APES mining agriculture and pesticides

Hunter Gatherers

• small pop

• migration

• limited tech

• small ecological print

agricultural revolution

• urbanization

• longer life span

• habitat distruction

• pollution

industrial revolution

• coal

• mass produced

• inc urban pop

• dangerous work

industrial agriculture

• inorganic fertilizer

• inexpensive fuel

• irrigation

• pesticides

green revolution

• monocultures

• lavishing fert, pest, h2o

• cropping

subsistence agriculture

planting for family/ excess is sold/ not for marketplace

slash and burn

tree cut and burned, ash rejuvenates soil, short cycle repeated (not good now)

modern food protection

15 plant and 8 animal/ 90%

dust bowl

soil erosion/ desertification/ water deficits/ loss of biodiversity

soil conservation

reducing soil erosion/ covered in vegetation/ tilling

GMO

Bioengineering, gene transfer

Conventional

Plantation what we eat

Organic

No pesticides

History of pesticides

sulfer — heavy metals — plant derived — DDT — glyphosate

benfits

low cost/ inc food/ more profit

bioaccumulation

accumulates in an individual

biomagnification

goes up the food chain

LD 50

amt of pollutant needed to kill ½ of population

Treadmill

The next generation is stronger bc of natural selection

IPM

Not to kill, but to keep manageable

IPM three types

Physical- Gate/fence

Biological- buy ladybugs

Chemical- scent/ faremade

Silent Spring

affect of DDT on environment (songbirds)

FIFRA

any pesticide must be registered

Food Quality Protection Acts

no adverse effect to humans

Acid Mine Drainage

Acid drainage from sulfur seeps into the water and makes sulfuric acid. This can contaminate the water and harm wildlife. In our video, we showed this by having the “acid drainage” come towards the pond with a fish, cover the pond, and kill the fish.

Impact on Groundwater

Pollution from the mining process can seep into the groundwater, making it unsafe to drink and harmful to the ecosystem. In our video, we showed this by having the pollutants seep through the layers of the soil into the water table, and then soaking up through the roots to kill a flower.

Overburden

Overburden is the soil and vegetation that covers the mineral being mined for. In our video, we showed this by creating the layers of the soil and labeling overburden vs. coal.

Habitat Degradation

Pollution from the mining process can impact habitats as well. Toxic smoke in the air can kill birds and other winged creatures, dumped solute in water can increase turbidity, and destroyed areas can result in a loss of biodiversity. In our video, we showed this by having toxic pollution rise into the sky and kill a bird flying past.

Reclamation

After digging into the Earth, it’s important to restore the land to how it originally was. However, it’s impossible to remake the ground exactly how it was before, which can lead to contamination, erosion, and habitat loss. We showed this by having the soil and vegetation be filled back in, but not staying in the lines of the layers we originally had.

Mountaintop Removal and Natural Resources

The mountaintop removal method of mining is done by using explosives to blast away the top of the mountain, revealing the minerals underneath. In our video, we showed this by having the top of the mountain get blasted off. In addition, we wanted to use this as an example of the natural resources that come from mining, so we had a piece of coal come out of the mountain and catch on fire.

Pit Mining and Natural Resources

The pit mining removal method of mining is done by excavating large holes in the ground to get to large groupings of minerals close to the surface. In our video, we showed this by having a hole in the cross section of the mountain. Like in mountaintop removal, we also used this as a way to show a natural resource.

Strip Mining and Natural Resources

The strip mining method of mining is done by removing long strips of overburden to get to the resources underneath. In our video, we showed this by having strips of the mountain come off. To follow our method for the other two types of mining, we also showed a natural resource coming out of the mountain: phosphorus.