Page 40 - Science Coursebook

2.9 Protecting the environment

The growing human population is causing increasing damage to the environment.
Much of the damage is caused by pollution and habitat destruction.
What can we do to reduce the damage?
Countries all over the world get together to decide on ways to reduce harm to the
environment. Several important international agreements have been signed.

Preserving wetlands
In 1971, representatives from 21 nations
met in Iran to discuss the threat to the
world’s wetlands. They continued their
discussions for several years. In 1975,
they all signed an agreement called the
Ramsar Convention. This listed things
that they would all try to do to save the
Earth’s wetlands.

Since then, more and more nations have
signed up to the Ramsar Convention. By
2012, 161 nations had joined.
Each country identifies its important

wetlands, and puts measures into place to The countries shown in green on this map of Asia
try to protect them. Representatives from have signed up to the Ramsar Convention.
each country meet at regular intervals, to
discuss their progress.

Question
A+I 1 Identify some of the countries that have not signed the Ramsar Convention.
(You may need to use an atlas to help you.) Can you suggest why they have
not signed?

Protecting the ozone layer
In Stage 7, you learnt about how gases
called chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs)

damage the ozone layer. In 1989, concentration
a treaty came into force that was of CFCs in the
signed by many countries. They agreed atmosphere
to phase out the use of CFCs.
The combined efforts of so many

countries have had an enormous effect. 1940 1960 1980 2000 2020

The addition of CFCs to the atmosphere year
has greatly decreased. Scientists predict This graph shows how the concentration of CFCs in the
that the ozone layer will eventually atmosphere has changed since 1940, and also how it is
recover almost completely. predicted to change by 2030.

38 2 Living things in their environment