MODULE 4: SUSTAINING BIODIVERSITY

LESSON1:
ELABORATE!
Conduct a survey about the variety of plants, animals, and trees that live right outside your
window. Fill up the worksheet below, “My Backyard Biodiversity”. From the collected data,
make suggestions on how you can have a positive impact on your local ecosystem.

Sourhttps://www.coolaustralia.o
y
ce: rg/unit/biodiversit

TREES Total Species 62

Total Items 456
PLANTS Total Species 58
Total Items 397
ANIMALS Total Species 12
Total Items 178
INSECTS and BUGS Total Species 23
Total Items 293
Biodiversity Index Total number of 155
 Species = = 0. 117
Total numbers of Items 1324

EVALUATE!
Direction: Encircle the letter of the BEST answer.

1. Biodiversity is a short term for ______________.

A. Biological diversity
B. Biological diversified
C. Biological diverse
D. All of the above

2. Biodiversity is the variety of ___________ within a population.

A. genetic
B. species
C. individual
D. characteristics

3. Which of the following does biodiversity NOT contribute to?

A. Food
B. Clothes
C. Petrol
D. Wireless Internet

4. Which among the organisms on earth has the greatest number identified or named?
A. animals
B. plants
C. fungi
D. bacteria

5. Which among the organisms on earth has the least number identified or named?
A. animals
B. plants
C. fungi
D. bacteria
 6. What is biodiversity?
A. It is the variety of species, their genetic make-up, and the natural communities in
which they occur.
B. The number of plants throughout the world.
C. The number of different animals existing.
D. The study of life.

7. Why is biodiversity important for humans?

A. Biodiversity is the way we classify organisms.
B. Biodiversity will prevent global warming
C. Biodiversity is a potential source of new medicines
D. Biodiversity is the study of the variety of life on earth

8. Biodiversity is the variety of ________ in a given area

A. Organisms
B. Genes
C. Species
D. Communities

9. Biodiversity can affect the _______ of ecosystems and the _________ of populations.
A. sustainability and stability
B. stability and sustainability
C. life and existence D. existence and life

10. What might be the reaction of a botanist who discovered a new plant in Mount Makiling?
Why would they react that way?
A. They would be happy to find biodiversity because that leads to ecosystem stability.
B. They would be upset because biodiversity leads to ecosystem instability.
C. They would worry about plants competing for limited sources like water.
D. They would be happy because that means water is nearby.

LESSON 2:
ELABORATE!
Conduct basic review about species classification and answer the following
questions:
1. What is an organism?
 An organism is a single individual, or being. While it may have many
separate parts, the organism cannot survive without the parts, as the parts
cannot survive without the organism. Some organisms are simple and only
contain an information molecule describing how to obtain energy and reproduce
the molecule.

2. What are some examples of animals? Plants? Insects?

Animals: Human, Cow, dog, cat, snake, Goat, sheep, giraffe, rabbit, lizard,
monkey, pig, polar bear, puma, horse, llama, tiger, mouse, Zebra, etc.

Plants: mosses, ferns, pine trees, flowering plants, grass, sunflower, rose, daisy,
vines, bushes etc.

Insects: ant, bee, beetle, butterfly, centipede, cockroach, bug, grasshopper,

wasp, fly, mosquito, termites, dragonfly, etc.

3. How are animals and plants alike? Different?

Plants and animals share many characteristics, but they are different in some
respects. Animals usually move around and find their own food, while plants are
usually immobile and create their food via
photosynthesis. Plants and animals both have cells that contain DNA, yet the
structure of their cells differs.

4. What are some ways that we classify different animals, plants, and other
organisms?
Scientists classify the animals, as they do the plants, on the basis of shared
physical characteristics. They place them in a hierarchy of groupings, beginning
with the kingdom animalia and proceeding through phyla, classes, orders,
families, genera and species. When classifying plants and animals, scientists look
for homologies, or common physical traits such as your arm and a bird's wing,
that are inherited from a common ancestor. If the organisms share multiple
homologies, they are likely related.

5. What kinds of features are commonly used to classify them?

Taxonomists start with a broad classification known as a domain. There are
three domains, and a critter gets placed into one of them based on certain
characteristics. For example, if a critter were a prokaryote, or a simple single-
celled organism lacking some of the structures of more complicated cells, and
lived in really extreme environments, like the vents of hot springs or in the guts
 of a cow, it would go into the archaea domain. Scientists determine which
kingdom a critter belongs to based on several characteristics. For example, how
does the organism obtain food? Is it made up of multiple cells? What sorts of
structures are within the cell? All of these characteristics (and more) factor into
placing the organism into the correct kingdom. 

6. What kinds of features do mammals have?

Mammals are amazingly diverse animals. They live in nearly every available
habitat on Earth.
 All mammals have hair growing from some parts of their bodies during at
least some stage of their life cycle. the presence of hair goes hand-in-
hand with a warm-blooded metabolism.
 Unlike other vertebrates, mammals nurse their young with milk produced
by mammary glands, which are modified and enlarged sweat glands
consisting of ducts and glandular tissues that secrete milk through
nipples. This milk provides young with much-needed proteins, sugars,
fats, vitamins, and salts.
 The three inner ear bones, the incus, the malleus, and the stapes—
commonly referred to as the hammer, the anvil and the stirrup—are
unique to mammals. 
 The diaphragms of mammals are arguably more advanced than those of
birds, and definitely more advanced than those of reptiles. What this
means is that mammals can breathe and utilize oxygen more efficiently.
 Only mammals and birds possess four-chambered hearts, which are more
efficient than the two-chambered hearts of fish or the three-chambered
hearts of amphibians and reptiles. 

EVALUATE!
Direction: Encircle the letter that corresponds to the BEST answer.

1. What is the difference between species diversity and genetic diversity?

A. Species diversity looks at the variety of ecosystems, while genetic diversity looks at
how genes vary within a species.
B. Species diversity looks at the number of different species in a place, while genetic
diversity looks at how genes vary within a species.
C. Species diversity looks at how genes vary within a species, while genetic diversity
looks at the number of different species in a place.
 D. Species diversity looks at the number of different species in a place, while genetic
diversity looks at the variety of ecosystems.

2. Dr. Smith is studying algae. Would she consider ponds in her research on ecological
diversity? Why or why not? A. It depends on the pond.
B. No, because ponds are not considered an aquatic ecosystem
C. Yes, because scientists studying ecological diversity only study aquatic ecosystems
D. Yes, because aquatic and terrestrial are considered when studying ecological
diversity

3. If you were to take a count of the diversity of species in your town, what would you be
measuring?
A. Genetic diversity
B. Habitat diversity
C. Biodiversity
D. Species richness

4. If you were to measure the degree of difference between all of the birds that share a
species in a town, what would you be measuring?
A. Habitat diversity
B. Genetic
C. Biodiversity
D. Species richness
5. A country with many different types of habitat is said to have a high degree of what?
A. Biodiversity
B. Genetic biodiversity
C. Species richness
D. Habitat diversity

6. Why is genetic diversity important?

A. Allows for species to adapt to and thrive in different environments.
B. Global warming threatens monocultures
C. C. It enables species create their habitat.
D. It’s not important.

7. Which of the following is not a level of biodiversity?

A. Species
B. Ecosystem
C. Population
D. Generic
 8. What diversity refers to all the different genes contained within all members of a
population?
A. Species
B. Ecosystem
C. Genetic
D. Character

9. How does genetic diversity affect the survival of certain species?

A. Mutations that cause genetic diversity are always fatal and reduce species survival.
B. Less genetically diverse populations have higher species survival rates because
mating is not limited.
C. Genetically diverse populations are at higher risk for extinction because individuals
are more susceptible to disease.
D. Genetic diversity allows some individuals to have traits that help them survive in
times of environmental change.

10. What diversity exemplifies rivers, lakes, ponds, and oceans?

A. Genetic
B. Species
C. Ecological
D. Biodiversity

LESSON 3: EVOLUTIONS and the GENESIS OF BIODIVERSITY

ELABORATE!

Biodiversity is dependent in sustaining life. Biodiversity is the variety of life in the

world. This species are split in Species and their biomes. Species a group of living
Organism consisting of similar individuals capable of exchanging genes or
interbreeding. Each species has their own role in the ecosystem And everything that
affects its survival and reproduction which is called niche.
The sense of Darwinian theory about evolution is natural selection would have start
cellular forms of life originated on earth. Evolution is the change in the characteristics
of a species over several generation and relies on the process of natural selection. The
theory of evolution is based on the idea that all species are related and gradually
change over time. Natural selection is one of the basic mechanism of evolution, along
with the mutation, migration, and genetic drift. Evolution refers to survival to the fittest
which also means survival to the strongest is explained. Factors lead to biodiversity loss
habitat change, Climate change, invasive species. The work of Malthus On population
influence Darwin example natural resources are limited populations in stable in size
except for seasonal fluctuation members of population vary in characteristics though
they look similar most of the variations are inherited the fact that population size will
grow exponentially if everybody reproduced maximally.
The challenge is that while one need biodiversity and Biodiversity needs us, most
people around the world still don’t know about the critical importance of wild lands and
the biodiversity they support. We can expand the possibility for a healthy and wild
future and give a reason to hope.

EVALUATE!

Direction: Encircle the letter that corresponds to the BEST answer.

1. Who of the following scientists first proposed the theory of natural selection?
A. Watson B. Darwin C. Crick D. Linnaeus

2. Which of the following best explains evolution?

A. Extinction B. Natural selection C. Global warming D. all of these

3. Which of the following refers to changes in organisms over long periods?

A. Extinction A. Speciation C. Evolution D. Selection

4. The hypothesis that all species are descended from common ancestors was proposed by
A. James Hutton B. Jean-Baptiste Lamarck.
C. Thomas Malthus. D. Charles Darwin.

5. According to Darwin’s theory of natural selection, the individuals that tend to survive are
those that have
A. characteristics their parents acquired by use and disuse.
B. characteristics that plant and animal breeders value.
C. the greatest number of offspring.
D. variations best suited to environmental conditions.

6. Darwin explained the differences in beak shape among Galapagos finches as being the result
of
A. chance events
B. adaptations to eating different foods
C. differences that existed in the colonizing species
D. inheritance of acquired characteristics

7. Humans have been a very successful species on earth. They have very diverse populations
spread all over the planet. As a result
 A. Humans have very limited ability to adapt to environment.
B. Humans have a potential to adapt to various environmental changes.
C. Young humans have lower survival rates as compared to other species.
D. All humans are more disease resistant.

8. Which of the following statements regarding evolution is true?

A. Evolution anticipates future changes in the environment and allows organisms to
adapt accordingly.
B. There are a distinct origin and end goal.
C. There is no overall direction, simply a response to local conditions. D. It is typically
observable in a single generation

LESSON 4: Value and Benefits of Biodiversity

Elaborate!
Watch the following videos and answer the questions.
1. Why is biodiversity so important? https://www.youtube.com/watch?
v=GK_vRtHJZu4
2. Values of Biodiversity. https://www.youtube.com/watch?
v=QsnSrg4NDlA.
Questions:
1. List the reasons why you think biodiversity is important.
2. Why endangered animals and habitats should be protected?
3. Why should ecosystems be kept healthy, with every member of the
ecosystem protected?

1. List the reasons why you think biodiversity is so important.

 We consume biodiversity products directly like, food, feiwel, drugs and
medicine.
 Biodiversity products can be marketed and sold. Like silk obtained from
silkworm, wool obtained from sheep.
 Strengthening our social life and spiritual aspects.
 Gives human a pleasure, displaying species and its comfortable zone at
the same time keep us entertained.
 Eco US information and awareness about biodiversity.
  Protect human from all endangered unhealthy natural happenings, rays
and things.

2. Why endangered animals and habitats should be protected?

 Throughout the century, ton of life on Earth got wiped out. People use to
destroy nature to build infrastructures for people leisure and
entertainment. People used to kill animals for clothes and foods. People
used to destroy plans for experiments and for small house. At the end of
the time still we humans will suffer if we can’t protect our environment.
Younger generations will also experienced and see species that we enjoy
today.
3. Why should ecosystems be kept healthy, with every member of the ecosystem
protected?
 Every member in the ecosystem depends on each other to survive
including humans. If one of them will destroy or killed or vanished, those
dependent speeches will also be affected. If an ecosystem is healthy the
mentally healthy we can assure that all will absorbed healthiness.

EVALUATE!
Direction: Encircle the letter that corresponds to the BEST answer.
1.How many types of economical values are there for biodiversity?
A. One
B. Two
C. Three
D. Four

2. What is called for the value of nature’s products that are consumed directly?
A. Productive value
B. Indirect value
C. Non-consumptive value
D. Consumptive value

3. “Flowers offered to the god” is an example of ___________________

 A. Non-consumptive values of biodiversity
B. Consumptive values of biodiversity
C. Social value of biodiversity
D. Ethical values of biodiversity
4. Which one of the following values of diversity we can classify for ‘The beauty of a
waterfall in the Tinuy-an Falls, Surigao del Sur?
A. Ethical values
B. Social values
C. Option values
D. Aesthetic values

5.Why biodiversity is of great scientific value?

A. Because many species of plants and animals are the subjects of our
research
B. Because biodiversity can be used only in space
C. Because biodiversity can only be useful for scientist
D. Because biodiversity provides only a few products that help for humans

6.Biodiversity provides Option values.

A. True
B. False
C. Maybe
D. Sometimes

7.The following are examples of ecosystem services of biodiversity EXCEPT

A. Recovery form unpredictable vents
B. Nutrient storage and cycling
C. Education and research
D. Soil formation and protection

8.Recreation, education, and tourism belong to what category of benefits of

biodiversity?
A. Biological resources
B. Social resources
C. Ecosystem services
D. Physical resources
9.Preserving recreational, aesthetic, socio-cultural, scientific, educational are examples
of what value of biodiversity?
A. Indirect value
B. Social value
C. Biological value
D. Direct value

10.The following are the examples of the biological categories of benefits of biodiversity
EXCEPT.
A. Food for humans and cultivated animals
B. Medicinal resources
C. Breeding stocks
D. Recreation

LESSON 5: THREATS OF BIODIVERSITY

EXPLORE!

Visayan Wart Pig

The Visayan warty pig is extinct on 3 of the 6 main islands where it lived, and is in
danger of disappearing from the fourth. Deforestation has been widespread, and so
habitat loss is one of the major causes of the sharp decline in numbers, along with
hunting. Interbreeding with domestic pigs is a further threat. They are also killed by
local farmers, who seem them as pests; they are hunted extensively for local
consumption, caught in wire snares and pitfall traps, and sometimes killed by explosive
baiting devices that are buried in the ground, and are excavated when rooting.
Visayan warty pigs appear to play a major role in dispersing the seeds of some

species of plants.

Marine Sea Turtle

The main threats to these turtles include the degradation and loss of habitat,
consumption of their eggs and meat, capture as bycatch, pollution and climate change.
Beach armoring, building works, and sand extraction degrade the nesting habitat, while
light pollution in the nesting areas fatally attracts hatchlings so that they do not head
for the sea. Increased effluent, contamination from coastal development and over
harvesting of algae.
Marine sea turtles eat seagrasses and algae, thus serving (much like mowing a lawn)
to maintain the seagrass beds in a healthy state, making them more productive.
Seagrass eaten by the turtles is quickly digested, becoming available as recycled
nutrients for the many species of animals and plants that live in the ecosystem of
seagrass. Seagrass beds also act as nurseries for a number of species of fish and
invertebrates, many being of considerable value for commercial fisheries and thus
important for human food security.
Philippine Freshwater Crocodile
The primary threat to these crocodiles is habitat destruction due to agricultural
development. Freshwater crocodiles also suffer from illegal hunting, which significantly
decreases the population of this species.
These reptiles form an important link in the food chain of freshwater and estuarine
ecosystems of their habitat. Thus, they are top predators of their range, consuming a
variety of animal species. On the other hand, their hatchlings and juveniles become
prey for other animals of the area, including goannas, barramundi, feral pigs, sea
eagles, turtles as well as other crocodiles. This makes Freshwater crocodile both
predator and prey, due to which the animal helps keep a wetland ecosystem healthy,
which, in turn, maintains the fishery healthy.

Philippine Tarsier
Tarsiers are under severe threat by trappers and hunters, who shake them out of
the trees or chop off the branches of trees where they live. They are also popular as
pets, especially in Mexico. However, tarsiers do not often live long in captivity, as being
captured traumatizes them so much that they will beat their head against the cage, to
the point of killing themselves. These animals are also significantly affected by
increasing deforestation of their native habitat.
Being predators, Philippine tarsiers may help to structure insect communities. To the
extent that they are preyed upon by other animals, they may impact predator
populations.
Sea Cow (Dugong)
One of the biggest threats to the population of this species is hunting for meat and
oil. Dugongs are often incidentally caught in nets, targeting fish and sharks. This by-
catch leads to high number of mortality because of insufficient oxygen supply. Ships,
boats and other vessels may strike these animals down throughout their range. Another
notable threat is habitat disturbance in a form of water pollution, which leads to
destruction of seagrass beds that are the main food source for these animals. And
finally, their population cannot increase due to extremely low birth rate of this species.
On the other hand, dugongs cannot be bred in captivity.
Dugongs usually shake their head to clean seagrass from sand, and only then swallow
it.

EVALUATE! Word Matching! Direction: Write the letter before each number from the
word in the right column to the definitions on the left column.
A. Regions that have a great
1.F 1. diversity of endemic
Extinction
2. species and at the same
2. E Indigenous time have been
3. significantly impacted by
3. H Endemic
human activity
4.
Alien Species B. Responsible for sea-level
4. J rise
5.
Endangered C. Excessive use of natural
5. L 6. resources
Habitat Conversion
D. Use of satellite imagery
6. C and aerial photography
7.
Protected Area to generate maps of
7.G
existing forest or
8.
Biodiversity Hotspot vegetation cover
8. A
E. Species occurring
naturally in more than
9. B 9. one `geographic location
Habitat assessment
F. No longer existing
10. K 10. G. Zone designated to
Over-Exploitation safeguard species
11. D H. Geographically restricted
11.
Global Warming species
12. I I. Pollution
12.
Environmental Degradation J. Plants and animals that
are not native to a
particular area and may
have the ability to
threaten biodiversity
K. Loss of natural areas to
development and
agriculture
L. At the risk of
becoming extinct soon

LESSON 6: PROTECTION AND CONSERVATION of BIODIVERSITY

ENGAGE!

1. How diverse is the Philippines?

- Philippines is highly as a lot of Filipino people source of living and income
is within their ecosystems. Like for example, people living besides
seashores needs to protect and ensure cleanliness to water where their
source of food and livelihood is there. There is a particular area in the
Philippine sea which is a Dolphins resting ground. A lot of species can be
seen in the Philippines as it has 7,644 islands including inhabitant islands.

2. What are the conservation measures initiated by the country?

 Developing an organizations an programs to protect the habitat an ensure
the safety of speech is
 The provision on using dynamite in fishing
  They conducted programs and meetings to people living in the set
endangered area
 They are advocating the effect of proper and safe handling and
monitoring the area where their source of food and livelihood is there.
 They provided up budgets by donations and government funds for the
conservation of biodiversity.

EVALUATION!

MODULE 5: ENVIROMENTAL PROBLEMS and

MITIGATING MEASURES

LESSON 1: ENVIRONMENTAL POLLUTION

EXPLORE!
What problem can plastic cause in the Ocean?

Plastic waste is littering our oceans and threatening the lives of millions of marine
animals, seals, whales, dolphin, seabirds, Fish, crabs and many others see animals are
dying and becoming sick because of this deadly environmental concern.
 Sea animals often eat microplastics because of their small size and plastics
contain toxic chemicals, which can increase the chance of this season and affect
reproduction.
 More animals has been poisoned because of abandoned fishing equipment
 Marina animals had ingestion, suffocation and entanglement because of plastics
 Marine animals die of starvation as their stomachs are filled with plastic debris.
 They also suffered from lacerations, infections, reduce ability to swim and
internal injuries.

EVALUATE!

Direction: In each number, fill in the blank with the word or phrase that correctly answers the
description.

_Pollution___1. The introduction into an ecosystem of a substance that causes ill effects on the
organisms and the ecosystem.
__Suspended particles____2. Air pollutants in the form of solid particles or liquid droplets such as dust,
ash, soot, vapors.

__Soil Salinity___3. The accumulation in the soil of mineral salts from irrigation water which renders
the soil infertile.

__Siltation or Heavy ____4. Fine sand from landslides or heavy sedimentation that may clog the gills of
filter and suspension feeders.

__Lead__5. A pollutant from gasoline, paints, and batteries that retards growth and may cause death in
marine organisms.

__Oilspills____6. The marine pollutant that smothers marine organisms such as barnacles and shrimps,
destroys the heat insulation of bird plumage and causes physiological, behavioral
and developmental defects.

__PCBs Polychlorinated Biphenyls____7. Organic molecule of two benzene rings to which chlorine
molecules are attached, and which are linked to deaths of seabirds and seals in the
Baltic Sea.

____________ 8-10. For 3 points, discuss the concept of eutrophication.

 Eutrophication is the gradual increase in the concentration of phosphorus, nitrogen, and other
plant nutrients in Lake. The productivity or fertility of section exist and naturally increases as
the amount of organic material that can be broken down into nutrients increases.

LESSON 2: GLOBAL WARMING AND CLIMATE CHANGE

EXPLORE!

Is human activity bringing about alarming global warming scenarios and related
catastrophes? Or is such thinking a myth brought about by flawed or incomplete
science? Finding the answers to these questions has turned global warming into a
highly politicized and contentious issue.

-Yes, we know humans are responsible for the climate change we see today.
Humans impact the physical environment in many ways: overpopulation, pollution,
burning fossil fuels, and deforestation. Changes like these have triggered climate
change, soil erosion, poor air quality, and undrinkable water. These negative impacts
can affect human behavior and can prompt mass migrations or battles over clean
water.  
Humans burn fossil fuels to power cars and other machines, to generate
electricity, and to keep buildings warm. Waste gases are released during combustion,
including carbon dioxide. As the human population increases, more fuel is used, and
more carbon dioxide is released. Extra carbon dioxide in the atmosphere increases the
greenhouse effect. More thermal energy is trapped by the atmosphere, causing the
planet to become warmer than it would be naturally. This increase in the Earth’s
temperature is called global warming. The majority of climate scientists agree that there
is a link between the increasing levels of carbon dioxide and the increasing
temperatures. Global warming is having an effect on the world’s climates. The weather
includes the wind, sunshine and rain you see from day to day. The climate is the sort of
weather seen over years and decades. Climate change and its effects as a result of
global warming includes, ice melting faster than it can be replaced in the Arctic and
Antarctic, the oceans warming up – their water is expanding and causing sea levels to
rise, changes in where different species of plants and animals can live.

The COVID-19 emergency has shattered our sense of normalcy and forced us to
grapple with the kind of world we want – and need – when this crisis is over. We
believe that together, we can create a world where we rapidly transition away from
fossil fuels to end the climate crisis, safeguard our health, strengthen our communities’
well-being, and ensure justice for those who have been marginalized in the past.

EVALUATE!

I. Multiple Choice

Direction: Read each item carefully then encircle the letter of your corresponding
answer.

1. Earth’s temperatures are stable because were surrounded by___________

which allows the right amount of sunlight in to warm the Earth.
a. a cloud layer b. an atmosphere c. gravity d. water

2. The solar energy that warms the Earth includes visible light, infrared and
_______ coming from the sun.
a. Gamma rays b. ultraviolet radiation c. microwaves d. sunspots

3. The solar radiation that bounces off the Earth back toward the atmosphere is
mostly _______.
a. Gamma radiation b. x-ray radiation
c. nuclear radiation d. infrared radiation

4. Too many greenhouse gases in the atmosphere may block heat from
escaping into space and trap too much heat next to the Earth’s surface
causing___________.
a. Another ice age b. global warming
c. earthquakes d. volcanic eruption
 5. How does the greenhouse effect work?
a. Greenhouse gases reflect the sun’s energy, causing it to warm the
Earth.
b. Greenhouse gases absorb the sun’s energy, slowing or preventing
heat from escaping into space.
c. Greenhouse gases directly warm oceans and cause dramatic
weather.
d. Oceans absorb greenhouse gases, which cause the Earth’s
temperature to rise.

6. What is the most potent greenhouse gas?

a. Fluorinated gases b. Carbon dioxide c. Nitrous oxide d. Methane

7. Which of these greenhouse gases is most abundant in the atmosphere?

a. Carbon dioxide b. Methane
c. Nitrous oxide d. water vapor

8. If Earth had no greenhouse gases, the planet would be________.

a. too hot to support life
b. cooler but still able to support life
c. too cold to support life
d. it depends on the species of aerosol in the GHG-free atmosphere.

9. Climate change will lead to which of these conditions?

a. Improved food yield in developing countries
b. Decreased food yield in developed countries
c. Less famine around the world
d. Decline in coral reefs

10. Which are possible solutions for climate change?

a. Hybrid technology
b. Creating carbon emission cap
c. More wind power
d. All of the above

II. Describe the Greenhouse Effect and how it affects the temperature and radiation
emitted at the surface, in the atmosphere, and at the top of the atmosphere.

The greenhouse effect is a natural process that warms the Earth’s surface. When the
Sun’s energy reaches the Earth’s atmosphere, some of it is reflected back to space and
the rest is absorbed and re-radiated by greenhouse gases. Greenhouse gases include
water vapour, carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide, ozone and some artificial
chemicals such as chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs). The absorbed energy warms the
atmosphere and the surface of the Earth. This process maintains the Earth’s
temperature at around 33 degrees Celsius warmer than it would otherwise be, allowing
life on Earth to exist.
 Step 1: Solar radiation reaches the Earth's atmosphere - some of this is
reflected back into space.
 Step 2: The rest of the sun's energy is absorbed by the land and the oceans,
heating the Earth.
 Step 3: Heat radiates from Earth towards space.
 Step 4: Some of this heat is trapped by greenhouse gases in the atmosphere,
keeping the Earth warm enough to sustain life.
 Step 5: Human activities such as burning fossil fuels, agriculture and land
clearing are increasing the amount of greenhouse gases released into the
atmosphere.
 Step 6: This is trapping extra heat, and causing the Earth's temperature to rise.

LESSON 3: OZONE DEPLETION

EXPLORE!
1. 1. What could be the reason behind the recovery of the ozone layer?

Substantial recovery of the ozone layer from the effects of ozone

depleting substances is expected around with the global compliance with the
Montreal Protocol Recovery will occur as ODSs and reactive halogen gas
abundances in the stratosphere decrease in the coming decades. In addition to
responding to ODSs, ozone abundances are increasingly being influenced by
climate change. The impacts of future climate change on the ozone layer will
vary between the tropics, midiatitudes, and polar regions, and strongly depend
on future emissions of carbon dioxide, methane and nitrous oxide. During the
long recovery period, large volcanic eruptions could temporarily reduce global
ozone amounts for several years.

2. Can the ozone layer heal itself?

The ozone layer surrounding the earth helps in absorbing harmful

ultraviolet rays of the sun and prevents it from directly reaching the surface of
the earth. However, the ozone layer has now begun to repair itself. The credit
for this goes to the Montreal Protocol. The study also shows how the Montreal
 Protocol had managed to reverse the jet streams or air currents which had been
forced to move south owing to the hole in the Ozone layer. This had caused
dramatic changes in climate patterns and dry spells in some parts of the world.
Yet, the study also mentions that since the ozone layer has only now begun
healing itself, countries must take more robust action to reduce the emission of
ozone depleting substances in order to reduce carbon footprint.

EVALUATE!

1. What are the reactive halogen gases that destroy stratospheric ozone?

- Reactive halogen gases containing chlorine (Cl) or bromine (Br) can destroy
stratosphere ozone via catalytic cycles.

2. How do emissions of halogen source gases lead to stratospheric ozone depletion?

- The initial step in the depletion of stratospheric ozone by human activities is

the emission, at Earth's surface, of gases that contain chlorine and bromine and have
long atmospheric lifetimes. Most of these gases accumulate in the lower atmosphere
because they are relatively unreactive and do not dissolve readily in rain or snow.
Natural air motions transport these accumulated gases to the stratosphere, where they
are converted to more reactive gases. Some of these gases then participate in reactions
that destroy ozone. Finally, when air returns to the lower atmosphere, these reactive
chlorine and bromine gases are removed from Earth's atmosphere by rain and snow.

3. What emissions from human activities lead to ozone depletion?

- Certain industrial processes and consumer products result in the emission of

ozone-depleting substances to the atmosphere. ODSs are manufactured halogen source
gases that are controlled worldwide by the Montreal Protocol. These gases bring
chlorine and bromine atoms to the stratosphere, where they destroy ozone in chemical
reactions. Important examples are the chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs), once used in almost
all refrigeration and air conditioning systems, and the halons, which were used as fire
extinguishing agents. Current ODS abundances in the atmosphere are known directly
from air sample measurements.

4. Has the Montreal protocol been successful in reducing ozone-depleting substances in

the atmosphere?
 - Yes, as a result of the Montreal Protocol the overall abundance of ozone-
depleting substances (ODS) in the atmosphere has been decreasing for the past two
decades. If the nations of the world continue to comply with the provisions of the
Montreal Protocol, the decrease will continue throughout the 21st century. Those gases
that are still increasing in the atmosphere, such as halon and hydrochlorofluorocarbons
(HCFCs), will begin to decrease in the coming decades if compliance with the Protocol
continues. However, it is only after midcentury that the abundance of ODSs is expected
to fall to values that were present before the Antarctic ozone hole was first observed in
the early 1980s, due to the long atmospheric lifetime of these gases.

LESSON 4:
ELABORATE!

What 11 Billion People Mean for Disease Outbreaks

The explosive growth of the human population-from 2.5 billion to 6 billion since the
second half of the 20th century -may have already started changing how infectious
diseases emerge.
Influenza viruses have posed a continual threat to global public health since at least as
early as the Middle Ages, resulting in an estimated 3-5 million cases of severe illness
and 291,243-645,832 deaths annually worldwide, vaccination and awareness programs.
Moreover, influenza pandemics arise sporadically due to the introduction of an
antigenically distinct influenza A virus within a population, which can result in
devastating effects on global public health and healthcare networks. The emergence of
influenza subtype H1N1 in 1918, which ultimately according to a recent estimate.
Regional influenza epidemics occur on an annual basis, resulting in millions of illnesses
and hospitalizations despite intensive. The sheer number of people, their interactions
with animals and ecosystems, and the increase in international trade and travel are all
factors that will likely change the way humanity deals with preventing and treating
epidemics, experts say. In fact, the unprecedented growth of the human population in
the second half of the last century - growing from 2.5 billion to 6 billion may have
already started changing how infectious diseases emerge. Some of these diseases were
caused by pathogens that have hopped across species and finally into humans – for
example, the West Nile virus, the SARS coronavirus and HIV. Others were caused by a
new variant of a pathogen that evolved to thwart available drugs, such as drug-
resistant tuberculosis and malaria. Certain pathogens, such as the bacteria that cause
Lyme disease, are not new to humans, but their incidence increased dramatically,
perhaps due to changes that newly arrived humans made to the environment inhabited
by animals carrying these pathogens. All known emerging diseases were linked to
sudden human population growth, new human activity in the environment and high
wildlife diversity in the area where the pathogen originated. Today, travelers are just a
few hours' flight away from places that would have taken months to travel to by ground
or sea in the past. This is a boon not just to humans, but to the microbes they carry.
Sick travelers can introduce pathogens to new people as they travel, and at their
destination, before they even realize they are sick. With future population growth,
simple math suggests that there's going to be more travelers, potentially helping
epidemics grow by quickly spreading the contagion.

EVALUATE!

1. How does overpopulation affect the spread of infectious diseases?

Overpopulation implies more problems for the environment. Food
security will be a problem in the Third World where more forests and
mountain slopes will be converted to croplands, promoting erosion, nutrient
depletion, and desertification. There will be greater incursion into marine,
freshwater, and estuarine areas for food and water sources. As more garbage
is produced more air, water, and terrestrial pollution will result. For
communities, inadequate shelter and overcrowding are major factors in the
transmission of diseases with epidemic potential. Overcrowding is often
associated with decreases in quality of living conditions and sanitation, and
hence the rate of agent transmission is typically very high in such areas.

2. List at least 5 emerging infectious diseases due to population density.

 Acute respiratory infections
 Meningitis
 Typhus
 Cholera
 Scabies