Slide deck 1 Flashcards
(27 cards)
Define sustainability
Sustainable development is developmment that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs
Name the 3 key pillars to sustainability
Environmental, Social and Economical
T or F: Concers of envrionmental degradation by humans started as early as 500BC
True
T or F: before the 17th century the natural environment was only deforestation and not the air and water
False: the natural envrionment altered by humnans was mostly air and water pollution, and is the beginning of deforestation by europeans in the 17th century
Who were the first pioneers of sustainability
Indigenous cultures practiced sustainable argicultures and resource management
eg: native americans used controlled burns to maintain ecosystems
When did we start seeing issues to the livelyhood of climate change
The 16th century (1700): population groeth surpasses food supply
e.g: Irish Potato Famine
When did C02 emissions start rising
1840: the industrial revolution
What is the biggest catalyst for climate change
The use of coal in the industrial revolution brought harsh results to the envrionment
What did Geroge Perkins Marsh theorise
He predictspotential human extinction on earth due to our intervention on the envrionment
When did we see the first environmentalist groups
in 1892, mainly for wildlife conservation
What did Svante Arrhenius predict
That changes in athmospheric carbon dioxide levels could substantially alter the surface temperatures through the greenhouse effects
1896
What is climate change
Long-term shifts in temperature and weather patterns
United nations
Name some of the consequences of temperature shifts
- intense droughts
- Water scarcity
- Severe fires
- Rising sea levels melting polar ice
- Catastrophic storms
- declining biodiversity
Define the greenhouse effect
THe human enhanced greenhouse effects allow for less heat to escape into space, and more Green House Gaz to retain heat in the earths atmosphere
How many GHGs are there
7
What are the GHGs
- CO2 : Carbon dioxide
- CH4: Methane
- N2O: Nitrous oxide
- HFC: Hydrofluorocarbons
- PFC: Perfluorocarbons
- SF: Sulfur hexafluoride
- NF: Nitrogen trifluoride
Name 4 consequences of a 4 degree increase
- High impact for SIDS (Small Island Developing State) and LDC (Least Developed Countries )
- Rainforests turning into deserts
- Raising sea levels
- Irreversible loss of diversity among plants and animals
What is the goal we are trying to maintain for temp. increase
We wanna stay at 1.5 to 2 degree increase from 2005.
How did the term grenwashing come about
Westerveld saw that a hotel was selling the idea of towel reusing
Define greenwashing
The practice of making false or misleading claims about a product,service,or company’s environmental impact.its a way for companies to make consumers believe theyre making env. friendly choices, event **when theyre not **
T or F: greenwashing is a criminal offense
True
up to 10M$, three times the value of the benefits or 3% of worldwide gross revenue
How can you spot greenwashing
- Vague language (not certifications)
- Beware of symbolic gestures (does the message match the actions?
What is the kyoto protocol
An international agreement that called for developed countries to significantly reduce their greenhouse gas emissions
What is the current agreement used ?
The Paris Agreement - 2015
