1. What is meaning of Biomass?

Biomass means biological material derived from living organisms such as crops,

livestock, fish, wood, etc. Metals are used in the manufacture of a wide range of goods –
from cars to computers. Minerals are used in industrial processes and in construction to
build our houses and roads. Both metals and minerals are obtained from rocks that have
been mined and are then processed in various ways to extract the valuable resource.
2. What is Deforestation?
One particular problem caused by over-exploitation of natural resources
is deforestation, which occurs when forest areas are cleared and the trees are not
replanted or allowed to regrow. In Ethiopia, clearing land for agriculture to meet the food
needs of the growing population and the demand for fuel and construction materials has
resulted in a steady loss of forest area, which is still continuing as you can see from
Figure 1.3.

3. Explain the Energy resources?

The use of renewable or non-renewable resources is a critical factor when considering
energy resources. Fossil fuels have been the main energy source for global
industrialisation, but because they are non-renewable, the quantity is ultimately limited
and their use is not sustainable over the long term. Furthermore, burning of fossil fuels is
the main cause of climate change. (Climate change is discussed fully in later study
sessions.) There are several renewable alternatives to fossil fuels. Wood used as a fuel is
renewable in the sense that trees will regrow but there are other disadvantages such as
deforestation, as you have read. In Ethiopia, windfarms are harnessing wind power to
generate electricity (Figure 1.4) but the most important source of renewable energy in
Ethiopia is water. Ethiopia already has several hydropower stations, and more are
planned, including the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam, currently under construction.
Hydroelectric power is renewable because it makes use of the energy of flowing water
but does not use up the water in the process. Another renewable energy source is solar
power, using photovoltaic cells that convert the sun’s energy into electricity.

4. What is Production of waste and pollutants?

Following on from our use of natural resources, it is inevitable that wastes are produced.
For the WASH sector, the most important of these is our own bodily wastes. The impacts
of open defecation and inadequate sanitation on human health and on the wider
environment are profound. Waterborne diseases are caused by pathogens (disease-
causing agents) in water and food that have been contaminated by the wastes from
infected people. Preventing this connection between human wastes and the intake of
contaminated water is the primary goal of WASH services.

Pollution means the introduction into the environment of substances liable to cause

harm to humans and other living organisms. For example, the leather industry produces
large amounts of liquid wastes from the tanning process.
5. What is Agriculture and environment?
Agriculture is very important in Ethiopia to provide essential food crops and as a source
of income, contributing about 46% of our country’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP).
About 80% of the labour force in Ethiopia is in the agricultural sector, so it is vital to the
livelihoods of the majority of people. However, agriculture also has significant negative
impacts on our environment, including loss of biodiversity, pollution, climate change,
soil erosion and the use of large amounts of water for irrigation.

6. How we can protect and restore our environment?

We end this study session with a positive message. Humans not only affect the
environment negatively – we can also contribute positively to sustaining it. When we
install wastewater treatment plants, protect endangered species and replant forests, we
have a positive impact on our environment. Since 2000, huge efforts have been made in
Ethiopia to increase the forest coverage through government and NGO reforestation
programmes. More than 700 million trees were planted in 2007 alone (AFP, 2010).
Figure 1.12 shows people in Konso, Ethiopia, planting trees to celebrate World
Environment Day 2012.In some parts of the country where the reforestation programme
has been implemented effectively, the community has already started to benefit from
environmental improvements, through effects such as creating more spring water, a
higher water table, and less soil erosion and flooding (Rinaudo, 2010).

7. What is population growth?

These impacts are inevitably linked to the number of people living on the Earth. Human
population growth affects all people around the world through its impact on the
economy, the environment, and the systems that support life. The population has grown
rapidly over the past hundred years as a result of high birth rates and low death rates
across the globe.

8. Demographic transition?
The changes in the population of countries over time have been found to follow a pattern
described as ‘demographic transition’. Demographic transition is a process of
fundamental change by which a country moves gradually from high birth and death rates
to low birth and death rates. During the transition, death rates decline first and this is
followed by a decline in birth rates. Figure 2.3 shows the five stages of demographic
transition, described below.

9. What is population composition and characteristics?

Population composition is the description of the characteristics of a group of people in
terms of factors such as their age, sex, marital status, education, occupation, and
relationship to the head of household. Of these, the age and sex composition of any
population are most widely used. The number and proportion of males and females in
each age group have considerable impact on the population’s current and future social
and economic situation.
10.What is Demographic trasition?
Demographic transition
The changes in the population of countries over time have been found to follow a
pattern described as ‘demographic transition’. Demographic transition is a process of
fundamental change by which a country moves gradually from high birth and death
rates to low birth and death rates. During the transition, death rates decline first and
this is followed by a decline in birth rates. Figure 2.3 shows the five stages of
demographic transition, described below.
11.What is population composition and characteristics?
Population composition is the description of the characteristics of a group of people in
terms of factors such as their age, sex, marital status, education, occupation, and
relationship to the head of household. Of these, the age and sex composition of any
population are most widely used. The number and proportion of males and females in
each age group have considerable impact on the population’s current and future social
and economic situation.
12.What are Impacts of population growth?
As noted in Study Session 1, an increase in the number of people on Earth will mean that
the impacts of their activities will increase too. However, it is important to note that this
is not a simple cause and effect relationship. High population growth may deplete
resources and trigger social or economic problems, but these same problems may also
contribute to the causes of high population growth.

The impacts of population numbers on water resources and sanitation are covered in
other study sessions. In this section we will look at the links between rapid population
growth and problems with food, health and poverty.

13. What is population growth and food security?

As the population grows, the amount of food required to adequately feed people is
increasing. Food security exists when all people at all times have physical and economic
access to adequate, safe and nutritious food that meets their dietary needs for an active
and healthy life (WHO, n.d.). In many developing countries, the numbers of hungry,
malnourished people who don’t have food security are growing.

Food security can be improved by increasing the quantity and quality of food produced.
This could be by bringing more land into cultivation or by improving crop yields by
irrigation or the use of fertilisers. However, these ‘solutions’ to the problem will all have
environmental impacts that need to be weighed up against the potential benefits.

14. What is population growth and heath?

Population growth has a number of effects on health. Rapid population growth increases
demand for health services, infrastructure, and financial resources. For a rapidly growing
 population, a shortage of health workers and resources causes difficulties in accessing
health care services.

The number and spacing of children per family both have significant effects on health.
Women who have many children are more likely to become ill than those with small
families. Furthermore, the gap between children has a significant effect on the survival
rate of the child. Figure 2.7 shows the difference in child survival for children born less
than two years apart compared to a three-year interval.

15. What is poverty, population and the environment?

Families with many children are more likely to live in poverty with an inadequate diet
and poor living conditions. This leads to ill health, which diminishes people’s ability to
work and puts them deeper into poverty in a negative downward spiral.

The environment is very important for the well-being of everyone, but particularly poor
people because they tend to have a closer relationship with their immediate surroundings
than people who are better off. Poor people are more directly dependent on the
environment for food, water, fuel and traditional medicines, as well as deriving their
income from it through agriculture, forestry or fishery.

Poor people are also more vulnerable to natural disasters such as flood and drought, and
to climate change. They may live in undesirable areas such as marshy lands without
flood protection, or on unstable hillsides. Poverty means they don’t have the resources to
build shelters that can withstand floods and landslides .In urban areas they are likely to
live in slums with less access to affordable clean water, good sanitation or health
facilities.