114 Chapter 5 Community and Environmental Responsibilities
Factors Aff ecting the Environment
Two factors play major roles in the increase of environmental
problems—rapid population growth and shrinking natural resources.
Rapid Population Growth
The human population is increasing at a rapid rate and living
longer. This affects the environment. As the population increases, the
available living space for each person decreases. Existing resources must
be divided among more and more people. Food, one of these resources,
is sometimes not available to some people.
A growing population needs more goods and services, and industry
uses more energy to provide them. As more goods are produced and
used, solid waste is created. Ever-growing amounts of waste can mix
with the air, water, and soil. Without controls, the end result is a
polluted environment.
Shrinking Natural Resources
The earth has two categories of resources—renewable and
nonrenewable. Understanding the difference is important. Plants and
animals are renewable resources. These resources are replaced rapidly
enough to provide people with a continuing supply.
If land continues to be fertile, plant resources can be renewed and
even increased as people grow new crops each year. Healthy animals
can also grow and reproduce. Some energy resources, such as the sun
and wind, are also renewable. They will probably play a much greater
role in supplying the energy needs of the future. Water is a renewable
resource, too. Maintaining it in an unpolluted state, however, is diffi cult
and costly.
Oil, coal, and natural gas are called fossil fuels. Their energy is
derived from the partly decayed plants and animals that lived long ago.
The earth’s supply of fossil fuels is limited and replaced very slowly.
Fossil fuels are therefore called nonrenewable resources. Minerals such
as copper and gold belong in this category, too. When present supplies
of these resources are depleted, no more will be available. The cost
and availability of fuel supplies has been a source of tension among
world powers.
Pollution
The environment greatly affects people’s health. One unhealthful
side effect of society is pollution. Pollution is all the harmful changes
in the environment caused by human activities. It occurs when people
mismanage the air, water, or land. Substances that actually cause
pollution are called pollutants.
Environmental
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