Intro: Story of stuff:

80 million babies born every year –Mostly in developing world, so less impact 20% of population consume 85% world’s resources –20% is in Industrialized western countries If small fraction of developing world lived like developed world, Earth would quickly be overwhelmed with pollution and waste Your footprint!

Maintaining economic growth without compromising the environment. Focus of the 1987 Bruntland Commission (aka: UN Commission on the State of the Environment). –Called on developed world to reduce consumption & live sustainability –Called on developing world to reduce population growth Canadians look to gov’t to take action, but gov’t and international actions have failed 1992 Earth Summit in Rio De Janeiro, Brazil produced statement of action called Agenda 21 –Intended to encourage development of sustainable world economy –Over 10 years later, little progress has been made

Intro=Animation on Water-see cd Value of fresh water underrated –3% of world’s water is fresh water –Is enough to supply the world, but distribution is unequal. 78% of that locked in ice caps and glaciers Remainder is underground (ground water) Great Lakes = 18% world’s surface fresh water Developed nations known for water waste and pollution

Shallowest of Great Lakes By 1960s & 1970s became very polluted -June 22, 1969, Cuyahoga River that feeds Lake Erie caught on fire NOT THE FIRST TIME! 1936 blow torch spark ignited debris & oil floating on surface. Several other fires also occurred, but June 1969 caught international attention. Time Mag: “Cuyahoga oozes rather than flows” and “a person does not drown but decays” Sparked Clean Water Act and number of other USA-Canada agreements. Pollution persists, though fires less common.

Groundwater supply threatened by: –Increasing population –Diversions of surface supply (agriculture) 40% world’s harvests come from irrigation USA, China & India facing reduced g.w. supplies –These three nations produce ½ the world’s food Last ½ 20 th C, amount of irrigated land more than doubled (over 250 million hectares) –Farmers had better technologies to access groundwater »Access water in “Aquifers”

Water supply is cheap and reliable Once depleted, takes long time to recharge –North China Plain where most China’s food produced, water table falling 1.5 m per year –India’s water tables falling 1-3 m per year and could reduce India’s harvest by 25%, making India more dependent on imported grain –USA’s Ogallala Aquifer = world’s largest, supplies 1/5 USA’s irrigated land. Filled over thousands of years by runoff from Rockies. In 50 years, reduced by 50% US gov’t allows “groundwater depletion” as tax write off for farmers…so much for conservation!

Lakes, Rivers & Coastal Waters –Disposal for sewage & agricultural + industrial waste –Tanker accidents –Municipal waste water=human waste, detergents & solvents –Farmers = herbicides & pesticides –Industry=oil refinery, pulp mill & chemical factory waste

Current technology can = sustainable water management –Micro-dams –More efficient rainwater harvesting –Reclaimed/recycled water –De-salinated seawater –Low energy sprinkler systems –Drip irrigation directing water to roots –High efficiency/low flow toilets –Taxes or user rates to encourage water conservation

Ozone layer =thin layer Km above surface of Earth –O 3 =only gas that can block UV rays from sun UV rays can cause skin cancer –Damages plant and animal species (plankton) –Penetrates up to 20 m into ocean –Depletion most evident at N & S Poles, esp in Spring 60% depleted above Antarctica Why there? Higher levels of chlorine found there will react to destroy the Ozone! 265/society/ozone.htm

Chemicals, esp. Chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) cause 80% of damage –Widely used since 1930s Coolants for fridges & air conditioners In foams, solvents & aerosol spray cans UN Environmental Program (UNEP) working to phase out use of ozone depleting chemicals –Montreal Protocol (1987) all industrial nations agree to cut use of CFCs by 2000 Amount of chemicals released increasing Only complete elimination of CFCs & recapture of those in the atmosphere will halt damage to the Ozone Layer Simple phasing out of CFCs = 100 yrs to reach 1980’s atmospheric condition deo/ozzy.htm#english

Gases trap heat energy from sun similar to a greenhouse –Natural factors (volcanoes, meteor impacts) have caused climate change in past Since industrial Rev. burning fossil fuels (coal, oil, gas) = more CO 2 in atmosphere Causes rise in temperature 1-3 degrees by 2050 (slight changes=profound impact)

Known: Causes increase in heat waves and violence of storms Melts glaciers in Polar regions causing rise in sea level Suspected: Diseases extend range due to warmer temp Earlier arrival of Spring in some regions Shifting plant & animal ranges Coral reefs losing colours as algae fail to adapt to warmer water temps and Animation-see cd ? EPA kids animation: Global Warming in pictures: &pg=1

Problems Arctic sea ice shrinking & seasonal melt = weeks earlier than in past Polar bears starving, need ice to hunt seals –Bears’ birth rate & av. Weight has fallen Arctic communities face sinking shorelines as permafrost melts Survival rate of BC’s spawning salmon 1/3 rd what it was in 1990 –Warmer water temps deplete phytoplankton salmon eat, less growth, smaller fish can’t survive swim upstream –Ripple effect in ocean food chain if salmon stocks reduced Winter recreation areas economically impacted by warmer winters Freak weather systems & devastating storms more likely More droughts and forest fires Benefits Tree line could be extended further north and higher up mountains Shorter growing seasons could benefit farmers –Possibly offset by droughts

Kyoto Protocol –Plan to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 6% of our 1990 levels by 2012 –Countries not meeting reduction targets could buy credits from others that were below allotted levels (developing nations could benefit greatly) –Canada among top emitters of greenhouse gases, and despite Kyoto our levels are increasing 1990s fossil fuel industry campaigned vs. Kyoto standards: too costly in $$ and jobs –While Federal gov’t signed, Prov gov’t must regulate industries 2000: Ontario listed as NA’s 2 nd worst polluter = not taking Kyoto or global warming seriously-

Many sustainable sources of energy –Wind turbines, solar power, tidal power, ground source energy, geothermal power Greenpeace believes wind power could provide 10% world’s electricity needs in next 20 years New hydrogen or methanol fuel cells could be adapted for cars, buses, homes and industries

Cause: Fossil fuel burning in addition to smelting of various ores releases sulphur dioxides, nitric oxides, nitrogen dioxides. Mostly industrial in origin. Effects: Global hydrological cycle becomes acidic. Plant and animals are stunted, killed, or deformed. Crops can fail, and the global amount of fresh water is diminished due to acidification. Human Health Effects: From increase in colds, flues, and respiratory infection, to increases in breast and colon cancer. Also, problems associated with loss of fresh water supply. Acid and toxins enter the human system through any food or drink related to water. Areas of Focus: While primarily focused on industrial areas, some areas have been ravaged by acid rain. The Great Lakes have lost much of their original life due to acid rain. The Eastern Seaboard of the United States, and many parts of Europe rate high. Animation: gn_animation.swf gn_animation.swf

Only 11% of land area on Earth can be used to grow crops Desertification: land turning to desert –Overgrazing of cattle & livestock –Removal of trees for firewood –Irrigation in arid areas leaves soil too salty –Soils in tropical areas nutrient poor –Nutrients must be replaced into soil –Soil on bare slopes quickly washed away

Increasing use of pesticides & herbicides –Controls incects & kills weeds –Leads to toxic soils & residues in foods Agri Chemicals can seep into groundwater and streams –Harmful to farm workers (less protection for workers in developing nations) Insects needed in agriculture killed by pesticides too (ladybugs, honeybees) Increased interest in organically grown foods, people willing to pay higher $$

Genetically Modified Foods Altered by splicing in another organism’s gene (+)Some more resistant to disease or pests (+)Require fewer pesticides (+)Promises to increase yields (-)Controversial, consumers resistant CDN gov’t approved 50 GM foods since 1994, including corn, canola, soybeans, squash, potatoes and cotton 75% of all processed foods made with corn, soy or canola products Not required to label GM foods

Why GM foods? Improve nutritional value? Increase yields? Reduce Pesticide use? –In 1999, 80% of GM crops altered by Agro companies to withstand repeated doses of their own commercial brands of herbicides (corporate money maker) Advantage to farmers: previously only able to spray prior to planting, now can spray during growth cycle of plant Advantage to Agro Companies: sales of herbicides guaranteed to follow sales of seeds Advantage to Consumers: ????? –As of 2000, no commercial acreage planted with crops engineered to produce greater yields or enhance nutritional value. Evidence suggests GM actually reduces yields (4-10% for soybeans) Most soybean & GM production occur in North and are destined to feed cattle and pigs, not people –That which is fed to people is unlabeled.

Destruction of tropical rainforests –Storehouses of biodiversity –Absorb CO 2 and supply O 2 –Deforestation Contributes to Global Warming Affects wind patterns Affects precipitation levels Alters temperatures beyond forest itself Threatens way of life for Indigenous peoples

Poor encouraged to move into forest & clear land for farming Huge cattle ranches set up Development by oil & mineral companies = access roads opens up settlement Specialty woods (teak) in demand Reforestation virtually impossible –Erosion and mismanagement results in arid wasteland Brazil, Ecuador, Columbia, Peru, Indonesia, India

20% Earth’s land cover = temperate & northern forests Canada has ¼ of world’s temperate & boreal (northern) coniferous forests and virtually all the world’s old growth red and white pine –These forests used primarily for logging and recreation –Que & Ont nearly 1/5 of the forests damaged by dams, diversions & industrial development Along with acid rain and climate change, boreal forest may not last another 50 years (Global warming a huge threat) –In Northern Ontario, average temps up 1.5% in the 1990s. Accelerated evaporation from forest by 50%. Massive fires eliminated large portions of forest »Key habitat for numerous species

Western Mountain region: 14% of Canada’s forested land, produces 40% of its marketable timber –Largest segment of BC’s economy –Sustainability concerns: Old growth watersheds require careful stewardship “Brazil of the North” according to Greenpeace and Sierra Club

Provincial Exam – Help Solutions??? “GET R.E.A.L” The following acronym can be used to organize information when answering government exam questions that focus on solutions and or management strategies to environmental problems. R.Reduce, Reuse, Recycle E.Educate people about the dangers or consequences of the problems A.Alternatives. Provide people with alternatives to help solve problems L.Legislate laws to enforce rules that would help to solve the problem at hand EXAMPLE: Using your understanding of geography solutions that would help slow down global warming that is currently threading northern ecosystems. R. Reduce the number of cars on the road. This would limit the amount of CO2 in the atmosphere. Reuse and Recycle solid waste and other garbage from private house holds and industries. This would also limit the amount of greenhouse gases emitted. E.Educate citizens about the dangers of global warming like increased violent storms and rising sea levels that would impact their lives. Having an understanding of the dangers of global warming might change people’s behaviour to slow down this process. A. Provide alternatives like public transportation for people to use to limit the amount of cars on the road and the amount CO2 emitted. Development of alternative energy sources like wind and solar power would decrease CO2. L. Legislate laws that require industries to find alternative energy sources. Legislate and enforce laws to decrease the number of cars on the road by providing tax incentives to people. (Carbon Tax)

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