Download Environmental Issues: Global warming, climate change, energy use

Canada and the World:
Environmental Issues
History of Environmentalism
 Energy production and environmental issues
started to come to light in 1970s
 OPEC oil crisis (1973), Three Mile Island (1979)
 Greenpeace formed in Vancouver in 1971
 Environmental issues became more of public
concern in 1980s and 1990s
 Canada has been part of discussions of these
issues for decades
 Advocating for “environmental stewardship”
– taking care of the earth – eg. Earth Day
UN & Environmentalism
 UN Conference on Human Environment –
Stockholm, 1972 – first time environmental
issues became politically recognized
 UN World Commission on Environment
and Development (WCED) (AKA Brundtland
Commission) – 1983-1987
 Recognition of many issues with similar causes
 Produced a report called “Our Common Future”
or Brundtland Report – agenda for development
 Earth Summit (1992) – adopted Agenda 21,
a plan for solving environmental issues in 21st
century
Unsustainability of life
 UN began to realize that modern (Western)
way of life was not sustainable – it could not be
supported indefinitely due to growing population
in developing countries and waste of resources
 Focus began to turn to “sustainable
development” – what could be supported
 Concern over “ecological footprint” – the
mark humans were leaving on earth
 Individuals were encouraged to monitor their
ecological footprint
 Corporations and companies began to be held to
account for their actions
Inequality of wealth
 One source of issues
is inequality in wealth
and use of resources
 Top fifth of Earth’s
population have 82.7 %
of wealth and use 85 %
of resources
 Economy (poverty)
and environment are
interconnected issues
Energy sources
 Energy sources for most of the 18th and 19th
centuries were fossil fuels (eg. coal, oil,
natural gas) that were extracted from ground
after being formed from compression of carbonbased organisms
 Fossil fuels are non-renewable resource –
need for alternative (renewable) energy
 Fossil fuels have damaged Earth’s biosphere
(collection of all ecological systems) – over past
two centuries with emission of CO2 and other
hazardous chemicals
Climate change
 Additional CO2 and gases have created
“greenhouse effect”, meaning that less heat
leaves Earth’s biosphere
 Greenhouse effect has led to “global
warming” – overall rise in temperature – and
climate change, including erratic weather
patterns, melting of polar ice caps, rising of sea
levels, and disruption of food chain
 Climate change is not just a scientific issue –
it is also political and fundamental to all people
Climate change debate
 Some scientists claim this is a natural cycle,
but most acknowledge that human lifestyle has
created current situation
 Some discussing “global cooling”
 Question of how to respond: mitigation,
adaptation, or geo-engineering
 Recent effects of climate change on Canada:
 Arctic regions – ice melting, deaths of animals
 Extreme weather more common – droughts in
Prairies, forest fires, floods in Manitoba
 Salmon survival rate decreased by one-third
since 1990s
Kyoto Protocol
 International UN-sponsored agreement to
reduce emission of greenhouse gases (GHGs)
 Most countries required to meet standards of
5.2% below 1990 levels
 183 countries (including Canada) signed on
between Dec. 1997 and 1999
 Kyoto took effect in 2005; countries began to
be required to meet goals or face
consequences
 US withdrew in 2001 – concerns about
economy – responsible for 25% of emissions!
Kyoto Protocol in Canada
 Political debate over Kyoto – Liberal
government signed on, but Conservatives have
different perspective on requirements
 Opposition parties disagreed with Harper and
passed motion to force government to meet
Kyoto targets; it has not been obeyed by
government
 Conservatives say they have their own plans
for reducing emissions
 Some provincial initiatives in spite of federal
inaction
Renewable Resources
 Concern over climate change has led to
increased focus in renewable resources in
Canada
 Alternative sources include hydroelectric,
solar, biomass, tidal, wind
 Instituted at varying levels across Canada
 Debate over nuclear power – primarily a
safety issue
 Currently a hot-topic issue in Saskatchewan –
placement of reactor and use of resources
Ozone depletion
 Ozone is protective layer in
atmosphere that keeps harmful
ultraviolet rays away from Earth
 Overuse of harmful chemicals in
appliances and aerosol sprays
(chlorofluorocarbons, or CFCs) led
to depletion of ozone layer
 Negative effects include increase
of skin cancer and disruption of
flora and fauna ecosystems
Montreal Protocol
 International treaty to eliminate use of CFCs
across the globe
 Goal is for ozone layer to recover by 2050
 Proposed in 1987 and ratified in 1989, with
several revisions since
 Considered one of the most successful
agreements in international environmental
issues because of wide involvement and
obedience to requirements of treaty
Acid Rain (and smog)
 Pollution caused by acid entering water cycle
 Some areas are more susceptible to
problems, including Canadian Shield
 US contributes significantly to problems in
Canada’s air
 Worst area is around Great Lakes – why?
 Led to signing of Air Quality Accord between
US and Canada in 1991
 Called for 50 % reduction of SO2 emissions by
2000
Water
• Water is necessary for drinking, irrigation,
agriculture, health care
• Water is an increasingly valuable commodity,
as more water is polluted and improperly used
• Over 5 million people die each year from
illnesses caused by poor water supply
• Over 50% of people in Africa suffer from
water-related diseases
• Water scarcity will likely affect three billion
people in 52 countries by 2025
Sources of water
• Surface water collected from precipitation
• Aquifers are underground water-bearing
rocks that serve as source of clean water
• Need for water has led to over-pumping of
aquifers, causing water table (level) to drop
before precipitation can replenish it
• Wells must be dug deeper, disrupting soil
• Solutions may include water exporting,
desalination (removing salt) of seawater, and
conservation (especially in developed world)
Water in Canada
• Canada has one of world’s largest supplies of
freshwater – glaciers, lakes, rivers, Arctic
• Freshwater supply is challenged by pollution,
climate change, ozone depletion, acid rain
• Dispute over freshwater supply with other
countries (primarily US)
• Issues include privatization and marketing of
water, borders and rights (especially in Arctic),
and US pollution seeping into Canada
• Political, legislative, legal, and popular issue
Deforestation
 Rainforest being lost, especially in Brazil
 Leads to poor climate, loss of species, less
protection of air quality
 Canada has large portion of world’s rainforest,
particularly in BC
 Forest fires devastating in past 20 years
 Concern over environmental stewardship by
logging industry has led to some reforms
Agriculture and farming
 Canadian farmers based in Prairies and ON
 Farming changing from small family farms to
larger sections and corporate management
 Requires change in technology – larger
machines, more effective methods of keeping
crops alive
 Use of pesticides (to kill insects) and
herbicides (to kill weeds) has grown
 Leads to chemicals in soil, air, water, food
Genetically Modified?
 For two decades, genetic engineers have
worked on creating genetically modified
organisms (GMOs) that adapt in growing food
 GM foods are designed to adapt to chemicals
and become more usable and long-lasting
 Some concern over health risks
 Rise in marketing of “organic” products
 Governments regulate foods carefully
 Political and legal issue of patents and
ownership – eg. Percy Schmeiser + Monsanto
Health crises
 Environmental disruptions and genetic
modification have (arguably) led to health crises
 Global health crisis is called a pandemic
 Recent almost-pandemics include AIDS,
SARS (2002-03), Avian flu (2004), H1N1 (2009)
 Pandemics may be prevented through
improvement of environment and standard of
living
Conclusions
 The environment has changed significantly
over the past fifty years, arguably in large part
due to human technology and industry
 Environmental issues have been politically
acknowledged since 1972
 Canada is one of the world leaders in these
issues and discussions
 Political debate over sacrificing economic
good to meet environmental needs is common
 The environment is perhaps the greatest
issue facing this generation, including Canada