George Washington - PowerPoint

							CANADA’s
Environmental Issues
CANADA: The Great Lakes
    The Great Lakes
   The Great Lakes are an
    important part of the physical
    and cultural heritage of North
    America.
   Spanning more than 750
    miles from one end to the
    other, these vast inland bodies
    of water support life and
    provide water for drinking,
    transportation, power,
    recreation and many other
    uses.
    Acid Rain - Problem
   The Canadian
    environment is being
    altered by many
    human activities.
   The growth of
    industries and cities
    has caused air quality
    to decline, raising
    concerns about the
    effects of fossil fuel
    use and acid rain.
    Acid Rain & the Great Lakes
   Factories near the Great
    Lakes have contributed
    greatly to Canada’s acid
    rain problem.
   When chemicals from
    the factories join with
    water in the clouds,
    they form acid rain.
Acid Rain & The Great Lakes
   Pollutants that are
    transferred from the air
    into the Lakes are
    responsible for harming
    the quality of the water
    in the Lakes, as well as
    the health of the plants
    and animals that call the
    Great Lakes home.
     Great Lake - Ecosystem
   If a fish or plant is
    poisoned by
    pollution, any animal
    that eats that fish or
    plant will be poisoned
    as well.
   If a fish or plant is
    lost from an
    ecosystem, all
    animals that feed on
    that plant or fish will
    lose their food
    supply.
Preventing Pollution - Solution
    In 1972, the U.S. and Canada
     created the first “Great Lakes
     Quality Agreement” pledging to
     clean up and protect the Great
     Lakes ecosystem.
    New laws put strict limits on the
     amounts of chemicals that
     factories could release into the
     air, water, and soil.
Preventing Pollution - Solution
(con’t)
     Today, education
      programs encourage
      prevention.
     People in industry and
      farming are using
      fewer harmful
      chemicals.
     Consumers are also
      choosing products that
      are safer for the
      environment.
Canadian Shield
   Most of the Canadian Arctic is
    covered in a sheet of rock
    called the Canadian Shield.
   This region of ancient granite
    rock is sparsely covered with
    soil and deeply eroded by
    glacial action.
   It includes all of Labrador,
    most of Quebec, northern
    Ontario, Manitoba, Nunavut
    Territory, and part of the
    Northwest Territories, with
    Hudson Bay to the center.
The Canadian Shield
The Canadian Shield
   The Canadian Shield contains much of
    Canada’s mineral wealth, including diamonds.
   Mining is the biggest industry in this area.
   About 85 percent of the nation’s iron ore comes
    from mines near the Quebec- Newfoundland
    border.
   The Canadian Shield also has large deposits of
    gold, silver, zinc, copper, and uranium.
       Canadian Shield
   Canada’s extensive
    mineral resources provide
    valuable exports and also
    supply domestic
    industries.
   Minerals from the shield
    help fuel the
    manufacturing
    development of southern
    Ontario and Quebec.
Canada’s Timber Resources

       With almost half its land covered in
        forests, Canada is a leading
        producer of timber products.
       These products include lumber,
        paper, plywood, and wood pulp.
       The major timber – producing
        provinces include British
        Columbia, Quebec, and Ontario.
    Canadian Shield & Timber -
            Problem
   In the past, almost all of Canada’s
    exports were raw materials such as
    minerals and timber.
   When too many of these raw
    materials are removed or extracted
    from the environment, it hurts the
    environment permanently.
   Historical and current over-
    extraction of minerals and timber
    has threatened the future of
    available resources.
Canadian Shield & Timber -
Solution
   Today, Canada does not export as
    many raw materials, and it has
    increased the export of
    manufactured goods like cars.
   Most provinces now have
    legislation requiring
    environmental assessments of new
    projects, such as mines, pulp, and
    paper mills.