GLOBAL ENVIRONMENT

ISSUES
OLOJAN
VALDEZ

MA LITERATURE
• Environmental degradation is the deterioration of the environment through
• depletion of resources such as air, water and soil
• the destruction of ecosystems; habitat destruction
• the extinction of wildlife; and pollution.
• When natural habitats are destroyed or natural resources are depleted,
the environment is degraded.
• Environmental degradation affects mankind on a global scale, disregarding the
boundaries imposed by man himself such as color, race, or country. This global
threat affects all aspects of our environment, specifically air, water, and land.
I. OZONE LAYER DEPLETION

A. Definition
• The stratospheric ozone layer forms a thin shield in the upper
atmosphere, protecting life on Earth from the sun’s ultraviolet (UV)
rays. It has been called the Earth’s sunscreen.
• Compounds that contain chlorine and bromine molecules, such as
methyl chloroform, halons, and chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs), are
stable and have atmospheric lifetimes long enough to be
transported by winds into the stratosphere.
Depletion of the
ozone layer

increased UV
radiation reaching
the Earth’s surface

greater chance of
overexposure to UV
radiation

related health
effects of skin
cancer, cataracts,
and immune
suppression
• Restrictions are now in place to phase out hydrochlorofluorocarbons (HCFCs),
compounds used as substitutes for the more damaging CFCs. The U.S. will phase
out HCFCs completely in 2030.
 II. GLOBAL WARMING
A. Definition

Average surface temperature has

Upward temperature trend across Due to the increase in fossil fuel gone up by about 0.8 °C
the entire Earth since the early emissions since the industrial
20th century revolution (1.4 °F), relative to the mid-20th-
century baseline (of 1951-1980).
• B. Causes

Carbon Burning of Second-

dioxide (CO2) fossil fuels largest source
and other air to make of carbon
pollutants and electricity pollution is
greenhouse (Coal- the
gasses burning transportation
power sector
plants )
• C. Effects

Longer and hotter heat waves, frequent droughts,

heavier rainfall, and more powerful hurricanes

Ocean temperatures are getting warmer

Extreme heat waves have caused tens of thousands of deaths

Antarctica has been losing about 134 billion metric tons of ice per year
since 2002
D. Other Effects

Forests, farms, and cities will face

*Melting glaciers *troublesome new pests
*early snowmelt Rising sea levels *heat waves
*severe droughts *heavy downpours
*increased flooding.

Disruption of habitats such as
coral reefs and Alpine meadows
*Allergies
*Asthma
*Infectious disease
*Higher levels of air pollution
*Spread of conditions favorable to
pathogens and mosquitoes.
III. LOSS OF BIODIVERSITY

A. Definition
• Biological diversity refers to the variety and variability among living organisms and
the ecological complexes in which they occur.
• For biological diversity, these items are organized at many levels, ranging from
complete ecosystems to the chemical structures that are the molecular basis of
heredity. Thus, the term encompasses different ecosystems, species, genes, and
their relative abundance.
• There is an ongoing, unprecedented loss of the variety as well as absolute numbers
of organisms—from the smallest microorganism to the largest and most spectacular
of mammals.
B. Causes
• Human beings are the most dangerous cause of destruction of the
earth’s biodiversity.
• The “evil quartet” identified by Jared Diamond

Habitat Secondary Introduced

Overkill
destruction extinctions species
B. Causes
climate change

Edward Wilson
invasive species

Pollution

human
overpopulation

over-harvesting
IV. CLIMATE CHANGE

A. Definition
Climate change refers to a broad range of global phenomena created
predominantly by burning fossil fuels, which add heat-trapping gases to Earth’s
atmosphere. These phenomena include the increased temperature trends
described by global warming, but also encompass changes such as sea level rise;
ice mass loss in Greenland, Antarctica, the Arctic and mountain glaciers
worldwide; shifts in flower/plant blooming; and extreme weather events.
GLOBAL WARMING VS. CLIMATE CHANGE

• “Global warming” applies to the long-term trend of rising

average global temperatures.
• “Climate change” is a broader term that reflects the fact
that carbon pollution does more than just warm our
planet. Carbon pollution is also changing rain and snow
patterns and increasing the risk of intense storms and
droughts.
This graph, based on the comparison of atmospheric samples contained in ice cores and more recent direct
measurements, provides evidence that atmospheric CO2 has increased since the Industrial Revolution.
(Credit: Vostok ice core data/J.R. Petit et al.; NOAA Mauna Loa CO2 record.)
 SEA LEVEL
RISE

DECLINING
Decreased
ARCTIC SEA
snow cover
ICE

OCEAN
Glacial retreat
ACIDIFICATION

Effects

Shrinking ice EXTREME

sheets EVENTS

GLOBAL
Warming
TEMPERATURE
oceans
RISE
V. EXPLOITATION OF NATURAL RESOURCES
A. Definition
• Natural resources can be defined as “Any property of the physical
environment, such as minerals, or natural vegetation, which humans can use
to satisfy their needs. Technically speaking, a property only becomes a
resource when it is exploited by humans.
• Natural resources may be classified as “renewable and non-renewable”
• Exploitation is simply the act of using resources for some benefit. Specific to
natural resource management, exploitation refers to the use of a resource at a
rate dictated solely by the demand for that resource, and with no effort
expended to replenish that resource in the future. The resource is harvested
and then the harvesters move on to another place when the supply is
exhausted.
B. Types
1. RENEWABLE RESOURCES
• Food
• Water
• Forests
• Wildlife
2. NON-RENEWABLE RESOURCES
• Minerals
• Oil
• Gas
VI. LAND DEGRADATION AND DESERTIFICATION
A. Definition

Land degradation
• is defined as the long-term loss of ecosystem function and productivity caused by
disturbances from which the land cannot recover unaided. Land degradation occurs slowly
and cumulatively and has long lasting impacts on rural people who become increasing.

Desertification
• most severe form of land degradation. The UN Convention to Combat Desertification
defines desertification as land degradation in arid, semi-arid, and dry sub-humid areas
(also referred to as drylands) resulting from various factors, including climatic variations
and human activities.
B. Effects
• Reduction in crop and pasture productivity and fuelwood and non-
timber forest products
• Damage to soil, loss of habitat, water shortages, and siltation
• Manifestation
• soil erosion
• increased sediment loading of water
• loss of soil fertility
• Salinity
• reduced ground cover
• reduced carrying capacity of pastures
VII. NUCLEAR ISSUE
A. Definition
• Nuclear power is the use of nuclear reactions that release nuclear energy to
generate heat, which most frequently is then used in steam turbines to
produce electricity in a nuclear power plant. The term includes nuclear
fission, nuclear decay and nuclear fusion.
• Presently, the nuclear fission of elements in the actinide series of the periodic
table produce the vast majority of nuclear energy in the direct service of
humankind, with nuclear decay processes, primarily in the form of
geothermal energy, and radioisotope thermoelectric generators, in niche uses
making up the rest.
B. Issues
• The largest and currently unresolved environmental problem concerns nuclear waste. As of 2012, Canada had
over 56,000 tons of highly radioactive nuclear waste and nowhere to put it. With a radioactive half-life of 25,000
years, nuclear waste remains dangerous for 250,000 years, posing huge costs and risks for future generations.
• Power plants can also leak hazardous materials. For example, Pickering reactor #4 had a heavy water leak in April
1996 that released radioactive tritium into Lake Ontario, contaminating drinking water supplies.
• The energy source once billed as "too cheap to meter" has proven to be one of the most expensive energy
sources in history.
• Between 1956 and 2000, Canada's state-owned Atomic Energy of Canada Limited (AECL) received subsidies
totaling $16.6 billion. Even with these subsidies, nuclear power is far more expensive than both fossil fuels and
renewables.
• The last 20 reactors built in the U.S. had an average cost of $5,000 per kilowatt of capacity; the last one built in
Canada cost $4,000 per kilowatt. Compare these prices to the current prices for large-scale wind power and
natural gas plants, currently at $1,200 and $1,000 per kilowatt respectively.
VIII. HAZARDOUS WASTE

A. Definition
Department of California Toxic Substances Control defines hazardous waste as a
waste with properties that make it potentially dangerous or harmful to human
health or the environment. The universe of hazardous wastes is large and
diverse.
B. Types
Hazardous waste is divided into different types (e.g., universal waste) or categories, including
Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) hazardous waste and non-RCRA hazardous
waste. Properly categorizing a hazardous waste is necessary for land disposal restrictions,
treatment standards and fees, amongst other things.
HAZARDOUS WASTE CHEMICAL WASTE LABORATORY WASTE PHARMACEUTICAL WASTE

Ignitable Chemical Disposal Lab Packs Warfarin

Corrosive Chemical Recycling Laboratory Waste Management Cyclophosphamide

Reactive Acid Disposal Chemistry Lab Waste Epinephrine

Acids & Caustics Glycol Disposal Disposition of Unused Chemicals Arsenic Trioxide

Toxic Metals Acetone Disposal

Used Solvents Acetonitrile Disposal

Sludges Cyanide Waste Disposal

Contaminated Soils Ammonia Disposal

Plating Solutions Pesticide Disposal
Cleaning Solutions
Lab Pack Material
XI. WATER POLLUTION
A. Definition
The Natural Institute of Environmental Health Sciences of the U.S. Department
of Health and Human Services defines water pollution as any contamination of
water with chemicals or other foreign substances that are detrimental to
human, plant, or animal health.
• fertilizers and pesticides from agricultural runoff
• sewage and food processing waste
• lead, mercury, and other heavy metals
• chemical wastes from industrial discharges
• chemical contamination from hazardous waste sites
B. Types
• Surface water pollution
• Oil Pollution
• Chemical Water Pollution
• Ground Water Pollution
• Thermal pollution
• Agricultural Pollution
X. ACID RAIN

A. Definition
United States Environmental Protection Agency defines acid rain, or acid
deposition, as a broad term that includes any form of precipitation with acidic
components, such as sulfuric or nitric acid that fall to the ground from the
atmosphere in wet or dry forms. This can include rain, snow, fog, hail or even
dust that is acidic.
B. Causes
• Acid rain results when sulfur dioxide (SO2) and nitrogen oxides (NOX) are emitted into the
atmosphere and transported by wind and air currents. The SO2 and NOX react with water,
oxygen and other chemicals to form sulfuric and nitric acids. These then mix with water and
other materials before falling to the ground.
• While a small portion of the SO2 and NOX that cause acid rain is from natural sources such as
volcanoes, most of it comes from the burning of fossil fuels. The major sources of SO2 and
NOX in the atmosphere are:
• Burning of fossil fuels to generate electricity. Two thirds of SO2 and one fourth of NOX in the atmosphere
come from electric power generators.
• Vehicles and heavy equipment.
• Manufacturing, oil refineries and other industries.
• Winds can blow SO2 and NOX over long distances and across borders making acid rain a problem for everyone
and not just those who live close to these sources.
C. Effects
• Acid rain has many ecological effects, but none is greater than its impact on lakes, streams,
wetlands, and other aquatic environments. Acid rain makes waters acidic, and causes them to
absorb the aluminum that makes its way from soil into lakes and streams. This combination
makes waters toxic to crayfish, clams, fish, and other aquatic animals.
• Acid rain also damages forests, especially those at higher elevations. It robs the soil of essential
nutrients and releases aluminum in the soil, which makes it hard for trees to take up water.
Trees' leaves and needles are also harmed by acids.
• The effects of acid rain, combined with other environmental stressors, leave trees and plants
less able to withstand cold temperatures, insects, and disease. The pollutants may also inhibit
trees' ability to reproduce. Some soils are better able to neutralize acids than others. In areas
where the soil's "buffering capacity" is low, the harmful effects of acid rain are much greater.
XI. OVERPOPULATION

A. Definition
• Overpopulation is an undesirable condition where the number of existing
human population exceeds the carrying capacity of Earth. Overpopulation is
caused by number of factors. Reduced mortality rate, better medical facilities,
depletion of precious resources are few of the causes which results in
overpopulation. It is possible for a sparsely populated area to become densely
populated if it is not able to sustain life.
B. Causes

Decline in the Death Better Medical

Rate Facilities

Technological
More Hands to
Advancement in
Overcome Poverty
Fertility Treatment

Immigration Lack of Family Planning

C. Effects

Depletion of Natural Resources

Degradation of Environment

Conflicts and Wars

Rise in Unemployment

High Cost of Living

XII. DEFORESTATION
A. Definition
• Deforestation, clearance or clearing is the removal of a forest or stand of trees
where the land is thereafter converted to a non-forest use. Examples of
deforestation include conversion of forestland to farms, ranches, or urban
use. The most concentrated deforestation occurs in tropical rainforests.
• Deforestation is clearing Earth's forests on a massive scale, often resulting in
damage to the quality of the land. Forests still cover about 30 percent of the
world’s land area, but swaths half the size of England are lost each year.
• The world’s rain forests could completely vanish in a hundred years at the
current rate of deforestation.
B. Causes
• The biggest driver of deforestation is agriculture
• Logging operations, which provide the world’s wood and paper products, also cut
countless trees each year.
• Not all deforestation is intentional. Some is caused by a combination of human
and natural factors like wildfires and subsequent overgrazing, which may prevent
the growth of young trees.
C. Effects
• Deforestation can have a negative impact on the environment.
• Deforestation also drives climate change.
• Removing trees deprives the forest of portions of its canopy, which blocks the sun’s rays during
the day, and holds in heat at night. This disruption leads to more extreme temperature swings
that can be harmful to plants and animals.
• Trees also play a critical role in absorbing the greenhouse gases that fuel global warming.
Fewer forests means larger amounts of greenhouse gases entering the atmosphere—and
increased speed and severity of global warming.
CHILDREN’S LITERATURE AND
SPECIES EXTINCTION
 SPECIES EXTINCTION
• A “biological annihilation” of wildlife in recent decades means a sixth
mass extinction in Earth’s history is under way

• published in the peer-reviewed journal Proceedings of the National

Academy of Sciences by Dr Gerardo Ceballos of the National
Autonomous University of Mexico.

• “The rate of extinction for species in the 20th century was up to 100
times higher than it would have been without man’s impact”
SPECIES EXTINCTION
• Ceballos said that his study, co-authored by Paul R Ehrlich who
famously warned of the impact of humanity’s “population bomb”,
employed better knowledge of natural or so-called background
extinction rates.
• Under a “natural” rate of extinction, the study said that two species go
extinct per 10,000 species per 100 years, rather than the one species
that previous work has assumed.
• Modern rates of extinction were eight to 100 times higher , the authors
found. For example, 477 vertebrates have gone extinct since 1900,
rather than the nine that would be expected at natural rates.
EARTH’S FIVE PREVIOUS MASS EXTINCTIONS

• End-Ordovician, 443 million years ago

• A severe ice age led to sea level falling by 100m, wiping out 60-70% of all
species which were prominently ocean dwellers at the time. Then soon after
the ice melted leaving the oceans starved of oxygen.

• Late Devonian, c 360 million years ago

• A messy prolonged climate change event, again hitting life in shallow seas
very hard, killing 70% of species including almost all corals.

• Permian-Triassic, c 250 million years ago

• The big one – more than 95% of species perished, including trilobites and
giant insects – strongly linked to massive volcanic eruptions in Siberia that
caused a savage episode of global warming.
EARTH’S FIVE PREVIOUS MASS EXTINCTIONS
• Triassic-Jurassic, c 200 million years ago
• Three-quarters of species were lost, again most likely due to another
huge outburst of volcanism. It left the Earth clear for dinosaurs to
flourish.
• Cretaceous-Tertiary, 65 million years ago
• An giant asteroid impact on Mexico, just after large volcanic eruptions
in what is now India, saw the end of the dinosaurs and ammonites.
Mammals, and eventually humans, took advantage.
• The scientists found that a third of the thousands of species losing
populations are not currently considered endangered and that up to
50% of all individual animals have been lost in recent decades.
Detailed data is available for land mammals, and almost half of these
have lost 80% of their range in the last century. The scientists found
billions of populations of mammals, birds, reptiles and amphibians have
been lost all over the planet, leading them to say a sixth mass
extinction has already progressed further than was thought.
SPECIES EXTINCTION
• The ultimate cause of all of these factors is “human overpopulation and
continued population growth, and overconsumption, especially by the
rich”, say the scientists, who include Prof Paul Ehrlich, at Stanford
University in the US, whose 1968 book The Population Bomb is a
seminal, if controversial, work.

• Wildlife conversation and biodiversity laws

• The research analysed data on 27,500 species of land vertebrates from

the IUCN and found the ranges of a third have shrunk in recent
decades.
CURRENT AND HISTORIC DISTRIBUTION OF LIONS

• The researchers also point to

the “emblematic” case of the
lion: “The lion was
historically distributed over
most of Africa, southern
Europe, and the Middle East,
all the way to northwestern
India. [Now] the vast majority
of lion populations are gone.”
CONTRADICTIONS

• Prof Stuart Pimm, at Duke University in the US - “It is something that

hasn’t happened yet – we are on the edge of it.”

• “There are parts of the world where there are massive losses, but
equally there are parts of the world where there is remarkable
progress. It is pretty harsh on countries like South Africa which is doing
a good job of protecting lions.”
10 ANIMALS THAT MAY BE EXTINCT IN THE NEXT 10
YEARS
• LEATHER BACK TURTLE
• BARE-FACED TAMARIN
• BLACK RHINO
• CHINESE ALIGATOR
• SHEATH-TAILED BAT
• TAMA GAZELLE
• WILD BACTRIAN CAMEL
• HAIRY-NOSED WOMBAT
• SUMATRAN ORANGUTAN
• IBERIAN LYNX
CHILDREN’S LITERATURE
• “Children’s literature is good quality trade books for children
from birth to adolescence, covering topics of
relevance and interests to children of those ages,
through prose and poetry, fiction and nonfiction.
CHILDREN’S LITERATURE
Content
• Topic: 1) experiences of childhood set in the past, present, or future
(e.g., enjoying birthday parties, anticipating adulthood, getting a new
pet, enduring siblings, and dealing with family situations); 2) things that
are of interest to children (e.g., dinosaurs, Egyptian mummies, world
records)
• Manner: 1) stories are told in a forthright, humorous, or suspenseful
manner (stories that are told in nostalgic or overly sentimental terms
are inappropriate); 2) stories should emphasize the hope for a better
future rather than the hopelessness and utter despair of the moment.
CHILDREN’S LITERATURE

B) Quality
• “The best children’s books offer readers enjoyment as well
as memorable characters and situations and valuable insights into
the human condition.”
Quality of writing:
• originality and importance of ideas
• imaginative use of language
• beauty of literary and artistic style
 5 ELEPHANTS
• 5 Elephants is a great story that can
help teach children compassion for
elephants in captivity. This book
chronicles the lives of five real-life
elephants who were taken from their
wild homes and sent to live in a zoo,
circus, and traveling animal attraction.
Some of these elephants get happy
endings in the form of retiring to a
sanctuary, but others have to remain
in captivity.
 GAMBA

• This story is told from the perspective of

Gamba, a young mountain gorilla whose
family is teaching him to survive in the
wild. Unfortunately, tragedy strikes and
he is rescued by humans who take on
the responsibility of caring for
him. Mountain gorillas are extremely
endangered animals and this tale acts as
a great teaching opportunity to show kids
how human actions can impact wildlife.
CHILDREN’S LITERATURE IN THE PHILIPPINES

Oral tradition, lullabies, epics, folktales

Nonsense rhymes (Pen pen de sarapen)
The first book for children came in 1593, Doctrina Cristiana en Lengua
Tagala y Española, written by Father Domingo Nieva. It was used for
religious instruction; children never actually held the book. Only adults
had handled the book (Parayno 1991, 18).
CHILDREN’S LITERATURE IN THE PHILIPPINES
• introduced to Mother Goose Rhymes, Alice in Wonderland (Parayno 1991, 19),
Grimm’s Tales, Louisa May Alcott’s Little Women, Mark Twain’s The Adventures of
Tom Sawyer, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, and Swiss Family Robinson
(Alabado 2001, 72). Since the setting and way of life presented in these stories are
foreign, the result was the alienation of the Filipino child from his own culture. Adding
to the burden was the American-themed literature for the Filipino children. The values,
attitudes were reflected in the Filipino children, who made the values their own
(Alabado 2001, 72).
• Hugo Miller’s Philippine Folklore Series was one of the books written by American
authors but prepared in the Philippines. Ginn and Company pioneered the publishing
of books (Parayno 1991, 19). This resulted to children considering forein coloniseers
as heroes and native heroes—Lapulapu for example—as mere insurgents (Alabado
2001, 73).
• Later, Filipinos wrote children’s stories themselves. Camilo Osias’s
Philippine Readers Books 1 to 7 were read by every Filipino child in
grade school. Known as Osias Readers, the book collection contained
tales, legends, myths, and creatures that were familiar to the Filipino
child. The pieces were written in English. The author’s preface of Book
Four added that poems and selections that light the fire of nationalism
have been included (Alabado, 77).
EXAMPLES OF CHILDREN’S BOOKS
CHILDREN’S LITERATURE IN THE PHILIPPINES

• In 1945, translations of Western works appeared. Classics like The Little Prince and
Omar Khayyam’s Rubaiyat were translated into Filipino. In 1946, National Bookstore
started reprinting foreign books and translated fairy tales to Filipino. The Lady Bird
series was also published. They also published comics in Filipino and English like
Rizal’s Classic Illustrated, Filipino Heroes Stories, and Legends of the Philippines
Stories (Parayno 1991, 20).

• Poems for children in the 1930s to the next decade were vessels for nationalist ideals;
although, they were not always accompanied with illustrations (Almario et. al. 1994,
89). This was due to the brutality of Japanese colonisers. Works such as The Battle of
Mactan by Virgilio Floresca and Like the Molave by NVM Gonzales were published
(Almario et. al. 1994, 89). Children’s books at this time were used as shield against
Japanese censorship.
 FLY, MALAYA FLY
• The story is Fly, Malaya, Fly! written by
Grace Chong, illustrated by Longlong
Pesquira. The story was donated to the
Foundation and it’s what they’ve been using
as their main storytelling material ever since.
• 400 eagles remain in the country.