Name ____________________________________________________________Date__________Period________

Movie: Planet in Peril PART 1

Species Loss – Thai Market

1. What is the current rate of species extinction? _________________________________________________

2. What is the science of protecting species? ____________________________________________________

3. What countries are the top importers of illegal wildlife? __________________________________________

4. For what reasons are endangered species sold around the world? _______________________________________________________________________________________

5. Why is it important not to take endangered species from their natural habitat?________________________________________________________________________________

Species Loss – Madagascar

1. What is a biodiversity hotspot? ______________________________________________________________

2. Why would Madagascar be a biodiversity hotspot?________________________________________________

3. What is the role of forests in preserving an ecosystem? ____________________________________________

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4. Why should people in the United States care about species loss in another part of the world, such as Madagascar? ______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Species Loss – Yellowstone

1. What animal is being reintroduced into Yellowstone? ______________________________________________

2. Why were the originally eliminated from the park? __________________________________________________________________________________________

3. What is a keystone species? ______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

4. What evidence is there that wolves are a keystone species? ______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

5. How do beavers alter an ecosystem? ______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Species Loss – Cambodia

1. What is a top predator? A top predator is ________________________________________________________

2. What is the top predator in the jungles of Cambodia? _______________________________________________

3. Why are tigers hunted by poachers? _____________________________________________________________

4. What technology is used to track the tigers in the jungle? ______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

5. How do Asian elephants alter the ecosystem? ______________________________________________________

6. What can be done to stop poaching? ___________________________________________________________________________________________

Environmental Problems – China

1. Why is there such a demand for endangered species in China? __________________________________________________________________________________________

2. What is the underlying cause of resource exploitation? _____________________________________________

3. What is the current rate of consumption around the world? _________________________________________

4. What are some of the natural resources China is exploiting?__________________________________________________________________________________

5. What are some causes of water pollution? ________________________________________________________

6. What are some health concerns related to water pollution? __________________________________________

7. What environmental problems related to mining? _________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Chemicals Inside You and Me

1. How do scientists look at traces of industrial chemicals in our blood? __________________________________

2. Why are children and the elderly more susceptible to industrial chemicals? _________________________________________________________________________________________

3. What are some industrial chemicals that we should be concerned about and where do they exist in our daily lives? ___________________________________________________________________________________

4. What agency is responsible for chemical regulation in the United States? __________________________________________________________________________________________

5. What are some health problems related to some of these industrial chemicals? _________________________

Planet in Perils – Part II Greenland Ice Sheet

1. What chemical in the atmosphere is responsible for the warming of our planet? _____________

2. What is believed to be the source of this chemical? ____________________________________

3. What physical evidence do scientists have that the Earth is warming?_____________________ ______________________________________________________________________________

4. What technology do scientists use to monitor climate change, and how do they interpret the data?__________________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

5. Will capping carbon dioxide levels at present levels stop global warming or does it need to be reduced? ______________________________________________________________________

Polar Bears in Alaska

1. What technology do wild life biologists use to study polar bears? _______________________ _____________________________ _________________________ _____________________

2. If you were a United States Geologic Survey (USGS) wild life biologists, what data would you take on polar bears to determine if they were being affected by global warming? _______________ ___________________________ ___________________________ ______________________

3. Why do polar bears need the ice sheets? ____________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

4. What is an apex predator and why are they important to an environment? _________________ ______________________________________________________________________________

5. What is an endangered species and why would it be important to put them on the list, how many must be in the wild to be considered endangered? _______________________________ ______________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Climate Change in the South Pacific

1. What is the relationship to global warming and increased sea levels?__________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________________________

2. What could be the reason for the Carterette Islands sinking (discuss the coral)? ___________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________________________

3. What are some problems associated with the sinking of the island? ____________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________________________

4. What technology do scientists use to study coral reefs?______________________________________________

5. What is coral bleaching? ______________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________________________

Lake Chad

1. How is the lake ecosystem changing? ___________________________________________________________

2. Why is Africa the most vulnerable to climate change? ______________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________________________

Those Who Don’t Believe

1. What is the role of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change? __________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________________________

2. What are some of the problems with the models that predict climate change? ___________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

3. How do ice core samples help reduce the error of our climate models?__________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________________________

Brazil

1. Why is deforestation a problem in Brazil? _________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________________________

2. Why should we care about the rainforest? ________________________________________________________

3. Why is poverty a key factor in deforestation? ______________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________________________

4. What is the role of fire in helping a forest? ________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________________________

5. What is sustainable development? ______________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________________________

Cancer in America

1. What was the cause of her son’s leukemia? ________________________________________________________

2. What is a carcinogen? _________________________________________________________________________

3. What is the connection between race and environmental degradation? _________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________________________

4. What hidden costs are associated with environmental degradation? ____________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________________________

5. What is the “Tragedy of the Commons?” __________________________________________________________