Transcript 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.

CANADA’s
Environmental Issues
CANADA: The Great Lakes
The Great Lakes
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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)
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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 overextraction of minerals and timber
has threatened the future of
available resources.
Canadian Shield & Timber Solution
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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.