5 Pollution
Learning Objectives
In this chapter student will be able to:
- Define pollution
- Categorize forms of pollution
Habitat loss and climate change are the most prominent threats facing biodiversity at present. However, nearly all human activities place additional pressures on population. Such pressures are primarily from pollution, overharvesting, invasive species and disease. By definition, pollution is the introduction of harmful materials, called pollutants into the environment. Many pollutants take many years to biodegrade, and thus continue to pose a threat to wildlife and humans long after entering the environment. Biomagnification, a process through which pesticides and other toxins accumulate and become more concentrated in animals at higher levels of the food chain is becoming worsen.
Click below to see the forms of pollution:
Watch an interactive video below to learn more on air pollutions.
Self-Assessment
Now let’s test your understanding!
The outright destruction of natural ecosystems
Long-term shifts in temperatures and weather patterns
The introduction of harmful materials in to the environment.
Harmful materials that cause pollution
Bioaccumulation