Until recently, response to environmental problems has been fragm...

Question

Until recently, response to environmental problems has been fragmented—an antipollution law here, incentives for recycling there. Meanwhile, the problems of the gap between rich and poor nations, diminishing resources, and pollution continue to grow. Now people and governments are starting to envision a sustainable society. The Worldwatch Institute, a respected environmental monitoring organization, estimates that we must reach sustainability by the year 2030 to avoid economic and environmental disaster. To get there, we must begin shaping a sustainable society during this decade. In what ways is our present system not sustainable? What might a more sustainable society be like? Do you think a sustainable society is an achievable goal? Why or why not? What is the alternative? What might you do to work toward sustainability? What are the major roadblocks to achieving sustainability? How would your life be different in a sustainable society?

Accepted Answer

Hi everyone, Welcome back. Here's the next question. It says blood planes provide habitat to a wide range of organisms, including fish, invertebrates and birds, they also filter runoff from adjacent agricultural areas. If the floodplains are developed into canals, what will be the impact on the river's water quality? Well, let's think about the meaning of water qualities. We're supposed to think about the impact on it for this question. Water quality is the chemical, physical and biological characteristics of a body of water based on the standards appropriate for usage. So depending on if it's being used for drinking water, irrigation or other usage, um, what are its characteristics in these regards? So let's think about floodplains and what they are recall from our conduct videos. So we have our little river here running along and rivers as we know, usually run along in the valley, since water looks for the lowest pathway. So the rivers running through a valley, we have the riverbanks going back to eventually, we'll have an area where the elevation will go up again. So we'll say these are sort of mountains or foothills here. So our floodplains are these areas here, from the banks of the river up to where the elevation starts coming up. And we're saying, uh, what's the impact if we turn this river? So here in its natural state, it has these sort of sandy riverbanks with all sorts of grasses, reeds, sort of things growing along them habitats for small animals. And we're saying that it's being developed into a canal? So it's going to be paved over have cement on either side, no longer have these sandy um vegetation rich riverbanks. So what is the result? What's the impact on the river's water quality If you turn this into a canal? Um you might actually think the water quality might go higher. You know, something like a paved over canal seems maybe more sanitary than a river bank. But we actually see deleterious effects on the river's water quality. Um And that's mainly because of this filtering effect that these floodplains have. That. Um depending you've got agricultural runoff. Other things like that and with that sandy environment, you actually filter the runoff water that's coming into the river. So let's look at our answer choices here and see what looks correct choice A says it will cause you. Trophic eutrophication. Well, let's recall what eutrophication is. Put up a little definition here. Eutrophication is the gradual increase in nutrient concentrations um like phosphorus and nitrogen. That's because it would happen when you have, say, agricultural areas nearby, you have fertilizer being put there and force fertilizers are rich in those nutrients to help plants grow. But without the filtering effect of the floodplains, you have a lot of this agricultural runoff going directly into the water which will cause an increase in those nutrient concentrations as things filter into the water? So this is an effect. Um the problem for water quality. There is not only just the chemicals themselves in the water um but that can include encourage over growth blooms of algae in the water due to all these nutrients there, Choice B says it will lessen the water input in the river. Um Well no that's not the case. It won't decrease the amount of water going into the river. Um That should be the same. It just doesn't have that filtering effect on the water going into the river. Choice C says it will alter the river's shape. Well, that's not the answer. I mean it might make it slightly more straight or something but the canals generally follow the river's natural path. So Choice C. Is not the correct answer. And finally, Choice D it will make the water column much clearer. Um This is not correct. Um It will actually because there's less filtering, you'll see the water become more cloudy as having more things in it that don't get filtered out by the natural floodplain environment. So again, if floodplains are developed into canals, what will be the impact on the river's water quality choice A It will cause eutrophication. See you in the next video

Key Concepts

Sustainability

Environmental Impact

Social Equity

Watch next