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Table of Contents
The environment is the sum total of what is around something or someone, which includes living things and natural forces. The environment of living things provides conditions for development and growth as well as of danger and damage.
See the fact file below for more information on the environment or alternatively, you can download our 20-page Environment worksheet pack to utilise within the classroom or home environment.
Key Facts & Information
Amazing Environmental Facts and Man-made Damages
- The Earth has been around for 4.6 billion years, but in the past 100 years, people have caused a great deal of damage. We have destroyed 80% of the Earth’s forest and 40% of the Earth’s tropical rainforests.
- Every day, 50 to 100 species of plants and animals become extinct as their habitat is impacted by human activities.
- Through this impact, deserts are encroaching the once fertile land. This is because climate changes bring droughts, buildings replace ecosystems and deforestation destroys habitats.
- An average American creates 4.5 pounds of garbage per day. That amount has doubled from 30 years ago.
- Over 100 pesticide ingredients are suspected of causing birth defects, cancer and gene mutation. These cause trillions of dollars in healthcare around the world.
- The U.S. burns 10,000 gallons of gasoline a second. Burning one gallon of gas creates 22 pounds of carbon dioxide. That equals 220,000 pounds of carbon dioxide per second. Human and animal life cannot breathe carbon dioxide. Oxygen is needed for these life-forms to exist.
- The United States has 5% of the world’s population yet produces 30% of the world’s waste.
- Chemicals used at home amount to 10 times more per acre than in farming.
- In order for humans to have toilet paper, 27,000 trees are cut down every single day. Approximately, 100 acres of rainforests are cut down per minute mostly to clear the land for beef production.
- A glass bottle requires 4,000 years to decompose.
- More than 700 million people around the world do not have access to clean water because of pollution and sanitation problems.
- More than 27% of the world’s coral reefs have been destroyed by pollution and climate change. They are essential ecosystems and nurseries that support 25% of marine life.
- According to scientists, the primary causes of variations in climate are man-made, including excessive greenhouse gas emissions from cars, industry and meat production.
- Greenhouse gases include methane, carbon dioxide and water vapor, which trap heat in the Earth’s atmosphere. Without them, the Earth would be too cold to support life.
- Among the effects of excessive greenhouse gases is global warming. Due to global warming, average sea levels are expected to rise from 1 to 6 feet before the century ends. Moreover, glaciers are melting along with ice sheets in the Antarctic.
- Due to El Niño and climate change, about 12% of the world’s coral reefs are bleached.
The Environment and Natural Disasters
- In the United States, many natural disasters have involved flooding followed by wildfires.
- In 2012, severe catastrophes worldwide included droughts, storms, earthquakes, tornadoes, floods, hail storms, wildfires and hurricanes.
- Earthquakes set in motion other natural disasters like tsunami, landslides and avalanches which damage or destroy man-made structures.
- Increasing tropical storms or hurricanes can release 2.4 trillion gallons of water per day and can cause severe flooding and storm surges.
- In 1962, a huge avalanche at the Huascaran Peak in the Andes Mountains killed over 4 000 people.
- A 9.0 magnitude earthquake triggered one of the most devastating tsunamis in history that killed over 226,000 people in Indonesia, Thailand, India, Sri Lanka, and the Maldives on December 26, 2004.
- In 1934, Americans experienced famine and drought when the Great Plains became a Dust Bowl.
Saving the Environment
- In most developing countries, supermarkets have banned the use plastic bags.
- An estimated 250 million trees can be save each year if every published newspaper is recycled.
- In order to slow or prevent the extinction of further animal species, private and public organizations are establishing programs to protect their numbers and habitat.
- Through recycling and composting of waste, approximately 181 million metric tons of carbon dioxide was eliminated in 2014.
- Expansion of wind, solar, hydro, and geothermal energy are encouraged in many countries and gaining popularity because they’re renewable and create less CO2 than fossil fuels.
- About 88,000 jobs were created in 2015 through the wind power sector.
- Simple things like biking and walking instead of riding a car can reduce greenhouse gases.
- Composting makes a significant difference to lessening the burden on landfills, which emit significant quantities of methane.
- Small changes can reduce the energy demands of a home, such as LED lights, using average thermostats, and changing to energy efficient appliances.
Environment Worksheets
This is a fantastic bundle which includes everything you need to know about environment across 20 in-depth pages. These are ready-to-use Environment worksheets that are perfect for teaching students about the environment which is the sum total of what is around something or someone, which includes living things and natural forces. The environment of living things provides conditions for development and growth as well as of danger and damage.
Complete List Of Included Worksheets
- Environment Facts
- Destroy or Preserve?
- Alternative Energy
- Infamous Disasters
- Shocking Pollution
- Climate Change
- Eco-friendly
- My 4Rs
- Go Green!
- A Place to Call Home
- Walk Your Talk
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Link will appear as Environment Facts & Worksheets: https://kidskonnect.com - KidsKonnect, September 6, 2018
Use With Any Curriculum
These worksheets have been specifically designed for use with any international curriculum. You can use these worksheets as-is, or edit them using Google Slides to make them more specific to your own student ability levels and curriculum standards.