p9 Flashcards
Deforestation affected
13 million hectares of forest between 2000 and 2010.
Palm Oil
Palm oil is the most commonly produced vegetable oil - used in foods like frozen pizzas and biscuits as well as cosmetics and biofuels.
66 million tonnes are produced each year.
Tropical climate is perfect from maximising crop yields - huge ‘driver’ of deforestation.
Indonesia
is the largest producer and in 2015 its GHG emissions overtook those of the USA.
700 land conflicts in 2016 were linked to Palm oil – this was because indigenous and local people are often driven out of areas they have inhabited for generations.
Value of Forests facts
Over 1.6 million people depend on forests and over 90% of these are the poorest in societies.
They are the source of 80% of global biodiversity.
The UN has described forests as fundamental to human wellbeing and survival.
Forests provide 1.1% of the global economy income.
Forests provide 13.2 million ‘formal’ and 41 million ‘informal’ jobs
What do forests provide?
Maintains atmosphere through photosynthesis
Help prevent flooding and landslides
Nutrient cycling- soil formation and primary production
A genetic pool- a source for improving plant strains and medicines
Fuel wood source for 1/3 people globally for cooking and boiling water
Goods: water, wood, fibres, fuels, foods
Source of livestock fodder
improve food and nutrition security
Aesthetic, educational, spiritual, recreational
Water purification
Forest Recovery
Despite huge losses from deforestation each year, the rate of deforestation has slowed!
Between 1990 and 2015 the rate of net global deforestation slowed down by more than 50% and total forest carbon emissions decreased by 25% according to the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the UN (FAO).
This change is particularly happening
in developed countries.
Kuznets Curve
A model that suggests that societies reach a tipping point where exploitation changes more towards protection.
Factors affecting the timings on the curve are:
Wealth of countries
Rising knowledge of the role the environment plays in human wellbeing
Aid given to poorer nations to help choices over exploitation
Political systems and enforcement of laws
Participation of locals
Power of TNCs
How could the attitudes of different stakeholders affect the Kuznets’ curve model?
Examples:
Governments
NGOs
Attitudes:
social, economic, political and environmental.
Stakeholder
an individual or group that has an interest in something or is affected by something.
Forest Protection - Indonesia
In May 2011 Indonesia’s president declared a ‘forest moratorium’ - aimed at trying to reduce deforestation. They received $1 billion funding from the UN and Norwegian government.
The Moratorium stopped new lands getting forest clearance permits.
By 2013 emissions had fallen by 1-2.5%. However illegal logging is still an issue.
In 2015 the moratorium was extended to help Indonesia further reduce its CO2 emissions by 26% by 2020.
Forest Recovery
Increased sustainable management will help decrease the rate of deforestation:
examples
13% of forests (534 million hectares) are now classed as ‘conserved’.
Brazil and the USA have the largest National Parks and Forest Reserves.
Carbon sequestration projects are increasing.
Temperate forest areas (mainly in developed countries) has increased, although tropical rainforests (mainly in developing countries) has decreased.
Brazil has halved it’s deforestation rate since 2000 but continues to lose forest.
forest recovery The UK:
- Following centuries of exploitation forest cover in the UK had dropped from 80%- 10%.
- To combat this the Forestry Commission planted fast growing conifers like Sitka Spruce.
- Forest cover increased by 25% between 1870 and 1947 and by 50% between 1948-1995. By 2016 13% of the UK was forested with increasing numbers of indigenous species being planted.
Why are oceans important for the carbon cycle?
They are a major carbon sink:
they have absorbed about 30% of the C02 produced as a result of human activities since 1800, and about 50% of that produced by burning fossil fuels.
Due to this absorption the acidity of our oceans is changing which is a big problem.
Causes of Ocean Acidification
During acidification, carbonic acid reacts with carbonate ions in the water to form bicarbonate. The higher the acidity, the more it dissolves carbonate shells
Ocean acidification has lowered the pH of the ocean by about 0.1. That means that it’s now 30% more acidic than it was in 1750, before the Industrial Revolution.
