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Paul University Philippines 

Tuguegarao City, Cagayan 3500 
 
GRADUATE SCHOOL 
FINAL EXAMINATION IN BIO 202- ENVIRONMENTAL BIOLOGY 
 
INSTRUCTIONS: Read the statements/questions carefully. Then, in not less than three (3)
paragraphs, answer all the given questions comprehensively. (10 points each) 

1. Enumerate three of the most prominent environmental problems in the country. How do these
issues affect our environment as a whole? 
1) Pollution – pollution of the air, water and soil caused by toxins such as plastics, heavy
metals and nitrates, caused by factors such as toxins and gases released by factories, combustion
of fossil fuels, acid rain, oil spill and industrial waste.
2) Global Warming due to emission of greenhouse gases
3) Improper waste disposal - An excessive amount of waste is produced and dumped in
the rivers or oceans. Nuclear waste is particularly dangerous, as well as plastics and electronic
waste.
In the Philippines, we, Filipinos, are already feeling the effects of these problems. From
low pressure typhoons, it has evolved into super typhoons with some incidences of tornadoes.
Monsoon rain warning elicits fear as it can bring flash floods. Temperatures rise and our heat
index has increased dramatically.

2. How does the study of environmental biology help you become a better science educator? and
a better steward of creation? 

3. What is the impact of an increasing world population in the worldwide ecosystem? 

It is only logical that an increase in the world’s population will cause additional strains on
resources. More people mean an increased demand for food, water, housing, energy, healthcare,
transportation, and more. And all that consumption contributes to ecological degradation,
increased conflicts, and a higher risk of large-scale disasters like pandemics. 
An increase in population will inevitably create pressures leading to more deforestation,
decreased biodiversity, and spikes in pollution and emissions, which will exacerbate climate
change. Ultimately, unless we take action to help minimize further population growth heading
into the remainder of this century, many scientists believe the additional stress on the planet will
lead to ecological disruption and collapse so severe it threatens the viability of life on Earth as
we know it. 
Each spike in the global population has a measurable impact on the planet’s health.
According to estimates in a study by Wynes and Nicholas (2017), a family having one fewer
child could reduce emissions by 58.6 tonnes CO2-equivalent per year in developed countries.
4. How do economic development and human activities affect biodiversity? 

Humanity’s appetite for goods and services has a range of impacts on ecosystems and
species. The Millennium Ecosystem Assessment (2005) found that “over the past 50 years,
humans have changed ecosystems more rapidly and extensively than in any comparable period
of time in human history, largely to meet rapidly growing demands for food, fresh water, timber,
fibre, and fuel”.
The causes of biodiversity loss can be broadly grouped into five categories: habitat loss,
fragmentation or change; overexploitation of species; pollution; the spread of invasive alien
species; and climate change, all of which have their origins in human demands placed on the
biosphere. The resulting erosion of ecosystem services has direct consequences on human well-
being since it affects security such as access to resources; basic material needs such as food and
shelter; and, health, such as access to clean water (MEA, 2005).
We take ecosystems for granted, overlooking environmental externalities and all too
often we appreciate their values only after we have lost them. Yet it is usually much more
expensive to replace or restore ecosystem services once they are lost, than to manage human
activities to avoid or minimize impacts. Failure to account for the values of ecosystems and
environmental externalities associated with human activities is viewed as a significant factor in
loss and degradation of ecosystem services as well as a source of market failure (TEEB, 2010).

5. What is incineration? Draw a schematic diagram of an incineration process. 

Incineration is a waste treatment process that involves the combustion of organic

substances contained in waste materials.[1] Incineration and other high-temperature waste
treatment systems are described as "thermal treatment". Incineration of waste materials converts
the waste into ash, flue gas and heat. The ash is mostly formed by the inorganic constituents of
the waste and may take the form of solid lumps or particulates carried by the flue gas. The flue
gases must be cleaned of gaseous and particulate pollutants before they are dispersed into the
atmosphere. In some cases, the heat generated by incineration can be used to generate electric
power.
Incineration with energy recovery is one of several waste-to-energy technologies such as
gasification, pyrolysis and anaerobic digestion. While incineration and gasification technologies
are similar in principle, the energy produced from incineration is high-temperature heat whereas
combustible gas is often the main energy product from gasification. Incineration and gasification
may also be implemented without energy and materials recovery.
In some countries, incinerators built just a few decades ago often did not include a
materials separation to remove hazardous, bulky or recyclable materials before combustion.
These facilities tended to risk the health of the plant workers and the local environment due to
inadequate levels of gas cleaning and combustion process control. Most of these facilities did not
generate electricity.
6. How do humans maximize the use of minerals and other geologic resources? Discuss some
environmental effects of these resource extractions. 

Almost all Earth materials are used by humans for something. We require metals for
making machines, sands and gravels for making roads and buildings, sand for making computer
chips, limestone and gypsum for making concrete, clays for making ceramics, gold, silver,
copper and aluminum for making electric circuits, and diamonds and corundum (sapphire, ruby,
emerald) for abrasives and jewelry.
Extraction and use of mineral resources contributes to environmental damage in a
multitude of ways. Water from underground sources is drawn out as part of the process, which
causes drying out "dry lands" around extraction sites, raising water levels elsewhere and
changing natural water systems including river flow. Pollution from mining operations has a
dramatic impact on the environment by leaching heavy metals into natural streams or dumping
waste materials directly into rivers or ponds. Contaminated soils have been found to result in loss
of tree cover and biodiversity near mining sites which leads to decreases in diversity further
away from the site. Finally, many mines produce toxic by products such as sulfur dioxide (SO2)
that can create acid rain when released into the air.
To list them briefly – 1. It destroys vegetation around, 2. Improper disposal of gangue
minerals causes problems, 3. Mineral waters can be highly basic or highly acidic and can affect
farmlands nearby, 4. Mineral-based industries cause additional pollution.
7. How do humans contribute to global climate change? How do these modifications affect the
physical and biological systems? 

Human activities contribute to climate change by causing changes in Earth’s atmosphere

in the amounts of greenhouse gases, aerosols (small particles), and cloudiness. The largest
known contribution comes from the burning of fossil fuels, which releases carbon dioxide gas to
the atmosphere. Greenhouse gases and aerosols affect climate by altering incoming solar
radiation and out-going infrared (thermal) radiation that are part of Earth’s energy balance.
Changing the atmospheric abundance or properties of these gases and particles can lead to a
warming or cooling of the climate system. Since the start of the industrial era (about 1750), the
overall effect of human activities on climate has been a warming influence. The human impact
on climate during this era greatly exceeds that due to known changes in natural processes, such
as solar changes and volcanic eruptions.

8. What is Sustainable Development? 

In simple terms, sustainable development means integrating the economic, social and
environmental objectives of society, in order to maximise human well-being in the present
without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their needs. This means seeking
mutually supportive approaches whenever possible, and making trade-offs where necessary. The
pursuit of sustainable development thus requires improving the coherence and complementarity
of policies across a wide range of sectors, to respond to the complex development challenges
ahead.
The “Earth Summit”, held in Rio in 1992, established sustainable development as the
guiding vision for the development efforts of all countries. Governments also undertook to
formula te and implement national sustainable development strategies. These were envisaged to
be highly participatory instruments intended “to ensure socially responsible economic
development while protecting the resource base and the environment for the benefit of future
generations”. The Rio commitments were reaffirmed most recently in the United Nations
Millennium Declaration.
There can be no “one size fits all” approach to sustainable development. Each country
must chart its own course, in line with its culture, history, social and economic priorities, and
prevailing institutions and political structures. The environmental challenges faced by different
countries, which reflect geographical, ecological and climatic factors, are also very diverse and
translate into highly di fferentiated constraints, opportunities and priorities. This is why there are
many interpretations of sustainable development. But some critical sustainable development
challenges are global. Preserving the global climate or the ozone layer, for example, requires
collaboration by all countries and concrete responses at the local, national and international
levels.
9. Choose one (1) of the seventeen (17) Sustainable Development Goals and describe why it is
one of the many goals to meet the world’s sustainable development. 

Climate change is caused by human activities and is threatening the way we live and the
future of our planet. By addressing climate change, we can build a sustainable world for
everyone. SDG’s Goal 13 – Climate Action – calls for urgent action to tackle climate change and
its impacts.
People are experiencing the significant impacts of climate change, which include
changing weather patterns, rising sea level, and more extreme weather events. The greenhouse
gas emissions from human activities are driving climate change and continue to rise. They are
now at their highest levels in history.
If left unchecked, climate change will cause average global temperatures to increase
beyond 3°C, and will adversely affect every ecosystem. Already, we are seeing how climate
change can exacerbate storms and disasters, and threats such as food and water scarcity, which
can lead to conflict.
Doing nothing will end up costing us a lot more than if we take action now. We have an
opportunity to take actions that will lead to more jobs, great prosperity, and better lives for all
while reducing greenhouse gas emissions and building climate resilience.

10. Choose and highlight the salient points of one (1) Philippine environmental law. How is this
particular law being ‘actually’ reinforced in the Philippines?  Is the implementation of such law
acceptable? Why or why not? 

Ecological Solid Waste Management Act of 2000, Republic Act No. 9003 declares the
policy of the state in adopting a systematic, comprehensive and ecological solid waste
management program that ensures the protection of public health and the environment and the
proper segregation, collection, transport, storage, treatment and disposal of solid waste through
the formulation and adaptation of best environmental practices in ecological waste management
excluding incineration. Moreover, it illustrates the potentials and benefits of recycling not only in
addressing waste management problems but also in alleviating poverty.
A decade after the passage of Republic Act 9003, otherwise known as the Philippine
Ecological Solid Waste Management Act of 2000, an in-depth and year-long analysis of its
successes and remaining gaps is undertaken. The National Solid Waste Management
Commission (NSWMC) has gathered experts and practitioners to document the status of
compliance to the law by local government units and diagnose the issues and barriers affecting
its implementation. With support from Solid Waste Management for Local Government Units
(SWM4LGUs) Project being implemented by AHT GROUP AG on behalf of the German
International Cooperation Agency (GIZ), the NSWMC has developed the National Solid Waste
Management Strategy for the years 2012 to 2016. (V. Acosta 2012)
The implementation of this law is not only acceptable but also needed for our country.
Solid waste management is extremely important mainly because it protects the surroundings or a
community from even unwanted effects caused by excessive garbage. Humans are certainly not
really the only ones that can be affected negatively by garbage or landfills, but also the
environment. Animals can be poisoned if waste matter are not discarded properly. That is why
this law ensures that people are required and responsible to properly manage their wastes.

Prepared by: 
MRS. JOSEPHINE P. BARIUAN 
INSTRUCTOR