The Tragedy of
the Commons;
Clear-cutting
the Commons;
Clear-cutting
This forestry practice removes most or all trees from an area at one time.
What is clear-cutting?
This was the primary goal of the Green Revolution in the mid-1900s.
What is increasing global food production (or reducing hunger/famine)?
This farming practice involves turning over the top layer of soil to prepare fields for planting.
What is tilling?
This environmental problem can occur when irrigation water evaporates and leaves dissolved salts behind in the soil.
What is salinization?
This term describes large industrial facilities where animals are raised in high densities for meat production.
What is a CAFO (Concentrated Animal Feeding Operation)?
This concept describes the overuse of a shared resource when individuals act in their own short-term interest.
What is the tragedy of the commons?
This is one high-input technology that was widely adopted during the Green Revolution to increase crop yields.
What are synthetic fertilizers, chemical pesticides, irrigation, or high-yield crop varieties?
This environmental problem is increased when tilling loosens soil and makes it more likely to be carried away by wind or water.
What is soil erosion?
This environmental problem can result when irrigation relies heavily on pumping water from underground aquifers faster than they can recharge.
What is groundwater (or aquifer) depletion?
Identify one environmental problem associated with manure lagoons at concentrated animal feeding operations.
What is water pollution from leaks or spills into nearby waterways?
What is nutrient runoff leading to eutrophication?
What is contamination of groundwater?
What is release of methane contributing to climate change?
**Poultry waste is rarely used as fertilizer, and often remains in manure lagoons.
The loss of tree roots after logging increases this environmental problem in nearby streams and rivers.
What is soil erosion (or sedimentation)?
This environmental problem can result from heavy fertilizer use on croplands introduced during the Green Revolution.
What is eutrophication (or nutrient runoff causing algal blooms)?
This greenhouse gas is released in large amounts when vegetation is burned during slash-and-burn agriculture.
What is carbon dioxide?
This evolutionary outcome occurs when pests repeatedly exposed to the same pesticide survive and pass on the mutation that enabled them to survive to their offspring.
What is pesticide resistance (or evolution of resistant pest populations)?
This problem occurs when non-target species are unintentionally caught and killed during commercial fishing.
What is bycatch?
This forest management practice removes only selected trees to reduce ecological damage while allowing regrowth.
What is selective cutting?
This trade-off of Green Revolution farming increases crop yields but often reduces genetic diversity with only one crop grown in a large area.
What is monoculture?
This type of fertilizer is made from natural materials such as compost or manure and generally releases nutrients more slowly than synthetic fertilizers.
What is organic fertilizer?
This pest control strategy combines biological, cultural, and limited chemical methods to reduce environmental harm.
What is integrated pest management (IPM)?
This explains why producing meat generally requires more energy and resources than producing plant-based foods.
What is energy loss between trophic levels (less energy is transferred up the food chain)?
This is one negative impact on nearby aquatic ecosystems that can result from increased soil erosion after clear-cutting.
What is... increased turbidity, smothering of fish eggs, clogging of fish gills, or reduced photosynthesis in aquatic plants?
This energy source provides most of the energy subsidies that power modern Green Revolution agriculture, including fertilizers, machinery, and irrigation systems.
What are fossil fuels?
This long-term environmental problem can result from repeated use of slash-and-burn agriculture as nutrients are quickly depleted from the soil.
What is soil degradation (or loss of soil fertility/desertification in severe cases)?
Identify one negative effect of using chemical pesticides in agriculture.
What is harm to beneficial organisms (such as pollinators or predatory insects)?
What is water pollution from pesticide runoff or groundwater contamination?
What is health risks to farm workers from pesticide exposure?
What is potential risk to humans who consume treated food?
This environmental problem can result from poorly managed aquaculture operations.
What is water pollution, disease spread to wild fish, or habitat damage?