Science Environmental Choices

Answer each question – APA format not needed 100+ word.

1 – How have environmental policies implemented by local leaders affected your daily life? Provide an example

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2 – What do we need to do to further improve the quality of air and water beyond what we already achieved?  Please share your thoughts here.

3 – In environmental science, cost calculations are sometimes based on risk considerations.  For example, in drinking water applications, the tolerated risk is 1E6 (one in one million); the maximum contaminant levels (MCLs) are generally set based on this risk level.  As an example, the MCL for trichloroethylene (TCE) is 5 micrograms per liter.  So, if one million people drink water for a lifetime at this concentration of TCE, one person is expected to develop cancer because of this exposure.

As a society, this is a risk that is acceptable to us.  We neither require nor justify additional expenses for drinking water treatment to levels below the MCL.

Question:  This is one example of how cost is affected by the level of risk we tolerate.  What other factors affect decisions that involve cost in environmental science?

4 – What is meant by risk assessment?  Who conducts risk assessments and for what purpose?  What are the different steps in risk assessment?

5 – How do trees grow?  Where does the mass of trees come from?  What are the “stuff” that make up trees and where do they come from? Soil?  Air? Water? Sun? Watch the Veritassium video linked below and answer these questions!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2KZb2_vcNTg

6 – How does storing large quantities of water on the surface (as in lakes and reservoirs) cause earthquakes?