hasn't had enough attention brought to it and why? (Support with research.)
Biodiversity
What is biodiversity?
Why is biodiversity important?
How are humans affecting biodiversity?
What is being done to protect biodiversity?
Is this an issue in Hawaii? If not, then where?
What is one viable solution that hasn't had enough attention brought to it and why? Hint: Check out E.O. Wilson's new book! (Support with research.)
Extinction / Endangered Species
What are some causes of extinction?
Have there been other times in Earth's history when there were extinctions? Is there a pattern?
How have humans affected the rates of extinction of species? Give examples.
How does the extinction of a species affect the ecosystem?
Is this an issue in Hawaii? If not, then where?
What is one viable solution that hasn't had enough attention brought to it and why? (Support with research.)
If you have a different topic you would like to research, come talk to me about it!
DUE FRIDAY!
Monday is the final.
(And then party on the last day of school!)
What you need in it:
Nice Layout
You can choose Canva, Piktochart (way cool), Page Maker, Wix, Weebly, or any other new cool way to communicate digitally!
(Just not a powerpoint!)
Research!!
Citations in MLA format
1) Peer-reviewed journal article
2) Use the Environmental Protection Act website (unless yours doesn't apply. If this is the case, come talk with me, and we will figure out an alternative.)
3) Podcast or radio show
4) one other reliable source