1. Environmental Issues — 15 hours Environmental crisis — knowledge of the nature and development of the global environmental crisis, and climate change in particular; awareness of the environment debate, including the view that recent global warming is caused by increased solar activity and not by carbon dioxide emissions which arise from pollution. The global commons — the ‘tragedy of the commons’ shows how communities over-exploit shared environmental resources; the depletion of common resources will occur as long as people are self-serving, and unilateral acts of restraint such as reducing CO2 emissions are insufficient to tackle the problem. Sustainability — awareness of competing views on how best to tackle the environment problem.

2. The environmental crisis

5. Incoming heat energy from the sun. Some heat is reflected up from the earth’s surface. Some heat is lost to space Some heat is trapped in our atmosphere by greenhouse gases. Some heat is absorbed by the ground

6. C

7. General Studies climate change sheets http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/837628 6.stmhttp://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/837628 6.stm

8. Other Environmental Issues Draw a spider diagram of other environmental issues

9. Presentation on

10. ‘Tragedy of the commons’ - threat to 'global commons' (tension between private good and collective good, between national interest and global well-being0); global commons despoiled (water, forests, energy resources, the atmosphere, animals, etc); 'free rider' problem (how to persuade private bodies/states to address public/global problems?). Reformist/modernist ecology – balance between modernization (economic growth; industrialization, etc) and ecology ('modernist ecology');shallow’/humanist/anthropocentricecologism;sustainable development (future generations entitled to at least the same living standards as present generation; 'weak' sustainability (technology and human capital compensates for natural capital); reliance of markets ('green capitalism', etc) and human ingenuity (science, technology and innovation). Radical ecology – environmental degradation stems from deeper, structural problems; problem of 'industrialism' (large-scale production, the accumulation of capital, relentless growth; modernization is the problem); capitalism underpins industrialism ('green capitalism' a contradiction in terms, etc); need to reject consumerist and materialist values (source of 'growthism' and block to serious environmental politics; 'strong' sustainability (social ecology, deep ecology).

11. Tragedy of the Commons This was a title of an article by Garrett Hardin in 1968, however, now the phrase is more commonly used to name the effect which it describes. It explains what can happen when a number of people or players share a common resource. This could be the fish in the sea, common grazing land or the atmosphere. Each player is presumed to act rationally and in his own interest. Let’s take the example of the common grazing land. If there are ten different farmers on this land then there is an incentive to add one more cow to your herd as you gain all of the benefit of this extra cow and you only have to suffer 1/10 of the cost resulting from the increased degradation of the land. Thus although it is in each individual’s self interest to increase the size of your herd, in the long run the land is exhausted.

12. This concept can be transferred to the other examples. With CO2 emission, it is in each countries own interest to emit more as growth will be increased, as shown by Japan. However, in the future growth will be damaged as drought and disease spread to higher latitudes and all the other consequences of global warming take effect. Fish stocks, most notably the North Sea in recent years, have declined. Without government intervention, there is an incentive for individual fishermen to catch as much as possible. Now we are seeing the consequences in the declining stocks. In this case, the tragedy could easily have been stopped as factors such as fish net size and amount caught and brought back can be monitored effectively, and thus regulated via taxes and laws. However, there are more difficulties with the punishment and monitoring of emissions due to the atmosphere being a global resource – unlike the common land and indeed the fish stocks which will be found in

13. Make a spider diagram of current examples of the Tragedy of the Commons

14. http://co2now.org/

15. Current day explanation with Case Study data of Tragedy of The Commons http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countri es_by_carbon_dioxide_emissions http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countri es_by_carbon_dioxide_emissions

16. Deep Ecology Deep ecology is a contemporary ecological philosophy that claims to recognize the inherent worth of other beings aside from their utility. The philosophy emphasizes the interdependent nature of human and non- human life as well as the importance of the ecosystem and natural processes. It provides a foundation for the environmental, ecology and green movements and has fostered a new system of environmental ethics. Deep ecology's core principle is the belief that, like humanity, the living environment as a whole has the same right to live and flourish. Deep ecology describes itself as "deep" because it persists in asking deeper questions concerning "why" and "how" and thus is concerned with the fundamental philosophical questions about the impacts of human life as one part of the ecosphere, rather than with a narrow view of ecology as a branch of biological science, and aims to avoid merely anthropocentric environmentalism, which is concerned with conservation of the environment only for exploitation by and for humans purposes, which excludes the fundamental philosophy of deep ecology. Deep ecology seeks a more holistic view of the world we live in and seeks to apply to life the understanding that separate parts of the ecosystem (including humans) function as a whole.

17. The eight points are as follows: 1. The well-being and flourishing of human and non-human life on Earth have value in themselves (synonyms: intrinsic value, inherent worth). These values are independent of the usefulness of the non-human world for human purposes. 2. Richness and Diversity of life forms contribute to the realization of these values and are also values in themselves. 3. Humans have no right to reduce this richness and diversity except to satisfy vital needs. 4. The flourishing of human life and cultures is compatible with a substantially smaller human population. The flourishing of non-human life requires a smaller human population.

18. 5. Present human interference with the non-human world is excessive, and the situation is rapidly worsening. 6. Policies must therefore be changed. These policies affect basic economic,technological, and ideological structures. The resulting state of affairs will be deeply different from the present. 7. The ideological change will be mainly that of appreciating life quality (dwelling in situations of inherent value) rather than adhering to an increasingly higher standard of living. There will be a profound awareness of the difference between bigness and greatness. 8. Those who subscribe to the foregoing points have an obligation directly or indirectly to try to implement the necessary changes. (Naess. A, 1989: 29 & Naess in Sessions. G, 1995: 68)

19. How would deep ecology work in practice what policies could be enacted? What are the barriers to deep ecology?

20. Shallow/Modernist Ecology Often referred to as reformist or modernist ecology. It is essentially an anthropocentric philosophy as it is concerned with conservation of the environment only for exploitation by and for humans purposes. It allows for a balance to be struck between modernization/industrialisation and ecology (hence modernist ecology). Modernist ecology does take sustainability into account but it is often termed ‘Weak sustainability’. This is the kind of sustainability pushed by the Bruntland report, and the Rio Earth Summit, which either argues that Sustainability should be secondary to economic concerns, or that sustainability can be achieved with a growth economy, without recognising that that growth is intricately linked to environmental destruction. Weak sustainability assumes that different forms of capital (Natural, man made, social, financial etc) are substitutable with one another, therefore sustainability is achieved even if all natural capital is replaced with man made capital.

21. Examples

22. Chronology of environmental issues on the international agenda P354 Globa

23. International co-operation on climate Change Page 361-364 Read through together and highlight Chronology of Climate Change legislation

24. Kyoto Strengths Weaknesses

25. Copenhagen http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/8278973.stm What was the net result? Why did it fail? Why is finding agreement on climate change so difficult? Articles

26. Solutions to Climate Change 'Solutions' to climate change – reformist solutions (modest GHG emission targets, allowing for economic growth; 'green' technology to create a carbon-neutral economy; market solutions ('green' consumerism; 'green' taxes; emissions trading, etc); ‘adaptation’ strategies rather than ‘mitigation’ strategies, etc); radical solutions (tougher commitment to ‘mitigation’ (substantial and legally-binding cuts in GHG emissions); restructuring of economy (greatly increased government intervention); tackling consumerism and materialism (steady-state economy, etc).

28. A3 Sheet Solution + evaluation Reformist (Shallow)Radical (Deep)

29. GHG targets UK’s status http://www.decc.gov.uk/en/content/cms/wh at_we_do/lc_uk/lc_uk.aspxhttp://www.decc.gov.uk/en/content/cms/wh at_we_do/lc_uk/lc_uk.aspx EU http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/6944 212.stm http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/6944 212.stm Usa http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/8378890.stm http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/8378890.stm

30. Emissions Trading (Cap and Trade/ a form of Carbon pricing) Greenhouse gas emissions – a new commodity Parties with commitments under the Kyoto Protocol (Annex B Parties) have accepted targets for limiting or reducing emissions. These targets are expressed as levels of allowed emissions, or “assigned amounts,” over the 2008-2012 commitment period. The allowed emissions are divided into “assigned amount units” (AAUs). Emissions trading, as set out in Article 17 of the Kyoto Protocol, allows countries that have emission units to spare - emissions permitted them but not "used" - to sell this excess capacity to countries that are over their targets. Thus, a new commodity was created in the form of emission reductions or removals. Since carbon dioxide is the principal greenhouse gas, people speak simply of trading in carbon. Carbon is now tracked and traded like any other commodity. This is known as the "carbon market."

31. Technology to the rescue http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/792161 9.stmhttp://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/792161 9.stm

32. Green Taxes http://www.telegraph.co.uk/7937911/Busin ess-facing-a-wave-of-green-taxes.htmlhttp://www.telegraph.co.uk/7937911/Busin ess-facing-a-wave-of-green-taxes.html http://www.libdems.org.uk/news_detail.asp x?title=Green_tax_switch_essential_to_ta ckling_Climate_Change_%E2%80%93_H orwood_&pPK=872e476b-d7aa-4dc0- b0d6-2a4be21b5fd1http://www.libdems.org.uk/news_detail.asp x?title=Green_tax_switch_essential_to_ta ckling_Climate_Change_%E2%80%93_H orwood_&pPK=872e476b-d7aa-4dc0- b0d6-2a4be21b5fd1

33. Adaptation http://www.defra.gov.uk/environment/clima te/adapting/http://www.defra.gov.uk/environment/clima te/adapting/

34. Radical Policies Steady State Economy Restructuring of the economy Legally binding and more severe cuts in GHG

35. Climate change Cause of climate change – debate about the existence of global warming, but much reduced since about 2004-05 (growing scientific consensus); 'debate about the causes of climate change (anthropocentric or non-anthropocentric?); the ‘greenhouse effect' (existence in the atmosphere of GHGs (carbon dioxide, methane and nitrous oxide) that absorb and emit infrared radiation from the ground, trapping-in heat from the sun), etc. Progress of international cooperation on climate change – 1988 establishment of IPCC; 1992 Rio'Earth Summit' (endorses 'sustainable development' and establishes UN Framework Convention 12 on Climate Change (UNFCCC); 1997 Kyoto Protocol and its implications (strengths and weaknesses of Kyoto; legally binding targets for develop countries; developed 'cap and trade'approach; necessary basis for further action, etc vs unambitious targets; developing states no included (China and India); USA remained outside; loopholes in emissions trading process, etc; 2009 Copenhagen conference and its implications (strengths and weaknesses of Copenhagen;developing countries and USA part of the process, etc vs absence of legally-binding national targets and global targets, weak commitments, etc); obstacles to effective international cooperation (state interest vs collective good; differences between developed world and developing world; changing balance of global power (rise of China); economic 'costs' of tacking climate change, global financial crisis, etc). 'Solutions' to climate change – reformist solutions (modest GHG emission targets, allowing for economic growth; 'green' technology to create a carbon-neutral economy; market solutions ('green' consumerism; 'green' taxes; emissions trading, etc); ‘adaptation’ strategies rather than ‘mitigation’ strategies, etc); radical solutions (tougher commitment to ‘mitigation’ (substantial and legally-binding cuts in GHG emissions); restructuring of economy (greatly increased government intervention); tackling consumerism and materialism (steady-state economy, etc).