Kiana Thomas Professor Melina Lopez EVR 1001 23 January 2022 Summary Essay Environmental studies is an interdisciplinary area of study that aims to identify answers to our environment s deteriorated state The majority of people are unaware of the relevance of environmental science Environmental studies aid in our understanding of the environment s causes and impacts The fast loss of local natural resources such as soil air water and minerals requires the study of environmental science to understand better Population increase pollution deforestation and overconsumption are all factors that contribute to resource depletion It s important to comprehend our influence on the planet which includes climate change global warming water shortages sea level rise high CO2 levels in the atmosphere and biodiversity loss We must replace fossil fuels with renewable energy sources such as wind and solar energy Mining activity is moderate The amount of logging should be equal to or less than the amount of replanting We must engage in sustainable fisheries to safeguard fish as a part of the aquatic environment Food waste should also be corrected To control contamination of natural resources such as water strict steps must be taken We must also decrease our use of plastic and begin to recycle more to raise awareness about the need of natural resource conservation We need to increase the usage of renewable resources which are less harmful to the environment Our natural resources are the key of life of our planet and we are all reliant on them As a result it is our job to take preventative steps and find an appropriate solution to the depletion of all environmental assets The world will last longer if we all are willing to protect our natural resources Questions 1 What are the different stages colors of planet Earth throughout history presented in this documentary Stage 1 Black Earth s Formation The rocks and dust that existed at the beginning of our solar system were used to construct our planet Small fragments of orbital rock clashed and merged over time to form a planet circling the Sun The planet was first melting at heats of thousands of degrees However in the frigid vacuum of space this fiery rock began to cool and alter Deep within the Earth a volcano erupted spewing scorching lava When it cooled it became the first rock known as basalt which coated the earth Stage 2 Grey The meteorites that created Earth are thought to have contained only approximately 250 minerals Because of the extreme heat and pressures experienced during the formation of our planet new minerals began to develop The planet changed from black to grey Granite became the base of our continents bringing the planet into the gray phase Stage 3 Blue All theories of the origin of life include water as a key component Water is a great solvent All of these molecular kinds can float in water and interact with one another Zircon could only have formed in the presence of liquid when it created 4 3 billion years ago Stromatolites are the earliest fossils of life that we have discovered yet they are not the first organisms Microorganisms especially bacteria left chemical traces of their existence All life including these bacteria utilizes nutrients to generate energy Stage 4 Red The atmosphere was high in nitrogen and carbon dioxide but low in oxygen Microbes floating in the sea began to make everything red Microbes can eventually live on the sun s energy thanks to photosynthesis As a result Earth saw a significant rise in oxygen Dissolved iron was abundant in the early oceans The fresh oxygen interacted with the iron causing it to decay and sink to the sea s bottom It s a significant shift in Earth s chemistry The arrival of oxygen formed two thirds of the minerals that currently make up our world Stage 5 White Climate changes may have resulted from the formation and collapse of new continents The Earth was turned white by an intense freeze Active volcanoes could still be seen poking through the ice spewing carbon dioxide This acted as a thermal blanket surrounding our planet keeping heat in and saving life Then CO2 levels continue to grow the greenhouse effect intensifies and the world began to melt The significant changes that occurred during white Earth would lead us to the current phase Stage 6 Green Present phase which began around 540 million years ago and is characterized by a living world with a broad range of flora and amazing species Every living organism is able to evolve and live due to the world of minerals Minerals are essential for our ability to grow larger and stronger Chemical processes allowed minerals and life to exist As a result of the earth s evolution we get to live and enjoy the beauty of nature 2 What are the two main theories more like places of where life emerged for the first time The Pilbara region of Western Australia is one of the first areas where life emerged The oldest fossils of life are found in Australia 3 It is mentioned in this video that rocks and minerals made life possible on Earth and how life created more minerals and rocks Explain The first planet may have contained 400 or 500 minerals Over the next billion years as planets like Earth evolved it could have accumulated as many as 1 500 minerals formed purely by chemical and physical processes Rocks are the oldest objects in our solar system These rocks collided to form the Black Earth There were volcanoes and lava everywhere Granite is a type of rock that helped shape the continents 4 The answer is chemistry Minerals grow from simple 5 molecules into an ordered structure because of chemical reactions 6 The answer is chemistry Minerals grow from simple 7 molecules into an ordered structure because of chemical reactions 8 The answer is chemistry Minerals grow from simple 9 molecules into an ordered structure because of chemical reactions 10 Did the documentary helped you understand the needs of living organisms how they impact the environment and how we are all interconnected The documentary was extremely helpful in explaining how life evolved from rocks and minerals to living organisms I appreciated how mineralogist Robert Hazen detailed the concept of crashing rocks and the phases that Earth went through before there was life Rocks are essential for biodiversity because they create mountains lands ecological habitats and other structures Minerals and rocks are also used to construct houses buildings and roads among other things Minerals are