AP Environmental Science
D Block
Summer Assignment
Chapter 1
1. Exponential growth is an increase where the growth, when it is plotted, displays a logarithmic curve. Everyone living in an exponential age is a cause for concern for everyone living on the planet because resources are limited, but the rate at which the increase in population over time is accelerating. Unless we can maximize the use of our resources and find a way to increase our resources substantially and sustainably, we will not have enough for everyone.
2. The environment is our surroundings, all biotic and abiotic organisms. Environmental science is a study of how humans interact with our environment of biotic (such as animals and plants) and abiotic (such as lakes and forests) things, while ecology studies interactions …show more content…
Pollution is any environmental agent that endangers the heath of organisms, and negatively impacts the activity and survival of humans. Point sources of pollution are focused, single, and identifiable, whereas nonpoint sources are diffuse and unidentifiable. Biodegradable pollutants are harmful agents that can be decomposed by natural processes, whereas nondegradable pollutants cannot degrade by natural processes. An example of a biodegradable pollutant is a stack of newspapers, and an example of a nondegradable pollutant is a heavy metal, such as lead. Pollution cleanup is when you dilute or clean up the pollution after it is generated, for example, converting a radioactive material called fly ash into bricks, while pollution prevention occurs when you decrease or completely eliminate the pollution, for example, changing incandescent lights to LED lights. Three problems with solutions that rely on pollution cleanup are that it’s only temporary until people decide to produce even more pollution, that it often produces another kind of pollution, and that when it gets to a level that becomes harmful, it is either costly or impossible to cut down the pollution to a harmless