Review for the Final

 You’ve been a great group… I’m going to miss you.   I showed you one example of a functioning sustainable society/ group (the Mexican fishing/ whale watching co-op). Here’s another: and  There’s also lots of stuff on YouTube about sustainable cities in Europe – particularly, Denmark, Germany, and Sweden.  Today, we will review for the exam.

 Courtesy of a former student: Proposals for cleaning up the Great Pacific Garbage Patch:  Woman who has lived trash-free for two years: evolution.com/2014/11/23/she-hasnt-made- any-trash-in-2-years-this-is-what-her-life-is- like/

 The final is in this building, Room 107, on Wednesday the 16 th from 1 to 4. Be there on time.  The exam will be a mix of short answers and essay questions.  For the essays especially, the answers will be evaluated based on how thoroughly you answer the questions (I will indicate minimum lengths), on how coherently and well- structured your answers are, the originality of your analysis where that is called for and, to a much less degree, on the quality and legibility of your hand-writing.

 The exam will cover the material from Chapters 12 to 23, even those that were not covered extensively in class, and to a lesser degree key concepts from the first couple of weeks.  Key concepts like: carrying capacity, limits to growth, ecological footprint, full world, feedback cycles (positive and negative, and examples of each), demographic transition.  Difference between environmental scientists and environmentalists.  Threats to ocean and freshwater ecology.  Major users of, and threats to availability of, fresh water.

 The sources of air pollution in different parts of the world and its effects.  The nature and sources of climate change, why it is a major threat, and how it ties in with a system of feedback loops.  What caused the ozone layer to thin out.  Different kinds of fossil fuels, their benefits and impacts.  The concept of peak oil and why it’s a tricky concept.  Alternative conventional fuels, both fossil and others.  Renewable forms of energy, and their strengths and limitations.

 The nature of the waste stream in Canada and the U.S. and what can and is being done about it.  The role of planned obsolescence in promoting waste.  The negative impacts of plastics on the environment.  Why cities are both part of the problem of sustainability and potentially part of the solution.  Definition and origin of urban sprawl.  What the movements ‘smart growth’ and ‘new urbanism’ are about.  Why moving away from automobile dependence towards other forms of transportation and mixed land use is so crucial to making cities more sustainable.

 What ethics has to do with our current ecological crisis.  The difference between anthropocentrism, biocentrism, and ecocentrism.  Places in the world where anthropocentrism is being challenged.  In what sense is the current economy both circular and linear?  The conflict between conventional economic perspectives and ecological perspectives.  The notion of (currently) unpriced ecosystem services and externalities.  Why Gross Domestic Product (GDP) is not necessary an accurate reflection of social well-being.

 What is traditional knowledge?  Examples of environmental policies.  Key elements of environmental policies – for instance, at universities like VIU.  Different approaches to environmental policies.  Different strategies for changing institutions in a more sustainable direction (not limited to what we discussed in class).  Different strategies for changing individuals/ households in a more sustainable direction (not limited to what we discussed in class).  What are some positive things being done in different parts of the world (i.e. where is environmental leadership being shown) to move us in a more sustainable direction? Have a great holiday break!