WORLD GEOGRAPHY

December 12, 2014

Today- Final class

Finish Unit 10 (Human Environment)

Human Impact on the EnvironmentAltering ecosystems

- All humans (over time) altering environments

- Impact greater with growth in population

Environmental stress

- Cutting forests, emitting pollutants, spilling oil

- Burying toxic waste, dumping garbage in oceans

WaterA renewable resource (replenished as used)

Water shortages: Depletion of water in aquifers (porous, water-holding rocks) at a rapid rate

Causes of shortages

- Growing population

- Large population concentrations near small supplies

- Agricultural and industrial use

AtmosphereA thin layer of air lying directly above the lands and oceans

Natural impacts (volcanic eruptions)

Human impacts

- Global warming

- Acid rain

The Land

Deforestation:

- Effect on oxygen cycle

- Biodiversity and habitats

- Pollution

The Land - Deforestation

The Land - Deforestation

The Land - Deforestation

The Land - Deforestation

The Land

Soil erosion:

- Soil not having enough time to rebound

- Farmers not efficiently/properly using soil (increased demand)

- Livestock destroying vegetation

The Land – Soil Erosion

The Land – Soil ErosionApprox. 9600 km2 of cropland lost to soil erosion each year

The LandWaste disposal:

- Solid waste filling sanitary landfills

- Problem of disposal and confinement of toxic and radioactive wastes

The Land – Waste Disposal

The Land – Waste Disposal

The Land – Waste DisposalSanitary landfill

The Land – Waste DisposalSanitary landfill

The Land – Waste DisposalNuclear waste disposal

The Land – Waste DisposalTop 5 waste-producing countries:

1. The U.S. – 254 million tons

2. Russia – 200 million tons

3. Japan – 52 million tons

4. Germany – 49 million tons

5. The U.K. – 35 million tons

The Land – Waste Disposal

BiodiversityLoss of biodiversity because species are threatened or quite concentrated

Species with a small range most impacted

- fish affected by acid rain

- arctic animals (e.g. polar bears) affected by melting of polar ice caps

Biodiversity

Major Factors Contributing to Environ. Change

- Population- Patterns of consumption

- Technology

- Transportation

Major Factors Contributing to Environ. Change

Population

World population, 1927: approx. 2 billion

Current world population: approx. 7 billion

- Clearly an increased strain on the environment:

- increased use of resources- increase in waste

Major Factors Contributing to Environ. Change

Population

Impact depends on scale and location.

- Core countries consume approx. 60% of the world’s raw industrial resources (though they represent only 22% of the population).

- More waste is generated in the global core, as well.

Major Factors Contributing to Environ. Change

Population

Patterns of consumption:

- Consumption by people in the periphery more likely to have an effect on local or regional scale.

- Consumption by people in the core more wide-reaching, global consequences

e.g. Demand for bananas, and meat.

Major Factors Contributing to Environ. Change

Technology

Has allowed for increased global demand, production and distribution of goods.

- This has led to increased resource mining and consumption.

- Technology has allowed humans to make greater impact on the environment.

Technology

Technology

Technology

Technology

Major Factors Contributing to Environ. Change

Transportation

Innovation in transport = increased demand for and consumption of resources

Transportation

Transportation

Humans can access places they previously could not and affect these places.

e.g.

Antarctica

TransportationShipping resources risk of ocean pollution

Transportation – oil spills

Transportation – oil spills

Transportation – oil spills

Major Factors Contributing to Environ. Change

Transportation: Energy demands (oil)

- Use of oil results in CO2 emissions (often cited as main factor behind climate change)

Energy DemandsSources of CO2 pollution

Energy DemandsPercentage of CO2 pollution by country

Energy Demands

Transportation: Energy demands (oil)

- Fossil fuels (e.g. oil) are in finite supply.

- Production and consumption of oil has increased heavily over the past 40-50 years.

- Need for alternative energy sources becoming more important.

Alternative Energy

Alternative EnergyWind farm: e.g. London Array (100 km2)

Alternative EnergyAlta Wind Energy Center (California):

- Provides power to 270,000 homes.

- Offsets:

2.6 billion kg of CO2

12.7 million kg of SO2

Human Response to Environmental Change

First, 2 questions:

1. Is climate change actually happening?

- Evidence is strongly in support of climate change occurring “99% of scientists agree with this”.

- Over the past 50 years, the earth’s temperature has increased 0.7 degrees Celsius

- Changes in weather (e.g. more intense rains)

- Sea levels have risen

Human Response to Environmental Change

First, 2 questions:

2. Is human activity causing climate change?

- The warming over the past 50 years cannot be explained by natural factors alone.

- Greenhouse gases from human activity (e.g. CO2) major factor in climate change.

Human Response to Environmental Change

Human Response to Environmental Change

One issue influencing human response to environmental change:

Environmental problems not confined to states

- Laws that affect change passed by state

- Air pollution drifting across borders

- Desertification crosses borders

- Water supplies not always contained within borders

- Forests grow across borders

States vs. Environmental IssuesMajor forest regions of Africa not along state boundaries

World Bank’s planning regions drawn along state boundaries

States vs. Environmental IssuesInternational organizations (e.g. Global Environment Facility – GEF) and NGOs attempt to address various environmental issues:

- Environmental policies

- Funding

- Conservation projects

- Education campaigns

Human Response to Environmental Change

Three significant areas addressed by global conventions

Biological diversity Convention on Biological Diversity (1993)

Protection of the ozone layer Vienna Convention for the Protection of the Ozone Layer (1985) Montreal Protocol (1987)

Global climate change Kyoto Protocol (1997) Copenhagen Agreement (2009)

Results of Kyoto ProtocolOverall, developed (core) countries showed a decrease in emissions.

However, due to increasing industrialization and development in periphery and semi-periphery (esp. China) has led to increased emissions.

- Global emissions still high (and have not significantly slowed down).

Next Class

Final Exam!

Final examCovers only material from after the mid-term exam

- Development

- Political Geography

- Urban Geography

- Industry and Services (Economic Geography)

- Human Environment

Final examWill begin at 3:00 pm. (doors close).

Arrive at least five minutes early