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Effects of Industries on the Environment
Industries are important to countries. They provide jobs for people and create many products we need. But industries can also create environmental problems.
This is a pile of logs in Midway, British Columbia after clearcutting
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This shows an area that has been clearcut in British Columbia
The Logging Industry
The logging industry cuts down trees to provide wood for other industries, such as the pulp and paper industry and the manufacturing industry. In British Columbia and other provinces with large forests, logging companies sometimes cut down all the trees in a large area. This is called clearcutting, and it creates problems for the environment. For example, animals that depend on forests for their homes and food may die off. Also, fallen leaves add nutrients to the soil. When all the trees are gone, the soil does not get nutrients from leaves. Plants need the nutrients in soil to grow.
A large fishing net capturing carps
This shows a fish farm in Vancouver Island, Canada
The Fishing Industry
Canada’s Atlantic Provinces, such as Newfoundland and Labrador, have a strong fishing industry. Fishers make more money when they catch more fish. Overfishing happens when fishers catch fish faster than the fish can reproduce (have babies). Over time, the number of fish in the ocean gets smaller and smaller. If people continue to overfish, some types of fish they catch could eventually become extinct.
The Mining Industry
Uranium mine, Northern Saskatchewan, Canada
A view of the contaminated water from mining chemicals in Geamana, Romania
Canada’s North is rich in metals. The mining industry digs in rock to get out the metals. The process of getting metals out of rock creates problems in the environment. For example, mining companies may use chemicals to help them get valuable metals out of the rock. Some of these chemicals are poisonous and they end up in rivers and lakes, where they kill fish.
Industries are important to Canada. Governments, scientists, and industries work together to find ways to make various industries less harmful to the environment.
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