SCH4U - Chemistry 12 (2024-25) - A

A. Organic Compounds: Environmental Impact

Many organic compounds are beneficial to humanity and contribute to our quality of life and ability to innovate.  However, these benefits are often accompanied by a negative consequence.  For example, some foods that taste great can have serious negative effects on our health, or the gasoline that fuels cars allows for fast transport but also produces chemicals that can harm the environment.  It is important that we recognise the potential negative consequences of our use of these products and compounds and that as we move into the future, we find ways to reduce the negative effects of these products or reduce our consumption of them.  For this lesson, your task will be to research the environmental consequences of our use of different organic compounds to answer the following questions:

1. What compound(s) are plastic shopping bags typically made of?

2. How long does it take for a plastic shopping bag to decompose?

3. What are the negative environmental consequences of our use of plastic shopping bags?

4. What is/are one or more actions we can take as responsible citizens of the world to reduce the negative impact of using plastic shopping bags?

5. What is a type of career where you could have a positive impact on the environment by helping to reduce the negative effect of our use of plastics?

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