Human environment- Chapter 13 Tidal waves are different that tsunamis, deal with tides of the ocean Chlorofluorocarbons

ns Japanese, destroy ozone layer

How has earth environment changed over time? Environmental variation, spatial as well as temporal is one of earths crucial characteristics Alfred Wegener- continental drift hypothesis, Pangaea, We screw up earth a lot

Oceans and atmosphere 70% of earth covered in water Nobody really knows how earth got water icy comets bombarding earth? Everything sunk to core and water was already there? Nobody knows how atmosphere began 1.5 billion years ago, green algae began to use photosynthesis 800 million years ago, 1% was oxygen, enough for first singled celled animals, protozoa

Fire and Ice Huge volcanic explosions blew ash and gas into atmosphere causing mass depletions(loss of diversity through failure to produce new species) and 3 mass extinctions known to have occurred in 500 mil years Pacific ring of fire has a lot of stuff- fire and volcanoes, very active area Pleistocene epoch opened 2 million years ago, planet in deep freeze, ice age caused one of greatest extinctions ever When Pleistocene epoch marked glaciations long and short warm interglactiations When glaciations most severe, ice advanced deep into landmass Could last 100k years, warm phase happened 100k years this is possibly when homo sapiens began Wisconsinan glaciation, most recent.. people managed to survive Mount toba, 73k years ago, almost destroyed humanity, massive explosion on island, destroyed island, tons of debris, obscuring sun, global cooling Wisconsinan glaciation gave way to ingerglaciation, warm interlude that has been given its own designation, Holocene Global warming began 18k years ago and for next 6k years rose rapidly

The little ice age in the modern era 14th century glaciers began to adfvance. Greenland +Iceland abandoned happened Post 1300 period shift in direction of reglaciation. Happened when more people clustered in cities than ever before Not really a little ice age a minor glaciation Very huge impact on world social, economically Enabled mongols to thrive over European weakness.. leading mongols to take over china + penetrate westward Mongols carried bubonic plague to Europe.. black death killed millions China was very prosperous before it happened, after the end of mongols.. china destroyed Little ice age explains failure of Jamestown, --- 7 year drought, starvation for Indians and colonists Ice age + volcanic eruption. Tambora volcano killed all but 26 of the 12k people Darkness all over world, debris and ash, cooling world No growing season the year of 1816..

How have humans impacted the earth environment?

We could destroy ourselves, could cause another mass extinction. Other animals have a culture gorillas, orangutans, dolphins, chimps

Alterations of ecosystems We altered environment from the start Maori, from new Zealand, Polynesians reduced forest cover to brush, and exterminated more than 80% of birds sp[ecies by the time first euros came Last 500 years, rate and scale at which humans modify earth has increased dramatically

Environmental stress Obvious actions cutting forests, emission of pollutantsd, spilling oil Less obvious burying toxic waste, dumbing garbage into oceans, pesticidies on farms Dammed rivers, terraced hillslopes, seawalls, cut canals Future of water supplies, atmosphere, climate change, and desertification.. key concerns

Water Fresh water not evenly distributed across globe

Hydrologic cycle- brings rain and snow from oceans to landmasses, Much of it lost through runoff and evaporation, but some goes down and seeps through water holding rocjkks called aquifers. In US, 50 times as much water in aquifers thatn there is precipation falling on land surface every year 3/4ths of water used is consumed by farming, not cities Industries use 20% of worlds water supply, heavily contributing to pollution People now going to arid regions of the world Heavy use of pesticides ruined groundwater below that fed into aral sea, causing health crisi called ecological Chernobyl) 1990s, aral sea lost 3/4ths of its total surface area Water has caused regional conflicts, just as oil

Water and politics in the Middle East Israel consumes a lot of water, key sources of water in entire area of middle east, jodran river and aquifer beneath west bank Water supply complicated relationships between Israel and it Palestinian neighbors in west bank and Gaza Most water goes to Israelis, not enough for Palestinians

Atmosphere Thin layer of air lying above lands and ocean Has amazing capacity to cleanse itself When Krakatau erupted, 2.5 cubic miles of stuff flew out into atmosphere, eventually it disappeared and all traces disappeared Mt st. Helens, same result Human pollution can and is causing permanent damage

Global warming Tropospheric pollution (pollution in the lowest layer of the atmosphere causes earth to retain more heat Computer models of global warming showed 2.7-3.7 C increase over next 50 years 6 inches can melt off with that Changes in climte = changes in water cycles, can change animal habitats and vegetation growth dramatically

Acid rain Comes from sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxides are release by burning fossil fuels + water = sulfuric and nitric acid Caustic enough to cause great harm over time to ecosystem, acidification of lakes and streams= kill fish Corrosion and building and monuments accelerated Because of this , legislation established emission reductions to clean air, very positive effect on enviornemtn, Canada and Scandinavia, recovery came faster than scientists predicted

The land Deforestation Human population growth = trees are cut down and woodlands shrink World forest, lower and middle latitudes, critical in oxygen cycle FAO food and agricuylture organization of UN did studym 44% of tropical rainforest effected by cutting and 1% logged every year Within 90 years would be gone. Some said FAO estimate was low and would be gone in 45 Deforestiation is destroyed world.. reforestation is not whole answer, even if done on large Many trees are 2nd growth trees, replaced original forest, does not have mant trees dying of old age after trunks and limbs become soft from rot, many species that depend on holes in trunks and hollows in tree limbs cannot find place to nest

Soil erosion Described as silent crisis result of pressure oin farmers to produce more Soil erosion increased because of population pressure, 6.5 billion, farmers less able to allow soil to recover nutrients.. livestock are allowed to graze in areas where they destroy natural vegetation. 10 hactares of land degraded or lost to erosion by precipitation or wind

Waste disposal US largest producer of solid waste, debris, garbage by cities, mines and industries Open dumps a huge problem, contaminate water, spread sickness, vermin

Sanitary landfillwaste put in hole dug and prepared for purpose, floor or materials to treat seeping liquids and soil to cover each load as it is compacted and deposited in the fills Amount of land for these decreasing US, EU, and japan export solid wastes to Africa, middle and south America and east asia, these countires dont have best ways to treat waste, they just dump into open landfills Toxic waste is not the same as radioactive waste.. toxic waste cvaused by chemicals, infectious materials Radioactive, gives off radiation. Low level and medium level radiation place in steel drums and palced in government landsfills High level radiation very dangerous and no right way to store the radiation has been found yet. Storing in salt deposits (salt stops radiation) burial in antartica, deposition in volancos in midocean trenches and such Transportation of this waste is very dangerous any accidents can cause huge problems

Biodiversity
Small range, a high degree of scarcity and small geographic concentration has its habitat threatened = extinction can follow We killed dodo birds

What are the major factors contributing to environmental change today?

Huge population growth Consumption Technology Causes of environmental change vary according to local and regional scale

Political Ecology

Political economy power and history in shaping human environmental interactions People though poor people degrade land more than wealthier people quite the pposite, mali farmers more likely to use organic methods

Population More people = more pollution Impossible to make a chart saying who makes so much pollution, very undistributed throughout the world

Patterns of consumption Many societies consume resources at a level and rate much hgigher than basic subsistence needs Hunter gatherer could live on resources of about 26 square kilometers Baby in US will consume 250 times more stuff over a lifetime than a baby in Bangladesh Rapid pop growth in periphery tends to have local or regional environmental impacts compared to in the core, global impacts Consumption tied to technology

Technology Technology for good and bad Produced hazardous and toxi byproducts, pollution, health problems Technology allows huimans to alter large portions of planet in short amount of time 2 key elements of technology that contribute to theses example of environmental changes are developments in 2 key sectors of economy: transportation and energy

Transportation Energy Much energy comes from oil, coal, gas Oil- not a if question- a WHEN question 100 years of oil left.. maybe more or less Shift away from oil will be felt by middle eastern countriesoil account for at least 75% of revenue and 90% export gernerated income Kuwait is all rich now because of oil. 80% of workers wage tied to oil Potable water new effort to find wealth Kuwait is beginning to become world leader in desalinization For each million spent searching for fresh water, a billion dollar found worth of oil joke that Kuwaitis say and stuff Each innovation requires more and more energy Advances in transport = lots of pollution, oil spills and such

Framework convention on climate change Reduce carbon dioxide emissions globally Allowed signatory countries to develop their own national implementation plans EU has donated a lot of money to the FCCC

Framework convention on climate chancge 3 wind parks in spain generated a ton of energy

How are humans responding to environmental change?

Major challenge- many problems spread many political borders and cultures Very complicated to gert every jurisdiction Peripheral countries cant really do anything--- they have much greater difficulties that they need to do Democracies always eye the next election terms and dont really care about the future long term as much Authoritarian regimes dont do jack crap UNCED- united nations conference on environment and development GEF- global environment facility GEFD received joint projectSix issues: loss of biodiversity, climate change, protection of international waters, depletion of ozone layer, land degradation, persistent organic pollutants GEF is limited to state boundaries. Serves Important financial resources to 4 major interantioanl conventions: convention on biological diversity, UN framework convention on climate change, UN convention to combat desertification, Stockholm convention on persistent organic pollutnats

Biological Diversity International concern began in 1981- group working under UN environment program agreement on wording of convention Estavblish of protected areas and for coordinated set of national and international regulations on activities that can have significant negative impacts on biodiversity Struggle to enact and find balance in periphery countries

Protection of ozone layer Troposphere ( closest to earth)- ozone is a harmful pollutant, creation of smog Ozone layer- naturally occurring, stratosphere (30-45 kilometers) Protects against UV rays 1985, found ozone depleted in Antarctica, 300 DUs to 200 DUs CFCS depleted it greater, refrigerant,, aerosol cans Cooperation began in 1985---- Vienna convention for protection of ozone layer

Timetables for phase out of production and consumption of CFCs defined and agreed upon as part of international agreement know as Montreal protocol 105 countries signed Eliminate CFC production Ozone depletion would still continue many years Accelerate phaseout of other depleting stuff. Halons, methyl chloroform, methyl bromide

Global Climate Change Conferences held in Geneva, world meteorological organization, UN environment program concluded enough evidence of human impacts on climate to justify efforts to draw up treaty on climate change Didnt really change anything Lots more convention--- tried to reduce CO2 Lots of agreement US, EU and japan cut greenhouse emissions by 7,8, and 6 percent respectably Met in kyoto japan Less developed countries had no goals All the plans have been revisisted in successive climate change summits in The Hague (nov 2000) , Bonn (july 2001), and Marrakech (nov 2001) hague collapsed, bonn opened among difficulties, led to US signing statement to salvage kyoto protocol