проект по теме "Забота о нашей планете", представленный на конкурс Грант префекта ЦАО

Project

“Caring for our Planet”

by Mary Basilova

and Dasha Shevlyakova

form 8

Moscow St Dimitry School

Проект

«Забота о нашей планете»

учениц 8 класса

АНО СОШ «Димитриевская»

2012-2013 год

Руководитель проекта Астахова Ольга Борисовна

Our objective is to make young people interested in caring for the environment.

The aims of our presentation are

• To find out about the most serious environmental problems
• To investigate how we can improve our environment
• To do research into the most acute environmental problems in Moscow
• To find the ways to solve them

The structure of our project:

• Introduction
• Using resources (electricity, water, fossil fuels)
• Keeping the planet cool
• Clean up the environment
• The living world (animals & plants in danger)
• The most serious environmental problems in Moscow
• The way forward
• Our useful findings

Introduction

There are a lot of beautiful places on our planet, but every year people damage them more and more. We must care for our planet to keep it safe and clean for all the plants, animals, and people living here.

1. Using resources

Our planet gives us many natural resources like air to breathe and water to drink. It gives us plants and animals to eat, and coal and oil to make electricity. We need to use all these resources carefully.

Using fossil fuels correctly

Gas, coal, oil, or fossil fuels, are non-renewable resources. We use them to make electricity and gasoline. People cook and heat their homes with them. The problem is that these fossil fuels cannot be replaced, so when we have used them all, we will run out. They are called non-renewable resources, and we are using them too quickly.

Making clean electricity

We use fossil fuels like coal, gas and oil in power stations to make electricity. Lots of appliances in our life need electricity to work, for example, computers, televisions and refrigerators. People need electricity to cook and heat their homes. Some vehicles also need electricity.

Making clean electricity is important if we want to reduce global warming and save non-renewable resources like oil, coal and gas. Stations that make clean electricity are called nuclear stations. These nuclear stations make electricity without using fossil fuels. They do not put carbon dioxide into the air, but they produce radioactive waste. This waste is put underground or on the ocean floor, where it must stay for thousands of years before it is safe. Accidents at these stations are very dangerous, for example Chernobyl, Three Mile Island, and Fukishima, so now scientists are working hard to make nuclear power stations safer.

Another way to make electricity is to use sunlight. However there is one disadvantage: solar power stations only work well in places where it is very sunny all year long. In many countries, people use energy from solar panels to heat water in homes, offices, and swimming pools, and to power watches, calculators, and road signs. Also in sunny countries you can cook by using only solar cookers.

The third way to make clean electricity is with wind turbines. These turbines use the energy from the wind to make electricity. Making electricity from the wind is more efficient than solar panels. For example, in Germany, 6% of its electricity comes from wind farms.

There are two other ways to make clean electricity. The first of them is geothermal. Hot water and steam from underground can be used to heat buildings, and to make electricity. The second is using the power from moving water in rivers, lakes, or the tidal energy of the oceans. This is called hydroelectricity. It is interesting to know that the first hydroelectric power station was built in 1882. It was a simple water wheel. Now the biggest hydropower station in the world is the Three Gorges Dam in China.

Today we must save electricity because it is becoming more expensive. We must switch off lights and our electric appliances, if we are not using them.

Using water carefully

Water is one of the most important natural resources on Earth. Plants, animals and people all need water to live. About 70% of Earth is covered with water, but most of this water is salt water in oceans. Only 3% of Earth`s water is fresh. In some countries there is not enough water, so people have to travel a long way to collect it.

What can we do? 

There are things we can do to save water. Water must be clean, so we must not waste it. There are a lot of factories that waste water in Moscow and other cities. In countries that do not have enough clean water some charities build dams, pumps and wells. In big countries like Russia people must save water too. We can take a shower and then we use less water than when we have a bath. When we have a bath, we use approximately 90 liters of water and only 30 liters when we take a shower. Also, we should not leave the tap on when we brush our teeth.

To sum up, there are very simple things we can do to make a difference in our personal environment.

The problem with travel

Cars, planes, buses and ships all put carbon dioxide into the air. This increases the greenhouse effect and makes our planet warmer. Vehicles also pollute the air with other gases.

There is some advice on how to reduce travelling:

1) for short journeys, we can walk or cycle. Leg power can save our money and keep us fit -regular exercise can reduce the risk of heart disease by 50 %;

 2) we can try to use small cars, because they use less fuel than big ones, they are more economical;

3) we can share a car with our friends, it is cheaper and kinder to the environment;

4) we should use public transport instead of going by car, for example on average, about forty people travel in one bus, while the same number occupy thirty-three cars;

5) we should also reduce the number of vehicles that we make, because we use fossil fuels to power the factories where we make the vehicles.

Now, engineers are developing cars and planes that will use clean fuel, and will not pollute the air. There are solar cars and electrically-powered cars.

2. Keeping our planet cool

Scientists think that the Earth`s climate is changing and the weather is becoming more extreme. They think that this is happening because the Earth is getting warmer. Here you can see problems that cause global warming.

The Greenhouse Effect

The Earth gets heat from the sun, some of the heat escapes into space, but some is trapped by a blanket of gases. This keeps the Earth warm enough for us to live here, and it is called the greenhouse effect because it works like a greenhouse.

Global warming

When we use fossil fuels we make a gas called carbon dioxide. Scientists think that we are putting too much carbon dioxide into the air. The carbon dioxide increases the greenhouse effect and the Earth gets warmer. This is called global warming.

In 1997, in Kyoto (Japan) the intergovernmental agreement to reduce emissions of greenhouse gases that contribute to global warming was signed. This document stipulates that the 39 most industrialized countries would be required to reduce their emissions of carbon dioxide and five other substances whose presence in the atmosphere causes a change in the climate of the planet.

Extreme weather

 Some people think that global warming is changing our climate and making the weather more extreme. This is a problem for people, animals and plants. Hurricanes and floods are becoming more and more dangerous. Deserts are expanding. Every year extreme weather events cause some people to die and thousands of people to lose their homes. For example, in Moscow, in the summer of 2010 it was extremely hot, when the temperatures reached 40 degrees centigrade and there was awful smog, caused by forest fires during the heatwave,  which killed a lot of people. In the winter of 2010 there was a very dangerous ice storm, which caused different accidents, for example in some houses in Moscow Region there was not any electricity.

In 2012 in Crimsk there was a big flood caused by a downpour, so three cities were covered with water. 

Melting Ice

The Earth is getting warmer and the ice is melting at the North and South Poles. As this ice changes to water, the sea level is becoming higher. This is dangerous for low-lying countries like Bangladesh, and for low-lying islands, for example small islands in the Pacific Ocean, like Kiribati and Tuvalu. It is very dangerous for the people that live there, because water can cover these places and the people who live there will have to move to other countries.

What can we do? Charities and governments are working with people to build stronger homes and homes on higher ground. They are also giving people special radios so that they can hear about extreme weather events and move to a safer place in time.

3. Clean planet

Too much waste

Every day we throw away waste from our homes, schools, offices, and factories. This waste is collected in trucks, where some is recycled, and some is burned or put underground. People throw away too much waste. In some countries, there is not enough space to put any more waste underground. Some things that we throw away, like plastic bags, refrigerators, and cars, will stay underground for hundreds of years. It is interesting to know that in the USA every person produces more than 2 kilograms of waste every day. So for the whole country that is more than 232 million metric tons! Nowadays there is a lot of food that has a lot of  packaging, and this waste is difficult to recycle.

Waste makes pollution

Sometimes, people throw waste into rivers, lakes, or the ocean. Human waste and waste from factories also pollute water. More than a billion people in the world do not have clean water to drink.  Every day, people die from dirty drinking water. Some people leave waste on the streets, in the countryside, and on beaches. This pollutes our planet, and it is dangerous for animals if they eat the waste.

Too many plastic bags

Plastic bags are the things that we throw away most often and they are difficult to recycle. We may use a bag for five minutes, but it can take 500 years to decompose. Many animals die when they eat plastic bags. In some countries plastic bags are expensive, so they are used less.

An example of recycling

• This bike is made of recycled cardboard.
•  The tyres are composed of solid rubber recycled from old car tyres.
• The pedals are plastic recycled from bottles. The finished product weighs 9kg and can carry a rider weighing 220kg. (www.economist.com)

What can we do? First, we can use bags made from natural materials, or use plastic bags lots of times. Next, we must not throw waste into the streets, rivers, oceans. Then we can throw food and garden waste into a compost bin. Worms and bacteria eat the waste and change it into compost. Some people give waste to recycling firms. Finally, people must think before they buy something and give old clothes to charities.

4. The Living world

Protecting plants

Without plants, we would have nothing to eat. We also use plants to make clothes, homes and medicine. Plants take carbon dioxide from the air and give us oxygen to breathe. Plants are really important! We all need plants, and animals cannot live without plants too, because they eat plants, or they eat other animals that eat plants. Vitamins from plants are very important, because they keep us healthy. Another way to use plants is as medicine. For thousands of years, people have used plants as medicine. For example, the rosy periwinkle from Madagascar contains chemicals that can treat two types of cancer.

Plants in danger

Now, polluted air and water can damage plants.  Unfortunately, global warming is a problem too, as some plants cannot live in their usual habitat, because the temperature has become too high. A lot of trees are cut down by big international companies for furniture or paper.

What can we do? If we keep our planet clean and use fewer fossil fuels and as a result reduce global warming, we will save millions of plants. We must save trees too, so let us use less paper and recycle it! Some charities collect money to buy forests and protect them from being cut down. We can also plant new trees. Finland and Canada replace the trees that they use. In Russia there are a lot of botanic gardens where rare plants are grown and then people plant them in forests.

Protecting animals

Some animals, like cows, sheep, chickens, are raised for food. Farmers raise them to give us meat, cheese, eggs, and milk. In the ocean there are fish farms, where large numbers of fish are raised for food. People also raise animals for their wool, leather, and feathers. In some countries animals help people to work.

Animals in danger

Every animal has its own place to live, called its habitat, but people destroy these habitats. When we cut down the rainforest, we destroy the habitat of gorillas and tigers, and also of hundreds of smaller animals. Global warming and pollution are also problems for animals, for example, polar bears lose their habitat when polar ice melts and many animals die when they eat waste. Hunters kill some animals for money. Now hundreds of different types of animals, from insects to tigers, are disappearing because of lost habitats or hunting.

Zoos today

Nowadays many wild animals are kept in zoos or on animal reserves, rare animals can be kept safe there. Modern zoos create places for animals to live similar to their natural habitats. There are some charities that work to save rare animals and their habitats.

What can we do? We must protect habitats, and keep the countryside clean. Many countries have national, or wildlife parks, where animals can live safe from being shot by hunters. In Africa there are some safari parks where tourists from all around the world can come and see the animals in their natural habitat. In some places special laws protect rare animals from poachers. Some organizations take animals for breeding and then return their offspring to their native land.

Rare animals

• Giant panda 
• Snow leopard
• Przewalski Horse
• Mountain gorilla
• Amur tiger
• 
• Sumatran rhinoceros (Суматранский носорог)

• far Eastern leopard (далневосточный леопард)
• Java rhinoceros (яванский носорог) 
• blue macaw (голубой ара)
• Chinese river Dolphin (китайский речной дельфин)
• Orange toad (оранжевая жаба)
• Florida panther (флоридская пума)

5. Problems in Moscow

1. Air and water pollution

The main problem of Moscow is pollution in the air. Each year the atmosphere in Moscow gets 1.8 million tons of harmful gases, 90% of them are caused by transportation. 94% of all machines are not equipped with special filters that protect the environment from harmful gases.

 The number of automobiles in Moscow is growing from year to year. In 1940 there were 54 000 vehicles. In 1970 – 500 000 vehicles. Now there are 3 861 000 vehicles.

The Moscow River is very dirty because of pollution from factories and cars.

About 5 million tons of waste are produced in Moscow every year. Unfortunately, recycling centers are very rare in Moscow.

The Underground is one of the dirtiest places in Moscow. The air in the underground contains a large number of chemical substances harmful to people (for example, carbon dioxide)

2. The effect of pollution on the Muscovites’ health

Air pollution in Moscow has led to a constant increase in allergies and asthma in children.

Toxic substances affect the immune system. As a result, a great number of people suffer from lung diseases.

3. Our conclusions

• All vehicles should be equipped with modern filters
• Lorries and trucks should not be allowed to go to the centre of the city
• There should be more traffic-free areas in the centre of Moscow
• Recycling centres must be available for everybody

 6. The Way Forward

Some people think we must live a simple life,  live in a village and grow our own food, and not travel far distances.

Other people think that new technologies can help us to find new, clean ways to travel and make energy.

      Our Useful Findings:

What can we, teenagers, do?

• form a school environmental club
• make a school project/a film, draw posters
• collect paper, plastic and glass bottles, aluminum cans, and give them to recycling centres
• plant trees, flowers
• feed the birds in winter
• walk/go by bicycle/use public transport instead of going by car
• save water/electricity

References:

1) “Caring for our planet”, OUP, 2011

2) www.economist.com

3) www.wikipedia.org 

4) www.rg.ru