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Human influence on the world around us

Serena Klein

Created on April 4, 2026

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Transcript

Escape Room

Human INfluence on The world around us

start

Plant the seeds of a better future

help save the planet

Complete all missions and contribute to a better Earth!

How humans impact the environment

How do those impacts affect nonhuman populations

What can we do to Help reduce these impacts

Final Mission!

Mission 1

How Humans Impact the Environment

We will learn about 4 different ways humans are impacting the environment. Click on the informational button in the upper left corner for a preview on what we will cover!

I'm ready!

Click the Red play button to watch the introductory video about Global warming

Done! Next page please

look at the data below and select the answer that best describes what the y axis of the graph is showing

What is the trend in Global Average Surface Temperature datA from 1900 to Current?

Using the aggregate Land and Ocean temperature data below, what trends are we seeing during January 2026

Rising global temperatures have also been tied to an increase in extreme global weather events. Which graph supports this claim statement?

Rising global Temperatures are also influenced by the next human impact we will talk about: Deforestation. Observe the gif below to see how the amazon Rainforest has changed over the last 20 years due to human development

Done! Next page please

What trend do we see happening to the area covered by the world's forests over the last 30 years?

Click the Red play button to watch the introductory video about Overfishing

Done! Next page please

What makes the Patagonian Toothfish, or "Chilean Sea Bass" Vunerable to overfishing?

58% of the world's fish population is fished to the maximum sustainable level, and 31% is overfished. What is the remaining percentage of Not fully exploited fish?

Done! Next page please

What are the largest contributors to water pollution?

Mission 1 Completed

Climate Change

Land Use and Deforestation

Pollution

Overfishing

Introduction of harmful human created substances to the natural environment

Catching fish faster than their populations can reproduce and damaging biodiversity

Destruction of forests for reasons such as agricutlure and human development

Shifts in global temperature and weather patterns

continue

help save the planet

Complete all missions and contribute to a better Earth!

How humans impact the environment

How do those impacts affect nonhuman populations

What can we do to Help reduce these impacts

Final Mission!

Mission 2

Human Impact on Non-human populations

We've been introduced to four ways humans impact the environment. How are these human impacts (climate change, deforestation, overfishing and pollution) affecting animal and plant populations around the world?

I'm ready!

Let's begin with Climate change. Observe the gif below to see how Rising global Temperatures have impacted sea ice in the Arctic since 1980

Done! Next page please

What has happened to the volume and age of sea ice from 1985 to 2021?

This melting arctic sea ice is impacting countless nonhuman populations, including the apex predator of this ecosystem. Click on the image below to read an article about the impact of global warming on the arctic polar bear.

Done! Next page please

Let's look at deforestation next. In Mission 1, we saw how the world's forests, particularly the amazon rainforest have been dramatically decreasing in size due to ranching, agriculture expansion, logging, etc.

Done! Next page please

When we talk about how deforestation impacts plant and animal populations, we need to address the concept of biodiversity. Biodiversity is the variety of all living things (Plants, animals, bacteria, humans) in a certain area. The more biodiverse an ecosystem is, the more stable and resilient they are to changes. Essentially, the more diverse an ecosystem, the healthier it is!

Done! Next page please

Amazon rainforest location

"Richness" is the number of different species in an area

Amazon Rainforest location

Amazon rainforest location

Now let's see how Overfishing impacts non-human populations. Click on the image below to expand and read the infographic

Done! Next page please

And finally, lets see how pollution is affecting non-human populations like animals and plants.

Another harmful way plastic waste is introduced to marine species is through microplastics.

Other pollutants like air quality can heavily impact non-human populations as well. THe data below shows the number of US national Parks with data indicating harm/population impact of plant species due to air pollution

Done! Next page please

Mission 2 Completed

Land Use and Deforestation

Climate Change

Pollution

Overfishing

Ingestion and entanglement in plastic pollution is negativeley impacting over 200 marine species. Air pollution is threatening key plant populations.

Huge numbers of marine species are being caught faster than they can sustain their population

Destruction of the Amazon rainforest is eliminating some of the most biodiverse areas on Earth.

Melting sea ice is threatening populations of arctic polar bears

continue

help save the planet

Complete all missions and contribute to a better Earth!

How humans impact the environment

How do those impacts affect nonhuman populations

What can we do to Help reduce these impacts

Final Mission!

Mission 3

What can we do to help reduce these impacts?

We now know four ways humans are impacting the environment (climate change, deforestation, overfishing and pollution) and the negative ways in which plants and animals are being affected. How can we help reduce the impacts on the Earth?

I'm ready!

One of the main causes of global warming is an increase in Greenhouse Gases like Carbon Dioxide from human activity

Done! Next page please

Click on the image below to view a greenhouse effect simulation. Select "Waves" and click "Start Sunlight". Adjust the greenhouse gas concentration in the atmosphere, and observe how the temperature of the earth changes

Use the Thermometer to see how the temperature changes when the greenhouse gas concentration is increased or decreased

Use the slider to increase and decrease greenhouse gas concentration

Done! Next page please

How does an increase in greenhouse gas concentration affect global temperature?

What is happening to the infrared (heat) waves when more greenhouse gases are added to the atmosphere?

The more greenhouse gases in the atmosphere, the more heat is trapped in the lower atmosphere and the higher the surface temperature of the earth.

Which of the following transportation methods emit less greenhouse gases into the atmosphere? Click and drag the boxes to Sort the options below

Airplane

More Greenhouse Gases

Less Greenhouse Gases

Bicycling

Driving a gas-powered car

Driving an electric car

Walking

Next!

The more greenhouse gases in the atmosphere, the more heat is trapped in the lower atmosphere and the higher the surface temperature of the earth.

Brainstorming solutions for our next human impact of deforestation can be a complex issue. The leading causes of deforestation are livestock and agricultural development. Humans rely on this for food as well as money, so simply getting rid of this industry isn't a viable solution for all interest holders.

Done! Next page please

One idea to help mitigate the negative impact of deforestation due to agriculture is to invest in more sustainable farming methods such as agroforestry. Agroforestry is a system that integrates trees and shrubs in with crops and livestock.

Another idea to combat deforestation is replanting trees and shrubs. This can be difficult however, due to the expense of labor, materials and maintaining the land after the seeds/trees have been replanted.

For the human impact of overfishing, We know that certain methods of fishing are more damaging than others. Which fishing methods have the highest negative impact on the Environment and should be reduced?

Fishing limits can be calculated by estimating the number of fish needed to maintain population levels based on reproduction rate, death rate, life span, etc. What relationship should exist between the number of fish needed to maintain the population and amount of fish being caught to create a sustainable system where overfishing is not occuring?

> = < ?

Amount of fish being caught

maintenance population

We learned that plastic pollution is being ingested by and entangling marine animal populations and air pollution is negatively impacting plants in our national parks. Let's see what we can do to address these impacts!

Done! Next page please

The graphic shows how long it takes common materials to decompose (break down into simpler, smaller pieces easier to return to the environment).

The graphic shows how long it takes common materials to decompose (break down into simpler, smaller pieces easier to return to the environment).

Mission 3 Completed

Land Use and Deforestation

Overfishing

Climate Change

Pollution

Investment in more biodegradable products can help minimize harmful plastic marine waste

Reducing harmful fishing practices and keeping fish populations at a sustainable population mitigate overfishing

One way to address deforestation due to agricultural land clearing is to implement sustainable farming practices like agroforestry

Reducing release of greenhouse gases through human activity can help combat a warming climate

continue

help save the planet

Complete all missions and contribute to a better Earth!

How humans impact the environment

How do those impacts affect nonhuman populations

What can we do to Help reduce these impacts

Final Mission!

Mission 4

Final mission: Putting the pieces together

We've now investigated four ways humans are impacting the environment, the negative ways in which plants and animals are being affected and how can we help reduce the impacts on the Earth. Let's review, and get ready to create a healthier environment on Earth!

I'm ready!

what conclusions can we draw from this data?

What has happened to the volume and age of sea ice from 1985 to 2021?

Select all human impacts that are increasing the amount of greenhouse gasses in our atmosphere:

How does an increase in greenhouse gas concentration affect global temperature?

what conclusions can we draw from this data?

Amazon rainforest location

Amazon rainforest location

Why is it specifically important to reduce the destruction of rainforest habitats?

what conclusions can we draw from this data?

Certain methods of fishing are more damaging than others. Which fishing methods have the highest negative impact on the Environment?

what conclusions can we draw from the images/data?

How is plastic pollution harmful?

Mission 4 Completed!

Click to access REsources

Resources Page 1

Amazon_deforestation_2000vs2023_1100.GIF. NOAA Climate.gov. (n.d.). https://www.climate.gov/media/15864 Bell, M., Felker-Quinn, E., & Taylor, K. (2023, December 29). How to assess air pollution’s impacts on forests (U.S. National Park Service). National Parks Service. https://www.nps.gov/articles/000/how-to-assess-air-pollutions-impacts-on-forests.htm Earle, S. (n.d.). Extreme Weather Events - Environmental Geology. Environmental Geology. https://environmental-geology-dev.pressbooks.tru.ca/chapter/extreme-weather-events/ Education, U. C. for S. (n.d.). Polar bears on thin ice. Polar Bears on Thin Ice | Center for Science Education. https://scied.ucar.edu/learning-zone/climate-change-impacts/polar-bears Elizabeth Johnson, A., & Jacquet, J. (2017, August 10). Will the ocean ever run out of fish?. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WNdR808jMSA&t=7s Environmental and Energy Study Institute (EESI). (n.d.). Q&A: How the Savanna Institute is helping agroforestry thrive in the Midwest. EESI. https://www.eesi.org/articles/view/qa-how-the-savanna-institute-is-helping-agroforestry-thrive-in-the-midwest Freeh, R. (2017, August 10). A changing city: Office of Sustainability: Posts. City of Philadelphia. https://www.phila.gov/posts/office-of-sustainability/2017-08-10-a-changing-city/ Mapping the world’s biodiversity. BiodiversityMapping.org. (2024, November 14). https://biodiversitymapping.org/ Marine Debris Program. (n.d.-a). https://marinedebris.noaa.gov/ Mongabay. (2020, March 22). Where rainforests are located. Mongabay.com. https://worldrainforests.com/0102.htm Nallakaruppan, M.K., Gangadevi, E., Shri, M.L. et al. Reliable water quality prediction and parametric analysis using explainable AI models. Sci Rep 14, 7520 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-024-56775-y

Page 2

Resources Page 2

NASA. (2011, July 7). Declining arctic sea ice: 1979-2010 - NASA science. NASA. https://science.nasa.gov/photojournal/declining-arctic-sea-ice-1979-2010/ National Geographic. (2007, May 18). Global Warming 101 National Geographic. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oJAbATJCugs&t=44s NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Monthly Global Climate Report for Annual 2024, published online January 2025, retrieved on April 27, 2026 from https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/access/monitoring/monthly-report/global/202413. DOI: https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/access/metadata/landing-page/bin/iso?id=gov.noaa.ncdc:C00672 Reality Check Team. (2021, November 19). Deforestation: Which countries are still cutting down trees?. BBC News. https://www.bbc.com/news/59136545 Scott, R. L. A. M. (2022, October 18). Climate change: Arctic sea ice summer minimum. NOAA Climate.gov. https://www.climate.gov/news-features/understanding-climate/climate-change-arctic-sea-ice-summer-minimum Sliger, S. (2025, January 7). Climate solutions: Planting trees. UF/IFAS Extension Sarasota County. https://blogs.ifas.ufl.edu/sarasotaco/2023/08/10/climate-solutions-planting-trees/ Types of pollution with air, water, soil and noise examples outline diagram. VectorMine. (2022, February 3). https://vectormine.com/item/types-of-pollution-with-air-water-soil-and-noise-examples-outline-diagram/?srsltid=AfmBOor_Inuf9ZP8HIyzo_PiN0TMxCa6K8Q2N0GhZAWVEpBAJV0n1cHv University of Colorado Boulder. (n.d.). Greenhouse Effect‬ - Phet. PhET Interactive Simulations. https://phet.colorado.edu/sims/html/greenhouse-effect/latest/greenhouse-effect_all.html US Department of Commerce, N. O. and A. A. (2016, June 23). How does overfishing threaten coral reefs?. NOAA’s National Ocean Service. https://oceanservice.noaa.gov/facts/coral-overfishing.html

Final Page

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Types of Human Impact

Climate Change

Land Use and Deforestation

Pollution

Overfishing

Introduction of harmful human created substances to the natural environment

Catching fish faster than their populations can reproduce and damaging biodiversity

Destruction of forests for reasons such as agricutlure and human development

Shifts in global temperature and weather patterns

Types of Human Impact

Climate Change

Land Use and Deforestation

Pollution

Overfishing

Introduction of harmful human created substances to the natural environment

Catching fish faster than their populations can reproduce and damaging biodiversity

Destruction of forests for reasons such as agricutlure and human development

Shifts in global temperature and weather patterns

Infographic Link

Infographic Link

Types of Human Impact

Climate Change

Land Use and Deforestation

Pollution

Overfishing

Introduction of harmful human created substances to the natural environment

Catching fish faster than their populations can reproduce and damaging biodiversity

Destruction of forests for reasons such as agricutlure and human development

Shifts in global temperature and weather patterns

Types of Human Impact

Climate Change

Land Use and Deforestation

Pollution

Overfishing

Introduction of harmful human created substances to the natural environment

Catching fish faster than their populations can reproduce and damaging biodiversity

Destruction of forests for reasons such as agricutlure and human development

Shifts in global temperature and weather patterns

drag each word to its corresponding group