Intro: http://www.unep.org/gc/gc23/UNEPLAST.htmlDavid Suzuki-Test Tube Clip:http://testtube.nfb.ca/#/testtube

Story of stuff:http://www.storyofstuff.com/http://breathingearth.net/

WHY CARE ABOUT THE ENVIRONMENT?

• “a great change in our stewardship (care of) the earth and the life on it is required, if the vast human misery is to be our avoided”

• More storms, droughts, destruction of natural resources (economicgreater taxes)

• Up north a war could be fought! • Some countries including US, Russia, Denmark, and Norway

see the potential for economic wealth from oil and natural gas deposits in the Arctic seabed and shipping lanes through an ice-free Northwest Passage

• 80 million babies born every year• Mostly in developing world, so less impact

• 20% of population consume 85% world’s resources• 20% is in Industrialized western countries

• If small fraction of developing world lived like developed world, Earth would quickly be overwhelmed with pollution and waste

• Earth’s carrying capacity is being lost!http://www.royalsaskmuseum.ca/gallery/life_sciences/footprint_mx_2005.swfYour footprint!http://www-popexpo.ined.fr/eMain.html

FEEDING A GROWING POPULATION

• 1500 litres of water produce 1 kg of wheat, while 500 litres for 1 kg of potatoes• More MEAT more DAIRY-1000 litres of water to

make 1 litre of milk, and nearly 16000 for 1 kg of beef.• Added to this are the costs of deforestation to

create grazing land, energy use to ship food, and depletion of resources.

• Maintaining economic growth without compromising the environment.

• Focus of the 1987 Bruntland Commission (aka: UN Commission on the State of the Environment). • Called on developed world to

reduce consumption & live sustainability

• Called on developing world to reduce population growth

• Canadians look to gov’t to take action, but gov’t and international actions have failed

• 1992 Earth Summit in Rio De Janeiro, Brazil produced statement of action called Agenda 21• Intended to encourage

development of sustainable world economy

• Over 10 years later, little progress has been made

First Nations Approach• Environmental stewardship

(sustainable management)• In the Squamish Lil’wat teach

“that we should keep in mind seven genera rations ahead of us in everything we do, to ensure that we care for future generations as well as present.”

• Definition: When a species is threatened to extinction.• Causes: Habitat loss, deforestation, pollution, over-hunting, not being able to adapt to

environmental changes. • Global Effects: We lose an important part of the food chain/web, other species are

effected. • Human Health Effects: The food chain will be effected, and humans are at the top of

the food chain. There could be an increase of pests or an outbreak of diseases, loss of medical cures.

1) Genetic Resources (loss of genes) 2) Potentially useful in the future (medicine)

3) Loss may threaten stability of ecosystems 4) Aesthetic value (beauty – and species have a value in themselves

regardless of any human use)• Areas of Focus: The food chain/food web/ecosystems. • Possible Solutions: Selective logging, recycling instead of polluting the environment

or proper disposal, and to not over hunt or hunt endangered species. Breeding programs, wildlife protection programs, strict laws against hunting endangered animals. Problem is political, cultural, economic and ecological

• International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources (IUCN)• Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora

(CITES)• Prevent commercial trade of endangered species• World Wildlife Fund (WWF)=advises government how to protect species• Captive breeding programs• Protecting African’s Animals = Elephant and rhinoceros parts are being protected by

trade bans in the EU, US, and Japan• Rhino horn is medicinal and in North Yemen it is a status symbol=leads to

poaching=>Kenya has ordered to kill poachers on sight, and they have tried to dehorn the rhinos

ISSUE #1:SPECIES EXTINCTION

• Intro=Animation on Water-see cd• Value of fresh water underrated

• 3% of world’s water is fresh water• Is enough to supply the world, but distribution is unequal.

• 78% of that locked in ice caps and glaciers• Remainder is underground (ground water)• Great Lakes = 18% world’s surface fresh water

• Developed nations known for water waste and pollution

• Shallowest of Great Lakes• By 1960s & 1970s became very polluted

-June 22, 1969, Cuyahoga River that feeds Lake Erie caught on fire• NOT THE FIRST TIME! 1936 blow torch spark ignited

debris & oil floating on surface. Several other fires also occurred, but June 1969 caught international attention.

• Time Mag: “Cuyahoga oozes rather than flows” and “a person does not drown but decays”• Sparked Clean Water Act and number of

other USA-Canada agreements. Pollution persists, though fires less common.

• In fact most of our fresh water is locked underground in AQUIFERS

• Problems:• Can be hard to access• Can get polluted• Can become depleted from overuse

• Groundwater supply threatened by:• Increasing population• Diversions of surface supply (agriculture)• 40% world’s harvests come from irrigation• USA, China & India facing reduced g.w. supplies

• These three nations produce ½ the world’s food• Last ½ 20th C, amount of irrigated land more than

doubled (over 250 million hectares)• Farmers had better technologies to access

groundwater• Access water in “Aquifers”

OGALLALA AQUIFER - USA

• One of the largest aquifers in the world, but is depleting quickly from agriculture (greatest user of freshwater!)

• Aquifer is also heavily used for golf courses

• In 50 years, reduced by 50%

• US gov’t allows “groundwater depletion” as tax write off for farmers…so much for conservation!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uQRvN6MUajE

• Water supply is cheap and reliable• Once depleted, takes long time to recharge• North China Plain where most China’s food produced,

water table falling 1.5 m per year• India’s water tables falling 1-3 m per year and could

reduce India’s harvest by 25%, making India more dependent on imported grain

• Lakes, Rivers & Coastal Waters• Disposal for sewage & agricultural + industrial

waste• Tanker accidents• Municipal waste water=human waste, detergents

& solvents• Farmers = herbicides & pesticides• Industry=oil refinery, pulp mill & chemical factory

wastehttp://

www.brainpop.com/science/earthsystem/watersupply/preview.weml

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M9rse9eUaDY&feature=related

• Current technology can = sustainable water management• Micro-dams• More efficient rainwater

harvesting• Reclaimed/recycled water• De-salinated seawater• Low energy sprinkler

systems• Drip irrigation directing

water to roots• High efficiency/low flow

toilets• Taxes or user rates to

encourage water conservation

• Ozone layer =thin layer 15-50 Km above surface of Earth• O3=only gas that can

block UV rays from sun• UV rays can cause

skin cancer• Damages plant

and animal species (plankton)

• Penetrates up to 20 m into ocean

• Depletion most evident at N & S Poles, esp in Spring• 60% depleted above

Antarctica• Why there?Higher levels of chlorine

found there will react to destroy the Ozone!

http://www.umich.edu/~gs265/society/ozone.htm

http://www.brainpop.com/science/earthsystem/ozonelayer/

• Chemicals, esp. Chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) cause 80% of damage• Widely used since 1930s • Coolants for fridges & air conditioners• In foams, solvents & aerosol spray cans

• UN Environmental Program (UNEP) working to phase out use of ozone depleting chemicals• Montreal Protocol (1987) all industrial

nations agree to cut use of CFCs by 2000• Amount of chemicals released increasing

• Only complete elimination of CFCs & recapture of those in the atmosphere will halt damage to the Ozone Layer• Simple phasing out of CFCs = 100 yrs to

reach 1980’s atmospheric conditionhttp://www.unep.fr/ozonaction/information/video/ozzy.htm#englishhttp://www.ozonelayer.noaa.gov/science/ozhole.htm

Issue #4•Gases trap heat energy from sun similar to a greenhouse• Natural factors (volcanoes, meteor

impacts) have caused climate change in past

•Since industrial Rev. burning fossil fuels (coal, oil, gas) = more CO2 in atmosphere•Causes rise in temperature 1-3 degrees by 2050 (slight changes=profound impact)

http://www.brainpop.com/science/ourfragileenvironment/globalwarming/

Known:• Causes increase in heat waves and violence of storms• Melts glaciers in Polar regions causing rise in sea levelSuspected:• Diseases extend range due to warmer temp• Earlier arrival of Spring in some regions• Shifting plant & animal ranges• Coral reefs losing colours as algae fail to adapt to warmer

water tempshttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zpu7IZcdzXEandAnimation-see cdhttp://www.unep.org/wed/2007/english/melting_ice.swf ?http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_J1ydwbO320&feature=relatedEPA kids animation:http://epa.gov/climatechange/kids/animations.html

Global Warming in pictures:http://www.msnbc.com/modules/interactive.aspx?type=ss&launch=16913964,3032493&pg=1

Problems• Arctic sea ice shrinking & seasonal melt = weeks earlier

than in past• Polar bears starving, need ice to hunt seals• Bears’ birth rate & av. Weight has fallen

• Arctic communities face sinking shorelines as permafrost melts

• Survival rate of BC’s spawning salmon 1/3rd what it was in 1990• Warmer water temps deplete phytoplankton salmon eat,

less growth, smaller fish can’t survive swim upstream• Ripple effect in ocean food chain if salmon stocks reduced

• Winter recreation areas economically impacted by warmer winters

• Freak weather systems & devastating storms more likely • More droughts and forest fires• Permafrost (soil up North) melts and releases methane gas

much more potent than CO2http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NVpQnpWS2wU• Arctic Sovereignty-potential wars fought over oil rich area

as Northwest Passage meltsBenefits• Tree line could be extended further north and higher up

mountains• Longer growing seasons could benefit farmers• Possibly offset by droughts

MORE CONSEQUENCES ASSOCIATED WITH CLIMATE CHANGE

ON FORESTS•Loss of carbon sink-Death releases more CO2•Pine Beetle spreadON AGRICUTLURE (SEE LEFT)ON WATER•Melt of Glaciers-HIMALAYAS•LESS PRODUCTIVITY•Contamination/bacterial growth•Rising Sea Levels•More floods

• POSITIVE NEGATIVE

• Increased productivity due to warmer temperatures

• Growing new crops

• Longer growing seasons

• Insects kill crops

• Crop damage• Less water• More soil

erosion• More weeds-

more herbicides and pesticides

• More droughts

• Kyoto Protocol• Plan to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 6% of our 1990 levels by

2012• Countries not meeting reduction targets could buy credits from others

that were below allotted levels (developing nations could benefit greatly)

• Canada among top emitters of greenhouse gases, and despite Kyoto our levels are increasing

• 1990s fossil fuel industry campaigned vs. Kyoto standards: too costly in $$ and jobs• While Federal gov’t signed, Prov gov’t must regulate industries

• 2000: Ontario listed as NA’s 2nd worst polluter = not taking Kyoto or global warming seriously-http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I9tCenQh3Rw&feature=related

BALI, 2007

• New agreement to replace Kyoto• One group wanted to stick with Kyoto to reduce

25-40 by 2020• Second group, included Canada, Japan, Russian

and many APEC supported flexible goals for each nation (criticized as too soft!)

COPENHAGEN 2009

• Developing nations like China and India blame developed countries for Climate Change.

• Claim that they should not be restricted because they need to be stronger economically to reduce poverty

• A few developed countries did agree to cut GHG, but no targets set! It was not unanimously accepted therefore did not pass!

• The Maldives a developing nation claims: that if they (a poor developing nation) can become carbon neutral, any country can do it especially developed (where they have technology, but no political will)

APPROACHES ON LIMITING GHG EMMISSION

Idea Description

Carbon Tax Tax on fossil fuels

Cap and Trade A maximum is set on how much you can emit. If you exceed this you need to buy credits from other countries/companies.PROS: ?CONS: ?

Carbon Sequestration (lock away) Carbon placed below impermeable rock. Gas leaks?http://debatepedia.idebate.org/en/index.php/Debate:_Carbon_capture_and_storagehttp://suite101.com/article/dangers-from-carbon-sequestration-a24305

ISSUE #4– ACID RAIN

• Acid Rain is caused by emissions from cars – but mostly factories• The gasses like

sulphur oxide and nitric oxide mix with rain and fall as “poison rain”

EFFECTS OF ACID RAIN

• Forests, plants, and lakes become highly ACIDIC – high PH reading• Building become

destroyed• Water becomes

toxichttp://goanimate.com/videos/02VLWVlKPrKYhttp://

www.absorblearning.com/media/item.action?quick=vd

• Renewable – Water, wood, wind power, solar power, geothermal energy

• Non-renewable – Fossil fuels, coal, oil, gas, nuclear power-Burning causes some of the issues we saw earlier: CO2Global Warming NOX/SOXAcid Rain CFCs-Ozone Layer Depletion

RENEWABLE/NON-RENEWABLE RESOURCES

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pBTnVoEIb98 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wl9owddp0wQ&feature=related

WHERE DOES OUR ENERGY COME FROM FOR…?

• Electric light• Mobile phones• Power for your mp3• TV• Hot Water

TO GENERATE ELECTRICITY…

1. You need an energy source, e.g. coal2. This is burnt to produce heat or steam3. The heat or steam then drives a turbine4. The turbine then can drive a generator5. The generator then produces electricity6. The electricity is then transported in

cables to where it is needed

NON-RENEWABLE RESOURCES: COAL

What is it? • Formed underground from decaying plant materialHow much left in the world?• About 200 yearsAdvantages? • Plenty left• Mining is getting more efficientDisadvantages? • Pollution: CO2 emissions (linked to global warming),

SO2 (linked to acid rain)• Heavy & bulky to transport

NON-RENEWABLE RESOURCES: OILWhat is it?

• Formed underground from decaying animal and plant material

How much left in the world? • About 40 years!Advantages? • Quite easy to transport• Efficient in producing energy• Less pollution than coalDisadvantages? • Not much left• Pollution: air and danger of water pollution through spills

GULF OF MEXICO- FRAGILE

• BP is losing 480 million dollars in oil every day from the spill• They are not

expecting to have solved the spill before the end of August• They are being

investigated for criminal charges

NON-RENEWABLE RESOURCES: NATURAL GAS

What is it? • Formed underground from decaying animal and plant

materialHow much left in the world? • About 60 yearsAdvantages? • Clean, least polluting of all non-renewables• Easy to transportDisadvantages? • Some air pollution• Danger of explosions

• Controversial-– Japan/Chernobyl• No CO2 emissions or anything that pollutes

atmosphere• By-products are radioactive• Radiation• Cancerous: devices to heat water• Nuclear waste is not properly disposed of

(proposed ideas to get rid of: space, ocean, rocks)• No one wants it in their city• Affects soil• Used for terrorism

NUCLEAR

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dnd2R6mcD2s&feature=related

• Renewable• Irrigation• No CO2 emissions/contribution to GHG/acid rain• Dams cost $ but cheap to operate• Flooding of land• People displaced• Breeding ground for insects• Interfere with ground H2O• Wildlife habitats disturbed

RENEWABLE ENERGY SOURCESWATER POWER

• Sunlight converted to NRG• Passive solar energy: buildings are designed to

make the most of sunshine• Active solar energy: devices to heat water and

space in building

SOLAR POWER

• Last damaging• Costly• Ugly (no aesthetic value)• Clean

WIND POWER

• No acid rain• Clean• Environmentalists/fishers are against it• Affects water movement/raise sea level• Costs A LOT of money

TIDAL POWER

• Heat in crust• Geysers and hot springs• Cheap source of heat• Hydrogen sulphide is given off• Steam is used to drive turbines• Water could have salt and heavy metal• Noisy and release large amount of heat• May not be renewable

GEOTHERMAL POWER

• Created from solar energy• Photosynthesis• Great amount of energy from wood (hog fuel or

wood waste)• Log smog• Dung from farms and methane from landfills can

be turned into gas that is used for heat and electricity

BIOMASS ENERGYhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K4VNQ_nIBGQ

• Many sustainable sources of energy• Wind turbines, solar power, tidal power, ground source energy,

geothermal power• Greenpeace believes wind power could provide 10% world’s electricity

needs in next 20 years• New hydrogen or methanol fuel cells could be adapted for cars, buses,

homes and industries

• Only 11% of land area on Earth can be used to grow crops• Soil takes hundreds of years to replenish, but water and wind can erode it in no time!• Remember the “Dust Bowl” during the GD? Following led to improved farming

techniques: planting trees as wind breaks, contour plowing, and stubble mulching to contour soil erosion!

• Desertification: land turning to desert• Overgrazing of cattle & livestock• Removal of trees for firewood• Irrigation in arid areas leaves soil too salty• Soils in tropical areas nutrient poor• Nutrients must be replaced into soil• Soil on bare slopes quickly washed awayhttp://www.unep.org/wed/2006/english/Information_Material/

WED2006_animation.swf

• Increasing use of pesticides & herbicides• Controls incects & kills weeds• Leads to toxic soils & residues in foods

• Agri Chemicals can seep into groundwater and streams• Harmful to farm workers (less protection for

workers in developing nations)• Insects needed in agriculture killed by pesticides

too (ladybugs, honeybees)• Increased interest in organically grown foods,

people willing to pay higher $$-creation of “locavores”

Genetically Modified Foods• Altered by splicing in another organism’s gene

(+)Some more resistant to disease or pests(+)Require fewer pesticides(+)Promises to increase yields(-)Controversial, consumers resistant

• CDN gov’t approved 50 GM foods since 1994, including corn, canola, soybeans, squash, potatoes and cotton• 75% of all processed foods made with corn, soy or canola

products• Not required to label GM foodshttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XY3w73d6JTI&feature=relatedhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kE2OFfmrJRI

• Destruction of tropical rainforests • Storehouses of biodiversity

• Absorb CO2 and supply O2

• Deforestation • Contributes to Global Warming• Affects wind patterns• Affects precipitation levels• Alters temperatures beyond forest itself• Threatens way of life for Indigenous peopleshttp://www.nationalgeographic.com/eye/deforestation/deforestationintro.htmhttp://www.amnh.org/sciencebulletins/bio/v/congo.20040818/l

• Poor encouraged to move into forest & clear land for farming• Huge cattle ranches set up• Development by oil & mineral companies =

access roads opens up settlement• Specialty woods (teak) in demand• Reforestation virtually impossible• Erosion and mismanagement results in arid

wasteland

• Brazil, Ecuador, Columbia, Peru, Indonesia, India

• 20% Earth’s land cover = temperate & northern forests• Canada has ¼ of world’s temperate & boreal (northern) coniferous forests and virtually all the world’s old growth red and white pine• These forests used primarily for logging

and recreation• Que & Ont nearly 1/5 of the forests

damaged by dams, diversions & industrial development• Along with acid rain and climate change, boreal

forest may not last another 50 years (Global warming a huge threat)• In Northern Ontario, average temps up 1.5% in the

1990s. Accelerated evaporation from forest by 50%. Massive fires eliminated large portions of forest• Key habitat for numerous species

• Western Mountain region: 14% of Canada’s forested land, produces 40% of its marketable timber• Largest segment of BC’s economy• Sustainability concerns:• Old growth watersheds require careful

stewardship

• “Brazil of the North” according to Greenpeace and Sierra Club

REVIEW: DEFORESTATION

• To “deforest” means to cut down trees – “reforestation” is the act of planting trees to replace the ones cut down. • The Amazon Rainforest has been under great

attack as the land has been cleared for cattle grazing, and settlement of humans

• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Txa-XcrVpvQ&NR=1&feature=endscreen• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ejmuhOJyPzw

SADLY ALL OF THE WORLD’S FORESTS ARE UNDER ATTACK…

SUSTAINABILITY IS THE ANSWER

• Forestry is going to take place – the question is whether or not we will manage our forests so that they will last for generations to come

• Ecotourism-profit for keeping our environment in tact

• PAS (1993)-Protected Areas Strategy preserve 12% of our lands for parks, recreation, and wildreness

• Great Bear Rainforest-Spirit Bear

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E2His2yVlBg

• Definition: Where our garbage ends up in the environment in large piles or holes in the ground.

• Causes: Humans create garbage/throwing things away and not recycling.

• Global Effects: Landfills are being filled too quickly and they are being overfilled. Toxic wastes and methane gas can be released from the decomposing garbage. It also attracts pests like rats.

• Human Health Effects: Toxic chemicals can leak into the groundwater supply and contaminate the fresh water supply. Humans can get diseases from the contaminated water supply.

• Areas of Focus: Globally, groundwater is getting contaminated from landfills. Developing nations are worse off, some developed countries send their garbage there.

• Possible Solutions: Reduce, reuse and recycle. Compost.

ISSUE 8: LANDFILLS

• Definition: Includes hazardous wastes that are toxic to living things.

• Causes: Produced by humans in industries, factories and weaponry.

• Global Effects: Contamination in water sources can cause disease/death.

• Human Health Effects: Toxins can cause long-term health defects or can lead to death.

• Areas of Focus: Toxic waste sometimes gets dumped into lakes and rivers and spreads.

• Possible Solutions: Proper disposal of toxic wastes and government laws against dumping.

ISSUE 9: TOXIC WASTE

FIRST NATIONS LEAD THE WAY

• Tlinglit First Nation switched from diesel to run-of-the river power• Haida Gwaii-Wind

Turbines• T’Sou-ke Nation-

largest system of solar power in BC

DOING OUR PART• Canadians lead the way:• Waste recycling programs• Sewage-into fertilizer• Energy efficient homes and cars• Reduce pesticide and herbicide

use• Cutting back paper and water

consumptionBUT• However, our forests,

groundwater, and other resources are being depleted at a concerning rate

• Canada has also opted out of Kyoto.

Individuals make the difference:•We consume 15 times more energy than those in developing worldDo:•Recycle•Compost•Buy local•Use energy efficient appliances•Low-flush toilets•Shorter showers•Drink tap instead of bottled water•http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tnUjTHB1lvM•Reusable shopping bags

“PRESENT COURSE IS UNSUSTAINABLE AND POSTPONING ACTION IS NO LONGER AN OPTION”

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=euY7vdM5mpE

PROVINCIAL EXAM – HELPSOLUTIONS???

“GET R.E.A.L”• The following acronym can be used to organize information when

answering government exam questions that focus on solutions and or management strategies to environmental problems.

R. Reduce, Reuse, RecycleE. Educate people about the dangers or consequences of the problemsA. Alternatives. Provide people with alternatives to help solve problemsL. Legislate laws to enforce rules that would help to solve the problem at

handEXAMPLE:Using your understanding of geography solutions that would help slow

down global warming that is currently threading northern ecosystems.R. Reduce the number of cars on the road. This would limit the amount of

CO2 in the atmosphere. Reuse and Recycle solid waste and other garbage from private house holds and industries. This would also limit the amount of greenhouse gases emitted.

E. Educate citizens about the dangers of global warming like increased violent storms and rising sea levels that would impact their lives. Having an understanding of the dangers of global warming might change people’s behaviour to slow down this process.

A. Provide alternatives like public transportation for people to use to limit the amount of cars on the road and the amount CO2 emitted. Development of alternative energy sources like wind and solar power would decrease CO2.

L. Legislate laws that require industries to find alternative energy sources. Legislate and enforce laws to decrease the number of cars on the road by providing tax incentives to people. (Carbon Tax)