Lecture 1 Flashcards
Environmental paradox
Human well-being has steadily improved overthrow past 40 years, while natural ecosystems have been declining.
Describe the trend of the world’s population
(Hint: plague and industrial revolution)
Steady growth until 1800s when it became rapid. Dip in population during the plague. Increasing around 80 million people per year.
What does the Human Development Index (HDI) do
Assesses the human well-being of a nation
Health, education, basic living standards
How has the HDI of countries changed since 1970
All but 3 of 135 countries have a higher HDI than in 1970
Ecosystem capital
Ecosystems support human life and economies with goods and services
These resources are not being managed well (in terms of ecosystem capital)
Humans are depleting ground water, degrading soils, overfishing, and cutting forests down too fast
While food production has been advanced… (degrading of ecosystems)
Humans have altered the world’s ecosystems faster and more profoundly over the past 50 years than at any time in history
Over 60% being degraded or used unsustainably
About how much (%) as the atmospheric CO2 risen since the industrial revolution
45%
What is the atmospheric CO2 measured at (ppm)
400ppms
How are the temperature and CO2 related
Based on the change in levels of atmospheric CO2 and the change in annual average temperature anomaly, the temperature increases as the atmospheric CO2 does.
Loss of biodiversity
Cause and how much has the vertebrae species declined (%) since 1970
33%
Conversion of land
HIPPO:
habitat destruction,invasive species, pollution, population, overexploitation
How is the environmental paradox actually explained (hint: one of the hypothesis plus two hypothesis that support)
Food production outweighs the decline of other ecosystem services.
There is a lag between the decline and human well-being, and technology can replace a lot of ecosystem services.
Three unifying themes to env issues
Sustainability, stewardship, sound science
A system is sustainable if…
It can continue indefinitely without depleting material or energy resources
Sustainable development meets our present needs without…
Compromising the needs of the future generations
