Sustainable Development ► Immediately: Read Earth Science Textbook, pages 11 – 16 and answer questions in the Earth Science Workbook, page 5-6, Section 1.3: Representing Earth’s Surface. ► Chapter 4 student notes
Dec 30, 2015
Sustainable Development
►Immediately: Read Earth Science Textbook, pages 11 – 16 and answer questions in the Earth Science Workbook, page 5-6, Section 1.3: Representing Earth’s Surface.
►Chapter 4 student notes
Chapter 3 – Sustainable
Development
How can I contribute to making human kind
compatible with life on Earth?
I. The Sustainable Development Ethic
A. An ethic that meets current global human needs without limiting the ability of future generations to meet their own needs
B. 3 basic components
1. Resources are limited and are not all meant for human consumption
2. Humans are a part of nature and are subject to natural laws
3. Human success is living in harmony with the natural world
C. Relies on reducing demand, recycling, conservation, and the wise use of resources (depending mainly on renewable resources)
II. Feeding the World: Sustainable Agriculture
A. As the world’s population continues to grow, people will have to find methods of producing foods that have a minimal impact on the environment
Ex. Regenerative farming – based on crop rotation, reduced soil erosion, integrated pest management, and a minimal use of soil additives
a. Prevents soil from becoming depleted in mineral nutrients, especially nitrogen
b. Some crops such as legumes have bacteria in their roots that can convert the nitrogen in the air into a useable form, allowing the soil to become rich in nitrogen – by alternating legumes with other crops, farmers can limit/avoid the use of nitrogen fertilizers
2. Use of cover crops – non-food plants that are grown between growing seasons that hold the soil in place, thereby reducing erosion
3. Drip irrigation – delivers small quantities of water directly to the roots of plants, reducing erosion of the soil by flowing water
3. Drip irrigation – delivers small quantities of water directly to the roots of plants, reducing erosion of the soil by flowing water
4. Reduced tillage – tilling turns the soil over to bring lower layers to the surface; wastes water, uses energy, and increases soil erosion
5. Integrated Pest Management (IPM) – use of natural predators of pest organisms in order to reduce the amount of pesticides delivered to crops
Review Questions
►What is sustainable development?
►The ability to have the resources we need and conserve resources for the next generation
Review Questions
►2. What strategies will have to be used in order to achieve sustainable development?
►Conservation, Recycling, and Wise use of Resources
Review Questions
►3. What are the goals of sustainable agriculture/ regenerative farming?
►To find the most productive methods of food production without harming the environment
Review Questions
►4. List 5 methods of regenerative farming.
►Crop Rotation►Cover Crops►Drip Irrigation►Reduced Tillage►IPM- Integrated Pest Management
III. Conservation
A. Conservation is a strategy to reduce the use of resources
through decreased demand and increased efficiency
B. Waste Reduction
►1. Reasons Needed: A. We live in a “disposable” society-
products are used once and then thrown away; the amount of waste generated by these disposable items is vast
Ex. – Newspapers, food and beverage containers, diapers, etc.
B. The amount of material and energy that humans waste is unique in the biosphere; No other species uses so many resources as inefficiently as humans
2. Source Reduction
►The lowering of the demand for a resource, resulting in a reduction in the amount of resource needed to satisfy that demand; decreases the amount of a resource taken from the environment in the first place
3. Reuse and Recycle
►Minimize the amount of material being thrown away by separating items that can be reused or recycled from the trash
C. Conserving Energy
►1. Improve Energy efficiency in homes and Building A. Insulate to reduce heat loss B. Turn heat/ AC down when not at home C. Take shorter showers
►D. Run washing machine and dishwashers only when full
►E. Wash clothes at lower temperatures►F. Install low flow showerheads and
toilets►G. Turn off lights and appliances when
not in use►H. Replace incandescent bulbs with
compact fluorescent►I. Purchase energy efficient appliances
2. Improve energy efficiency in automobiles
►A. Use mass transportation►B. Carpool►C. Keep engines properly tuned & tires
properly inflated►D. Purchase vehicles with more
efficient engines
Review Questions
►1. What is a “disposable” society? Name some examples.
►When we use items once and throw them away
►Examples- Newspapers, Diapers and fast food containers
Review Questions
►2. How does source reduction help to conserve resources?
►Decreasing the demand decreases the amount of resources taken from the environment
Review Question
►3. Name 3 things that you don’t do now that you are WILLING to do to help conserve energy.
IV. Recycling
►A. Recycling is reducing resource use by collecting usable waste materials and using them to produce new items; currently the US does NOT recycle nearly as much as most other developed nations
►2. Recovered waste is a good source of limited resources, such as steel and aluminum
►3. Recovering waste materials is often less polluting, cheaper and more energy efficient than taking new materials from the environment
C. Recycled Materials:
►1. Paper- about 1/3 of the US’s paper waste is currently recycled
A. One of the easiest materials to recycle
B. Requires 75% less energy and uses 50% less water than producing paper from trees; also produces less toxic waste because it uses fewer chemicals
►C. Cannot be recycled forever - Cellulose fibers weaken with successive recycling, so fresh wood must be added
2. Minerals
►A. Glass and several different metals have been recycled for years
►Ex. Aluminum must be separated from Bauxite ore so producing aluminum requires large amounts of energy and water; recycling aluminum saves bauxite and fossil fuels, and reduces air and water pollution
►B. Other metals that are recycled in large quantities include iron and steel from junked cars and appliance, silver from photographic film and x-rays, copper from car radiators and telephone/utility cables, lead from car batteries and zinc from plumbing materials
►C. Motor Oil can be collected, cleaned and reused again; saves energy and prevents toxic elements such as lead, cadmium, arsenic, and benzene from polluting land and water
3. Plastics
a. Recycling plastics is more difficult than recycling other materials
i. Most plastics are made from petroleum, a complex organic molecule that does not break down easily
b. The amount of plastic being recycled is increasing; most plastics are now encoded with a number that indicates the kind of plastic from which a product is made, enabling the sorting of different types of plastics for recycling
c. Recovered plastics can be made into products such as bathtubs, containers, insulation, building materials, and synthetic fabrics
Review Questions 1. Name the 4 important benefits of recycling.
1.Reduces waste
2.Reduces energy consumption
3.Saves natural resources
4.Keeps us from using fossil fuels
2. Why can’t paper be recycled over and over again?
Because the cellulose fibers break down after awhile.
3. What are some of the most important environmental benefits to recycling minerals?
It means we don’t have to mine for new minerals
4. Why are plastics the most difficult materials to recycle?
Because they are made from fossil fuels which can be difficult to break down.
V. Conserving Biodiversity
A. Biodiversity, the variety of species in an ecosystem, is currently threatened by the increasing size of the human population
1. Species endangerment occurs when a species’ numbers fall so low that the population is in imminent danger of extinction
2. Earth is currently experiencing a “mass extinction” – this is different from other mass extinctions in that this one is caused by the activities of one species…humans
B. Importance of Biodiversity
1. New genetic material – raw material for biological evolution, also important for development of new crop plants
2. Natural chemicals in medicines and other industrial products
3. Aesthetic value – the beauty of life on Earth
C. Reasons for Biodiversity Loss
1. Habitat destruction – destroying all or part of an ecosystem that an organism needs to survive
c. Diverting water – changing the course of rivers by using dams can alter and damage aquatic habitats
2. Alien species – Non-native species introduced to an area by humans Ex. Kudzu – Japanese vine that can overtake huge areas of land in the U.S. due to lack of natural predators
3. Pesticide Use – chemicals can move up food chains, causing harm to large predators
• Ex. Bald eagles consumed fish that had consumed smaller organisms affected by the pesticide DDT – this caused the eagle’s egg shells to become fragile so baby eagles could not survive
D. Protecting Biodiversity
1. The Endangered Species Act (1973) – requires the government to make a list of all endangered species and protect that species as well as its habitat
2. Captive Breeding / Reintroduction - only focuses on the preservation of an individual species; saving a species while allowing the destruction of its habitat is short-sighted and futile
3. Establishing preserves – an area of land or water set aside for the protection of the ecosystem in that area
a. Includes national parks and wilderness areas
b. Must be large enough to allow viable populations of organisms to survive and breed (over 1,000)
c. Corridors between protective areas must be established to accommodate migratory species
Review Questions 1. Why is Earth’s current mass extinction different from previous mass extinctions?
Because this time it is caused by humans and could be preventable.
2. Name 3 reasons that it’s important to protect biodiversity.
1.Increased genetic material
2.Chemicals for medical discoveries
3.Aesthetic value
3. What is the main reason for our current loss of biodiversity? Give 2 examples.
Increase in human population.
Ex: Draining wetlands
Pollution
2. Most often include issues related to pollution, land management, and the quality of health Ex. Bond issues to improve a sewage treatment system
B. Federal policies
1. Occur at the national level
2. Federal government must intervene on behalf of the people when the actions of one state affect the quality of life in another state
3. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is responsible for managing and investigating environmental concerns so that effective federal legislation may be developed
C. International Policies
1. Occur when policies are developed by cooperating nations
2. Often, differences of opinion exist between the developed nations who have already achieved wealth, and the developing nations
3. Examples of International Policies:
a. Kyoto Protocol – calls for a reduction in greenhouse gases to slow global warming
b. Montreal Protocol – calls for a ban in CFC’s and other ozone depleting substances
c. CITES – Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species; regulates trade in all endangered species
The Sun’s energy passes through the car’s windshield.
This energy (heat) is trapped inside the car and cannot pass back through the windshield, causing the inside of the car to warm up.
Example of the Greenhouse Effect
Review Questions 1. If you are concerned about an environmental issue affecting your community, where would you start when trying to resolve the problem?
City or state government
3. Why do you think that the examples of International policies were addressed at that level?
Because all nations must cooperate to make a global difference.