The human POPULATION is growing rapidly, and the STANDARD OF LIVING is rising in many countries.
Both of these mean humans use MORE RESOURCES and produce MORE WASTE.
Unless this waste and the chemicals in it are handled properly, more POLLUTION is caused.
Pollution KILLS plants and animals, which REDUCES BIODIVERSITY (the variety of living things in an area).
The three places pollution happens
Pollution can occur in three places:
IN WATER — from sewage, from fertiliser washed off fields, and from toxic chemicals. Fertiliser causes eutrophication (algae bloom → less oxygen → fish die).
IN AIR — from smoke and from acidic gases such as sulfur dioxide, which cause acid rain.
ON LAND — from landfill (buried rubbish) and from toxic chemicals such as pesticides and herbicides, which can wash into soil and water.
Why it matters
Every source of pollution damages HABITATS and directly KILLS organisms.
When organisms die or habitats are destroyed, the number of species and their numbers fall — biodiversity DECREASES.
Pollution is not only about litter you can see. Invisible pollution — sewage and fertiliser in water, acidic gases in air, pesticides soaking into land — often does the most damage to biodiversity. Also remember: MORE people AND a higher standard of living both increase waste, not just population size alone.
📌 Key Note
Rising population + higher living standards → more resources used, more waste, more pollution. Pollution occurs in water (sewage, fertiliser, toxic chemicals), air (smoke, sulfur dioxide/acid rain) and land (landfill, pesticides/herbicides). Pollution kills organisms and reduces biodiversity.
🎯 Matching Activity — Where Does This Pollution Happen?
Sort each pollutant into the environment it mainly pollutes. — drag the symbols on the right to match the component names on the left.
Water
Drop here
Water
Drop here
Air
Drop here
Air
Drop here
Land
Drop here
Land
Drop here
Smoke and smoke particles from combustion
Sulfur dioxide from burning fuels, causing acid rain
Fertiliser washed off farmland causing eutrophication
Pesticides and herbicides sprayed on crops
Sewage — untreated human waste released into rivers and seas
Landfill — rubbish buried in the ground
🎯 Test Yourself
Question 1 of 2
1. Why does a rising human standard of living increase pollution, even where population is stable?
2. Fertiliser washing into a river reduces biodiversity. Which environment is being polluted?
⭐ How Well Do You Understand This Topic?
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