NORTHERN PHILIPPINES COLLEGE FOR MARITIME SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

LINGSAT, CITY OF SAN FERNANDO LA UNION

MATH, SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY – ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE

MODULE 2:

ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES AND CONCERNS

WEEK 7-11

[Link]:

Module 2 aims to introduce you the different environmental issues and concerns. You will be
informed about the causes, effects and means on how to lessen the identified environmental problems
we are facing at present not only here in the Philippines but also problems encountered worldwide.

This module will tackle the environmental issues like: a) global warming and ozone depletion, b)
waste management and pollution, c) acid rain, d) deforestation and endangered species.

At the end of this module you are expected to:

 Understand the primary environmental problems (global warming and ozone depletion, waste
management and pollution, acid rain, deforestation and endangered species) and science
behind these problems and the potential solutions.
 Analyze environmental issues scientifically and learn how to use these skills in applied situation
such as careers that may involve environmental problems and issues
 Reflect critically about the roles of humans as citizens, consumers and environmental actors in a
complex, interconnected world.

[Link]: Please be guided of the following reminders.

1. Please read the various text carefully so that you can comprehend easily.
2. You can consult google or dictionaries for clearer understanding of terms and concepts met in
the text.
3. Do the different activities required. Do not leave any activity undone (or questions unanswered).
4. Please follow instructions. Feel free to ask me via messenger or text for clarifications on
directions.
5. Answer questions with all honesty. Success does not come from copying from others. It is made
possible by trying hard on your own even from your mistakes.
6. Review your answers. It is safe to go back and think about what you have written. This can help
you lessen if not avoid errors.
7. Do not delay in doing and submitting your requirements. This can help you avoid having a file of
unfinished activities.
8. Have fun as you learn. When you’re having fun, you can easily learn the lessons.

[Link] PROPER:
LESSON 1: GLOBAL WARMING AND OZONE DEPLETION

A. PRESENTATION

[Link]
Based from the video presentation do you think there are possible technological means to stop
global warming and ozone depletion? Explain.

B. DISCUSSION
Global warming is the warming of the earth caused by buildup of carbon monoxides,
chloroflourocarbons, nitrous oxide, ozone etc.
Greenhouse effect is the trapping of heat close to the surface of the planet which increases
temperature..This is an extremely vital process where infrared rays from the sun come into the
Earth’s atmosphere. The atmosphere then traps these rays after they have come in keeping the
Earth warm and habitable. Carbon dioxide (CO2), nitrous oxide (N2O) and methane (CH4) are
destroying the atmosphere, causing more infrared rays to reflect on earth.
GREENHOUSE GASES
1. Carbon dioxide (CO2). Carbon dioxide is the biggest contributor (50%) to the greenhouse
shield. Emissions from incinerators, waste treatment plants, electric power plants, factories,
household furnaces, cars and buses all contribute to global warming.
2. Methane. This is a big and growing greenhouse contributor to the greenhouse shield. More
than 425 million tons a year are generated by bacterial decomposition of organic matter – in
the landfills, flooded rice paddies, and guts of cattle and termites and by burning wood and
fossil fuels. Methane is trapped in ice. It is also trapped inside ice structures in sediments in
ocean floors. The Arctic Ocean bed contains “methane hydrates” that are ready to be
released when frozen hydrate is broken.
3. Chloroflourocarbons (CFC’s) and Halons. This greenhouse gas is composed of chlorine,
fluorine, and carbon atoms. Because these chloroflourocarbons vaporize at low
temperatures, they have become essential ingredients in refrigerators and as propellant
gases for aerosol spray cans. CFC’s also make good insulators in solid form because the
lightweight, closed cell bubbles they form are poor conductors of both heat and cold. When
CFC’s escape into the atmosphere, they trap heat. In fact, CFC”s and halons, which release
ozone-depleting bromine, account for 15% to 20% of the gases responsible for global
warming.
4. Nitrous oxide (NO2). Nitrous oxide emissions are due to human activities. Nitrous oxide is
released when coal and other fossil fuels are burned. It is a product of gasoline use and
nitrogen-based fertilizer emission. It often turns to nitric acid in the atmosphere and falls to
the ground as acid rain. It stays in the atmosphere in a stable condition for a long time –
over 200 years. In sunlight, it reacts with hydrocarbons to form photochemical smogs. These
smogs build up during the hot, sunny weather. The smog contains ozone which damages
plants, decomposes everything from condominium walls to furnishings, and causes both
premature aging of lungs and asthma attacks in humans.
5. Carbon Monoxide (CO). Carbon monoxide is a destructive force in the complex chemistry
that stops the atmosphere from cleaning itself of pollutants, including methane. One recent
 estimate indicates that human activities are responsible for the emission of 1500 million
tons of carbon monoxide into the atmosphere each year. Such human activities include the
Iforests. Carbon monoxide reacts easily with other chemicals in the air, so it does not spread
as far as around the world like CFC’s or carbon dioxide.
6. Ozone (O3). Ozone provides a protective shield in the atmosphere but it can be destructive
near the ground. Only 10% of the world ozone is toxic especially to plants, at high
concentrations. It is mildly regarded as the factor in the strange death of trees in Europe and
North America. About a century ago, ozone levels near the ground were around 10 ppb
(parts per billion). Today, background levels are at least 20 ppb and concentration
sometimes reaches 200 ppb.

CAUSES OF GLOBAL WARMING

1. Increasing population growth

2. Exhaust fumes / smokes and other gases
3. Farts from cattles including herbivores animals
4. Gases from marches, swamps and rice paddy fields
5. Methane gases from bites of termites

EFFECTS OF GLOBAL WARMING

1. Doubling of the atmosphere’s carbon dioxide content would increase temperature enough
to melt the edges of the Arctic and Antarctic ice sheets, raising sea levels around the globe.
2. Coastal areas and islands would be inundated.
3. Agriculture, water resources, fisheries, shipping and energy use would all be disrupted.
4. An area greater than the United States and China would be submerged worldwide.
5. Much of the eastern seaboard of the US would be flooded.
6. Parts of Russia and Denmark would be under water.
7. Beijing, Seoul, New York and London will be flooded.
8. Egypt could lose 15% of its land
9. Cities surrounded with water including the Philippines would be swamped.
10. Parts of the globe not flooded would get drier.
11. Rainfall patterns would shift.
12. Evaporation would lead to drier soils over much of the still exposed land.
13. Cold season would shorten; warm season would lengthen.
14. Strong winds, hurricanes and assorted other storms, caused by shifting ocean currents and a
rising sea level, would devastate cities and populations.
15. There would be more droughts and many more days above 100 degrees in some regions.
16. Many trees and wildlife would die.
17. World’s supply would be dramatically affected.
18. Many forests would become grasslands; water supply would be tainted; recreational lakes
would dry up; and wetlands would be flooded.
19. Higher temperatures would cause an increased demand for electricity.

SOLUTONS TO GLOBAL WARMING

 1. Reduce the usage of greenhouse emissions (carbon dioxide, methane, and nitrous oxide)
2. Prevent forest fires and the depletion trees.
3. Do not use nitrogen-based fertilizer to reduce the amount of nitrous oxide.
4. Promotion of family planning to reduce population growth.
5. Educating people on reforestation programs by initiating “eco-tourism” to various main forests.
6. Car owners have to switch to natural gas to help cut down nitrous oxide emissions.
7. Encouraging auto owners to seek out service stations equipped with recycling equipment that
cleanses and reuses the car air conditioner’s Freon, which is 100% CFC in the atmosphere, and
provides shade which cuts down the demand for electricity for air conditioners.

OZONE LAYER DEPLETION

The ozone layer is a gaseous cover in the earth’s atmosphere that serves as a shield against
dangerous ultraviolet radiation. Excessive levels of UV radiation can cause cataracts, skin cancer, and
immune system suppression in humans as well as having harmful effects on other living systems.
Chloroflourocarbons or CFC’s, prevalent in Styrofoam, refrigerants (such as air conditioners), and
cleaning agents (such as ammonia) are largely to blame for the degradation of the ozone layer. Toxic
emissions and the burning of fossil fuels by power plants, factories, and engines also play a role in the
alternation of ozone layer functioning.

EFFECTS OF OZONE DEPLETION

1. Loss of ozone allows ultraviolet light (UV) to reach the earth. Each 1% drop of ozone allows 2%
more UV-B to reach the ground. This, in turn, increases the potential for skin cancer by 3% to
6%. If CFC usage continues unabated, more than 60 million additional case of skin cancer and
one million additional deaths will take place by the year 2075.
2. A diminished ozone layer may also make people more vulnerable to a variety of infectious
diseases including malaria, and can cause an additional 17 million cases of cataracts.
3. UV-B radiation will disrupt the food chain, altering the life of plants.
4. UV-B’s impact on the ocean may be even worse. It will destroy microorganisms necessary to
maintain marine life It will also destroy the photosynthesis and metabolism of planktons and can
cause mutation in some marine organism.
5. Disrupt the earth’s climate.

Ozone depletion may also disrupt the earth’s climate. Loss of ozone in the stratosphere
will cool the layer, perhaps, alter global wind patterns that will cause weather changes.
Oceans, deserts, and forests will suffer too. Ozone depletion will heat up the
atmosphere, adding to the threat of global warming.

SOLUTIONS TO OZONE DEPLETION

1. Ban the use and production of CFCs and other ODS’s (ozone –depleting substances) by the year
2000.
2. Require all service stations and auto repair shops to recycle CFCs.
3. Prohibit the sale of new CFC- laden products – from refrigerators to dry-cleaning solvents.
4. Ban all cars equipped with CFC- using air conditioners
5. Prohibit the use of nearly all CFCs in most industrial processes except in drug manufacturing
medical devices and military specifications that require them.
6. Ban the use of plastic foam for food packaging.
7. Prohibit the use of building insulators with CFC compounds.
8. Require service station and auto repair shops to capture and recycle Freon.
9. Use Freon substitutes or alternatives /replacements for CFCs.
The use of substitutes or alternatives for CFCs is found to be more expensive,
ineffective, impractical and even dangerous. Alternatives are even more toxic and
flammable and they cause cancer
10. Reuse CFCs by means of a recycler machine.
C. SYNTHESIS:
Unscramble these words associated with ozone depletion and global warming.

TRFEIRREGAN EOZNO NITONELPDE ECHORLNI

ESRTERSOTAHP RACNEC CSANOBROHDYR OLNSAH
SLOARESO CLEREYC EBMNORI CACANTRIAT
THAMENE ETMALIC INGWAMR ODEXIOUSINTR

D. SUMMARY:
Answer the following questions:
1. How does the ozone layer protect those that inhabit the earth’s surface?
2. What health effects might result from the depletion of the ozone layer?
3. The earth has gone through several cycles of warming and cooling in the last 2 million years
during the ice ages. List reasons as you can think of why the global warming we are now
experiencing will do much more damage to the environment than the ice ages did.
E. EVALUATION: Encircle the ways on how to solve environmental issues.

A U E A D S F G A R Q R E C Y C L E S E
C S D D S Q Z R D E R E D U C E A R A Y
V E F G A W X O G D X U X R W A D Y W T
B P G H V E C W H U C S C Y T F E G E R
N U T T E R V P T C V E V H Y E R H Q W
M B R Y E T B L Y E B R B U O S T J R Q
H L Y U N Y N A U D N Y N I P S Y O T O
G I H J E U M N J E M H M K R I A P E R
E C U K R I L T K F L U L L A V R D R E
R T I M G O K S M O K I K N I B Y Y Y T
T R K N Y P J A N R J K J M U N H H H A
Y A L B J A H N B E H L H D Y N U C U W
U N N V H S G D V S G N G C T M I M I E
K S M B G D F T B T F M F V R M K K K V
H P D M F F D R M A D D D B K K L M L R
G O C N D G S E N T S C S Q L I M N N E
N R V J S H A E J I A V A E M U N M M S
M T B K S J P S K O P B P W V Y D D D N
L A N I X K O A I N O D O T X O C V C O
 A V O I D P L A S T I C B A G P V S V C
IV. REFERENCES/ MATERIALS/RESOURCES

1. Bueno, David C. Ed.D., Environmental Science., Books Atbp. Publishing Corp. 2019.
2. Lee, Sergio J.,Anes, Myrna L., Lecture Notes in Environmental Science: The Economy of Nature
and Ecology of Man (2nd edition): C & E Publishing, Inc. 2010.
3. Williams, Linda D., AP Environmental Science., McGraw Hill Education, 2018.
4. [Link]
LESSON 2: WASTE MANAGEMENT AND POLLUTION

Lesson proper

PRESENTATION

what is your own waste management slogan?

B. DISCUSSION:

Waste management

Waste management includes the activities and actions required to manage waste from its
inception to its final disposal. This includes the collection, transport, treatment and disposal of waste,
together with monitoring and regulation of the waste management process.

Garbage /waste can be easily touched, seen and smelled. This growing accumulation of rubbish
depresses land values, increases thick traffic, and ruins health, aesthetics and the necessities of life – the
air we breathe and water we drink.

Everyday, the people of the limited state churn out more than 432,000 tons of garbage. Over
80%of it is carted to landfills. Around the globe, this torrent of waste – toxic and non-toxic-has run
smack up against the “NIMBY” mindset. ”Not In My Backyard” is a shout heard around the world. Our
garbage problems worsen because most consumer goods are designed for a one- night stand. They are
bought, used, and tossed with little regard for their lasting potential, and so designed for a “throw-away
and disposable society.

Waste are divided into four categories:

a. Biodegradables/non-biodegradables
b. Combustibles/non-combustibles
c. Recyclables/non-recyclables
d. Hazardous waste

CAUSES OF WASTE:

1. Effects of “throw-away and disposable society”

2. Overpopulation of people on earth who are responsible for creating lots of garbage.
3. Overproduction of packaging material, bottles, diapers, and other non- degradable materials.
4. Overproduction of newspapers, plastic bags and containers made up of styrofoams or
polystyrene foams which is difficult to recycle.
5. Lawn clipping make up about a fifth of all garbage in landfills.
6. Medical waste or infectious waste (“red bag“) is a growing problem.
7. Tires that are designed to last their durability have become a big problem. Burning tires create
noxious fumes that pollute the air.
8. Household wastes, bot degradable and non-degradable, are thrown everywhere in Metro
manila and other major cities in the Philippines

EFFECTS OF GARBAGE
 1. A torrent of garbage thrown away every year-more tons 400 million tons worldwide.
2. Once in the landfill, wastes decompose when there is enough air and moisture. Some
decomposing waste produces methane, a volatile gas that leaks into the soil, thus killing
vegetation and seeping into nearby buildings.
3. No available dumpsites. Garbage is increasingly transported to dumpsites across the city, state
and national borders. In 1987, one garbage Morbo 4000, with its 3,186 tons garbage cargo, was
rejected for a dumpsite and finally found its resting spot in New York after being reduced to 400
tons of ash by the New York City incinerator.
4. The use of an incinerator, an alternative to landfills, may produce more pollution, especially the
toxic ash left after burning. This contributes to the production of sulfur dioxide and nitrogen
oxide that form acid rain and carbon monoxide and hydrocarbons that form smogs. Dioxins and
toxic ash are hazardous wastes that affect our health.
5. Recycling technology is increasingly practiced around the world. At least one – third of the
garbage thrown away can be recycled into new products.

There are three places for waste to end up: in the ground, in the air and in the water.

1. Landfill
A sanitary landfill is designed to reduce the amount of waste that leaks out of it into the
environment. The requirements for a sanitary landfill vary with local conditions. It is designed to
protect the environment from pollution and uses the methane produced in the landfill to
generate electricity. Water dissolves pollutants out of the garbage forming a solution known as
leachate.
2. Incineration
One way to reduce the volume of waste that must go to the landfill is to burn it first. Even
modern incinerators cause pollution, adding fly ash, gases, and particulate matter into the air.
3. Ocean Dumping
About 50 million tons of waste a year are discharged into the ocean, 300 kilometers off-
shore. Disease causing organisms and heavy metals have destroyed numerous coastal fisheries.

WASTE MANAGEMENT and DISPOSAL ACTIVITIES

[Link] action:

 Reuse item whenever possible

 Encourage source reduction
 Compost the natural degradable organic wastes.
 Reuse and recycle plastics.
 Reuse returnable and refillable glass bottles.
 Save paper whenever possible, reuse paperbags, scrap paper for notes
 Consider recycling; encourage recycled and recyclable goods at work.
 Join an opposition to use of incinerators

[Link] action:

 Recycling should be adopted in every nation, state and community.

 Encourage recycling operations.
  Deposit laws for bottles and cans should be mandated in all states.
 Higher taxes should be imposed on non-recycled or disposable products.
 Non-degradable plastic should be banned.
 Packaging standards for both retail and wholesale merchandise should be required.

POLLUTION is the undesirable change in the physical, chemical, or biological characteristics of an

ecosystem that injures or kills living organisms and makes part of the ecosystem unfit for the use we
want to make of it.

POLLUTANTS are substances that cause pollution and can get into our water supply in different forms.
These include dust, soil run-off from mines, effluents from factories, industrial emissions, industrial
wastes, oil spills etc. It may cause primary damage with direct identifiable impact on the environment or
secondary damage in the form of minor perturbations in the delicate balance of nature.

GENERAL CLASSIFICATION OF POLLUTION

[Link] POLLUTION the physical and chemical alternations of the properties of air which is harmful to
human health, vegetation and animals.

Major types of air pollution:

1. Outdoor pollution is a type of pollution derived from the mixture or collection of additional loads of
chemical produced by natural events and human activities which react with the natural components of
the atmosphere thereby producing harmful effects to the living system. Major sources of outdoor
pollution are:

* burning of fossil fuels for power consumption (motor vehicles and industrial plants)

* photochemical or industrial smog

* volcanic eruptions (emission of sulfur dioxide and suspended particulates)

* forest fires (“kaingin system”)

*evaporation of volatile organic compounds (decaying leaves)

*Natural radioactive radon-222 gas from uranium deposits

2. Indoor pollution is a type of pollution derived from the accumulation or build-up of chemicals,
suspended pesticulate matter (SPM) and volatile organic compounds (VOCs) inside offices, buildings,
houses, schools, and commercial establishments that are harmful to health. The following indicates the
sources, classes or types of indoor pollutants and their health threat.
 Source Class or type Health threat
aerosol spray Trichlorothane Difficulty in breathing
chlorine treated water Chloroform Cancer
Air freshener crystals & Para-chlorobenzene Cancer
mothballs
Tobacco and cigarettes Nicotine Lung cancer; heart disease
Carpet & plastic products Styrene Liver and kidney damage
Floor tiles, pipe insulation and Asbestos Lung cancer and other diseases
vinyl ceiling
Paint stripper and thinner Methylene chloride Diabetes and nerve disorder
Radioactive soil & water supply Radon-222 Lung cancer
Unvented gas stoves, kerosene Nitrogen oxides Respiratory disorders
heaters, and wood stoves
Dry- cleaning fluids Tetrachloro ethylene Nerve, liver, and kidney damage
plywood formaldehyde Lung cancer

EFFECTS OF AIR POLLUTION

1. Damage to human health

a. Overloading and degrading of the body’s defense mechanisms
b. Chronic bronchitis
c. Emphysema (rupture of lung air sacs)
d. Lung cancer
2. Damage to plants leads to dehydration and inhibition of photosynthesis.
3. Depletion of the ozone layer
4. Increased global warming from the “greenhouse effect

[Link] POLLUTION is the physical or chemical change in the surface water or ground water that can
adversely affect living organisms.

MAJOR SOURCES OF WATER POLLUTION AND THEIR CLASSIFICATIONS:

a. Point source is a source that discharges pollutants or any effluent, such as waste water, through
pipes, ditches, and sewers into bodies of water at the specific location.
Sources: Sewage treatment plants of factories; electric power plants; active and abandoned
underground coal mine; oil tankers; and offshore oil wells.
b. Non-point source is one of the many widely scattered sources that discharge pollutants over a
large area.
Sources: Runoffs into surface water; seepage into groundwater in urban and suburban lands;
construction areas; parking lots; and roadways.

COMMON TYPES OF WATER POLLUTANTS AND THEIR SOURCES:

1. Disease causing organisms (bacteria, viruses, protozoa, and parasites)

2. Oxygen-demanding waste (domestic sewage, animal manure, and other biodegradable organic waste
that deplete water of dissolved oxygen)

3. Water soluble inorganic chemicals (acids, salts, toxic metals, and their compounds)

4. Inorganic plant nutrients (water soluble nitrate and phosphate salts)

5. Organic chemicals (insoluble and water soluble oil, gasolines, plastics, pesticides, cleaning solvents,
etc.)

6. Sediments of suspended matter (insoluble pesticides of soil, salt, and other inorganic and organic
materials that can remain suspended in water)

7. Radioactive substances (radon-222 and uranium)

8. Heat

C. LAND POLLUTION – the presence in land of any solid waste in such quantity, of such nature and
duration, and under such conditions that would be injurious to human health or welfare, animal or plant
life, or property.

TYPES OF SOLID WASTES:

1. Municipal solid waste include garbage, rubbish, ashes, bulky discarded items, street litters,
animal carcasses, construction and demolition wastes, wet markets’ degradable and non-
degradable wastes, etc. These are to be collected by the municipal government garbage disposal
personnel.
2. Agricultural solid wastes refer to manure from livestock, post-harvest crop residues, plant
trimmings, and damaged grains as animal feed.
3. Litter refers to wrappers, beer cans, waste paper, plastic bags and cups, bottles, styrofoams, tin
cans, diapers and even condoms.

D. THERMAL OR HEAT POLLUTION is the discharge of waste heat via energy dissipation into cooling
water and subsequently into nearby waterways. Heat can be unnaturally added to streams and lakes by
cutting down a forest completely. The temperature of the water of brooks and streams exposed to
direct sunlight rises. As the brooks and streams flow into larger bodies of water, the latter are warmed,
killing in the process fish and other aquatic animals incapable of tolerating the higher temperature.

MAJOR SOURCES OF THERMAL POLLUTION

1. Fossil- fuelled electric power plants

2. Nuclear-fuelled electric power –generating facilities
3. Cooling operations associated with industrial manufacturing such as steel foundries, metal
manufacturers, and chemical and petrochemical producers.
4. Earth’s surface temperatures
5. CO and CO2 as products of combustion adding to the greenhouse gases
6. Hot water vapor

EFFECTS OF THERMAL POLLUTION

1. Ecological imbalance resulting to major fish kills near the discharge source.
2. Accelerates chemical-biological processes.

3. Decrease the ability of the water to hold dissolved oxygen.

4. Thermal changes affect the aquatic system by limiting or changing the type of fish and aquatic biota
that grow and reproduce in water.

5. Contributes to the greenhouse effect that results in global warming.

E. NOISE POLLUTION consists of pressure waves that travel through the air and are perceived as
unwanted or unpleasant, irritating sounds beyond the tolerance of the human ear. It often produces or
results in an annoying condition and damages the hearing machinery, causing deafness.

Noise pollution is one of the prices we pay for modern living. It is becoming an unpleasant fact
of life in cities, where the combination of sounds from traffic and building construction reverberates
among high-rise buildings, creating a constant din.

Noise pollution is a composite of sounds generated by human activities ranging from blasting of
stereo systems to the roar of supersonic transport jets.

MAJOR SOURCES OF NOISE POLLUTION AND THEIR CLASSIFICATIONS

1. Transportation- consists of surface transport vehicles (air and land) and traffic condition.
2. Industrial – constructions and machineries (textile mills, conveyors, etc.)
3. Household – includes home appliances like radio, stereo, TV, vacuum cleaner, air conditioner,
food blenders, floor polisher, washing machine, etc.)
4. Military – comprises of explosives, ammunitions, and other warfare equipment.

Brief exposure to intense noise can cause temporary loss of hearing. Exposure to high noise levels
may cause permanent loss of hearing.

1. Noise level as low as 50-55 decibels may delay or interfere with sleep and result in a feeling of
fatique upon awakening.
2. Noise level in the 90 decibels may cause irreversible changes in the autonomic nervous system.
Noise may be a factor of stress-realated diseases, such as peptic ulcer or hypertension.
3. Noise at or above the 120 decibel level is painful and can initially cause a permanent threshold
shift which can steadily worsen to a partial/permanent hearing loss.
4. Noise at the uppermost level greater than 150 dB even at a single short-term blast may cause
traumatic hearing loss and physical damage inside the ear.
SYNTHESIS

Given the following list try and classify them according to the ratings listed

 A plus (+) means the item can be reused or recycled

 A zero (0) means it can be incinerated or put in landfill
 A minus (-) means it cannot be disposed of easily and should be avoided it at all possible.

Kind of package Grocery Store Item Rating

No packaging or neutral Melon, pineapples, fruits,
package vegetables
Returnable glass bottles Milk bottles, soda and beer
bottles with deposit returns
Reusable containers Cookie and cracker tins,
heavy-duty plastic plates on
which some microwave
dinners are packaged
Uncoated paper Bags of candy, cookies, chips,
and other snacks
All-steel cans Many canned fruit and
“veggies”
All- aluminum cans Beverage containers
Steel cans with aluminum Pull-top cans
tops
Glass bottles with twist-off Soft drinks
tops
Wax paper Liners in cake boxes
Cellophane, plastics Windows in paper boxes and
plastic bags
Coated paper Paper milk and juice cartoons
PVC Clear plastic bottles and
plastic wrap
Aluminum foil-based Foil-lined boxes and bags
containers
Collapsible metal tubes Toothpaste, hand cream
Metal and plastic pumps Toothpaste pumps
Aerosol cans Toiletries, deodorants,
hairsprays, insecticides
Uncoated cardboard Cereal boxes, detergent
boxes, dessert mix boxes

STRATEGY:

Reflect on the statement ”DILUTION IS THE SOLUTION OF POLLUTION”

EVALUATION:

A. Answer the following questions:

1. How is the waste in your community handled? In your household?
2. How is waste connected to pollution?
B. Design a methodology on how plastic, paper or any waste materials could be recycled. Illustrate
the different steps involved in the process of recycling.

RESOURCES/ MATERIALS/REFERENCES

1. Bueno, David C. Ed.D., Environmental Science., Books Atbp. Publishing Corp. 2019.
2. Lee, Sergio J.,Anes, Myrna L., Lecture Notes in Environmental Science: The Economy of Nature
and Ecology of Man (2nd edition): C & E Publishing, Inc. 2010.
3. Williams, Linda D., AP Environmental Science., McGraw Hill Education, 2018.
LESSON 3: ACID RAIN
LESSON PROPER:
PRESENTATION:
[Link]
Based from the video presentation, how is acid rain formed?

DISCUSSION
Acid rain may be the most insidious of all airborne pollutants. It is invisible and does
damage here on earth. Acid rain is the product of invisible gases – sulfur dioxide and nitrous
oxide, produced primarily by coal burning plants and automobile exhaust. Acid rain is
carried by winds to the upper atmosphere from state to state, nation to nation, without
regard for boundaries. The resulting devastation has caused lakes to die and forests to
shrivel, and has spurred fights between governments that may take decades to repair.
Man-made emission of pollutants is the worst offender compared to the natural
decomposition of organic materials, forest fires, volcanic emissions or even lightning that
contribute to the production of acid rain.
Acid rain has captured the attention of lawmakers, the media and the public in the past
decade because it causes the poisoning of streams and lakes. Studies shows that acid-
forming pollutants could travel 500 to 1000 miles from their point of origin. Today, the
adverse effects of acid rain have broadened to include threats to the world’s ecosystem.
The history of “acid precipitation” dates back well over a century. The term “acid rain”
was first used in 1852 by English chemist, Robert Angus Smith, to describe the sooty skies of
industrial Manchester and the acidity found in local precipitation.
CAUSES OF ACID RAIN:
1. Sulfur and nitrogen oxides are chief contaminants that are produced from various
industries. Seventy percent of the sulfur dioxide in the air is emitted by coal-fired power
plants, smelters and garbage incinerators.
2. Half of the nitrogen oxide pollution comes from the exhaust of a growing fleet of
automobiles worldwide, stationary sources such as electric utilities and industrial boilers
that burn coal and oil, and proliferation of algae growth in bay water that also emits
sulfur dioxide and other gases.
3. Forest fires, volcanic eruptions, bacterial decompositions and even lightning, pump an
additional 75 to 100 million tons of nitrogen oxide into the air each year.

EFFECTS OF ACID RAIN

1. Sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxides of the acid rain wreak havoc on the natural
environment and at least 1,734 large lakes have been damaged due to acid rain, at
substantial costs to the tourism, fishing, and lumber industries.
2. Acid-heavy water leaches important plant nutrients out of the ground and activates
heavy metals such as cadmium and mercury that contaminate water supply.
3. It affects statues and tablets made of bronze, limestone, marble, and sandstones. It also
affects the metallic parts of the buildings. Sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxide emissions
 have been linked to the increased occurrence of asthma, heart and lung diseases among
children and the elderly, and the weakening of the body’s immune system.

4. Alarmingly high rates of acidity in rains over the lush jungles may cause man-made fires.

SOLUTIONS FOR ACID RAIN

1. The less electricity used, the less sulfur dioxide spreads from power plants, and fewer
nitrogen oxide particles are emitted from tailpipes.
2. Promote the “clean coal technologies” that integrate thorough washing to remove the sulfur
coal and emit less pollutants.
3. Installation of scrubbers to clear sulfur from smokes and gas. Use low- sulfur coal that emits
less pollutants.
4. Require the use of a “catalytic converter” which drastically reduces acid rain’s content of
nitrogen oxide, lead, and other toxic pollutants.
5. Conservation of natural fossil fuels by using alternative forms of energy.

SYNTHESIS:

EFFECTS of ACID RAIN

This simple activity will show the effects of acid rain on marble and limestone-two building
materials commonly used in monuments, ancient buildings and in many modern structures.
Chalk is made of calcium carbonate, a compound occurring in rocks, such as marble and
limestone.

Materials:

2 pieces chalk tap water

White vinegar 2 beakers / glasses

Procedure:

1. Place a piece of chalk in a beaker/glass with white vinegar.

2. Place another piece of chalk in the second beaker/glass but this time add tap water.
3. Leave the 2 beakers/glasses overnight.
4. Observe what happens to the chalk in each beaker / glass and decide which piece of
chalk is more worn away.

Write your observations:______________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
 ______________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________.

STRATEGY:

Discuss the effects of acid rain to

a. humans

b. plants

c. buildings

EVALUATION

1. Write the chemical equation of the oxidation of sulfur dioxide until it becomes sulfuric acid.
2. Give some eco- environmental actions that will help solve the global problem of acid rain.

REFERENCES/MATERIAL/RESOURCES

[Link], David C. Ed.D., Environmental Science., Books Atbp. Publishing Corp. 2019.

[Link], Sergio J.,Anes, Myrna L., Lecture Notes in Environmental Science: The Economy of Nature and
Ecology of Man (2nd edition): C & E Publishing, Inc. 2010.

[Link], Linda D., AP Environmental Science., McGraw Hill Education, 2018.

4. [Link]
Lesson 4: DEFORESTATION AND ENDANGERED SPECIES

LESSON PROPER

[Link]

[Link]
forest_conversion/

[Link]

Watch the short video presentation using this link and give your reaction or reflection about it.

[Link]

Nobody is sure how intensive tropical rainforest once were. One of the currently accepted
estimates is that they covered25 million square kilometers, or 16% of the land surface of the earth.
Today, they cover around 10 million square kilometers. Half of the loss has been attributed to
permanent farms conversion; a quarter to the development of pasteurland; livestock and ranches; and
another quarter to shifting cultivations.

Currently, the Philippines has only six million hectares of forested areas remaining as forest-
based resources. Of this area, less than a million hectares are primarily growth forests, mostly
comprised of dipterocarps; the rest are mangrove and pine forests. These forest cover only 20% of the
national land area of 30 million hectares. This represents a decline from 15 million hectares of primary
forest which covered almost half of the country’s total land area during the 1960’s.

Rainforests preserve life-giving species, protect millions of living creatures, and regulate the flow
of water on earth. Like a gigantic sponge, they soak up water from heavy tropical rainfalls, then release
it slowly and steadily, providing constant supply of people and farmers living hundreds or even
thousands of miles away.

Tropical forests also play a crucial role in the global recycling of carbon. The trees absorb carbon
dioxide in the process of growing. But when trees are cleared or harvested, the carbon they contain, as
well as some of the carbon in the underlying soil, is released back to the air, adding to a carbon dioxide
build- up in the atmospheric blanket around the entire globe. Burning of tropical forests is responsible
for one-tenth or more of the “greenhouse effect”.

The rainforests are disappearing because people are poor and greedy, and not because they are
ignorant or stupid. Trees have been targeted to generate foreign exchange. They are burned in
increasing quantities for fuel and cut up for building materials.

Deforestation and reckless logging severely erode hillsides and waste tons of topsoil. In drier
tropical regions, deforestations can hasten the expansion of deserts.

CAUSES OF DEFORESTATION
 Humans have already cut down 40% of the world’s closed canopy tropical rainforests. About
105,000 square kilometers are destroyed annually. By estimates, present rates of removal will leave only
scattered remnants of tropical rainforests by the year 2025.

1. Slash-and-burn agriculture

This is done by farmers cutting the trees, tilling the land for a few years, then abandoning or
leaving it fallow for up to 7 years. The fallow period is often too short for soil fertility to be restored.

2. Fire

Fire is used as a tool in slash-and burn farming (kaingin system) to dispose of fallen trees and
prevent the invasion of weeds and shrubs in the crop area. Large forests areas have been destroyed
when such fires have raged out of control.

3. Cattle ranching

Large areas of tropical forests are being cleared away for cattle ranching. Hamburger, hotdog,
and luncheon meat productions demand the conversion of forests to ranches and grazing lands at the
rate of 21,500 square kilometer per year.

4. Gathering fuel wood

More than one billion cubic meter of wood are harvested for fuel in the tropics. The wood is
either used for firewood or is converted to charcoal.

5. Industrial logging

Commercial logging in tropical regions is frequently wasteful and inefficient. Most clearcut areas
do not become reforested by natural means. The land-starved move in to eke out their livelihood
through slash-and-burn agriculture.

EFFECTS OF DEFORESTATION

1. Firewood scarcity
2. Climatic changes
3. Loss of genetic “pools”
4. Extinction of species

HOW TO SAVE THE TROPICAL FOREST

1. Forest industries reseed or replant areas that they have harvested.

2. Villagers reforest areas from where they have removed trees for use as fuels. Plant fast growing
trees which can attain a height of 6 meters (20 ft.) in four to five years.
3. Countries with rainforests provide financial grants to support research and education on the
ecology and management of tropical forest.
4. Countries with rainforests convert 15% of their forests to national parks and preserves.
5. Provide funding for this project.

My
ENDANGERED SPECIES

An endangered species is a species that is very likely to become extinct in the near future, either
worldwide or in a particular political jurisdiction. Endangered species may be at risk due to factors such
as habitat loss, poaching and invasive species. The International Union for Conservation of Nature
(IUCN) Red List lists the global conservation status of many species, and various other agencies assess
the status of species within particular areas. Many nations have laws that protect conservation- reliant
species which, for example, forbid hunting, restrict land development, or create protected areas. Some
endangered species are the target of extensive conservation efforts such as captive breeding and habitat
restoration.

Extinction occur when environments change too fast. Local extinction can occur, as can mass
extinctions: they differ in scale, scope and the numbers of species involved. There have been five
environmental changes (mostly cooling) of global proportions that resulted in the five mass extinctions
in Earth history. Recovery from these extinctions took millions of years. A spectacular exception was the
large meteorite strike sixty-six million years ago near the peninsula in Mexico that either caused the
extinction of dinosaurs and 75% of all marine species, or was the nail in the coffin of the dinosaurs.

There have been several natural mass extinctions in the history of earth followed by recovery.
Human activities that reduce biodiversity began about 30,000 years ago with development of social and
language skills to apply increasingly better stone tools technology to trap and kill the larger animals.
Hunting contributes to the estimated extinction of 15,000 to 30,000 species a year. Fish stocks are being
depleted by overfishing. Commercial trade causes exploitation of tigers, leopards, etc. for fur; sharks for
fins; elephants for tusks for ivory; and cacti for gardeners.

A major cause of extinction is the loss of habitat to support a species. The habitat for a species
may be totally destroyed through natural events or human activities. Habitats may be fragmented into
small pieces that cannot support the population.

Accidental or purposeful introduction of new species can cause extinction of endemic species.
Global climate change may be so rapid that many species cannot adjust. Biological magnification of
pesticides has reduced predatory bird populations. Acid deposition is implicated in the worldwide
decline in amphibian populations.

DEVELOPMENT IN TROPICAL REGIONS

Human caused environmental changes and extinctions are accelerating in the tropics. If this
pace continues nearly half all species could be extinct by 2050. Development in the tropical areas causes
more extinctions due to the great diversity found in tropical rain forests (half all species on earth).
Tropical reefs are also under siege by water pollution, leading to even more extinctions. Nearly half the
rain forests are gone already. If present trends of exploitation and human population growth continue,
all rain forest will be gone.

Species are not equally likely to suffer extinction. Cockroaches have been around for 300 million
years essentially unchanged and probably will be around for millions more. Island species with limited
habitats, low reproductive rates, high territory requirements,, susceptibility to pollution, predators, and
having economic value: all make species susceptible to extinction.
DEVELOPMENT OF LAWS AND REGULATIONS TO PROTECT ENDANGEDRED SPECIES

Poachers are difficult to catch and punish, especially in under developed countries. In 1975 a
treaty made it illegal to trade or sell products from endangered species.

THE ENDANGERED SPECIES ACT

The Endangered Species Act directs governmental agencies to maintain a list of threatened or
endangered species. The Act has been controversial and was recently challenged. Most species on the
list are closer to extinction now than when they were put on the list.

SYNTHESIS:

Research on the present status of the forests in the Philippines.

SUMMARY:

Answer the following questions.

1. What are the 10 most endangered species?

2. What animals or plants are going extinct in 2020?
3. What are the effects of deforestation? Explain your answer.

EVALUATION:

Write a short essay on the causes and effects of deforestation and possible extinction of species.

REFERENCES/MATERIAL/RESOURCES

1. Bueno, David C. Ed.D., Environmental Science., Books Atbp. Publishing Corp. 2019.

2. Lee, Sergio J.,Anes, Myrna L., Lecture Notes in Environmental Science: The Economy of Nature and
Ecology of Man (2nd edition): C & E Publishing, Inc. 2010.

3. Williams, Linda D., AP Environmental Science., McGraw Hill Education, 2018.

[Link]://[Link]/our_work/our_focus/forests_practice/deforestation_causes2/
forest_conversion/

5. [Link]