APEX APES 9.1.2 Sustainable Societal Development

Carbon Capture and Storage

Process of removing excess carbon dioxide from environments.

How is shade-grown coffee more sustainable than coffee grown in full sun?

It is more sustainable because this method provides habitats for birds and other forest organisms while allowing the farmers to harvest wood and fruit from the forest trees that are part of the shade-grown coffee farms.

Which resources have public education as one of their conservation tactics, and what are those tactics?

The resources include coal usage and forests. They can teach the public energy conservation, recycling products, replant trees, and composting.

Why are societies that use mainly sustainable practices often highly integrated into natural systems?

This happens because they are very efficient when it comes to maintaining the environment around them. Because of this, they are able to efficiently integrate into their natural systems.

How did living near bodies of water shape society?

People typically get around using boats and integrate aquatic resources into their culture.

How did living in areas with warm and cold seasons shape society?

The people may stay in one area and create efficient shelters to fight against the cold and heat depending on the season.

How did living in areas with wet and dry seasons shape society?

The people may travel long distances to find food and water. Because of this, they may develop methods of preserving meat and other foods to use during times of scarcity.

How did living in the forest shape society?

The people will use the forest for everything. It will be integrated into their culture, their buildings, and it will be a source of energy. For food, they will hunt forest animals and gather fruits, nuts, and seeds.

How can unsustainable practices shape a society?

Unsustainable practices may lead to a throwaway culture where everything gets overused and thrown away, even when it could be used again for something else. The people in this kind of society would be bad at conservation and will negatively affect the local ecosystems, sometimes even unknowingly.

What environmental impacts do oil have?

It creates high greenhouse emissions, pollutes many important resources, destroys ecosystems, leads to high consumption of freshwater resources, and causes massive habitat fragmentation.

What environmental impacts do coal have?

It creates extremely high greenhouse emissions, pollutes important resources, causes large-scale deforestation, high consumption of freshwater, and causes ecosystem degradation via thermal pollution.

Are biofuels sustainable?

no

What environmental impacts do biofuels have?

It creates moderate amounts of air pollution, water and soil pollution, and it uses lots of land. Not only this but the ecosystems lose nutrients because of biomass being burned and a significant input of energy is required to make biomass fuels.

Is solar energy sustainable?

yes

What environmental impact does solar energy have?

It generates little amounts of hazardous materials, has a high consumption of freshwater during power generation, uses large amounts of land, and can cause local ecosystem degradation via thermal pollution and has visual impacts on the environment.

Is nuclear fission sustainable?

no

What environmental impacts does nuclear fission have?

Creates large amounts of toxic radioactive wastes, releases radioactive substances into the environment, can lead to severe environmental contamination, can lead to ecosystem degradation via thermal pollution, and uses lots of freshwater during energy generation.

Is geothermal energy sustainable?

Yes

What environmental impacts does geothermal energy have?

It releases small amounts of air pollutants, is a potential groundwater contaminant, can cause loss of remote sites of wilderness, can cause an earthquake, and uses a moderate amount of water during power generation.

Is hydroelectric energy and wind energy sustainable?

yes

What environmental impacts does hydroelectric energy have?

It can destroy natural ecosystem landscapes, negatively affect water quality, create obstacles to fish migration, significantly affect downstream ecosystems, and cause a catastrophic flood if the dam fails.

What environmental impacts does wind energy have?

It may create noise pollution, may contribute to a moderate number of bird and bat deaths, uses lots of land, has a visual impact on the environment, and has the potential to interfere with radar/telecommunication facilities.