4.人类活动与环境问题 - 北京师范大学精品课程

Group report

How do human activities effect the environmental quality?
Consideration:

What are the main environmental activities effect by human?

How do these activities effect the environment?

How do the changed environment effect human survival and
development?
1
Chapter 4 Human activities and
environmental problems
•
•
•
•
The relationship between human
development and environment
Human activities and environmental
crisis
Environment and human health
Case study
 Analysis:
•
•
•
•
Human behavior: In order to meet the human needs
of survival and development, human obtain
the material resources and energy from the
environment.They obtain the products through a
series of productive activities,and
meanwhile discharge of waste to the environment.
Law of human development: the diversity of needs,
complexity of activity mode, time-varying of the
development process.
Law of the environment itself: Environment has
objective attribute, its occurrence, development and
change have its own rules.
What is the relationship between these two laws?
3
4.1The relationship between human development
and environment

Law of basic relations : the unity of opposites
 Opposition: human subjective needs and the activities with
purpose, inevitably contradict with the objective attribute and
the development law of the environment.
 Unity:Environment is the carrier of the human.Human activities
are restricted by the surrounding environment.There are Interaction and
mutual restraint between humans and the environment.
Corollary: Human Development should be in
harmony with the environment.
4
•
It should been fully understand that the interdependent relationship
between humans and the environment
.
 Human beings are the product of physical movement,the product of the
evolution of the Earth's surface system
 The evolution of the Earth's surface system forms geographical environment,
where human live and develop.
 Natural environment: the human material
basis ,provide support systems for life.
Geographical
environment
 Economic environment: the production and economic complex
formed by human production activity.
 Social and cultural environment: the human organization and
behavior mode formed by human life activity, including population,
language, folklore, etc.
 Human should fully respect the development laws
of the environment.
5
The relationship between human development and the environment is changing
historical fact:table 4.1, The relationship between human development
and the environment in different development stages
development
stages
development =economic growth
economic growth ∈ development
development
is inseparable to
environment
Predevel
Opment
Period
Agricultural
revolution
period
Industrial
Revolution
period
Industrial
pollution
control
Development
and
environmental
protection
time span
Ten
thousand
years ago
Ten thousand
years ago ---the
beginning of the
18rh century
Beginning of
18th century to
1950s
1950s to 1960s
1970s to
1990s
1990s up to now
economic
features
Ingestion
and
hunting
Self-sufficient
Commodity
Advanced
market
economy
Developed
market
economy
Ecology economy
mode of
production
From
hand to
mouth
Simple
technology and
tool
resource-based
model
resource-based
model
resourcebased
model
Technology-based
model
Environmental
Problems
Not
indicated
soil fertility
decrease, water
loss and soil
erosion
Air pollution,
heavy metal
pollution and
enrichment
Photochemistry
smoke,
pollutant
accumulation
in food chain
Continual
occurrence of
environment
public hazard
incident
Environment recovery
of developed country;
continual occurrence
of public hazard
incident in developing
country
policy of
human’s
Primary
coordinat
ion
Basic
coordination
disharmonious
(unbalanced
ecology ) 6
Extremely
disharmonious
Seeking
measures
Sustainable
development
Human development process is also the process which constantly adapt
and adjust the environment

Human keep deepening understanding the development, transform
from only emphasis on economic growth into focusing on both
economic growth and environmental protection.

In action, Human also continue to evolve to the direction
of environmentally friendly in production, economic and management.
7
Dialectical relationship chart of human development
and environment
* Economic development has brought environmental problems, but also enhances the strength to
solve environmental problems.The solution of environmental problems also
lays the foundation for sustained and stable economic development.
* Protecting the environment is a condition for8 human development.protecting the environment
is also inseparable from human economic development.

The man-land relationship coordination model of regional
sustainable development
Gong Shengsheng,1999
9
Discussion:What’s human development
 per capita GDP :GDP/population
 Human Development Index (HDI), is calculated out on the basis of three indicators :
health and longevity,measured with life expectancy at birth ; education received,
measured with both the adult literacy rate (2/3weight) and primary school, secondary school
and university general admission rate (1/3weight); living standards,
measured with per capita real GDP.
??Basic services of possession :service, function, How to
measure ?
10
??what’s your opinions ??
4.2 Human activities and environmental
crisis
 The manner and purpose of human
activity: using and transforming natural resources and environment
to meet the life and production needs.
 Expression: obtain useful substances from nature, produce
"service" and return generated waste to the environment .
 Essence: material exchange between human and the natural
environment
Direct consequences: interference with the native environment, the formation
of environmental impact, also known as environmental impact (environmental
loads)
Process of accumulation: population growth.increased activity. the amount of
resource usage and waste surge year after year. the increasing environmental
load.
Indirect consequences: When the environmental loads exceed the threshold of
natural self-purification and adjustion, it will threaten the basic integrity
of natural systems and stability,and affect the survival and development of
humans and other organisms.
11
Environmental problems
 The various phenomena appeared in the global
environment and regional environment led by natural forces or
human activities.The phenomena are not conducive to human
survival and social development.
Classification:According to cause
Environmen
tal problems
primary
environmental
problems
due to natural
forces
The environmental problems
which caused by volcanic
eruptions, earthquake, flood,
drought and landslide
Environmental pollution
Secondary
environmental
problems
due to human
activity
Resources shortage and depletion
ecological destruction
12
Relationship between human activities and global
environment problems
13
(textbook figure 4-3

Eight public hazard incident in the middle of 20th century
Incident name
Main pollutant
Time and place
Poisoning state
Formation cause
Meuse River
Valley smog
Dust and SO2
Belgium,December
of 1930
Thousands people
attacked,about 60 dead
Donora Air
Pollution
Episode
Dust and SO2
Donora of America,
October of 1948
About 43% in 4 days
(about 6000 people )
invaded,17 people
dead
Concentrated factory 、large dust
emission;abnormal weather,
temperature inversion and heavy smoke
happen
London smog
incident
Dust SO2
London of UK, ,
December of 1952
4000 people dead in 4
days
Los Angeles
photochemistry
incident
Photochemistry
smog
Los Angeles of
America,May to
November every year
Minamata
incident
methyl mercury
Kumamoto, Japan
found Minamata in
1953
Some people dead found
in 1953;180 people
invaded in 1972 , 50
people dead
Waste water containing Hg entered sea
and polluted fish, seashell
Tomiyama
incident
(ostalgia
disease)
Cadmium
Tomiyama, Shet
valley found
The patients exceed 280
from 1931 to 1972, 34
people dead
Spelter works wastewater containing
cadmium polluted drinking water and
farm land
Yokkaichi time
SO2,hevaay
metal, dust
Yokkaichi of Japan in
1970
(asthema)500 people
have disease,10 people
dead
Plenty of SO2, dust containing heavy
metal discharged from factory
rice bran oil
incident
polychlorinated
biphenyl
Aichi-ken country,
Kyrshu of Japan in
1968
More than 5000
patients,16dead and
14
10000
people affected
Due to bad management polychlorinated
biphenyl was mixed into rice bran oil
Vehicle waste gas, weather conditions
such as sunlight and calm wind
We can see:
As the production capacity improved,the
rehabilitation and intervention to nature
from human is more.When exceed the
threshold value, the natural selfregulation can not restore balance. Human
and nature will be in uncoordinated state.
If human behavior do not
exceed the
allowed threshold, Huma
n and nature will live in
harmony.
In other words, human activities exceed the bearing capacity of natural
systems,which lead to environmental 15problems.
The essence of environmental problems
 The essence of environmental problems: the
imbalance between human and nature, this disorder
causes of the destruction of the ecosystem balance, it is caused
by the non-coordinated development of the population,
economy, society, environment.
 To solve environmental problems fundamentally, human
beings must change the uncontrolled production
and maximum consumption way of life, get rid
of blindly obtaining from nature to meet their own and shortterm interest values.
16
 Concerned environmental problems
Environmental
problems
The environmental problems
which caused by volcanic
eruptions, earthquake, flood,
drought and landslide
primary
environmental
problems
due to natural
forces
Environmental pollution
Secondary
environmental
problems
due to human
activity
Resources shortage and depletion
ecological destruction
17
 Secondary environmental problems 1—environment
problems of pollution

Concepts:
Human
activities have resulted in harmful
substances or factor into the environment.
The
structure and function of environmental
system change by diffusion, migration
and transformation process.
There
are phenomena which are not conducive to
the survival and development of human and
other organisms.
18
Green card-environmental background
value
 Environmental background value is also known as
natural background value.It is the content of various chemical
elements and basic chemical composition in the environmental factors
related to environment pollution when free from pollution.
Note in application :
Different regions have different background value.
When relatively free from pollution,the basic chemical
composition of the environmental elements.
Purpose: It has great significance for promoting the evaluation
of regional environmental quality, forecasting the
environmental pollution trend, formulating the
environmental standards, arranging rational distribution of
agricultural and industrial production,
etc.
19
Human activities and environmental problems (textbook
figure 4-4)
Classification: atmospheric pollution, water pollution, soil
20
pollution, sound pollution, light pollution,
etc
Environment problems of pollution 1-
--atmospheric pollution
The content of certain substances of atmosphere was exceed the bear ability of ecological system, it
appeared the phenomenon that against the survival and development of human and other biological
近10倍
107倍
table: the natural process on earth and emission source and emissions of atmospheric pollutants by
human activity
21
Typical cases
Incident name
Main
pollutant
Meuse River
Valley smog
Dust and
SO2
Donora Air
Pollution
Episode
Dust and
SO2
London smog
Dust and
SO2
incident
Formation cause
Concentrated factory 、
large dust emission;
abnormal weather,
temperature inversion
and heavy smoke happen
Los Angeles
photochemistry
incident
Los Angeles
photochemis
try incident
Vehicle waste gas, weather
conditions such as sunlight
and calm wind
Yokkaichi time
SO2,hevaay
metal, dust
Plenty of SO2, dust
containing heavy metal
discharged from factory
Global environmental problems: ozone
22
depletion, global warming, acid deposition etc
 Environment problems of pollution 2---water pollution
 Definition: the pollutant discharged into water exceeds environmental capacity
of the water,which results in adverse change of water physical, chemical and
biological characteristics, and destruction of the intrinsic natural ecosystems and
the function of the water.
According to the pollution object: Surface waters pollution, groundwater
pollution and Marine pollution
Inorganic non-toxic
pollutants
Accod
ing to
the
type
of
pollut
ants
particulate contamination (suspended solids )
Acid, alkali, inorganic contaminants
plant nutrients ,such as nitrogen, phosphor
Inorganic toxic
pollutants
The inorganic toxicity of heavy metal
heavy metals toxicity
Organic toxic pollutants (aerobic organism )
Organic non-toxic
pollutants
petroleum pollutants
pesticides
Plastic, synthetic rubber, man-made fibers
dyes
oil
Oil products
Other pollutants
Radioactive
substances
23
Thermal pollution
cyanide
arse
nic
Water pollution causes
 Causes of surface water pollution: Human discharge
large variety of liquid and solid waste without safety
treatment to surface water , so that the water pollution is
more and more serious.

Causes of groundwater pollution:
* Over-exploitation of groundwater;
* Industrial wastewater and domestic sewage discharge capacity is
large,while the handling capacity is low;
*Application of chemical fertilizers, pesticides and sewage irrigation
results in
groundwater pollution;
* Human economic activity results in urban groundwater pollution.

Marine pollution: human bring substances or
energy into the marine environment and cause damage
to biological resources, hazards to human health, damage
to water quality, degradation of
environmental aesthetics and other harmful effects.
24
 Typical cases
Main pollutant
Formation cause
Minamata incident
methyl mercury
Waste water containing Hg entered sea and
polluted fish, seashell
Tomiyama incident
(ostalgia disease)
Cadmium
Spelter works wastewater containing
cadmium polluted drinking water and farm
land
Incident name
25
 Environment problems of pollution 3---soil pollution
Definition: It's a kind of phenomenon that
substances produced by human activities (pollution)
enter into the soil through various channels.The quantity
and speed exceed the soil capacity and soil purification speed,
which lead to the destruction of the normal function of the
land or decreased of the soil fertility ,the damage
of Soil, plants and animals.
agaricus can reflect the
situation of soil pollution
26
Classification of soil pollution material
classification of pollutant
(Hg)
Manufacturing caustic soda and mercury compounds, sludge, pesticide containing
mercury and mercury evaporation.
(Cd)
Smelting, electroplating, dying material, industrial waste water, sludge, waste gas,
fertilizer impurity
(Cu)
Smelting goods produce production sludge, waste solid and sludge, pesticide
containing copper
……
……………..
(137Cs)
Atomic energy, nuclear power, isotope produces industrial sludge, waste solid,
nuclear explosion
(90Sr)
Atomic energy, nuclear power, isotope produces industrial sludge, waste solid,
nuclear explosion
(F)
Smelting, sodium fluorosilicate, phosphoric acid and phosphoric fertilizer,
industrial sludge, waste gas and fertilizer
Heavy metal
Inorganic
pollutant
Radioactive
elements
paper pulp, fiber, chemical industrial sludge
others
Alkali, acid
Organic pesticides
Organic
pollutant
main sources
sulfuric acid, petroleum and chemical industry, scouring, electroplating, industrial
waste water air acid sedimentation
Production and usage of pesticide
phenol
Coking, refining, synthetic phenol, rubber, fertilizer, pesticide and industrial waste
sludge
cyanide
Electroplating, metallurgy, dying and industrial sludge, fertilizer
Related environmental problems
Soil erosion
Desertification
Soil salinization
Soil degradation
Soil pollution
28
Case study
Sand-dust storm in
north China
Phenomenon and
harm
Formation reasons
Strategies or control
approach
Self-study, and as the reference to the
assignments
29
 Concerned environmental problems
Environmental
problems
The environmental problems
which caused by volcanic
eruptions, earthquake, flood,
drought and landslide
primary
environmental
problems
due to natural
forces
Environmental pollution
Secondary
environmental
problems
due to human
activity
Resources shortage and depletion
ecological destruction
30
 Secondary environmental problems2—
environmental problems of resources shortage and depletion
 environmental problems of resources shortage and depletion
classification of
natural resources
natural
resources
Relative to the human
consumption level
The constance of resources: Such as solar
energy, wind energy, etc
renewable resources :
land、forest
the limitation
of resources
nonrenewable resources :
mineral resources

Problems: because of the unreasonable exploitation and utilization
of natural resources, it made the speed of natural resources from the
environment demand by human is far more rapid than the regeneration
speed of resources (renewable resources)
 For nonrenewable resources, it may lead to depletion by
improper use
31
Relativity of resource problems

Shortage and depletion of resources is relatively aim at
the consumption level (or level of demand).
 Regional: the shortage and depletion of resources is usually aim
at a particular region.
 Cause: resource distribution, technology level, state of
economic development, consumer preferenceence,etc.
 Consequences and countermeasures: the fairness of resources
usage? Trade?War?
32
 The diagrammatic sketch of resource shortage and
environmental problem relationship
as the reference to the assignments:types, causes, performance,
consequences, etc
33
 Concerned environmental problems
Environmental
problems
The environmental problems
which caused by volcanic
eruptions, earthquake, flood,
drought and landslide
primary
environmental
problems
due to natural
forces
Environmental pollution
Secondary
environmental
problems
due to human
activity
Resources shortage and depletion
ecological destruction
34
 Secondary environmental problems 3 —ecological damage
and environmental imbalance
 Ecological damage:
Direct effect of human activities on natural ecosystems, results in significantly
decreased of the production capacity of ecological systems and significantly
changes of structures ,then causes environmental problems.
Ecological balance and ecological imbalance
 ecological balance: the appropriate material, energy, information exchange
between the ecosystem and its external environment, maintains the specific
structure and function of ecosystem.
 ecological imbalance: When the outside interference exceeds the ability to
regulate its own ecological system ,It will appear the destruction of ecosystem
structure, function disorders and other phenomenon.
35

The devastating impact on the biosphere by human
The devastating impact on the biosphere by human mainly in
three aspects:
 change natural to artificial ecosystem in large-scale, interfere with the normal
operation of the biosphere: such as agricultural development.
 take a lot of resources, destroy the ecological balance: such as deforestation, overexploitation of water resources.
 import large quantities of waste to the environment, seriously pollute the
biosphere: such as dumping sewage and waste into rivers.
 Typical environmental problems brought in: desertification, destruction of
biodiversity,etc.
 The analysis of desertification and the problem of biodiversity loss in
36
textbook can be the reference for homework
ideas.
Human activity should follow the ecology
rule
the schemes of relationship between ecological balance and environmental problems
4.3 Environment and human health

hazards on human health by environmental pollution
 hazards on human health
by environmental pollution
Channels: poison in environment
enters the body through the digestive
tract, respiratory tract or skin, etc.
Expression: two aspects of
specific damage (human acute
or chronic poisoning,
teratogenesis , mutagenesis, cancer,
etc.) and non-specific damage
(increased incidence of frequentlyoccurring disease, decreased of the
human resistance and the ability to
work )
The human reflection process
pathopoiesia factor by environment
38
(quoted from Liu Tianqi,2000)
Example 1:the hazard of atmospheric pollutants on human
health(brief)
Pollutants
Hazards on the human body
Soot
Cause bronchitis,etc.
Sulfuric
acid smoke
Intense irritation and damage on the skin, conjunctiva, nasal mucosa, throat , etc.
Lead
Can cause red blood cell disorders, harm to the nervous system, etc.
Sulphur dioxide
Can cause heart palpitations, breathing difficulties, vocal cord spasm, laryngeal
edema,even suffocation
carbon monoxide
Cause severe hypoxic symptoms (gas poisoning)
Nitrogen oxides
Damage on the respiratory tract, mucous membranes, nervous system,hematopoietic system
Hydrogen sulfide
Stimulate effect on the respiratory tract, eyes, may even harm the central nervous system
then cause suffocation
Cyanide
Stimulate mucous membrane, cause convulsions, decrease of blood
pressure,respiratory disorders,etc.
Fluoride
Damage bone, hematopoietic system, nervous system,etc.
Chlorine
Can cause chemical burns in the lungs
Formaldehyde
Stimulate the skin and respiratory mucosa , damage central nervous system , especially the
visual organ
quoted from Chen Limin and Wu Renjian,2003
39
 example 2 : the hazard of radioactive pollution on
human health(brief)
There's radioactive damage on human and animal under high
dose irradiation. The main performance is a variety of cancer
or shortening of the life span in varying degrees.
The whole body acute exposure and Clinical symptoms
Radiation doses (rad)
Clinical symptoms
50
Have mild changes in hemogram. the reduction degree of lymphocytes and leukocyte is not serious.
100
Fatigue, nausea, vomiting occurred probability is 20 to 25%, significant changes in hemogram, mild acute
radiation disease.
200
There will be nausea and vomiting after 24 hours.the incubation period of about a week later,there will be hair
loss, anorexia, general weakness, accompanied by laryngitis, diarrhea. If the body is healthy, it will be expected
to recover soon generally.
400
medianlethaldose
There will be nausea and vomiting after several hours;hair loss, loss of appetite, general
weakness,increased temperature within two weeks;purpura, mouth infection,throat infection within
three weeks; pale, nose bleeding, diarrhea, rapid weight loss after four weeks; 50% of people irradiated
will be dead,and the survivors will go back to health after six months.
600
lethal dose
There will be nausea, vomiting, diarrhea and other symptoms after 1 to 2 hours irradiating. Incubation
period is short.There will be vomiting, diarrhea, sore throat, fever, rapid weight loss after one week,and
death in the second week.The mortality will be nearly 100%.
600
lethal dose
There will be nausea, vomiting, diarrhea and other symptoms after 1 to 2 hours irradiating. Incubation
period is short.There will be vomiting, diarrhea, sore throat, fever, rapid weight loss after one week,and
death in the second week.The mortality will be nearly 100%.
quoted from Yu Yufu and Mao
Jiajun,1985
40
example 3:The hazard of biological pollution on human
health(brief)
 Concepts:
Biological pollution is mainly due to parasite eggs, bacteria
rickettsia, viruses and other pathogens in contaminated water,
air, soil that cause prevalence of parasitic diseases and
certain infectious diseases.
Category

biological pollution of air includes bacteria, fungi, pollen,
viruses,and other organic ingredients.

biological contaminants of water includes bacteria, viruses
and parasites,etc.

biological contamination of food includs bacterial,
fungi, parasite and viruses, etc.
41
 Positive effect on human health caused by global climate change
environmental change
the results of the
performance
adverse effects on human health
Enhanced greenhouse
effect
global warming, sea level
rise
diseases related to heat waves
increase, the possibility of natural
disasters (tornadoes, floods, fires,
etc.) and unexpected events
increase.
depletion of
surface ozone
Damage of ultraviolet
radiation increase
sunburn,immune system damage, skin
cancer, vision loss, etc.
acid mist
Acid rain
affect the respiratory system
Cultivated land
degradation
Barren land,
salinization,
desertification,etc.
food quality (nutritional), volume (production)
decrease
the loss of
biodiversity
the loss of genetic
diversity,ecosystem
function decline
regional cultural decline, edible
species reduce. the loss of medical
supplies
42
Residential living environment and human health
Residential living environment is a house centered regional environment .
geography environment: the complex of environmental factors closely relate to geographic location.
residential environment: refers to the living room environment, such as room structure, interior
decoration, etc.
Outdoor surrounded environment: refers to the residential housing and environmental conditions of
uptown, such as hygienism, green, infrastructure, etc.
effect factors of human heath by living environment
43
Indoor environmental pollution, from
the source point of view, there are air
pollution, construction and
decoration materials, chemical
pollution of daily necessities, radioactive
pollution of household appliances and
noise pollution, solid waste pollution,etc.
Hazards of the living environment on human health include the
following:
cause respiratory diseases: inflammation
carcinogenic: radon can cause lung cancer; formaldehyde can
cause rhinitis cancer
transmit diseases: such as viruses, bacteria can cause flu, etc.
other hazards: such as damage to the nervous system, digestive
44
system, etc.
4.4 Case study:Largest flood disaster consideration caused by
Changjiang River in 1998
Self-study, and as the reference to the assignments
There was another flood basin in the Yangtze River Valley in 1998 after that in 1954.
resulting in 1,320 deaths and economic losses of 166.6 billion yuan.
 cause analysis from the following aspects:
sharp drop in forest, soil erosion
reclamation of land from the lake , economic development too fast
garbage dumping, blocking rivers and lakes
greenhouse effect, sea level rise
 reflect and propound suggestion after disaster management :
Protection of Ecological Environment
Yangtze Flood Resources
45
Summary
* The unity of opposites relationship between human and
environment.
*Produce process of environmental problems and essence
of environmental problems.
* Introduce a variety of environmental problems caused by human
activities (pollution, resource shortages and ecological imbalance )
* Discuss the relationship between environment and
human health, the relationship between the emphasis living
environment and human health.
46
Homework (in group)
 Choose your own environmental problems experienced, analyse its
manifestations, causes, consequences, and recommendations for
improvement.
47
4.7 Reading material
 UNDP. The report of human development. Published each year
 Bergman , E.F. Introduction to Geography : People Places and
Environment(2nd) . Pearson Education,2002
 Dennis L.Meadows et al. The Limits to Growth. New York :Universe
Books,1974
 Rachel L.Carson. Silent Spring. Published by arrangement with Frances
Collin Literary Agent Trustee U-W-O,1962
 Swanson, Timothy M. Global environmental problems and international
environmental agreements: the economics of international institution
building. Published in association with UNCTAD,1999
 Word Commissin on Environment and Development. Our Common
Future. New York: Oxford University Press,1987
48