The

Environmental
Apocalypse
Alex
Loeffler

Destruction of natural habitats for human

use

Most of the destruction is happening in Coral Reefs in oceans, Forests, and

Wetlands.
More than half the world's forests have been turned for other uses.
Another of that will be converted in the next century.
Forests are important because they provide raw materials, protect watersheds,
generate rainfall and produce oxygen.
of the worlds Coral Reefs (the equivalent of oceanic tropical forests) are
already gone.
If trends continue of the remaining reefs will be gone by 2030.
Coral Bleaching is the cause of this.
Fishing by trawling is destroying the oceans shallow floors and species dependent
on it.
Pictured is a before and after image of one of the world's greatest coral reefs.

Overfishing for protein

Overfishing is only adding on to the destruction of
reefs.
Two billion people rely on oceans for protein.
Declines in fisheries are ever present and growth
cant be better.
Fish grown in aquaculture are fed wild caught fish
(up to 20X more!).
More toxins usually.

Animal populations have

already declined
Extermination of species can harm
societies
Large fractions have already been
lost
Biodiversity losses can and will
mess up the food chain
Food chains matter, an interruption in the
chain could disrupt the whole process. A
break in the process could be very
expensive to solve.

Farmland Erosion
Soil is eroding 10-40X faster than being produced
Salinization is also a factor in food production
20-80% of the world's farmland is becoming
severely damaged
Without arable land, growing food could become a
hassle. Food grown is also used to feed animals for
meats.

Major energy sources

Reserves are available but are deep underground therefore expensive to reach.
Further underground also means more environmental risks and costs
Plenty of oil is still receivable and close to the surface but a few decades from now
may start to run dry.

Freshwater Depletion
All around the world freshwater sources are being
depleted faster than they are being filled
Desalinization is too pricey to solve water shortages
Aquifers, rivers, and streams are being utilized for
irrigation and are being depleted faster than they are
naturally filled.

Sunlight is not infinite

Plants grow poorly in deserts and the arctic
Every acre only gets so much sunlight, never evenly
distributed among plants
We are projected to be utilizing most of the world's
terrestrial photosynthetic energy by middle of the
century.
Most will be used for human resources and some left
over for things like forests.

Chemicals and You!

Chemical companies release toxins into water, soil,
and the air
Some or most of them are synthesized and
unnatural to humans
We consume these in our food and water and
breathe them in through the air.
Most of the dangers come from pesticides that grow
into and on our food and seep into the water. The
pricetag to fix this is more than we can comprehend.

Alien species
Alien species are transferred
some harm the environment
some help tremendously
Sometimes after an alien
species enters and destroys an
area it is hard to come back.
Billions of dollars have been lost
due to alien species over the years
and will always be a problem.

Ozone Damage
Greenhouse gasses absorb light and
create warming of the globe
Combustion, respiration, and
fermentation lead to greenhouse
gasses and damage to the ozone
Global warming can lead to low crop
yields, drought, and famine.

Overpopulation
More people means more food,
shelter, space, water and energy.
Young people outnumber old people
4% is a high population rate in 3rd
world countries
1% is a high population rate in 1st
world countries
If every person only had 2 kids to
replace their parents who would
eventually die, pop. would still increase
for about 70 years.

Overpopulation: The Impact

Problems come not from vast
numbers but from waste and
lack of resources
Immigration can throw things off
too
The problem is the impact
Third world countries aspire to
first world standards. But even if
China were to double its
per-capita it would be bad.

Reasons for Hope

We are not beset by insoluble problems

Increasing diffusion of environmental thinking
Long term planning
Willingness to reconsider core values
Painful decisions about values
Global Communication

What can you do?

Use your position of power (if you have one)
Consider what you do as a consumer- To buy or
not to buy
Consumers can affect policies of big companies
Boycotting is often an effective way to get a
company to change its ways
Religious people can form support with a church and
boycott
Work to fix your local environment