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Human Impact on the Biosphere — Reading Comprehension

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This educational passage, audio integrated, focuses on 'Human Impact on the Biosphere,' exploring how increases in human population and per-capita consumption of natural resources impact Earth's systems. It directly aligns with NGSS MS-ESS3-4, providing a clear explanation of key concepts like the biosphere, natural resources, pollution, and deforestation. Students will learn about the interconnectedness of human activities and environmental changes, understanding how our actions contribute to issues such as climate change and habitat loss. The passage uses simple language, making complex ideas accessible for a Grade 6 reading level, and includes relevant keywords for better comprehension and SEO.

CONTENT PREVIEW

Earth with surrounding images illustrating the human impact on the biosphere.

Our amazing planet Earth is home to countless living things, from tiny bacteria to giant whales. All these living things, including us, live in a part of Earth called the biosphere. The biosphere is like a thin layer around Earth where life exists, including the air, water, and land. For a long time, human actions didn't seem to make a huge difference to the whole planet. But now, with more people living on Earth and each person using more stuff, our impact is much bigger.

One major way humans impact the biosphere is by using natural resources. These are things we get from nature, like trees for wood, water for drinking, and minerals for making electronics. As the human population grows, we need more homes, more food, and more energy. This leads to us using more natural resources. For example, to build houses, we might cut down forests, a process called deforestation. Deforestation removes trees that produce oxygen and provide homes for animals, impacting entire ecosystems.

Another big impact comes from our consumption. Each person consumes, or uses up, resources. The more we consume, the more resources we need. Making and using products often creates pollution, which is harmful substances released into the environment. Pollution can contaminate our air, water, and soil, making it unhealthy for plants, animals, and humans. For instance, burning fossil fuels for energy releases gases that trap heat in the atmosphere, leading to climate change. Climate change causes warmer temperatures, changes in weather patterns, and rising sea levels, threatening many species and their habitats.

When we use up resources faster than Earth can replace them, or create too much pollution, it affects Earth's systems. These systems include the atmosphere (air), hydrosphere (water), geosphere (land), and, of course, the biosphere. Our actions can cause loss of biodiversity, meaning a decrease in the variety of life on Earth. This is a problem because every species plays a role in keeping the biosphere healthy. To help reduce our impact, we can try to use fewer resources, recycle, conserve energy, and support sustainable practices.

Interesting Fact: It is estimated that humans have changed over 75% of the Earth's land surface, mostly for agriculture and urban development.

Which part of Earth is home to all living things?

BiosphereAtmosphereHydrosphereGeosphere

What is the process of cutting down forests called?

ReforestationDeforestationPollutionConsumption

True or False: Human impact on Earth's systems has always been this significant.

TrueFalse

Which of these is NOT a natural resource mentioned?

TreesWaterPlasticMinerals

How does burning fossil fuels contribute to climate change?

Causes deforestationTraps heatCleans airIncreases water

What is biodiversity?