The term ecological footprint refers to the combined areas of healthy land and water ecosystems that supply us the resources that we need. It also measures how much we consume our natural resources in order to produce products and how much waste is generated. The resources involved in our ecological footprint consist of energy, food, water, shelter, sewage wastes, trash, and greenhouse gases.

c. an ecological footprint

Scientists believe that the period of Anthropocene, which is the Age of Humans, first started during the Industrial Revolution in the 1800s. This is the period when fossil fuels are harnessed to power up machineries, railroads and other forms of transportation are built, and mass production has begun.

B. with the Industrial Revolution

Choices A, C, and D have the most adverse effect on the environment because these actions destroy the natural habitat of plants and animals. On the other hand, building apartments at an abandoned factory in the city, do not directly affect the ecosystem. Therefore, it has the least adverse effect on the environment.

b. building apartments at the site of an abandoned factory in the city

The term anthrome, which is also known as human-altered biomes, refers to the ecological patterns and direct interaction that exists between humans and ecosystems, such as agriculture, industrialization, and forestry. Examples of anthromes include cities, villages, rangelands, and croplands.

On the other hand, the term biome refers to the natural habitat of many plant and animals species that is located in a region with a distinct climate, vegetation, and soil condition. Examples of biomes include tundra, desert, tropical rainforest, grassland, and temperate forests.

According to the gathered data of scientists, Americans have ecological footprints that are too large when compared to other countries. It has an ecological footprint that is four times greater than the global average. Americans use more than twice the resources of people from Japan and six times greater than the ecological footprints in China.

Anthropocene, which also refers to the Age of Humans, is the term used to describe the current era because it is when the global changes in the Earth systems are mainly driven by the activities of humans, such as building of human-altered biomes, burning of fossil fuels, deforestation, habitat fragmentation, and industrialization.

Climate change refers to the long-term shift in the global climate patterns in terms of the average temperature, precipitation, and wind patterns. It results in frequent, unusual weather events, such as fire tornadoes, hurricanes, dust storms, hail storms, severe droughts, and harsh typhoons.

a. climate change

Choices B, C, D are all incorrect. These events are illustrated in the global change model as human causes that contribute to global change.

Choice A is correct. The biological magnification of toxic compounds does not directly affect the global system as a whole. This event is caused by a nonpoint source pollution and it takes place in the food chain or food web of a contaminated environment.

a. biological magnification of toxic compounds

Introduced species are also referred to as invasive species. These species are introduced into a new environment, which in this case, causes their population to grow very quickly. As a result, the native species to be out-competed by the new species and the existing ecosystem may be threatened or harmed.

c. cause native species to die out

The use of DDT is banned in the United States because fish-eating birds are affected and it triggered a decline in the bird population. The reason for this is because the concentration of DDT is multiplied as it moved from the producers to the consumers in the food chain. Therefore, C is the correct answer.

c. subject to biological magnification

Carbon dioxide, which is a greenhouse gas, is the main pollutant that contributes to global change. This gas traps the heat inside the Earth and causes the global temperature to increase.

Monoculture is an agricultural practice that grows and cultivates a single type of crop in an area. This type of farming is advantageous when it comes to climate and soil conditions because farmers can yield greater harvests with only a minimum usage of resources. In other words, the output is maximized even when there is only a minimal labor done.

However, this farming practice makes the crops highly susceptible to diseases and pests. Moreover, the recycling of nutrients is not effective because the same crops are cultivated repeatedly. This event causes the soil to lose its fertility at a faster rate. There is also a decline in the diversity of the species in the ecosystem since there is only a single type of crop that is planted.

Smog is caused by air pollution, To reduce the smog in urban areas, air pollution must be addressed by doing the following things:

a. Refrain from using gas-powered garden equipment, such as lawn mowers. The use of eco-friendly equipment and appliances must be encouraged.
b. Reduce the number of car trips. The use of bicycles must be encouraged.
c. Reduce the usage of wood stoves and fireplaces.
d. Avoid burning the trash and leaves.
e. Plant more trees.

The graph shows the temperature change which occurs on the land-surface and air. Over the years, the surface temperature has increased dramatically; hence, ecologists identify this as global warming.

d. global warming

The temperature increase was mainly caused by the burning of fossil fuels. This event results in the increase of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases in the atmosphere.

d. burning fossil fuels

Choices A, B, and D are all incorrect. Burning fossil fuels, and increasing biological magnification are all contributing to the pollutants found in the air and water. Raising cows also produce a lot of methane, which is also a greenhouse gas; hence, it contributes to the pollution in the atmosphere.

The correct answer is C. Studies show that using unleaded gasoline has significantly reduced the amount of lead in the environment. Lead is considered as toxic and harmful industrial pollutant.

c. using only unleaded gasoline

Ozone depletion is caused by gases found in aerosol sprays and refrigerants. These things contain chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) that are released into the Earth’s atmosphere.

When CFCs are banned, the rate of ozone layer damage has decreased. It has also a positive effect in the Earth’s global climate.

Global warming causes the surface temperature to rise, which leads to frequent and unusual weather patterns that are harmful to the ecosystem, especially to many plant and animal species. When farms are hit by natural disturbances, the supply of crops and livestock would be compromised. If plants and animals are not able to adapt in the new climate conditions, they will die, thus a decline in the food supply would occur.

The polar region is the most susceptible area that is affected by global warming. The sea ice in this region affects global climate because the ice itself reflects the heat back into space, instead of absorbing it like what the sea water does. If the temperature in the polar region gets warm, the ice caps would start to melt. The melting would cause the sea levels to rise. If this happens, the ocean circulation and weather patterns are affected. If the ocean absorbs more heat from the solar radiation, the Earth would get warmer. This would result in abnormal climate conditions, such as stronger storms and hurricanes, and an increase in the acidity of the ocean.

Renewable resources are resources that can be replaced or replenished. Examples of renewable resources include wind, sunlight, water and trees. Fossil fuels are not renewable.

b. trees

The whole concept behind sustainable development is to ensure that there is no long-term damage inflicted upon the environment and there is no depletion of supplies when using both renewable and nonrenewable resources.

a. sustainable development

The term resilience refers to the ability of life-forms to tolerate and to recover from all the disturbances and other changes in their surroundings. For an ecosystem to be resilient, it must be able to return to its normal patterns and processes after it was damaged by an ecological disturbance.

c. resilience

Unlike the limited supply of fossil fuels, solar energy is a renewable and sustainable source of electricity. We have an abundant supply of sunlight; hence, it does not cause a depletion in our natural sources. More importantly, it is not contributing to the pollution in the atmosphere and it does not emit greenhouse gases when it generates electricity. In this case, it answers our need without causing any environmental harm.

The goal of United Nations Sustainable Goals is to provide the needs of mankind and preserving the ecosystem services at the same time. This is important when it comes to maintaining the biodiversity, which is considered as the foundation of ecosystem services. In other words, preserving the ecosystem services would mean that biodiversity of species is also taken into account.

Moreover, sustainable development also paved the way for renewable energy sources and eco-friendly devices and equipment that we can use to reduce the effects of pollution and the depletion of non-renewable sources.

Resilience is a determining factor that leads to sustainability. If an ecosystem is resilient, it has a higher chance of being able to bounce back into its normal patterns and processes after a catastrophe. In this way, it can provide the ecosystem services needed by the people in order to sustain life and maintain their well-being.

Moreover, sustainable development aims to provide human needs without causing the depletion of natural resources and long-term environmental harm. In this case, it acts as a preventive measure in order to avoid the collapse of an ecosystem, since not all systems are resilient enough to the changes in the environmental conditions.

The Montreal Protocol is an international agreement that was established to ban the use of CFCs and other ozone-depleting substances for the purpose of protecting the Earth’s ozone layer from further damage. In this protocol, the aim of saving the ozone layer would also protect the Earth’s climate. According to the scientists, this protocol was successful in removing ozone-depleting substances in the atmosphere.

Human activities, such as deforestation, habitat fragmentation, pollution, and burning of fossil fuels, have caused the destruction of natural habitats. These things led to the death of plant and animal species that are not able to adapt to the new environmental conditions; hence, there was a significant decrease in their population. Because of these events, the ecosystem is affected and there is a significant loss of biodiversity on our planet.

When the water seeps through the soil found in wetlands and forests, it gets purified naturally. The soil usually contains trapping particles and microorganisms that break down pollutants and other contaminants.

Human activities, such as clearing of forests for farming and filling in the wetlands, change the soil condition of an environment and contribute to water pollution. If the purification process is disrupted, this indicates that the quality of water is affected and the overall health of an ecosystem is compromised.

Here are some causes of global change and how they affect the Earth systems and their functions:

1. Burning of fossil fuels
When humans burn fossil fuels, carbon dioxide is released in the atmosphere. Carbon dioxide is a greenhouse gas that traps the heat in the atmosphere and contributes to the greenhouse effect. This event affects the reflection/absorption of sunlight, which leads to changes in the atmospheric circulation and air quality, and an increase in the global temperature. When the temperature on Earth gets warmer, it affects the weather conditions and triggers climate change.

2. Population growth
Population growth is a human cause affects the biosphere. A large population often triggers evolution via natural selection. In turn, the changes within the biosphere can be observed by the changes in population, species range, species interactions, life cycle and traits, productivity and biomass, extinction, and diversification. As a result, the health and availability of food and nutrition are compromised.

The purple loosestrife, which is a flowering plant, is considered invasive or nonnative species in a wetland ecosystem. When these plants were introduced into a wetland, which is a new environment for them, their population grew very quickly due to the absence of organisms that feed on them. As a result, they crowded out the native species, such as cattails, and affected the life cycles of organisms. The danger of these new species into the wetland ecosystems can result in the extinction of some plant and animal species; hence biodiversity is affected and habitats are altered.

To address the effects of the purple loosestrife in a wetland, a method of using a biological control can be done. Insects and other organisms can be used to feed or infest on these plants in order to wipe out their population and restore the balance in the ecosystem.

If the greenhouse gas emission continues, more heat is trapped in the air, thus the increase would be around 2.6 to 4.8 degrees Celsius in the next century. If the Earth gets warmer, it leads to climate change and the melting of ice caps.

As a solution to global warming, the rate of temperature increase can be addressed in the following ways:

1. Clean air: Reduce the emission of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere by avoiding the burning of fossil fuels, minimize the usage of wood stoves and fireplaces, and avoiding the burning of trash and leaves.
2. Transportation: Switch to unleaded gasoline to reduce the lead content in the atmosphere. Also, minimize the number of car trips and plane rides. The use of bicycles must be encouraged.
3. Energy conservation: Encourage the use of renewable sources of energy such as solar energy or wind energy. Invest in energy efficient or eco-friendly appliances and equipment.
4. Recycle: Reduce waste by recycling. Reduce the use of plastic.
5. Trees: Minimize the effects of deforestation by planting more trees.

According to the data gathered by scientists, the temperature increase at the present time is between 0.3 to 1.7 degrees Celsius. This increase was due to the human activities that include burning of fossil fuels, deforestation, and pollution, wherein the increase of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases in the atmosphere are evident. If the greenhouse gas emission continues, the increase would be around 2.6 to 4.8 degrees Celsius in the next century.

If the Earth becomes warmer, it would cause a long-term shift in the climate and trigger unusual weather patterns. Stronger storms, hurricanes, tornadoes, wildfires, severe droughts, and other natural disturbances would devastate the ecosystem and human systems. If biodiversity is lost, the ecosystem services are affected; hence, the quality of human life is affected. In addition, the sea levels will rise. This event would cause the low-lying lands to sink. All of these events would cause a decline in the human population and even extinction.

When the water, oxygen, sulfur dioxide, nitrogen oxides, and other chemicals in the atmosphere undergo a chemical reaction, an acid rain is formed. An acid rain is caused by the nitrogen oxides that are released from the factories that burn coal and other fossil fuels. If power plants and factories change the way they produce energy, there would be fewer pollutants that are released in the atmosphere. Therefore, the formation of acid rain is reduced.

Burning fossil fuels release carbon dioxide and other pollutants in the atmosphere. This event contributes to the greenhouse effect which traps the heat inside the Earth and causes the global temperature to increase. When the global temperature increases, there is a long-term shift in the climate conditions that trigger unusual weather patterns.

It is important to include all the factors that affect the ocean’s pH levels in developing a model of ocean acidification. Human activities are causing the carbon dioxide levels in the atmosphere to increase. The ocean becomes more acidic if there is too much carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. As the ocean absorbs carbon dioxide, which is a greenhouse gas, it becomes carbonic acid when it reacts with the saltwater. This results in the acidity of the water to rise.

As humans, our combined actions have the ability to affect the global systems. By recognizing the problem that we have, we can actually determine the solution and change our behavior in order to create a difference.

Let us use the ozone layer depletion as an evidence. When scientists discovered the hole in our ozone layer, they immediately conducted a research and found out its cause. Ozone depletion is caused by a chemical called chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs), which is found in aerosol sprays, plastic foams, and refrigerants that humans use. When this chemical is released into the Earth’s atmosphere, it reacts with the ozone gases and destroys it. To resolve this problem, 191 countries agreed to ban the use of CFCs. As a result, the rate of ozone layer damage has decreased. It has also a positive effect in the Earth’s global climate.

According to the graph, the global anthropogenic carbon dioxide emissions started in 1850. Since then, the growth is slow and steady until the 1900s. However, it increased dramatically from 1950 until the present time. The cause of this increase was due to fossil fuels, cement, and flaring.

Carbon dioxide, which is a greenhouse gas, is the main pollutant that contributes to global warming. If the emission of this gas is reduced, the global temperature increase would still continue because the accumulated carbon dioxide in the atmosphere will remain for thousands of years. To solve the problem of global warming, the emission of all greenhouse gases, not just carbon dioxide, must be completely eliminated.

To reverse the global emissions of carbon dioxide, an international policy that bans most use of fossil fuels must be implemented worldwide. A sufficient budget must be allocated for constructing power plants that make use of renewable energy sources such as solar energy, wind energy, hydrothermal energy, and geothermal energy. If we would stop using fossil fuels, the emission of carbon dioxide would be decreased. Moreover, if we focus on using renewable resources, there would be an emission of a cleaner energy, which is beneficial for the life cycle.

According to the graph, the main sources of greenhouse gas emissions during 2014 include the industry (21.4%), transportation (26.5%), and the electricity generation (30.5%).

The answer is yes. The data shows the emission from the economic sectors, such as residential, commercial, agriculture, industry, transportation, and electricity generation. These sectors are all driven and managed by the whole human population.

The greatest percentage increase from 2013 to 2014 is from the electricity generation sector. The need for electricity is the main factor that has driven this increase. Because of this, most power plants burn more fossil fuels to generate electricity. When fossil fuels are burned, a large amount of carbon dioxide is released in the atmosphere.

It is best to focus on private cars then list commercial vehicles as the second priority. According to some studies, the emission of carbon dioxide in land transport consists of private cars at about 35% and commercial vehicles at 26%. These two transportation types hold the biggest percentages in the carbon emission and footprint in most cities.

Our ecological footprint simply refers to the impact of everything that we do in terms of the combined areas of healthy land and water ecosystems that supply us the resources that we need. It measures how much we consume our natural resources in order to produce products and how much waste is generated.

For example, when we walk 500 meters away from home, we have a smaller ecological footprint when compared to someone who travels 500 meters using a car. The resources involved in our ecological footprint consist of the things we consume and generate such as energy, food, water, shelter, sewage wastes, trash, and greenhouse gases.

As shown in the graph, which contains the data collected to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change during 2014, the sea level from 1900 to 2000 has continued to rise. This trend supports the claim that human activities were really triggering the global change in the Earth systems, especially the ocean. Due to the global anthropogenic emissions of carbon dioxide that warmed our planet, ice caps in the polar region have melted, which explains the reason for the rise in sea levels worldwide.