People and the environment
How people harm the environment, global warming, and how we can live sustainably. Read one part at a time and tap “I know this”. Then test yourself in the quiz.
Know it already? Jump straight to the quiz
How people do harm
- Deforestation: forests are cut down; the soil erodes and animals lose their habitat.
- Air pollution in cities comes mostly from vehicles and factories.
- Polluted rivers make the water unsafe for people downstream.
- Plastic in the sea takes centuries to break down.
Global warming
Gases in the atmosphere trap the Earth’s heat, like the glass of a greenhouse: this is the greenhouse effect. When we burn fossil fuels, more carbon dioxide goes into the air, and the Earth’s average temperature rises. This is called global warming.
Your carbon footprint is all the greenhouse gases you cause. Clean energy, like sun and wind, releases no gases.
Live sustainably
Sustainable development means meeting our needs without harming the future.
- Separate waste and recycle glass bottles, paper and cans; less rubbish goes to the landfill site.
- Make compost from rotted plant waste to feed the soil.
- Use better public transport and eat less meat.
- Plant indigenous plants: they use less water.
- Wetlands filter water and control floods; conservation areas protect biodiversity.
An environmental impact study predicts harm before a project starts; rehabilitation restores a damaged area.
Remember this and test yourself
- Deforestation leads to soil erosion and loss of habitat; reforestation plants trees again.
- Greenhouse gases, mainly carbon dioxide from fossil fuels, trap heat: global warming.
- For South Africa climate change means more extreme droughts and floods.
- Sustainable development: meeting today’s needs without harming the future.
- Recycle, make compost, save water and use public transport to shrink your carbon footprint.
Write these points in your book. Read them again the night before the test.
The three R’s, best first: reduce, reuse, recycle.
Important words
First say what the word means, then turn the card over.
Match column A to column B
Tap a word in column A, then its meaning in column B. You can also start in column B.
True or false?
Read the question and the answer. Is the answer right? Tap True or False.
Now the real quiz!
The quiz has many more questions on this topic. Every question shows straight away whether you are right and explains why.
Take the quiz: People and the environment- Read one part together and ask your child to tell it back in their own words.
- The ticks (“I know this”) are saved on this device only. We never ask for names or emails.
Follows CAPS for Grade 6 Social Sciences (Geography). Always check your teacher’s notes and textbook too.