MODULE 15
SPECIFIC TOPIC IN STS: TOPIC: ENVIRONMENTAL PROBLEMS
Suggested Time Allotment: 3 hours
WRITER: CYRA MAE R. SOREDA
Overview:
This module addresses the societal issues that focus on environmental issues. The
lesson provides an opportunity for students to examine the implications of pollution,
deforestation and other environmental problems and threats. Students will identify threats and
hazards to the environment and consider the moral, social, and economic implications. Students
will also be encouraged to think about how their lifestyle choices affect the environment. This
lesson stimulates further research related to environmental issues.
Objectives:
By the end of this module, students will be able to:
1. Identify environmental issues that impacted societies throughout history.
2. Compare past environmental issues with the ones we face today.
3. Suggest ways to address environmental problems.
VOCABULARY LIST
Environmental pollution- the contamination of the physical and biological components of the
earth/atmosphere system to such an extent that normal environmental processes are adversely
affected (Environmental Management, 2017).
Deforestation- dictionary of forestry defined it as the removal of a forest or stand of trees from
land which is then converted to a non-forest use.
Extinction- the dying out or extermination of a species because of environmental forces (habitat
fragmentation, global change, natural disaster, overexploitation of species for human use) or
because of evolutionary changes in their members (genetic inbreeding, poor reproduction,
decline in population numbers).
Soil degradation- the decline in soil condition caused by its improper use or poor management,
usually for agricultural, industrial, or urban purposes.
LEARNING PLAN
Materials and Media To do for OL/B/FLEX Expected Output
Course Packet Problem-based
Module activities
Completed outputs on
-Pretest & Posttest, Critique Paper
Lesson Activity with the learning activities
questions, Reading Research Work
Materials, Posttest
-Video Clips (optional) (quiz/formative
Video watching
-Posttest/Quiz assessment)
- Assignment Assessment Question
GENERAL INSTRUCTIONS
1. Answer the Pretest. Submit your answer sheet to your instructor for checking.
If you got a high score, good job! It means that you have already know much about the
topics to be discuss in this module.
If you got low score, take it as a challenge! This means that you will learn more on this
module.
2. This module in Environmental Problems/Issues address the societal issues that focus on
environmental issues around the globe. Within the lesson are embedded assessment
questions and learning tasks to evaluate your learnings and share your thoughts
regarding the topic. You will write your answers in the answer sheet provided in this
material.
3. Do the learning tasks and activities. Instructions and scoring rubric will be provided in
this module.
4. Accomplish and submit posttest.
PRETEST
1. The environment suffers a lot from pollution and devastating activities of human. What way would you
do to lessen our impact on the environment we live in?
a. riding a tricycle instead of a jeep to get to school
b. pack our garbage in smaller bags
c. takes a bath every day instead of showering
d. become aware of all the resources you use
2. Extinction is a natural process that has occurred throughout the history of life on Earth. In the 21st
century, extinction is a big problem because:
a. now we can record when it happens
b. the rate of extinction is much slower than ever before
c. the rate of extinction is much faster than ever before
d. there are fewer species that could become extinct than ever before
3. Protecting an entire ecosystem ensures that ___.
a. captive breeding program will succeed
b. existing parks will expand
c. government will set aside land
d. interactions among many species will be preserved.
4. When the number of individuals in a species becomes so small that the species may not survive, the
species is:
a. threatened
b. troubled
c. endangered
d. extinct
5. Following is the most widely discussed impact of climate change:
a. Increase in average sea level
b. Deforestation
c. Soil erosion
d. Storm surges
6. Which of the following is the best conclusion that can be made from this graph?
a. atmospheric carbon dioxide levels have been decreasing since 1960
b. atmospheric carbon dioxide levels have increased steadily since 1960
c. atmospheric CO2 is accumulating in the atmosphere has plateaued in recent years
d. human activity continues to emit increasing amounts of carbon, and the atmospheric concentration of
CO2
7. Which one of the following is a result of overpopulation?
a. Adequate storage of natural resources for the next generation
b. Pressure on land and other renewable resources
c. Increasing the amount of forest
d. Decrease the shortage of water
8. A developer wants to build a new housing development in or around the large city of Sorsogon. Which
of the following plans would be LEAST harmful to the environment?
a. Clearing a forested area outside of the city to build houses
b. Building apartments at the site of an abandoned factory in the city
c. Building a subdivision in the grassland at the edge of the city
d. Filling a river area and building condominiums
9. If none of the individuals within a particular species can survive to reproduce, what will happen to that
species?
a. they will increase in number
b. they will evolve into new species
c. they will adapt to a new environment
d. they will become extinct
10. The accelerating rise of atmospheric CO2 results in:
a. climate disruption
b. air pollution
c. deforestation
d. air degradation
11. What long term result of habitat destruction?
a. species extinction
b. species proliferation
c. species migration
d. species limitation
12. Farming and putting up poultry farms are some of the main sources of income in our country.
However, environmentalists say that this can harm the environment by contributing to air pollution. Which
do you think BEST explain the environmentalist’s claim?
a. It releases harmful gases like sulfur compounds that forms acid rain
b. it produces smog (smoke and fog) which reacts to form dangerous ozone gas
c. it releases greenhouse gases like methane into the atmosphere
d. it polluted the air by its odor and poop.
13. We can prevent soil degradation through
a. till agriculture
b. crop rotation
c. non-terrace plantation
d. alternative agriculture
14. What solution may be applied to address deforestation?
a. Let the government decide when it comes to land use.
b. Conserve of what is left of natural forest and let the degraded areas wide-open.
c. Limit the logging and burning of tress in the forest.
d. Restore degraded areas by replanting native tree species.
15. In some areas, foresters’ plant one tree for every tree they cut. This activity is an example of a
a. non-sustainable approach to a nonrenewable resource.
b. a sustainable approach to a nonrenewable natural resource.
c. a non-sustainable approach to a renewable resource.
d. a sustainable approach to a renewable resource.
16. We can reduce our need for fossil fuels by developing
a. alternative energy sources
b. natural gas lines
c. gasoline powered cars
d. new oil sources
17. Conserving wetlands and reducing deforestation will help
a. protect habitats
b. stop air pollution
c. eliminate exotic species
d. slow over population
18. Using fewer natural resources and reducing wastes can help
a. slow human population growth and increase diversity.
b. stop illness and create fossil fuels.
c. prevent biodiversity and destroy species.
d. end habitat destruction and reduce pollution.
19. Why industries location plays an important role with concern to the environment?
a. To get more output from industries
b. To clear the forests in order to build the industries
c. To get more income
d. To prevent pollution causing by industries
20. Which of the following best explains why planting trees and putting up urban gardens can help
prevent global warming?
a. Plants produce oxygen during daytime and perform transpiration
b. Plants absorb carbon dioxide that contributes to the rising of earth’s temperature
c. plants produce carbon dioxide during daytime and perform photosynthesis
d. plants absorb oxygen that contributes to the rising of earth’s temperature
LEARNING TASK 1: PICTURE THE PROBLEM
Directions: The picture is a neighborhood where people are engaged in everyday activities. Find seven
things in the picture that are bad for the environment. Discuss different options to the make the picture
more environmentally friendly.
1. Can you find the 7 things that are wrong in this picture? Kindly encircle them one by one.
2. Discuss different options to the make the picture more environmentally friendly.
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FIVE OF THE WORLD'S BIGGEST ENVIRONMENTAL PROBLEMS
1. AIR POLLUTION AND CLIMATE CHANGE
Problem: Overloading of the atmosphere and of ocean waters with carbon.
Atmospheric CO2 absorbs and re-emits infrared-wavelength radiation, leading to warmer
air, soils, and ocean surface waters - which is good: The planet would be frozen solid without
this. Unfortunately, there is now too much carbon in the air. Burning of fossil fuels, deforestation
for agriculture, and industrial activities have pushed up atmospheric CO2 concentrations from
280 parts per million (ppm) 200 years ago, to about 400 ppm today. That is an unprecedented
rise, in both size and speed. The result: climate change.
Carbon overloading is only one form of air pollution caused by burning coal, oil, gas, and
wood. The World Health Organization (WHO) recently estimated that one in nine deaths in 2012
were attributable to diseases caused by carcinogens and other poisons in polluted air.
Solutions: Replace fossil fuels with renewable energy. Reforestation. Reduce emissions from
agriculture. Change industrial processes.
The good news is that clean energy is abundant - it just needs to be harvested. Many
say a 100 percent renewable-energy future is feasible with existing technology now. But the bad
news is that even though renewable energy infrastructure - solar panels, wind turbines, energy
storage and distribution systems - are already widespread, and getting cheaper and more
efficient all the time, experts say we're not applying them quickly enough to prevent catastrophic
climate disruption. Barriers in policy and finance remain to be overcome.
2. DEFORESTATION
Problem: Species-rich wild forests are being destroyed, especially in the tropics, often to make
way for cattle ranching, soybean or palm oil plantations, or other agricultural monocultures.
Today, about 30 percent of the planet's land area is covered by forests - which is about half as
much as before agriculture got started around 11,000 years ago. About 7.3 million hectares (18
million acres) of forest are destroyed each year, mostly in the tropics. Tropical forests used to
cover about 15 percent of the planet's land area; they are now down to 6 or 7 percent. Much of
this remainder has been degraded by logging or burning. Not only do natural forests act as
biodiversity reserves, they are also carbon sinks, keeping carbon out of the atmosphere and
oceans.
Solutions: Conserve what's left of natural forests, and restore degraded areas by replanting with
native tree species. This requires strong governance - but many tropical countries are still
developing, with increasing populations, uneven rule-of-law, and widespread cronyism and
bribery when it comes to allocating land use.
3. SPECIES EXTINCTION
Problem: On land, wild animals are being hunted to extinction for bushmeat, ivory, or
"medicinal" products. At sea, huge industrial fishing boats equipped with bottom-trawling or
purse-seine nets clean out entire fish populations. The loss and destruction of habitat are also
major factors contributing to a wave of extinction - unprecedented in that it is caused by a single
species: humans.
The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List of threatened and
endangered species continues to grow. Not only do species inherently deserve to exist, they
also provide products and "services" essential to human survival. Think bees and their
pollinating prowess - necessary for growing food.
Solutions: Concerted efforts need to be made to prevent further loss of biodiversity. Protecting
and restoring habitats is one side of this - protecting against poaching and wildlife trade is
another. This should be done in partnership with locals, so that wildlife conservation is in their
social and economic interest.
4. SOIL DEGRADATION
Problem: Overgrazing, monoculture planting, erosion, soil compaction, overexposure to
pollutants, land-use conversion - there is a long list of ways that soils are being damaged. About
12 million hectares of farmland a year get seriously degraded, according to UN estimates.
Solutions: A wide range of soil conservation and restoration techniques exist, from no-till
agriculture to crop rotation to water-retention through terrace-building. Given that food
security depends on keeping soils in good condition, we're likely master this challenge in the
long run. Whether this will be done in a way equitable to all people around the globe, remains
an open question.
5. OVERPOPULATION
Problem: Human population continues to grow rapidly worldwide. Humanity entered the 20th
century with 1.6 billion people; right now, according to the most recent United Nations estimates
elaborated by Worldometer (2020) we are about 7.8 billion. Estimates put us at nearly 10 billion
by 2057. Growing world populations, combined with growing affluence, is putting ever greater
pressure on essential natural resources, like water. Most of the growth is happening on the
African continent, and in southern and eastern Asia.
Solutions: Experience has shown that when women are empowered to control their own
reproduction, and gain access to education and basic social services, the average number of
births per woman drops precipitously. Done right, networked aid systems could bring women out
of extreme poverty, even in countries where state-level governance remains abysmal.
LEARNING TASK 2: THINK GREEN
Direction: Identify environmental problem in your localities, analyze them accordingly and
propose solutions following the format below.
ACTIVITY GUIDE:
Watch Kuya Kim Atienza talks about the plastic waste pollution problem in the Philippines.
Matanglawin: Philippines' growing problem with plastic
[Link]
LEARNING TASK 3: GREENER IDEA!
GROUP WORK
1. Create an advocacy campaign by making a poster via social media that tells about how
the community will help mitigate the hazards caused by environmental problems.
POST TEST
1. What are the 5 biggest environmental issues of the planet? Describe each issue and the
possible solutions.
2. Discuss the programs/projects of the local government unit and other environmental
organizations to address environmental issues and problems in your community.
REFERENCES
BOOK
Sefarica, J.P.J., et. al. 2017. Science, Technology, and Society. First
Edition. Rex Book Store, Inc. (RBSI), 856 Nicanor Reyes Sr.,Sampaloc, Manila/Tel.
ONLINE
ABS-CBN. (2018 December 16). Matanglawin: Philippines' growing problem with plastic.
Youtube. [Link]
ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES PROJECT (n.d.) Retrieved from
[Link]
Goodstein E., (n.d.). 5 Myths About the Environment that Explain the Need for
Environmental Educators. Bard MBA in Sustainability Center for Environmental Policy.
[Link]
environmental-educators
Deutsche Welle. (2016 October 11). Five of the world's biggest environmental problems.
Retrieved from [Link]
35915705
Worldometer. (2020) World Population. [Link]
PRETEST ANSWER KEY
1. D
2. C
3. D
4. A
5. A
6. C
7. B.
8. B
9. D
10. A
11. A
12. C
13. B
14. D
15. D
16. A
17. A
18. D
19. D
20. B