Effects of Man On The Environment-Grade9

Effects of Man on the
Environment – Grade 9
Population Growth
You should be able to:
■ describe the factors that affect the growth of
natural populations; and
■ explain how man overcomes the constraints to
human population growth.
Growth of Natural Populations
• A population is a group of individuals of the same species

living in the same place.
• Population growth rate is directly affected by two basic
factors – birth rate and death rate.
• The rate at which babies are born is the birth rate, while the
rate at which individuals die is the death rate.
Factors that Affect Population Growth
• Eventually, the population growth slows

down, due to the interaction of a few factors:
• Food supply. As the population increases,

the food supply will start to run out.
• Predation. The low number of prey can only
sustain a small number of predators. With
more prey, predators have more food so their
population also increases.
Factors that Affect Population
Growth
• Competition. Since members of a

population share the same physical
space and resources, they will
compete with one another for food,
territory and mates.
• Disease. Under overcrowded
conditions, diseases spread easily,
causing sickness and death.
Decline in a Population
• Decline refers to a reduction in the number of individuals

in a population. The possible factors causing decline are:
• a sudden change in the environment.
• the arrival of new predators or over predation which is due to the
increasing number of predators.
• Man’s actions
Human population growth
• Humans are subjected to

the same population
growth constraints as other
organisms, but they are
able to overcome some of
these constraints.
• Space. Man has developed machines to clear forests and
fill water bodies to create more land to support his needs.
High-rise buildings can overcome land constraints to house
schools, offices and apartments.
• Food. With the help of technological advances in

agriculture, man is able to supply sufficient food to keep up
with the rapid population growth.
• Disease. With better medical care and sanitation, the

transmission of diseases has been greatly reduced. More
treatments are also becoming available for diseases that
previously had no cures.
• Although the quality of human life has improved drastically in
the past century, there is still a great divide between the
developed and less developed countries.
• The Earth’s resources, though plentiful, are limited  the

exponential growth of humans cannot go on forever.
• There are certain factors that could stop future exponential

increase in the world population.
- Increased use and knowledge of contraceptive as
countries develop.
- As status of women increase, they no longer see their
roles as only child bearers.
- More women are marrying and having children at a later
age.
Resources and their Use

■ describe various resources and their limits; and
■ understand the importance of recycling, and
explain the difficulties encountered in recycling
manufactured materials.
Natural Resources
• Resources can be classified as being renewable or non-

renewable.
• Renewable resources are those that can be reused or
quickly replenished.
• Non-renewable resources are in limited supply, and cannot
be replaced.
Alternative sources of energy
• As Man become more aware that energy

resources of the Earth are being used up
at an alarming rate, they are turning to
alternative sources for energy.
• These sources include solar, geothermal,

tides and wind. The main advantage of
these sources of energy is that they are
renewable.
Reduce, Reuse and Recycle
Waste can either be biodegradable or not. To better manage
waste, a strategy known as the 3Rs is developed.
The Importance of Recycling
• Conserves land
• Reduces pollution
• Saves energy and resources
The Challenges of Recycling
• Recycling is an attitude and a habit to adopt as garbage has

to be sorted before being discarded.
• It may be more costly to recycle products than make
products from raw materials. It is usually more profitable
for large companies.
• Recycling bins must be available and placed at strategic
locations so people can see them.
• A certain amount of waste must be accumulated before it
becomes worthwhile to be sent to the recycling factories.
Effects of Man’s Activities on
the Environment
■ understand the negative impact of human
activity on the environment;
■ discuss the implications of pollution on marine
and wetland environments; and
■ suggest means by which the environment could
be conserved.
Pollution
• Pollution is the process in which harmful substances are

added to the environment. The substances that damage the
environment are called pollutants.
• The rapid increase in human populations also increases
industrial activities and produces many toxic chemicals.
Air Pollution
Ways of reducing air pollution
• Use catalytic converters in cars to increase fuel efficiency

and reduce emission of carbon monoxide and nitrogen
oxides
• Install pollution control devices such as filters on
chimneys of power plants
• Reduce the burning of fossil fuels in factories
• Reduce the lead and sulphur dioxide content of fuel used
in motor vehicles
• Burn cleaner fuel like natural gas to provide energy needs
• Use ozone-friendly products, such as spray cans that carry
the “No CFCs” logo.
• Cut down on the use of cars and motor vehicles, and
switch to using public transport or bicycles
Water Pollution
Deforestation
• Deforestation is the result of several activities, some of
which are highlighted below:
• Urban development. Land has to be cleared for the

construction of homes, industrial buildings, roads, etc.
• Commercial agriculture. With rising demand for food, more
land has to be cleared for growing crops.
• Grazing pastures. Livestock such as cattle and sheep needs
large expanses of grassland to move about and graze.
• Logging. Timber is a valuable raw material in construction,
furniture-making, paper manufacture and firewood.
Effects of Deforestation
• Soil erosion: no trees to hold the soil  easily eroded;
fertile soil gets washed away and over time, land is
destructed  dessertification
• Flooding: eroded soil may be deposited in rivers, thus
blocking the flow of water and cause flooding in low-
lying areas
• Species destruction: the loss of forests  loss of
habitats for species to live in
• Climate change: less trees to remove carbon dioxide
from the air; loss of Earth’s “green lungs”
Case Study: Simpson Bay Lagoon

Conservation
• Conservation is the preservation of the Earth’s natural

resources so that they are available for future generations.
• Conservation is important for two main reasons - to ensure

that our demand for natural resources can continue to be
met, and to maintain our quality of life.
•
• The goal of conservation efforts is to manage our natural
resources in a sustainable manner.
Conservation measures
• Education
• E.g. Benefits of recycling, taking
individual responsibility
• Legislation
• E.g. Ban the hunting and killing of
endangered animals, set up nature
reserves, ban logging, improve
sewage treatment facilities.
• Conservation agriculture
Conservation agriculture
Soil can be conserved if farmers adopt the

following conservation measures:
• Carry out crop rotation which is planting different crops
that use different nutrients from the soil,
• Implement fallow periods which give the soil ample time
to recover its minerals,
• Use of cover crops to maintain soil cover,
• Use of organic fertilisers like manure and compost, so as to
cut down on the use of chemical fertilisers,
• Plant trees and shrubs on farms(known as agroforestry) to
prevent soil erosion.
The End

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Effects of Man on the

• A population is a group of individuals of the same species

• Eventually, the population growth slows

• Food supply. As the population increases,

• Competition. Since members of a

• Decline refers to a reduction in the number of individuals

• Humans are subjected to

• Food. With the help of technological advances in

• Disease. With better medical care and sanitation, the

• The Earth’s resources, though plentiful, are limited  the

• There are certain factors that could stop future exponential

You should be able to:

• Resources can be classified as being renewable or non-

• As Man become more aware that energy

• These sources include solar, geothermal,

• Recycling is an attitude and a habit to adopt as garbage has

• Pollution is the process in which harmful substances are

• Use catalytic converters in cars to increase fuel efficiency

• Urban development. Land has to be cleared for the

Case Study: Simpson Bay Lagoon

• Conservation is the preservation of the Earth’s natural

• Conservation is important for two main reasons - to ensure

Soil can be conserved if farmers adopt the

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