The impact of human activities on their environment is negative, which can threaten the existence of all living things. Therefore, the tasks of ecology and energy conservation are currently on a par with the primary tasks of mankind.
Ecology concept
Translated from Greek, the word "ecology" means "the science of the house", that is, the environment. The modern understanding of ecology includes knowledge about the interaction of living organisms with each other and with the environment in which they are located. Anticipating the consequences of the impact of technological progress on the habitat, this science can give recommendations on how to avoid negative results, how to make the Earth, the common home of people, only become more beautiful, and the descendants would be grateful to the present generation for this.
What does ecology study
The subject of the study of ecology are ecosystems, consisting of biological communities and the environment in which they are located. Ecosystems, for example, are the following systems: forest, taiga, tundra, desert,ocean. At the same time, both the stump and the puddle are also ecosystems. The sum of all ecosystems creates the Earth's ecosystem, which is called the biosphere.
The study of ecosystems consists of the following sections:
- The study of the habitat of a biological community, i.e. its climate and natural resources.
- Finding out the existence of an equilibrium between individuals in an ecosystem, for example, between herbivores and predators.
- Study of changes in the conditions of existence of all individuals in an ecosystem under the influence of human activities.
Factors of influence on the ecosystem arising from human impact are called anthropogenic factors. Man plows the land, builds dams, deforests and builds factories. It is clear that under this influence the conditions of existence in the system change. The study of these changes is the responsibility of ecology, which presents the results of its research to the public. All of them argue that anthropogenic factors have a negative impact on all living individuals and pollute their habitat. This also applies to human existence.
Ecology and energy saving
Preservation of natural resources, their reasonable and economical use is one of the tasks of ecology, which must be solved by all mankind. To involve the younger generation in this task in Russia, the All-Russian lesson "Ecology and Energy Saving" was held. It addressed the following issues:
- The use of hydrocarbons and their pollution.
- Alternative energy sources. Types of energy of the future.
- Forest –lungs of the planet.
- Water and life.
- Red Book.
- Human ecology.
Use of hydrocarbons and energy of the future
Hydrocarbons are produced from oil, gas and coal. After separation into fractions, gasoline, kerosene, diesel fuel and fuel oil are obtained from oil. From fuel oil, engine oil and tar are subsequently obtained.
Humanity uses hydrocarbons, most often by exposing them to combustion, distillation and other chemical reactions. As a result, combustion products are formed that are released into the atmosphere. These substances are highly toxic to humans, as well as to flora and fauna. The greatest danger to all living things are cancer-causing carcinogens, which are found in the smoke and exhaust gases of cars.
With the development of all sectors of the national economy, especially transport and energy, the use of hydrocarbons is also growing. Then the amount of combustion products also increases, and, consequently, environmental pollution also increases. And this is one of the global environmental problems of the present.
At the All-Russian lesson “Ecology and Energy Saving”, students should be involved in the discussion of this issue, having told them in advance about what proposals exist in the world for obtaining energy in the future. Here you need to mention tidal energy, and solar stations, and biofuels, as well as talk about an engine that runs on pure hydrogen and creates almost no waste. After that you canask the students to dream up on this topic themselves, and try to theoretically create the engine of the future.
Forest is the lungs of the planet
Forest is a habitat for many animals, plants and fungi, most of which cannot exist outside the forest. To preserve this diversity of species, it is necessary that there is no human intervention in this ecosystem.
Forest traps snow in spring and protects soil from erosion. It absorbs carbon dioxide and releases oxygen, being the lungs of the planet. If forests on Earth disappeared, then in a few years oxygen would also disappear, which means that life on Earth would become impossible.
Wood is used in light industry to make furniture and paper. For example, to produce 15 textbooks, the wood of one tree is needed.
When teaching a lesson about the benefits of the forest at school, you can offer students a thematic quiz. Ecology and energy saving should be the main theme in this case. Questions for a quiz might be:
- How many kilograms of waste paper do you need to turn in to get 10 textbooks from it?
- How many trees does it take to get 10 textbooks?
- How many trees can be saved by turning in 30 kg of waste paper?
- What crafts can you make out of a trash can?
Water and life
The human body is 70% water. The purer the water that a person drinks, the he althier he will be. Clean water is needed by all living organisms on Earth. There are no exceptions.
Water from rivers and lakes is purified and thenenters the water supply. But if the rivers are very polluted, then this water cannot be used for drinking. The state of water in rivers is affected by such human actions as:
- discharge of sewage;
- deforestation;
- timber alloy;
- draining swamps.
Clean water can be visually distinguished from dirty water by the plants growing in it. The fact that the water is clear is indicated by white water lilies, water chestnuts, and, of course, fish and crayfish.
For students, the following event on ecology and energy saving can be offered - a trip to the nearest pond, where they will need to determine the degree of pollution or purity of water by the presence of vegetation on it.
Red Book
The existence of the biosphere is associated with the presence of various species of wild animals. This bond has developed over billions of years of their joint existence.
In biology there is the concept of the food chain, which explains how each organism receives energy. For example, plants can convert solar energy, and some animals eat these plants. But there are animals that only eat animals.
These bonds have existed for billions of years. With the disappearance of any species, the food chain is disrupted, which may lead to the disappearance of its other components, that is, other species.
When studying the issues of ecology and energy saving at school, it is necessary to point out these links, emphasizing the importance of protecting rare animals and plants.
It is very important to consider the Red Book itself at school. On theIn the class hour about ecology and energy saving, you can study varieties of rare animal species, as well as state-protected areas - national parks and reserves.
Human Ecology
Man's he alth is adversely affected by various types of radiation, noise and vibration. At the class hour on ecology and energy saving, it is necessary to consider these factors, as well as to study their norms, the excess of which is life-threatening.
It is also necessary to explain to schoolchildren the importance of a he althy lifestyle. In the process of considering ecology and energy saving, it is necessary to study human ecology, which includes finding a person in an ecologically clean environment and maintaining a he althy lifestyle.
Real schoolchildren will become active creators of society in the future. If they can take care of the environment, natural resources and their own he alth, they will be able to build a he althy and prosperous society.
