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Applying the Pollution Management Model

This resource was designed by Catarina Gouveia from St. Dominic's International School, Lisbon in Portugal. She shared the idea with me and is happy to share it more widely. We hope you find it useful. I think it would be a great review exercise at the end of the course.

A later addition comes thanks to Karan Wood who suggests that students can look for individual change and systemic change when altering human activities. She writes, "For instance, in the case of solid waste, picking up litter or refusing to use single-use-disposable plastics are a couple of strategies that fit in your existing Altering Human Activity model. But fast food places swearing off use styrofoam or soft drink manufacturers using aluminum instead of plastic - in other words, makers of products taking responsibility or being held responsible by consumers for reduction of waste packaging are important approaches at the systemic, manufacturer / maker level not necessarily tied to legislation or regulation. Without thinking big, as these examples suggest, it is less likely that individual actions can approach systemic manufacturer-level actions at scale." This an interesting and important distinction but quite sophisticated.

You can download a copy of this table. Here's a Google Doc version

The suggested answers (teachers can choose when to release these to students) are available  Applying the Pollution Management Model - Suggested Answers 

Student Task

To practice your understanding of the pollution management model ( 1.5 The Pollution Management Model ), complete the table for the four different types of "pollution". Aim for 2-3 points per box.

In the altering human activity boxes, aim to try and add one action that would be done by individuals and one done by institutions and businesses but unilaterally (without government rules or regulations).

LEVEL OF POLLUTION MANAGEMENT MODEL – APPLIED TO EACH ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUE 
General Pollution Management StrategiesWater PollutionPhotochemical SmogAcid DepositionSolid Domestic Waste
Human Activity Producing Pollutant

Altering human activity

Change the human activity that leads to the production of the pollutant in the first place, by promoting alternative technologies, lifestyles and values through:

  • campaigns
  • education
  • community groups
  • governmental legislation
  • economic incentives / disincentives
Altering human activityAltering human activityAltering human activityAltering human activity
Release Pollutant into Environment

Controlling release of pollutant

Where the activity/production is not completely stopped, strategies can be applied at the level of regulating or preventing the release of pollutants by:

  • legislation and regulating standards of emission
  • developing / applying technologies for extracting pollutant from emissions
Controlling release of pollutantControlling release of pollutantControlling release of pollutantControlling release of pollutant
Impact of Pollutant on Ecosystems

Clean-up and restoration of damaged systems

Where both the above levels of management have failed, strategies may be introduced to recover damaged ecosystems by:

  • extracting and removing pollutant from ecosystems
  • replanting / restocking lost or depleted populations and communities.
Clean-up and restoration of damaged systemsClean-up and restoration of damaged systemsClean-up and restoration of damaged systemsClean-up and restoration of damaged systems
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