Download Welcome to Environmental Geography!

Welcome to Environmental
Geography!
(Photo by P. Regoniel
in Picable).
GEOG 101 (Section 01) – Day 1
Getting Oriented
 How many of you are at VIU for the first time? If so, if
you need a hand figuring anything out, just let me
know, and I will try to be of whatever help I can.
 The textbook for this course is available in the
bookstore. There may be used copies at the
bookstore or at the student union store.
 It’s Environment: The Science Behind the Stories
(Canadian edition) by Jay Withgott, Scott Brennan,
and Barbara Murck (Toronto: Pearson Canada, 2009)
[see www.myenvironmentplace.ca for student
support materials]. It's a good book, with lots of
illustrations, case studies, and Canadian content.
Please note that we will be skipping Chapters 2-4 and
going straight to Chapter 5 for next week.
Course Focus


This course will provide an introduction to the
Earth's biophysical systems from an environmental
science/ environmental geography perspective, with
a focus on the increasing impacts of human beings
on these systems, and methods for analyzing and
evaluating human-environment relationships.
Topics include carrying capacity, limits to growth,
ecological footprints, ecosystems and energy flows,
human population growth and dispersion,
agriculture and food issues, biodiversity, forest
management, water resources and fisheries, climate
change and air pollution, energy use, waste
management, urban sustainability, environmental
ethics and policy, and social change for achieving a
more sustainable world.
Getting Oriented
 The course will be a mix of lectures, discussion,
videos, and assignments.
 Keep in mind that this course has a waitlist, so
please decide this week if you are going to stay, or
if you have a friend who is registered but is not
here today, tell them to e-mail me right away.
 Also: read the course outline carefully.... We will
go over some of it today.
 If you suffer from a disability of any kind, you
need to register with Disability Services (in
Building 200) and let me know as soon as possible.
Getting Oriented
 The focus of the course is the global ecological
crisis from an environmental geography/
environmental science perspective and what we
can do to address it, including what is already being
done in a number of sectors. If you have specific
interests, let me know and I will try to
accommodate them if at all possible.
 What are some key environmental issues facing our
planet? What is causing them and how are they
impacting on people and other species?
 I would also like to take advantage of whatever
knowledge or previous life experience you have
that is relevant. What can you offer?
Getting Oriented
 In addition to the final exam and a mid-term quiz, there
will be two major assignments. For these, you get to
choose from amongst the four following options:
 a life-cycle analysis of an everyday product
 a media analysis of a controversial environmental issue
 a research project on an environmental problem on
campus and the development of a program of action to
tackle it
 and the development of an environmental education unit
to present in a local secondary or elementary school.
o You may also be asked to answer questions about
videos shown, and to participate in a debate on a key
environmental topic.
Getting Oriented
 EVALUATION
 1. Attendance and Participation in in-class work- 10%
 2. Mid-term quiz- 15% (2/9)
 3. Life-cycle Analysis or Campus Problem-solving Project25% (3/16 or 3/30 (see outline)
 4. Media analysis or Elementary/ High School
Educational Outreach Exercise- 25% (4/4)
 6. Final Exam- 25% (TBA)
________________________
100%

You can also boost your participation marks by
bringing relevant resources to my and the class'
attention.
Ground Rules
 No late assignments unless there is some health or
family emergency.
 No plagiarism – all assignments must be original. If you
have any questions about what that means, we can talk
about it.
 My preference for referencing style is University of
Chicago or APA (The Writing Centre has handouts or
see http://libguides.viu.ca/citing)
 If you're going to miss a class, please let me know.
 When you do miss, it's your responsibility to keep up
with the readings, and see what was covered in lecture
by viewing the lecture notes on my web site:
http://web.viu.ca/alexander2 under “Courses.”
 No abuse of laptops in class (i.e. surfing or Facebook).
Chapter 1 will help you understand:






The meaning of the term
environment
The importance of natural
resources and ecosystems
That environmental science
and environmental geography
are interdisciplinary
The scientific method and
how science operates
Some pressures facing the
global environment
Sustainability and sustainable
development
1-9
Our Island, Earth
All the things around us with which we interact:

Biotic (living things)
Animals, plants, forests, soils, etc.

Abiotic (nonliving things)
Continents, oceans, clouds, icecaps

Our built environment
Structures, human-created living centres

Social relationships and institutions
1-10
Humans…
•
•
•
•
are altering the natural systems we need for
Resources, health, life-span, wealth, mobility, & leisure
Impacts:
Natural systems have been degraded
Long-term threat to health and survival
Environmental science and environmental geography
study:
How the natural world works
How the environment affects humans and vice versa
Environmental geography gives special emphasis to how
things interrelate in space – for instance, the relationship
between pollution and climate change and health impacts
on humans or ecosystems, or the spread of exotic species
and how they impact on indigenous species.
1-11
Natural resources: vital to human survival
FIGURE 1.1
•
•
Renewable resources:
Perpetually available: sunlight, wind, wave energy
Renew themselves over short periods: timber, water, soil
can be overharvested
Nonrenewable resources: finite supply; can be depleted
Oil, coal, minerals
1-12
Global human population growth
•
•
More than 6.8 billion
humans
Why so many humans?
-
Agricultural revolution
-
-
Stable food supplies
Industrial revolution
-
-
-
Urbanized society
powered by fossil
fuels
Sanitation and
medicines
More food
FIGURE 1.2
1-13
weighing
the issues
The Tragedy of the Commons
by Garrett Hardin
Unregulated exploitation leads to resource
depletion
•
Resource users are tempted to increase use until
the resource is gone
•
•
Solution?
•
•
•
Private ownership?
Voluntary organization to enforce
responsible use?
Governmental regulations?
1-14
The “ecological footprint”
by Mathis Wackernagel & William Rees


The environmental impact of an individual or
population
 Amount of biologically productive land + water
required to provide raw materials a population
consumes and absorb the waste produced
Overshoot: humans have surpassed the Earth’s
capacity (the date when humans are said to have
overshot the Earth's carrying capacity is said to fall
earlier each year and now occurs in September).
We are using 39% more of the planet’s resources than
are available on a sustainable basis from all the land!
1-15
Environmental science
… can help us avoid mistakes made in the past.
The lesson of Easter Island: people annihilated their culture
by destroying their environment. Can we act more wisely to
conserve our resources?
1-16
weighing
the issues
•
Environmental science/ geography
are interdisciplinary
What experts would you need for:
The construction of a new
hydroelectric dam?
 The proposed draining of a
wetland to build a new
subdivision?
 A proposal to permit bear
hunting in a national park
 The management of a large
oil spill offshore from a
pristine beach?

FIGURE 1.3
1-17
What is an “environmental problem”?


The perception of what
constitutes a problem varies
between individuals and societies
e.g. DDT, a pesticide


In developing countries:
welcome because it kills
malaria-carrying mosquitoes
In developed countries: not
welcome, due to health risks
FIGURE 1.4
1-18
Environmental science is not
environmentalism

Environmental science



The pursuit of knowledge about the natural world
Scientists try to remain objective (though sources of
funding can influence questions studied and
conclusions arrived at)
Environmentalism

A social movement dedicated to protecting the
natural world, though some environmental
scientists (e.g. David Suzuki, Andrew Weaver)
become environmentalists because they feel the
'facts' demand that we take action as a society and
as a species.
1-19
The nature of science


Science:
 A systematic process for learning about the world
and testing our understanding of it
 A dynamic process of observation, testing, and
discovery
 The accumulated body of knowledge that results
from this process
Science is essential for

Sorting fact from fiction

Developing solutions to the problems we face
1-20
Science: Critically examining evidence


Scientists design tests: are
ideas supported by
evidence?
Explanations must:



Be testable
Resist repeated
attempts to disprove it
Accepted ideas can be
applied in policy and
management decisions
(e.g. prescribed burning)
1-21
The scientific method


A technique for testing ideas
with observations
Assumptions:
 The universe works
according to unchanging
natural laws
 Events arise from causes,
and cause other events
 We use our senses and
reason to understand
nature’s laws
FIGURE 1.7
1-22
The scientific method
A scientist makes an
observation and asks
questions of some
phenomenon

The scientist formulates a
hypothesis, a statement that
attempts to explain the scientific
question.

The hypothesis is used to
generate predictions, which
are specific statements that can
be directly and unequivocally
tested.

The test results either support
or reject the hypothesis

FIGURE 1.7
1-23
There are different ways to test hypotheses
Manipulative experiments yield
the strongest evidence
• Can show causation
• Not always possible to use
Natural or correlational tests
show real-world complexity
•
Cannot show causation
FIGURE 1.8
1-24
The scientific process is part of a larger process
The scientific process
includes peer review,
publication, and debate

A consistently
supported hypothesis
becomes a theory, a welltested and widely
accepted explanation

With enough data, a
paradigm shift – a
change in the dominant
view – can occur

FIGURE 1.9
1-25
Sustainability and the future of our world

Human population growth exacerbates all
environmental problems


The growth rate has slowed, but we still add
more than 200,000 people to the planet each day
Our consumption of resources has risen even faster
than our population growth.


Life has become more pleasant for us so far
However, rising consumption amplifies the
demands we make on our environment.
1-26
Ecological footprints are not all equal

The ecological footprints of
countries vary greatly


Canada uses far more
than its equal share of
the world’s resources
Developing countries
have much smaller
footprints than
developed countries
FIGURE 1.10
1-27
We face challenges in agriculture


Expanded food production led to increased
population and consumption
It’s one of humanity’s greatest achievements, but
at an enormous environmental cost
 Nearly half of the planet’s land surface is used
for agriculture that depends heavily on
 Chemical fertilizers
 Pesticides, and produces
 Erosion
 Changed natural systems
1-28
We face challenges in pollution
•
Waste products and artificial chemicals used in farms, industries, and
households
Each year, millions of people die from pollution
FIGURE 1.11
1-29
We face challenges in climate
Scientists have firmly concluded that humans are changing
the composition of the atmosphere
 The Earth’s surface is warming

Melting glaciers

Rising sea levels

Impacted wildlife and crops

Increasingly destructive weather

Since the Industrial Revolution, atmospheric carbon
dioxide concentrations have risen by 37%, to the highest
level in 650,000 years
1-30
We face challenges in biodiversity
•
Human actions have driven many species extinct, and biodiversity
is declining dramatically
•
We are at the onset of a mass extinction event
FIGURE 1.12
Biodiversity loss may be our biggest environmental problem;
once a species is extinct, it is gone forever
1-31
The Millennium Ecosystem Assessment


The most comprehensive scientific assessment of
the condition of the world’s ecological systems
Major findings:




Humans have drastically altered ecosystems
These changes have contributed to human wellbeing and economic development, but at a cost
Environmental degradation could get much
worse
Degradation can be reversed, but it requires a
lot of work
1-32
Our energy choices will affect our future


The lives we live today are due to fossil fuels
 Machines
 Chemicals
 Transportation
 Products
Fossil fuels are a one-time bonanza; supplies will
certainly decline

We have used up ½ of the world’s oil supplies;
how will we handle this imminent fossil fuel
shortage?
1-33
Sustainable solutions exist

We must develop solutions that protect both our quality of
life and the environment

Organic agriculture

Technology

Reduce pollution

Conservation

Recycling

Renewable energy
sources
FIGURE 1.13
1-34
Are things getting better or worse?



Many people think environmental conditions are better
 Cornucopians: Human ingenuity will solve any problem
Some think things are much worse in the world
 Cassandras: predict doom and disaster
How can you decide who is correct?
 Are the impacts limited to humans, or are other
organisms or systems involved?
 Are the proponents thinking in the long or short term?
 Are they considering all costs and benefits?
1-35
Sustainability: a goal for the future



How can humans live within the planet’s means?
 Humans cannot exist without functioning natural
systems
Sustainability
 Leaves future generations with a rich and full Earth
 Conserves the Earth’s natural resources
 Maintains fully functioning ecological systems
Sustainable development: the use of resources to satisfy
current needs without compromising future availability of
resources
1-36
Will we develop in a sustainable way?


The triple bottom line: sustainable
solutions that meet
 Environmental goals
 Economic goals
 Social goals
Requires that humans apply knowledge
from the sciences to
 Limit environmental impacts
 Maintain functioning ecological systems
1-37
Conclusion




Environmental science helps us understand our
relationship with the environment and informs
our attempts to solve and prevent problems.
Identifying a problem is the first step in solving it
Solving environmental problems can move us
towards health, longevity, peace and prosperity
Environmental science and geography can help
us find balanced solutions to environmental
problems
1-38
QUESTION: Review
The term “environment” includes
a)
b)
c)
d)
A) Animals and plants
B) Oceans and rivers
C) Soil and atmosphere
D) All of the above are included in this term
1-39
QUESTION: Review
Which of the following is correct about the term
“environmentalism”?
a)
b)
c)
d)
A) It is very science-oriented
B) It is a social movement to protect the environment
C) It usually does not include advocacy for the
environment
D) It involves scientists trying to solve environmental
problems
1-40
QUESTION: Review
Adding various amounts of fertilizer to plants
in a laboratory is a _____ type of experiment.
a)
b)
c)
d)
A) Correlative
B) Natural
C) Manipulative
D) Rare
1-41
QUESTION: Review
What is the
a)
b)
c)
d)
definition of “sustainable development”?
A) Using resources to benefit future generations,
even if it means lower availability now
B) Letting future generations figure out their own
problems
C) Using resources to satisfy current needs without
compromising future availability
D) Letting each country decide what is its best
interest
1-42
QUESTION: Weighing the Issues

Which do you think is the best way to protect
commonly owned resources (i.e., air, water,
fisheries)?



a)
A) Sell the resource to a private entity
B) Voluntary organizations to enforce
responsible use
C) Governmental regulations
Do nothing and see what happens
1-43
QUESTION: Weighing the Issues
Do you think the rest of the world can have an ecological
footprint as large as the footprint of the Canada?





A) Yes, because we will find new technologies and
resources
B) Yes, because the footprint of Canada is not really
that large
C) Definitely not; the world does not have that many
resources
D) It does not matter; it’s not that important
1-44
QUESTION: Interpreting Graphs and Data
According to this graph, what has happened to the population over the last 500 years?
a) It has grown
exponentially
b) It has grown
linearly
c) It has decreased
d) It has slowed
down recently
1-45
QUESTION: Interpreting Graphs and Data
What happens if test results reject a
hypothesis?
a)
b)
c)
d)
A) The scientist formulates a
new hypothesis
B It shows the test failed
C) The hypothesis was
supported
D) The predictions may not
have been correct
1-46