HS - ESS3 - Human activities and natural systems - (FINAL CJT) 5-9-14

Module: Human Activities and Natural Systems

DCI: ESS3.C (B) Scientists and engineers can make major contributions by developing technologies that produce less pollution and waste and that preclude ecosystem degradation.

PE: HS-ESS3-4 Evaluate or refine a technological solution that reduces impacts of human activities on natural systems.

[Clarification Statement: Examples of data on the impacts of human activities could include the quantities and types of pollutants released, changes to biomass and species diversity, or areal changes in land surface use (such as for urban development, agriculture and livestock, or surface mining). Examples for limiting future impacts could range from local efforts (such as reducing, reusing, and recycling resources) to large-scale geoengineering design solutions (such as altering global temperatures by making large changes to the atmosphere or ocean).]

The basic content behind this standard is as follows.

- Scientists and engineers can help create technologies that pollute less.

- Scientists and engineers can help create technologies that preclude less ecosystem damage.

- Students should be looking at alternative technologies and evaluating them for how they pollute or degrade ecosystems.

- Students should use data to do the above. 

- Data includes

     - how much pollution

     - kinds of pollution

     - changes to biomass

     - changes to species diversity

     - areal (?) changes to land surface

     

- Human efforts could include

     - reduce, reuse, recycle

     - making global changes (?)