Environmental Issues in Africa

SS7G2: The Student will discuss environmental issues across the continent of Africa.

a. Explain how water pollution and the unequal distribution of water impact irrigation, trade, industry, and drinking water.

b. Explain the relationship between poor soil and deforestation in Sub-Saharan Africa.

c. Explain the impact of desertification on the environment of Africa from the Sahel to the rainforest.

Polluted Water: Unfit to Drink• Water Pollution is a problem in African

Countries. – Pesticides, fertilizers, human waste– Mining and manufacturing byproducts

Water Pollution• Consumption of polluted water causes

illness.• Negative effect on the economy.

– When people are sick, they don’t work.

• In rural areas, 1 million children die yearly

• Many humanitarian efforts provide clean water for African Countries.

• Population growth decreases the amount of clean water.

Water Pollution• Polluted water negatively effects

the fishing industry– Kills the fish, makes them unfit to eat

• Oil spills contribute to water pollution.– Affects trade by ruining land for

farming and water for fishing.

• Niger River Delta– One of the most polluted places on

earth.

Water PollutionAlthough some African Countries have

industry generated income, the benefits of the businesses are cancelled out by the

cost of water pollution.

Water Pollution

• Few places in Africa can purify the drinking water or have plumbing systems– Water gathered one bucket at a time

• Fresh water is scarce in parts of Africa

• Water supply is needed in cities as population increases in cities.

• Irrigation is used in agriculture (capital investment)– Some systems are productive, while others are not

Deforestation

• What is the main cause of deforestation according to the pie chart above?

• What % of deforestation is agriculture responsible for?• What is the smallest cause of deforestation?

Deforestation: The loss of forest from cutting down too many trees.

Deforestation• Nearly 90% of the coastal rainforests in West

Africa have been cut down since 1990s– Result: Deforestation

• When trees are gone, nothing can hold soil in place.

• Wind blows, rain pours, and remaining soil is eroded. – Nutrients washed away, sun bakes exposed soil

• Leaving farmland unusable

Desertification

Causes of Desertification

- poor farming practices

- land clearing

-overgrazing of livestock

-draining of water for industrial or home use

Desertification: Process in which a desert spreads and the soil loses its ability to hold water.

Desertification• 1960s a drought in the Sahel caused the

Sahara to spread down into the Sahel– People, plants, and animals compete for water

supply

• Sahel is also attacked from the South– Poor agriculture

• Slash and Burn in the Rainforest– Top soil blows away, sand dunes are created, vegetation

suffocated– Harvest crops, until the soil is depleted and move on to a new

area.

Review…..

• What are the 3 main environmental problems in Africa?

• The loss of forest from cutting down too many trees is known as…..

• Process in which a desert spreads and the soil loses its ability to hold water

• What area in Africa is at the highest risk of Desertification?

• What industry is most impacted by water pollution?

• How do oil spills in the water affect agriculture and trade?