What is sewage treatment.
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The main causes of water pollution are attributed to
Water pollution can have disastrous consequences on the ecosystem. Furthermore, toxic chemicals can travel through the food chain and get into our bodies, causing diseases and death.
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Acid Rain: A teacher's guide for grades 6 through 8 (PDF 56 pp, 4.6 MB) A lesson plan and activities from EPA for teachers on acid rain. Grades: 6-8 Type of Resource: Lesson plan
Acid Rain Educational Resources Experiments and activities, a review of basic acid rain concepts, factsheets, and things you can do about acid rain. Grades: K-12 Type of Resource: Lesson plans and experiments
Darby Duck and the Aquatic Crusaders Find seven experiments from EPA to learn about the characteristics of water. Grades: K-5 Type of Resource: Lesson plan and experiments
Drinking Water & Ground Water Kids' Stuff Games, activities, and art projects from EPA about the water cycle and water treatment. Grades: K-12 Type of Resource: Lesson plans
EnviroAtlas: Exploring Your Watershed This interactive lesson-plan module encourages students to explore their local watershed through a hands-on lab, an outdoor exploratory session with maps, and an EnviroAtlas web-mapping session that can be completed with or without internet. Grades: K-6 Type of Resource: Lesson Plans
Ground Water Contamination (PDF 10 pp, 0.2MB) Find a general review of groundwater contamination and where it occurs. Grades: 9-12 Type of Resource: Factsheet
How's My Waterway? This tool answers questions about the health of waters in supporting swimming, the eating of fish, drinking water protection and delivery, the health of aquatic communities, and the restoration and protection of waterways. Grades: K-12, College, Adult Learners Type of Resource: Website/tool and lesson plan
How People Get Their Water - Reservoirs: "Holding Tanks" for Drinking Water Let your students "Ride the Water Cycle" with this activity from EPA. Help them understand the role of reservoirs in maintaining a reliable supply of drinking water. Grades: 4-8 Type of Resource: Lesson plan
Magnificent Ground Water Connection This ground-water activity guide is applicable to a wide range of subject matter and the topics include basic concepts on the water cycle, water distribution, treatment, and stewardship. This page includes five sample lesson activity plans. Grades: K-12 Type of Resource: Curriculum guide and lesson plans
Mercury Messes with the Environment (pdf) (10.6 MB) A children’s activity booklet describing the effects of mercury contamination on humans and the environment. Grades: 6-8 Type of Resource: Activity book
On Your Mark, Set, Evaporate (PDF 4.73 MB, 398 pp) This EPA lesson plan covers transpiration as part of the hydrologic cycle. Grades: 6-8 Type of resource: Lesson plan
Drinking Water Activities for Students and Teachers These resources provide a basic understanding of drinking water terms and where water comes from. Grades: K-12 Type of Resource: Website, Lesson Plans, Teacher Guides, Activities
Thirstin's Groundwater Movement Activity (PDF 332 KB, 2 pp) This class activity demonstrates that ground water must be able to move through underground materials. The students will act as molecules of water and the underground materials. Grades: K-5 Type of resource: Lesson plan
Tracking Pollution - A Hazardous Whodunit A Thirstin lesson plan to teach students to make a topographic map, use it to predict ground water flow and investigate the most likely source of ground water contamination. Grades: 9-12 Type of resource: Lesson plan
Water Sense Resources Resources for educating students about "Fix a Leak Week," EPA's WaterSense Partnership program and water efficiency. Grades: K-8 Type of resource: Lesson plan
Watershed Academy The Watershed Academy is a focal point in EPA's Office of Water for providing training and information on watershed management. The Academy's self-paced training modules and webcast seminars provide current information from national experts across a broad range of watershed topics. Grades: 9-12, College, Adult Learners Type of Resource: Self paced online modules
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National Wetlands Research Center This site from the U.S. Geologic Survey explores the many factors that affect wetland health, and provides resources for teachers on preserving our wetlands. Grades: 9-12
NOAA's Education Resources Website Explore this site to find the information you need to teach students about weather, climate change, and oceans. You'll find activities, background information, and much more! Grades: 6-12
National Ocean Service Education Find case studies, tutorials, games, and more from NOAA's National Ocean Service. Grades: K-12 Type of Resource: Website
Stormwater Pollution Solutions Challenge In these materials, students will read text and diagrams about the elements of watersheds and learn how stormwater pollution influences children’s health. Then they will develop their own environmental solutions to combat stormwater pollution in a local watershed! Grades: 6-8 Type of Resource: Lesson Plan
Water Science for Schools This site provides extensive background information on a wide variety of water topics. It also includes on-line activities, data tables, maps, and a glossary of terms. Grades: 6-12
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Human health risks due to exposure to water pollution: a review.
2. data collection, 2.1. anthropogenic factors, 2.2. microplastics, 2.3. geogenic factors, 2.4. pharmaceuticals, 2.5. heavy metals, 3. remedies and mitigations.
Author contributions, data availability statement, conflicts of interest.
Click here to enlarge figure
S No. | Author | Formula | Abbreviation |
---|---|---|---|
1 | [ ] | GARMI = (ANMP) × (AMIMP) | GARMI—the global average rate of microplastics ingested AMIMP—average mass of an individual microplastic particle ANMP—the average number of microplastic particles |
2 | [ ] | × S = C /C | H—polymer risk index caused by MP P —percent of MP polymer types S —score for the polymer compound CF —MP concentration factors C —MP concentration at each station C —minimal MP concentration PLI—pollution Load Index |
S No. | Author | Formula | Abbreviation |
---|---|---|---|
1 | [ ] | PNEC—predicted no effects concentrations (ng/L) ADI—acceptable daily intake (μg/kg/day) BW—child or adult body weight (kg/person) AT—averaging time (days) Ing Rdw—child or adult drinking water ingestion rate (L/person/day) Ing Rf—child- or adult-fish consumption rate (kg/person/day) BCF—bioconcentration factor for fish (L/kg) EF—exposure frequency (days/year) ED—exposure duration (years) | |
2 | [ ] | ADI—acceptable daily intake (μg/kg/day) POD—point of departure in (mg/kg/day) UF—unitless uncertainty or modifying factors | |
3 | [ ] | RQ—risk quotients C —concentration of the pharmaceutical compound DWEL—drinking water equivalent level ADI—acceptable daily intake (μg/kg/day) BW—child or adult body weight (kg/person) HQ—Hazard Quotient DWI—drinking water intake (L/day) AB—gastrointestinal absorption rate FOE—frequency of exposure |
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Babuji, P.; Thirumalaisamy, S.; Duraisamy, K.; Periyasamy, G. Human Health Risks due to Exposure to Water Pollution: A Review. Water 2023 , 15 , 2532. https://doi.org/10.3390/w15142532
Babuji P, Thirumalaisamy S, Duraisamy K, Periyasamy G. Human Health Risks due to Exposure to Water Pollution: A Review. Water . 2023; 15(14):2532. https://doi.org/10.3390/w15142532
Babuji, Preethi, Subramani Thirumalaisamy, Karunanidhi Duraisamy, and Gopinathan Periyasamy. 2023. "Human Health Risks due to Exposure to Water Pollution: A Review" Water 15, no. 14: 2532. https://doi.org/10.3390/w15142532
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Water pollution essays are an excellent way to demonstrate your awareness of the topic and your position on the solutions to the issue. To help you ease the writing process, we prepared some tips, essay topics, and research questions about water pollution.
🏆 best water pollution essay topics & examples, 📌 remarkable air and water pollution research topics, 👍 good research topics about water pollution, ❓ research questions about water pollution.
Water’s ready availability in many locations makes it an easy choice for a variety of purposes, from cleaning to manufacturing to nuclear reactor cooling. However, many companies will then dump water, now mixed with waste, back into rivers or lakes without adequate cleaning, leading to significant environmental pollution.
However, there are other types of harm, such as noise pollution, which are less obvious but also dangerous to sea life. It is critical that you understand what you should and should not do during your writing process.
The stance that big manufacturing industries are the sole culprits of the damage done to the world’s rivers and oceans is a popular one. However, do not neglect the effects of other water pollution essay topics such as microorganisms.
Microbes can spread dangerous illnesses, making them a danger for both water inhabitants and the people who then use that water. Furthermore, they can eat up oxygen if left unchecked, starving fish and other water organisms and eventually making them die out.
Such situations usually result from agricultural practices, which can lead to powerful nutrients entering the water and enabling algae and other microorganisms to grow excessively. An overly lively environment can be as harmful as one where everything is threatened.
With that said, industrial manufacturers deserve much of the attention and blame they receive from various communities. Construction of dedicated waste-cleaning facilities is usually possible, but companies avoid doing so because the process will increase their costs.
You should advocate for green practices, but be mindful of the potential impact of a significant price increase on the global economy. Also, be sure to mention more exotic pollution variations in your types of water pollution essay.
Provide examples of noise pollution or suspended matter pollution to expand on the topic of the complexity of the harm humanity causes to the ecosphere.
You should show your understanding that there are many causes, and we should work on addressing all of them, a notion you should repeat in your water pollution essay conclusions.
However, you should try to avoid being sidetracked too much and focus on the titles of pollution and its immediate causes.
If you stretch far enough, you may connect the matter to topics such as the status of a woman in Islam. However, doing so contributes little to nothing to your point and deviates from the topic of ecology into social and religious studies.
Leave the search for connections to dedicated researchers and concentrate on discussing the major causes that are known nowadays. By doing this, you will be able to create an excellent and powerful work that will demonstrate your understanding of the topic.
Here are some tips for your writing:
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Water makes 70% of the surface of Earth and more than 60% of the human body. Although a major portion of the Earth’s surface, as well as our body, consisting of water, yet we continue to pollute the various sources of water. With the increase in population, the pollution level in India is increasing at a dangerous rate. Industrial effluents and chemicals, sewage and other wastage are the main sources of water pollution. Here, we will discuss the causes, effects and different ways to prevent water pollution.
Water pollution is the contamination of oceans, seas, lakes, rivers, aquifers, and groundwater. This is usually caused due to human activities. Water pollution scientifically changes in the physical, chemical or biological properties of water that will have a detrimental consequence of any living organism.
Drinking water is the water that is considered safe enough for human and animal consumption. This water is generally used for drinking, cooking, washing, crop irrigation, etc. But, these days chemicals, bacteria, and other pollutants are even affecting our drinking water.
Surface Water Pollution
Hazardous substances when coming into contact with different sources of water, leads to surface water pollution. The harmful contaminants from various sources mix or dissolve with lakes, lagoons, oceans and lead to surface water pollution.
Ground Water Pollution
Pesticides and chemicals applied to crops and soil are washed deep into the ground during the rain. The pesticides mix with groundwater and lead to its pollution.
Suspended Matter Pollution
In this pollution, the pollutants enter into water and don’t mix with the water molecules. Therefore, the suspended particles in water form silt on the waterbed. Due to this nutrient from water were removed and making it polluted.
Microbial Pollution
Microorganisms cause this type of water pollution. Although most of the microorganisms are harmless, some bacteria and viruses may cause serious health problems.
Chemical Water Pollution
Many industries and farmers use chemicals for their various purposes. It causes water pollution. Pollutants used to control weeds, insects and pests leech into the water and spreading the pollution. Also, metals and solvents from industries also lead to water pollution.
Disposing of sewage in water is one of the major reasons for water pollution. Sewage disposed into the sea from households as well as factories can cause water pollution. Sewage disposal leads to a number of water-related illnesses such as diarrhea which is a leading cause of death among children.
Industrial Waste
Many factories pour industrial waste like toxic chemicals into the water bodies before treatment. It leads to polluting the water. Due to dumping toxic chemicals, the oxygen levels in water decreases leading to pollution.
Dumping of Solid Waste
Another major reason for water pollution is littering by humans. Dumping solid waste such as plastics, cardboards, Styrofoam contaminates water and make water unsuitable for consumption. Mass dumping of solid waste clogs the water bodies and leads to water pollution.
Radioactive Wastes
Discharging of radioactive wastes into the sea is also one of the main water pollution cause in today’s world.
Effects of Water Pollution
Groundwater contamination
Pesticides and fertilizers used for the cultivation of crops are contaminating the groundwater as well as our ecosystem. If this groundwater is supplied to our home directly through bore-wells or tube-wells, it will lead to a number of health problems.
Affects Aquatic Life
Solid wastes that we throw in the river or lakes or in the sea can have a harmful impact on the aquatic animals. Also, this disrupts the eco-system as many species of aquatic animals are in danger. People consuming seafood are also at a risk of facing health issues.
High TDS in water
Water is the best solvent that easily dissolves a variety of substances. The TDS level in drinking water needs to be less than 500 mg/liter. The presence of a high amount of TDS in water can lead to many health problems in human beings.
Questions on Water Pollution
Q: What are some major Preventive Measures to Control the water pollution?
Ans: Some main such measure is as follows:
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Your environment. your health., safe water and your health, what is niehs doing, further reading, introduction.
Water is essential for life. People depend on safe water for their health and livelihood. But contaminated water leads to millions of deaths and even more illnesses every year. 1
Water pollution is any contamination of water with chemicals or other hazardous substances that are detrimental to human, animal, or plant health.
Possible sources of water contamination are:
Drinking water in the U.S. comes from a variety of sources, including public water systems, private wells, or bottled water. Worldwide, nearly 2 billion people drink contaminated water that could be harmful to their health. 2 Though more of a concern in developing countries, safe drinking water is a U.S. public health priority.
Examples follow of potential drinking water contaminants and reported health effects, which can range from subtle to severe depending on the chemical and total exposure.
Scientists at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimated the burden and direct healthcare cost of infectious waterborne disease in the U.S. When drinking, recreational, and environmental water sources were considered together, they found more than 7 million cases of 17 different waterborne illnesses occur annually. New waterborne disease challenges are emerging due to factors such as aging infrastructure, chlorine-tolerant and biofilm-related pathogens, and increased recreational water use.
NIEHS research examines potential health effects of contaminants in water and explores ways to protect the public from contact with unsafe water.
The GuLF STUDY (Gulf Long-term Follow-up Study), funded by NIEHS and the National Institutes of Health Common Fund, studies the health of people who helped with the oil spill response and clean-up, took training, signed up to work, or were sent to the Gulf of Mexico to help in some way after the Deepwater Horizon disaster. NIEHS is leading this research effort with the support of many community groups. Nearly 33,000 people joined the study, making it the largest study ever conducted on the health effects of an oil spill. The study has tracked numerous health issues reported by cleanup workers, including skin rashes, wheezing and difficulty breathing, headaches, nausea, depression and anxiety, and heart attacks. However, the most recent publication to emerge from the research suggests that some health effects associated with the spill may resolve over time.
NIEHS and the National Science Foundation jointly fund research on marine-related health issues through the Centers for Oceans and Human Health . Grantees, for example, develop techniques for more accurate and earlier detection of harmful algal blooms with the goal of preventing and reducing exposure. They also study the health effects of eating seafood containing toxins produced by harmful algal blooms. Contaminants of emerging concern, such as microplastics, are also studied.
NIEHS offers time-sensitive grants that enable researchers to launch studies quickly in response to natural disasters, industrial accidents, or policy changes that affect water quality. In addition, the National Toxicology Program, located at NIEHS, reviews available toxicology studies and conducts short- and long-term studies to help public health officials respond to threats to the safety of drinking water. For example:
NTP is evaluating individual PFAS (per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances), which is a group of widely produced industrial-use chemicals that are found in some waterways. NTP studies seek to understand the effects of certain PFAS on metabolism, biological activity in cell-based systems, and health effects related to cancer and the immune system.
The NIEHS Superfund Research Program funds grants to study the health effects of potentially hazardous substances and to investigate effective and sustainable ways to clean up those substances at hazardous waste sites, which may include waterways.
The program’s grant recipients have developed online tools to inform local communities about potential environmental health risks.
NIEHS supports the NIH Disaster Research Response (DR2) Program . This program includes ready-to-go data collection tools, research protocols, and a network of trained responders. These tools assist timely gathering of environmental and toxicological data that compliments health information collected during disaster responses. Many disasters can affect water safety.
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Global pollution is a problem. Pollution can spread to remote areas where no one lives, despite the fact that urban areas are typically more polluted than the countryside. Air pollution, water pollution, and land pollution are the three main categories of pollution. Some contaminated water has a terrible smell, a muddy appearance, and floating trash. Some contaminated water appears clean, but it contains dangerous substances that you can't see or smell.
Together, developed and developing nations must fight to conserve the environment for present and future generations. Today, we dig deep into the subject of Water Pollution. This article can be an introduction to water pollution for kids as we will read many things such as the causes of water pollution further in the article.
Water contamination occurs when pollutants pollute water sources and make the water unfit for use in drinking, cooking, cleaning, swimming, and other activities. Chemicals, garbage, bacteria, and parasites are examples of pollutants. Water is eventually damaged by all types of pollution. Lakes and oceans become contaminated by air pollution. Land contamination may contaminate an underground stream, a river, and ultimately the ocean. As a result, trash thrown on an empty lot can eventually contaminate a water source.
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Water Pollution
The water cycle, called the hydrological cycle, involves the following steps:
Evaporation- Because of the sun's heat, the water bodies such as oceans, lakes, seas etc., get heated up, and water evaporates in the air, forming water vapours.
Transpiration- Like evaporation, the plants and trees also lose water from them which goes to the atmosphere. This process is called transpiration.
Condensation- As the water evaporates, it starts to become cool because of the cold atmosphere in the air and because of this cooling down of water leads to the formation of clouds.
Precipitation- Because of the high movements of the wings, the clouds start to collide and then fall back to the earth’s surface in the form of rain. Sometimes they also fall back in the form of snow, hail, sleet etc., depending upon the temperature.
Runoff or Infiltration- After precipitation, the water either flows to the water bodies called runoff or is absorbed into the soil, called infiltration.
There are many reasons for water pollution. Some of the reasons are directly affected by water pollution and some indirectly. Many factories and industries are dumping contaminated water, chemicals, and heavy metals into major waterways as a result of direct water pollution.
One more reason for water pollution is the use of modern techniques in farms. Farmers apply nutrients such as phosphorus, nitrogen, and potassium in the form of chemical fertilizers, manure, and sludge. It causes farms to discharge large quantities of agrochemicals, organic matter, and saline drainage into water bodies. It indirectly affects water pollution.
Pollutants can be of various types such as organic, inorganic, radioactive etc. Water pollutants are discharged either from one point from pipes, channels etc., which are called point sources or from various other sources. They can be agricultural areas, industries etc., called dispersed sources.
Some of the major forms of water pollutants are as follows:
Sewage- Domestic sewage from homes contains various forms of pathogens that threaten the human body. Sewage treatment reduces the risk of pathogens, but this risk is not eliminated.
Domestic sewage majorly contains nitrates and phosphates, and excess of these substances allows the algae to grow on the surface of water bodies. Due to this, the clean water bodies become nutrient-rich water body and then slowly, the oxygen level of water bodies reduces. This is called eutrophication or cultural eutrophication (if this step rapidly takes place by the activities of humans). This leads to the early death of water bodies.
Toxins- The industrial or factory wastes that are not disposed of properly and contain chemicals such as mercury and lead are disposed of in the water bodies making the bodies toxic, radioactive, explosive and cancerous.
Sediments- Sediments are the result of soil erosion that is formed in the water bodies. These sediments imbalances the water bodies ecologically. They also interfere in the reproductive cycle of various aquatic animals living in the water.
Thermal pollution- Water bodies get polluted because of heat, and excess heat reduces the oxygen level of the water bodies. Some of the species of fish cannot live in such water bodies with very low oxygen levels. The disposal of cold waters from the power plants leads to increased thermal pollution in the water bodies.
Petroleum oil pollution- The runoff of oil into the water bodies, either accidentally as happened in 2010 in the Gulf of Mexico, or intentionally, leads to an increase in water pollution.
As water is an important element of human health, polluted water directly affects the human body. Water pollution causes various diseases like typhoid, cholera, hepatitis, cancer, etc. Water pollution damages the plants and aquatic animals present in the river by reducing the oxygen content from the water. Polluted water washes the essential nutrients which plants need out of the soil and also leaves large amounts of aluminium in the soil, which can be harmful to plants.
Wastewater and sewage are a by-product of daily life and thus produced by each household through various activities like using soap, toilets, and detergents. Such sewage contains chemicals and bacteria which are harmful to human life and environmental health. Water pollution also leads to an imbalance in our ecosystem. Lastly, it also affects the food chain as the toxins in the water bodies are consumed by aquatic animals like fish, crabs etc., and then humans consume those animals forming turmoil.
Sometimes our tradition also becomes a cause for water pollution. Some people throw the statues of deities, flowers, pots, and ashes in rivers.
There are various standards to define water quality standards. Water meant for swimming may not be clean enough for drinking, or water meant for bathing may not be good for cooking. Therefore, there are different water standards for defined:
Stream standards- Standards that define streams, lakes, oceans or seas based on their maximum use.
Effluent standards- Define the specific standards for the level of contaminants or effluents allowed during the final discharge of those into the water bodies.
Drinking water standards- Define the level of contamination allowed in water that will be supplied for drinking or cooking in the domestic areas.
Different countries regulate their water quality standards through different acts and amendments.
While many of the solutions for water pollution need to be applied on a broader macro-level for that individual, companies, and communities can have a significant and responsible impact on the water quality. Companies, factories have to dispose of leftover chemicals and containers properly as per the product instructions. Farmers also have to reduce the use of nitrates and phosphates from fertilizers, pesticides, and contamination of groundwater.
The Swachh Bharat Mission of the government had led to reduced groundwater contamination. Under the Namami Ganga program, the government has initiated several major projects to clean Ganga. Along with all these steps, conservation of water is the very basic and important step towards water conservation and should be followed globally, treatment of sewage before their disposal in the water bodies and using environment-friendly products that do not form toxins when dissolved in water. These are some small steps that have to be taken into consideration by every human being.
As we all know, “Water is life’s matter and matrix, mother and medium. There is no life without water.” We have to save water. We must keep the water clean. If everyone will follow their responsibility against water to protect it from getting polluted then it will be easy to get clean and healthy drinking water. Clean water is a must for us and our kids' present, future, and healthy environment.
We cannot just live with contaminated waters filled with toxins and no oxygen. We cannot see our wildlife being destroyed and therefore, immediate steps have to be taken by groups of people to first clean the already contaminated water bodies and then keep a check on all the surrounding water bodies. Small steps by every individual can make a huge difference in controlling water pollution.
Conserve Water
Our first priority should be to conserve water. Water wasting could be a big problem for the entire world, but we are just now becoming aware of it.
Sewage Treatment
Cleaning up waste materials before disposing of them in waterways reduces pollution on a large scale. By lowering its dangerous elements, this wastewater will be used in other sectors or in agriculture.
Usage of Eco-Friendly Materials
We will reduce the amount of pollution produced by choosing soluble products that do not alter to become pollutants.
Water contamination is the discharge of pollutants into the water body, where they dissolve, are suspended, are deposited on the bottom, and collect to the point where they hinder the aquatic ecosystem's ability to function. Water contamination is brought on by toxic compounds that easily dissolve and combine with it and come from factories, municipalities, and farms.
Healthy ecosystems depend on a complex network of organisms, including animals, plants, bacteria, and fungi, all of which interact with one another either directly or indirectly. In this article, we read about water pollution, its causes and prevention. With this, we have come to the end of our article, in case of any other doubts, feel free to ask in the comments.
1. What are the effects of water pollution?
Water pollution has a great impact on human health. Water pollution kills. It's been recorded that in 2015 nearly 1.8 million people died because of water pollution. People with low income are exposed to contaminated water coming out from the industries. Presence of disease causing pathogens in drinking water are the major cause of illness which includes cholera, giardia, and typhoid. Water pollution not only affects human health but also our environment by causing algal bloom in a lake or marine environment. Water pollution also causes eutrophication which suffocates plants and animals and thus causes dead zones. Chemicals and heavy metals from industrial and municipal wastewater contaminate waterways and harm aquatic life.
2. What are the causes of Water pollution?
Water being a universal solvent is vulnerable to pollution as it dissolves more substances than any other liquid on earth. Therefore, water is easily polluted. Toxic substances from farms, towns, and factories readily dissolve into water and mix with it, resulting in water pollution. Agricultural pollution is one of the major causes of contamination in rivers and streams. The use of excessive fertilizers, pesticides, and animal waste from farms and livestock operations lets the rain wash the nutrients and pathogens—such as bacteria and viruses—into our waterways. The other major cause of water pollution is used water, termed as wastewater which comes from our sinks, showers, toilets and from commercial, industrial, and agricultural activities. It's been reported that the world's 80% wastewater flows back into the environment without being treated or reused. Oil spills and radioactive waste also cause water pollution to a great extent.
3. How to prevent water pollution?
It is important to keep our water bodies clean so we can take the following preventive measures to prevent from water pollution:
Chemicals like bleach, paint, paint thinner, ammonia, and many chemicals are becoming a serious problem. Dumping toxic chemicals down the drain or flushing them down the toilet can cause water pollution. Thus, proper disposal is important. Also, household chemicals need to be recycled.
Avoid buying products that contain persistent and dangerous chemicals. Buying non-toxic cleaners and biodegradable cleaners and pesticides cut down on water pollution.
Prevent from pouring fats or greasy substances down the drain as it might clog the drain resulting in the dumping of waste into yards or basement which can contaminate the local water bodies.
4. What is the role of medical institutions in polluting the water?
Pharmaceutical pollution affects aquatic life and thus there is a need to take preventive measures. Consumers are responsible for winding up pharmaceutical and personal care products in lakes, rivers, and streams. There's a lot of unused and expired medication that can potentially get into the water if not disposed of properly.
5. What are the major kinds of pollution?
The three main types of pollution are air pollution, water pollution or soil pollution. Some artificial pollution is also there, such as noise pollution. Factors leading to such pollution include:
Air Pollution: Industrial emissions, fires, traffic and transportation, burning of chemical waste, etc.
Water Pollution: No proper sewage disposal, pesticides in farms leaking into water bodies, industrial waste dumped into water bodies, etc.
Soil Pollution: Oil spills, acid rains, irresponsible disposal of trash, chemical waste, etc.
Noise Pollution: Honking of horns, construction activities, loud parties, etc.
Water pollution is often a prominent environmental problem witnessed across the globe. In some cases, water pollution happens when pollutants empty into rivers, revenues, lakes, and other bodies of mineral water. Pollutants can be as chemicals from fertilizers, pesticides, acrylic, gasoline, antifreeze, and in some cases mulch or soil. Sometimes rainwater washes the particles in to the water bodies, too. There are several preventative steps which might be taken to reduce water pollution. Water is amongst the most fundamental needs for individuals.
Latest post.
Connecting climate change and environmental (un)justice: food security, water quality, and air pollution case studies in environmental science.
Brian Saunders, North Seattle College, Environmental Science
In a series of discussion-based assignments, students learn about environmental and climate justice through case studies conveyed mostly through online videos and documentaries. Students explore connections between climate change and fossil fuel extraction and processing activities and social injustices affecting people living in different parts of the world, through case studies on food insecurity, degraded water quality, and poor air quality that highlight the systemic nature of these problems. This activity also helps students recognize examples of civic engagement for climate justice and supports students' own actions and understandings of types of civic engagement that are effective.
1. Define the concept of environmental injustice and its root causes.
2. Learn to critically think, synthesize ideas, and make connections between environmental issues, climate change, and environmental injustice.
3. Develop research skills in identifying reliable science.
4. Recognize the disproportionate effects of adverse climate change on impoverished and marginalized people.
5. Recognize and find examples of civic engagement that promote climate justice.
6. Practice and reflect on effective means of civic engagement.
I use five discussion-based assignments plus a civic engagement activity in an introductory environmental science course with a class size of 24 to 30 students at a two-year college. Each assignment is aligned with science topics covered in a typical introductory environmental science course. For each assignment, students watch videos or a documentary, have small-group discussions with other students during class time, and complete a group assignment at the end of each class session. After completing the assignments over several weeks, students complete a civic engagement activity that highlights positive stories of change related to climate justice. My class meets twice per week for two hours each session and I implement each assignment during one of the two-hour sessions each week, for a total of five weeks needed for the assignments and activity. (The other two-hour class sessions each week are laboratory sessions, of which the assignments and activity are not a direct part.) The assignments are independent of each other, so you could use them in a different order than described here or you could use only one or two of the assignments. Whether using one assignment or more, or all, I recommend including the civic engagement activity, so that students feel empowered and have learned ways that they can take action to promote climate justice.
The assignments and the activity could work for any introductory STEM or non-STEM course focused on environmental issues at a similar two-year college, four-year college or university, or upper-level high school class. The assignments can be adapted for an asynchronous online course by having students complete each assignment over one week using a discussion forum feature of a Learning Management System (LMS), such as Canvas. Prior to encountering this set of assignments, it would be helpful for students to have a basic understanding of the scientific method and how reliable and credible science is conducted. Students should also be familiar with the basic chemistry and biology concepts typically taught in an introductory environmental science course (e.g., matter, energy, and life; ecosystems and the biosphere; community and population ecology; conservation and biodiversity) or a high school biology or chemistry course. I use the free online Open Educational Resources (OER) textbook Environmental Biology by Matthew R. Fisher for the course in which I implement the assignments and the activity, but any standard introductory environmental science textbook should work. Access to a computer and the internet is needed for watching videos and documentaries. I use the Canvas online LMS to distribute assignments, collect student work, and offer feedback on assignments completed by students, but the use of an LMS is not necessary if the course is offered in-person in a classroom. In this context, instead of using an LMS, you could print out handouts for distribution to students during class, collect assignments completed by students on paper during class, and provide written feedback on each assignment.
Planning for Class Time:
A total of two hours is needed to implement each assignment (1 through 5 below) during class time, which involves introducing case studies using videos or documentaries, allowing time for students to discuss the case studies in small groups of 4 to 5 students, asking each group to share the highlights of their discussion with the whole class, and allowing time for students to complete each assignment during class time. At the end of each class session, I collect one assignment from each group and use that to assign a grade to all students in each group. The two hours of class time needed for each assignment can be reduced by having students explore resources before class and/or answer discussion questions before class and/or ask students to complete the assignments after the class session ends. The time needed for the civic engagement activity varies, depending on what each student decides to do. I will first describe and provide teaching materials for implementing the assignments and the civic engagement activity in an in-person class. Further below, I provide an overview of how I implement them in an asynchronous online course.
Assigned Readings:
The assignments align with chapters in the free online Open Educational Resources (OER) textbook Environmental Biology by Matthew R. Fisher, which is the textbook that I use for the course. Although I use Environmental Biology by Matthew R. Fisher, any standard introductory environmental science textbook that includes the topics covered in these chapters should work. The Environmental Biology textbook does not cover all science topics in the depth that I need for my course, so I offer students resources to supplement the environmental science content from this textbook when needed. For each assignment, students read a chapter from the textbook that aligns with each assignment before I do each assignment in class.
Implement In Class With Small Class Size (24 to 30 Students):
Instructor Preparation : Check web links to all videos and documentaries used for each activity; prepare assignment questions for use in class either by uploading to an online location where students can download it or printing it out and bringing it to class; prepare a discussion forum on a learning management system (I use Canvas) as a follow-up to each assignment.
Assignment 1: Introduction to Environmental Justice (2 hours) . This assignment introduces students to the concept of environmental justice. The handout for the assignment is provided below. I start by showing a five-minute video (in class) made by the United States Environmental Protection Agency (US EPA) called Advancing Environmental Justice through the National Environmental Policy Act . The video shows an example of environmental injustice with a case study in the city of Memphis, Tennessee (USA), where a freeway was routed through a historically redlined community, and also offers a general definition of environmental justice. The video also explains how the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) , a law passed by the US federal government in 1970, requires that impacts on communities be considered, and community input sought, when projects such as highways are being sited and ultimately built. After the video, students have a discussion in small groups about NEPA and environmental justice and how environmental justice relates to climate justice. (I introduce the idea of climate justice in this assignment to get them thinking about it in preparation for the other four assignments (2 through 5) and the civic engagement activity.) Students use the first set of questions (1 through 3) on the handout to guide their discussion. Following the discussion, students explore a local (Seattle, Washington) freeway (Interstate 5, I-5) using the Duwamish Valley Cumulative Health Impacts Analysis , which is a report written by a local non-profit ( Just Health Action ) that works to reduce health inequities that result from environmental, economic, political, and social conditions. Students analyze maps on pages 11 through 21 of this report, as well as Table 2 on page 31, to learn about the demographics of people living along the I-5 freeway corridor (e.g., socioeconomic factors, age, pre-existing health conditions, education level, environmental exposures, life expectancy and incidence of certain health challenges such as diabetes, asthma, hypertension, and cancer). They use Table 2 to compare this region of the city of Seattle (The Duwamish Valley) to other parts of the city and discuss whether they feel the I-5 corridor is a case for environmental justice. (I point out to students that the I-5 freeway was constructed in 1969, before NEPA was enacted as law, so it is not a violation of NEPA.) Students discuss the second set of questions on the handout (1 through 5) in small groups while in class. At the end of class, students submit the handout as a group with their written responses to each question.
Introduction to Environmental Justice Assignment.docx (Microsoft Word 2007 (.docx) 16kB May26 24)
Assignment 2: Introduction to Climate Justice (2 hours) . Climate justice is situated in the larger environmental justice movement. One definition of climate injustice, which I use in this activity, is the disproportionate effects of climate disruption and fossil fuel extraction and processing activities on future generations (i.e., inter-generational inequity) and groups that have been marginalized due to their race, income level, gender, ability, and/or other factors (i.e., intra-generational inequity). I start this activity by showing a 17-minute film, Women of Cancer Alley , in which several women speak about their experiences living in a region of the state of Louisiana (USA) infamously known as "Cancer Alley" due to the overwhelming and inter-generational burden of illness and death caused by toxic air pollution. Cancer Alley is an 80-mile length of the Mississippi River in southern Louisiana where chemical plants and oil refineries, including 180 petrochemical processing plants, were located in historic and predominantly Black communities. After watching the video, students discuss in small groups how this case study illustrates environmental injustice, the role of NEPA, and what they can do as U.S. citizens to support justice for communities in Cancer Alley. This film and discussion provide students with another example of environmental injustice. It is also a great case study for helping students see the connections between environmental justice, climate justice, and climate change, which is the focus of the second part of this assignment. Students begin Part 2 of this assignment by continuing to discuss the Women of Cancer Alley film, but this time guided by questions that ask about the connections between environmental injustice and climate injustice, with a specific focus on fossil fuel extraction and processing activities. Next, students watch a five-minute video, How the Pandemic Mirrors the Injustices We Saw With Hurricane Katrina , which features professor and environmental justice leader Robert Bullard talking about the impacts of Hurricane Katrina, as well as the COVID-19 pandemic, on communities living in low-lying areas of Cancer Alley. Students then discuss more about connections between environmental injustice and climate injustice, with a specific focus this time on climate disruption (e.g., warming of the planet, increased abundance and severity of tropical storms and flooding, sea level rise).
Introduction to Climate Justice Assignment.docx (Microsoft Word 2007 (.docx) 19kB May26 24)
Assignment 3: Food Insecurity and Climate Justice (2 hours) . This assignment starts in class with students watching the first 60 minutes of Food, Inc. The documentary examines corporate farming and industrial agriculture in the United States, showing how agribusiness produces food that is unhealthy (e.g., low nutritional content, high fat/cholesterol leading to diseases such as diabetes), environmentally harmful, and abusive of animals and people employed in the food system (e.g., farmers, factory workers). Students discuss the documentary in small groups, guided by questions focused on the role of the United States Department of Agriculture in food regulation and food safety as well as who is more at risk for the adverse effects of food production. The first hour highlights how low-income communities and other marginalized communities are most negatively impacted by U.S. food systems. In Part 2 of this assignment, students discuss ways they think food production and security is related to climate change. Then, they watch a six-minute PBS NewsHour video How climate change is disrupting the global food supply to learn more. (PBS is Public Broadcasting System, an American public broadcast service.) After the video, they continue their discussion about food production, food security and climate change, with a focus on identifying the specific connections.
Food Insecurity and Climate Justice Assignment.docx (Microsoft Word 2007 (.docx) 17kB May26 24)
Assignment 4: Water Quality and Climate Justice (2 hours) . This assignment starts with students watching a 54-minute PBS Frontline documentary about the Flint Water Crisis in the city of Flint, Michigan called Flint's Deadly Water . Flint is a city inhabited by a population that is more than 60 % Black and Latino, with more than 40 % of its residents living below the poverty line. Most people associate this crisis with lead poisoning in pipes, but a lesser known issue is contamination of Flint's water supply by Legionella bacteria. The presence of these bacteria in Flint's water caused a public health disaster and one of the largest outbreaks of Legionnaires' disease in U.S. history, which is a serious type of pneumonia that occurs when Legionella bacteria enter people's lungs. The Flint Water crisis began in 2014, when the municipal water supply to Flint was switched from Detroit-supplied Lake Huron water to the Flint River. This switch caused water distribution pipes to corrode and leach lead and other contaminants into municipal drinking water. It also created the perfect conditions for the growth of Legionella bacteria in the pipes. The number of cases of Legionnaires' disease increased in the summers, when it was warmer (which is where the climate connection comes in with a second video). After viewing the PBS Frontline documentary, students discuss in small groups the value of water as a resource and its vulnerability to mismanagement, as well as the civil rights violations, legal prosecution of government officials, environmental injustice, and how society might prevent "another Flint" from happening in the future. After this discussion, I show students a six-minute video called " Could climate change make us sick? " that explains how warming of the planet makes disease worse, including discussion of the biological and physiological responses of organisms to warming and how regions predicted to become warmer and wetter due to climate change will have higher rates of disease transmission. After viewing this video, students discuss the connections between climate change and infectious disease, as well as how these connections could relate to the Flint water crisis in a climate-changed future.
Water Quality and Climate Justice Assignment.docx (Microsoft Word 2007 (.docx) 17kB May9 24)
Assignment 5: Air Quality and Climate Justice (2 hours) . This assignment focuses on the connections between air quality and climate justice, and also introduces students to civic engagement. I start this assignment by showing a 24-minute documentary by Unreported World called Dying to breathe: Mongolia's polluted air , which focuses on coal burning and particulate matter pollution (PM 2.5) in the capital city of Mongolia (Ulaanbaatar) by nomadic herding communities who have been displaced from their homes in rural areas because of climate impacts on grasslands (colder and drier conditions degrade pastures that their livestock need for grazing). In addition to the disproportionate effect of climate change (due to CO2 pollution of the air) and PM 2.5 pollution on nomadic herding peoples, the film also highlights how babies and young children are much more impacted by poor air quality. After watching the film, students reflect on connections between air pollution, social injustice, and climate change by discussing in small groups during class time. They also spend time researching a second case study of air pollution, social injustice and climate change, as well as how people are trying to address the issue in the case study they found by protecting themselves and their communities, and/or by advocating for other communities. I also provide students with examples of civic engagement, as well as a general definition of civic engagement. Students brainstorm how they think someone could address the issue in their case study with one of the civic engagement examples I gave them.
Air Quality and Climate Justice Assignment.docx (Microsoft Word 2007 (.docx) 17kB May9 24)
Activity: Civic Engagement for Climate Justice (a few hours) . Students carry out this activity outside of class. They access the assignment using a learning management system (Canvas) and post a report of their civic engagement activity to a discussion board in Canvas. The assignment begins with students watching five short videos on their own that are focused on creating change and working to address climate injustices. The videos provide students with examples of how environmental issues and climate change can be addressed through civic engagement and are meant to inspire them to act. The first video, I will be a hummingbird , is two minutes long and was created by (now deceased) Kenyan political activist Wangari Maathai. It is a cartoon that shows a hummingbird trying to put out a forest fire by carrying tiny drops of water from a river, while much larger animals like an elephant, with a large trunk that holds much more water, stand by and watch, yet do nothing. It emphasizes that action matters, no matter how small the action, and validates the feeling that taking small actions, as only one person on this Earth, can seem insignificant when it comes to "putting out the fire" of global environmental problems like climate change. The second video is four minutes and shows poet Kathy Jetnil-Kijiner, a citizen of the Marshall Islands, reading her poem "Dear Matafele Peinem" , written for her seven-month-old daughter, to delegates and attendees of the United Nations Climate Summit. The third video is a two-minute trailer for the documentary The Ants and the Grasshopper , which shows Anita Chitaya traveling from Malawi, where her home is affected by extreme weather, to California and the White House, to persuade Americans that climate change is real. The fourth video, It's Time to Move On from Fossil Fuels , is a little longer (ten minutes) and features Winona LaDuke, a Native American activist and executive director of Honor the Earth, as she shares her views on ending fossil fuels and fighting pipelines through protest. The final video, 'Little Miss Flint' continues to fight for clean water access , is five minutes and shows an ABC News television interview where Mari Copeny from Flint, Michigan, who, 14 years old at the time of the interview, describes the actions she has taken since she was 8 years old to help people access clean water. Following the videos, each individual student answers a discussion question about which civic engagements, observed in the videos, they feel are most effective in promoting change and why. Students also answer a question about which civic action they would like to try, from a list of options I offer them to help with their brainstorming. The list includes (but I tell them is not limited to) influencing policy (encouraging or registering others to vote, contacting government officials, canvassing), volunteering (for a group or organization, or fundraising), outreach (using social media or publication, write an op-ed or letter to the editor) or protesting (join a protest, sign or organize petitions, organize boycotts, create art, fashion, display buttons, logos, signs, stickers). After they complete this assignment, they carry out their action sometimes over the next week and then complete another discussion post where they describe their action and reflect on the effectiveness of another student's action.
Civic Engagement Assignment.docx (Microsoft Word 2007 (.docx) 19kB May26 24)
Implement In Online Asynchronous Course:
To implement this in an asynchronous online course, which I have done, I give students one week to complete each assignment. Early in each week, I ask students to read the textbook chapter that aligns with each assignment, as I have described in the second paragraph at the beginning of this section. In the middle of the week, I ask students to watch the first video or documentary and answer the first set of questions in a discussion forum on our Canvas site. At the end of the week, I ask students to explore the second set of resources and answer the second set of questions in a discussion forum on our Canvas site. Each of the five assignments and the civic engagement activity follows this pattern, for a total of six weeks of a 10-week term. (My college is on the 10-week-long quarter system.)
Students find these assignments and the activity insightful, producing greater clarity and a deeper dive into the lecture topics. The most enjoyable part of including these activities in my environmental science course is to see how engaging they are for students. During the small group discussion, and especially very early in the term when students are still getting comfortable with the course and with me, I emphasize that there can be more than one correct answer to the discussion questions. I also encourage them to not stress about getting the answers 'correct' but focus on using critical thinking, which is also how I assess these assignments. This reassurance seems necessary to getting students engaged and active in the discussions. This can be especially important for younger students who may still see the world as black-and-white and who may have been conditioned by our educational systems to think there is always "one correct answer" to a question.
The civic engagement activity works well as an assignment outside class time because it occurs at the end of the 10-week term, when final exams are happening. It is a nice way to finish the class because it leaves students feeling more hopeful and empowered than they may have if they completed only the five assignments. They are also very creative with what they choose for their civic action, including writing a rap song (the student who wrote it gave me permission to share it: Climate Justice Rap Song.docx (Microsoft Word 2007 (.docx) 16kB May10 24) ), creating art, signing petitions, posting to social media, or registering themselves to vote or helping others register to vote. When students approach me with questions about what they should do, I encourage them to take actions that they are interested in, such as encouraging a student majoring in art to create art, a STEM student to participate in a citizen science project, or a political science major to call an elected official or attend a city council meeting. Sometimes, when students see on the class discussion board what other students are doing, they will do the same thing. For example, I had a student recently sign an online petition and other students in the class saw this student post about it on the discussion board. Then, many other students signed online petitions as well. This limits the variety of civic actions on the discussion board, such that students are not exposed to a variety of civic actions that other students have taken and that they could also take. It might help to tell students that they need to do a civic action that is different from those of other students. For example, in a class size of 24 to 30 students, which is the size of my class, you could add a guideline to the Civic Engagement Assignment, such as "Please read any discussion posts already made about actions that other students in the course have already taken. Do not choose a type of action if five others students in the class have already taken that same type of action. For example, if five other students have already filled out and submitted a petition, do not take that same type of action. Think of another thing you can do." Adding this guideline to the assignment may require you to have a list of other options ready for students who cannot think of ideas, but you could easily create this list by doing the activity a few times in a class, documenting different student actions, and then sharing and building this list as you continue to teach this. I would also promote instruction that encourages students of diverse cultural backgrounds to share their experiences related to each topic. These acts of sharing further layer the enrichment of each assignment.
I provide students with a weekly suggested schedule, especially when teaching this in online asynchronous form, to make sure students are on track to do the readings from the textbook before each assignment. These chapters contain knowledge about environmental science topics that align with the different assignments, and it is good for them to be familiar with the science topics before encountering each assignment.
The timing of implementing each assignment and the activity can be adapted, depending on which key environmental science concepts you want to use as you introduce and integrate climate justice into your course. For instance, you could implement the assignments and activity earlier in the course, such as when students are typically learning the scientific method, or later in the term after some basic ecology concepts have been covered (e.g., population dynamics, growth, abiotic and biotic influences on populations and food chain/webs would align with the food security assignment).
Learning Goals 1 through 5 all involve a lot of formative assessment and feedback during class time, as well as a more summative assessment of their written work after the class session is over. In small groups, students discuss all the questions on each assignment during class time. During the small group discussions, I walk around the room listening to student conversations as they talk in small groups and answering questions they ask me. This is a way for me to informally assess this learning goal and also offer formative feedback to students. When students are done discussing in small groups, I ask each group to share their answers to each question with the class, which allows me to assess the understanding of the class as a whole and provide formative feedback to the whole class. At the end of each class session, each group submits one document to me, with their answers to every question on the assignment, so that I can assess their written work and assign a grade to their group's work.
I assess this learning goal during Assignment 1 (Introduction to Environmental Justice). We watch the NEPA video and students work on the I-5 freeway case study during class time. Specifically, Question 2 in Part 1 about the NEPA videos and Question 5 in Part 2 about the I-5 freeway case study both allow me to hear their thoughts on the meaning of environmental justice. (These questions are on the "Introduction to Environmental Justice Assignment" Word document under Assignment 1 above.) I assess their understanding of the root causes of environmental justice using Questions 1 through 4 in Part 2 of this assignment, which are about the I-5 freeway case study. I continue to assess this learning goal as part of Assignment 2 (Introduction to Climate Justice) with Questions 1 and 2 in Part 1 of the "Introduction to Climate Justice Assignment" Word document (under Assignment 2 above).
I begin to assess this learning goal with Question 3 in Part 1 of the "Introduction to Environmental Justice Assignment" Word document (under Assignment 1 above). This allows me to assess their initial understanding of what climate justice means. For Assignment 2 (Introduction to Climate Justice), I assess this learning goal with Questions 1 and 2 in Part 2 of the "Introduction to Climate Justice Assignment" Word document (under Assignment 2 above).
My assessment of this learning goal is threaded through Assignments 1 through 4. (There is no question that assesses this learning goal in Assignment 5 nor as part of the civic engagement activity.) I first assess this learning goal using the second question asked in Question 1 (the first Question 1) about the NEPA video in the "Introduction to Environmental Justice Assignment" Word document (see Assignment 1 above). The next assessment of this learning goal is with Question 3 in Part 2 of the "Introduction to Climate Justice Assignment" Word document (see Assignment 2 above). In the food security case study (Assignment 3), I assess this learning goal with the second question asked as part of Question 2 in Part 1 (found in the "Food Security and Climate Justice Assignment" Word document). I use Question 1 in Part 1 of Assignment 4 to assess this learning goal in the context of the Flint, Michigan case study (the question is in the "Water Quality and Climate Justice Assignment" Word document).
I assess this learning goal using questions included in Assignments 2 through 4. For Assignment 2 (Introduction to Climate Justice), I assess this learning goal with Questions 1 and 2 in Part 2 of the "Introduction to Climate Justice Handout" Word document (under Assignment 2 above). For Assignment 3 (Food Insecurity and Climate Justice), I assess this learning goal with Questions 1 through 3 in Part 2 of the "Food Insecurity and Climate Justice Handout" Word document (under Assignment 3 above). For Assignment 4 (Water Quality and Climate Justice), I assess this learning goal with Question 1 in Part 2 of the "Water Quality and Climate Justice Handout" Word document (under Assignment 4 above).
5. Recognize and find examples of civic engagement that promotes climate justice.
I initially assess this learning goal using Question 3 in Part 1 of the "Introduction to Climate Justice Assignment" (see Word document provided with Assignment 2). As part of the last assignment (Assignment 5), which I implement in the week before the civic engagement activity, I use Questions 2 and 3 on the "Air Quality and Climate Justice Assignment" Word file to assess this learning goal. 6. Practice and reflect on effective means of civic engagement.
To assess this learning goal, I use Question 2 in Part 1 and also Question 1 in Part 2 of the "Civic Engagement Assignment" Word file (under "Civic Engagement for Climate Justice" activity described above.
This work is supported in part by NSF IUSE grant DUE 2043535.
Environmental Biology is an Open Access Resource (OER) textbook by Matthew R. Fisher that is free available online to anyone with a computer and internet connection (I use this in my environmental science course, but any introductory environmental science textbook should work)
Advancing Environmental Justice through the National Environmental Policy Act (video made by the United States Environmental Protection Agency)
The Duwamish Valley Cumulative Health Impacts Analysis (report written by a Seattle non-profit, Just Health Action )
Women of Cancer Alley (experiences shared by women in the video created by a digital storytelling workshop coordinated by the Louisiana Bucket Brigade and led by StoryCenter, with leadership from the Women of Cancer Alley )
How the Pandemic Mirrors the Injustices We Saw With Hurricane Katrina (I originally found this video on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=1257538997914785 )
Food Inc. (documentary - It is one hour and 33 minutes long, but I show only the first hour for reasons discussed above)
How climate change is disrupting the global food supply (PBS NewsHour video)
Flint's Deadly Water (60-minute documentary by PBS's Frontline. PBS is the Public Broadcasting System based in the United States.)
Could climate change make us sick? (6-minute video overview of how organisms, including disease organisms, respond to climate change)
FLINT, MICHIGAN: DID RACE AND POVERTY FACTOR INTO WATER CRISIS? (used for information on the demographics of people living in Flint, Michigan)
Dying to Breathe " (24-minute documentary by Unreported World about air pollution in the capitol city of Mongolia, Ulaanbaatar)
I will be a hummingbird (2-minute video by Wangari Maathai)
"Dear Matafele Peinem" (3-minute poem read by Kathy Jetnil-Kijiner at the United Nations Climate Summit)
The Ants and the Grasshopper (2-minute documentary trailer about Malawian Anita Chitaya's life and journey to the United States)
It's Time to Move On from Fossil Fuels (10-minute interview with Winona LaDuke, Native American activist and executive director of Honor the Earth)
'Little Miss Flint' continues to fight for clean water access (5-minute interview by ABC News of 14-year-old Mari Copeny from Flint, Michigan)
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IMAGES
COMMENTS
Recent News. water pollution, the release of substances into subsurface groundwater or into lakes, streams, rivers, estuaries, and oceans to the point that the substances interfere with beneficial use of the water or with the natural functioning of ecosystems. In addition to the release of substances, such as chemicals, trash, or microorganisms ...
What is water pollution? Water pollution occurs when harmful substances—often chemicals or microorganisms—contaminate a stream, river, lake, ocean, aquifer, or other body of water, degrading ...
Water pollution: an introduction. by Chris Woodford . Last updated: October 1, 2023. Over two thirds of Earth's surface is covered by water; less than a third is taken up by land. As Earth's population continues to grow, people are putting ever-increasing pressure on the planet's water resources. In a sense, our oceans, rivers, and other inland ...
Water pollution drastically affects aquatic life. It affects their metabolism, and behaviour, and causes illness and eventual death. Dioxin is a chemical that causes a lot of problems from reproduction to uncontrolled cell growth or cancer. This chemical is bioaccumulated in fish, chicken and meat.
The students will act as molecules of water and the underground materials. Grades: K-5 Type of resource: Lesson plan. Tracking Pollution - A Hazardous Whodunit A Thirstin lesson plan to teach students to make a topographic map, use it to predict ground water flow and investigate the most likely source of ground water contamination. Grades: 9-12
Water pollution (or aquatic pollution) is the contamination of water bodies, with a negative impact on their uses. [1]: 6 It is usually a result of human activities.Water bodies include lakes, rivers, oceans, aquifers, reservoirs and groundwater.Water pollution results when contaminants mix with these water bodies. Contaminants can come from one of four main sources.
Water pollution is the contamination of water bodies (like oceans, seas, lakes, rivers, aquifers, and groundwater) usually caused due to human activities. Water pollution is any change in the physical, chemical or biological properties of water that will have a detrimental consequence of any living organism. Drinking water, also called Potable ...
Water pollution, according to (Olaniran et al., 1995), is. defined as the presence of excessive concentr ations of a danger (pollutants) in water to. the point where it is no longer appropriate ...
Water resources are crucial in developing any area as they serve as a major source of potable, agricultural, and industrial water. Water contamination, caused by natural and anthropogenic activities, poses a significant threat to public health globally. This review synthesizes data from various studies published in national and international journals, as well as reports from governmental and ...
Water pollution is a broad term that describes any kind of contamination of bodies of water such as rivers, lakes or wetlands with substances that can pose threats to human health or the natural environment. Such pollution is a major source of death and disease worldwide, especially in developing nations. Even in wealthier nations where piped ...
102 Water Pollution Essay Topic Ideas & Examples. Updated: Mar 2nd, 2024. 9 min. Water pollution essays are an excellent way to demonstrate your awareness of the topic and your position on the solutions to the issue. To help you ease the writing process, we prepared some tips, essay topics, and research questions about water pollution.
Disposing of sewage in water is one of the major reasons for water pollution. Sewage disposed into the sea from households as well as factories can cause water pollution. Sewage disposal leads to a number of water-related illnesses such as diarrhea which is a leading cause of death among children. Industrial Waste.
Introduction. Water is essential for life. People depend on safe water for their health and livelihood. But contaminated water leads to millions of deaths and even more illnesses every year. 1. Water pollution is any contamination of water with chemicals or other hazardous substances that are detrimental to human, animal, or plant health.
2- Acid rain and its effect on water pollution: Acid rain are a result of the formation of sulfuric and. nitric acids and the interaction of sulfur and nitrogen oxides in raindrops. Its pH is ...
WATER POLLUTION -SOURCES,EFFECTS AND CONTROL. M. Romeo Singh 1* and Asha Gupta 2. 1* Centre for Biodiversity, Department of Botany. Nagaland University, Lumami-798627, India. 2 Centre of Advance ...
STUDY MATERIAL. POLLUTION: CAUSES, EFFECTS A. D CONTROL MEASURES Introduction: Water is essential for life. Without water there would be no life. 71% of the earth's surface is covered by water. nly a tiny fraction of this water is available to us as fresh water. About 97% of the total water available on. arth is found in oceans and is t.
Water contamination occurs when pollutants pollute water sources and make the water unfit for use in drinking, cooking, cleaning, swimming, and other activities. Chemicals, garbage, bacteria, and parasites are examples of pollutants. Water is eventually damaged by all types of pollution. Lakes and oceans become contaminated by air pollution.
This document discusses water pollution and eutrophication. It provides answers to questions about what causes water pollution, the top three causes being industrial waste, marine dumping, and sewage. Eutrophication causes algal blooms that deplete oxygen when decomposing, leading to hypoxia. It is predominantly caused by fertilizer runoff. Hypoxia and changes to aquatic ecosystems harm fish ...
Article. Water pollution occurs when harmful substances often chemicals or microorganisms contaminate a stream, river, lake, ocean, aquifer, or other body of water, degrading water quality and rendering it toxic to humans or the environment. Water pollution can be classified as surface water or groundwater pollution.
Assignment Water Pollution - Free download as PDF File (.pdf), Text File (.txt) or read online for free. This document provides information about types of water pollutants from an assignment submitted by students at Bahauddin Zakariya University in Pakistan. It discusses the origin and sources of water pollutants, including natural sources, domestic sewage, agricultural wastes, and industrial ...
Assignment. Introduction. Environmental pollution is a multi-disciplinary science involving chemistry, physics, life science, agriculture, medical science, public health, sanitary engineering etc. In broader sense, it is the study of the sources, reactions, transport, effect and fate of chemical species in the air, water and soil and the effect ...
Assignment. Water pollution is often a prominent environmental problem witnessed across the globe. In some cases, water pollution happens when pollutants empty into rivers, revenues, lakes, and other bodies of mineral water. Pollutants can be as chemicals from fertilizers, pesticides, acrylic, gasoline, antifreeze, and in some cases mulch or soil.
Prior to Assignment 4, students read Chapter 7: Water Availability and Use, which focuses on environmental issues that affect water supply and water quality. Prior to Assignment 5, students read Chapter 10: Air Pollution, Climate Change, & Ozone Depletion, which provides information about ozone depletion, acid rain, and global climate change ...