Acid Rain in Germany

Environmental Issue____________________________________________________

Causes EffectsEvent

(Important Facts)

Solutions?

Acid Rain: Caused by these…

Acid Rain: Results in this…

Acid Rain in Germany• What causes acid rain?

• Acid rain occurs when factories’ smoke or vehicles’ exhaust containing sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxides go up into the atmosphere

• It comes back down to earth in the form of harmful precipitation (rain, snow, etc.)

Event: Acid Rain in Germany• Causes:

car emissions (gases and particles which are put into the air by various sources)

factories emissions

other air pollution

• Effects:

kills animals

pollutes water, kills forests and other plants

destroys buildings and monuments

Germans afraid of this…

Black Forest in Germany

…becoming this…

Acid Rain Damage to fish stocks and forests have great economic

impact to local economy and international trade. Damage to buildings resulting in money having to be

spent to renovate.Closure of many factories resulting in loss wages.

What can be done?European Union members have agreed to the Kyoto Protocol, or reduce emissions of greenhouse gasses

• Find alternative energy sources• Conserve resources

All of these “fixes” cost money!!

Germany• Until 1980’s, people did not believe that acid rain was a

problem

• When people saw that forests were dying, they started to worry (Germans love their forests)• Almost half of trees in forest were damaged

• Pollution in Germany was actually causing acid rain in other countries

• Then Germans and others in Europe began pushing for emissions laws (how much pollution can be let out in the air)

• Now Europe has very strong laws about this: very little pollution allowed

• Germans are using hydroelectricity to reduce acid rain.

Hydroelectricity: Human/Environmental Interaction: Depending on our environment.

Frame for Thinking Map

• One the back of your multi-flow thinking map write a so what? and so why statement.

What is this thinking map about?

Why is this thinking map important to learn about?