Environmental Issues of Africa

Unequal Distribution of Water

some countries have a lot of water and others have very little or none

Poverty

living without enough money to buy the basic necessities of life

Unclean Water

kills millions of children in Africa each year

Money/Profit

the reason factories are often allowed to continue dumping waste into rivers and the government does nothing about it

Droughts

caused famine and starvation

Water

people have a hard time getting enough of this substance to survive

Commercial Logging

main cause of deforestation in Africa

Deforestation

Helps the economy by bringing in money but harms the environment

Population Growth

a reason for deforestation; people need to cut down trees to build homes

Effect of Deforestation

less oxygen is produced and more carbon dioxide is in the air

Effect of Deforestation

fewer medicines because almost 1/4 of our medicines come from rain forest plants

Extinct

plants and animals cease to exist

Leads to Desertification

topsoil dries up and nothing can grow

Cause of Desertification

poor farming practices

Cause of Desertification

cutting down trees that hold topsoil in place

Cause of Desertification

overgrazing animals and allowing them to strip the ground of cover crops

Effect of Desertification

less land is available for farmers to use

Carbon Dioxide

colorless, harmful gas that increases due to deforestation

Oxygen

essential chemical element needed for humans to survive; decreases due to deforestation

Habitat

the natural home or environment of an animal, plant, or other organism