6.8a implications of forest loss for human wellbeing

Question 1

impact of forest loss on the carbon cycle

Answer 1

destruction of forests:

• reduction in storage of soil and biomass, especially above ground
• reduction of CO2 intake through photosynthesis flux
• increased carbon influx to the atmosphere by burning and decomposing vegetation

Question 2

impact of forest loss on the water cycle

Answer 2

destruction of the forests:

• reduced intercepted rainfall storage by plants so infiltration of soil and groundwater changes
• increased raindrop erosion and surface runoff, with more sediment eroded and transported into rivers
• increased local ‘downwind’ aridity from loss of ecosystem input into water cycle through transpiration

Question 3

environmental Kuznets curve

Answer 3

the environmental Kuznets curve is a hypothetical relationship between environmental quality and economic development

• environmental degradation worsens with economic growth until a point is reached where attitudes towards the environment change towards conservation
• the critical threshold is thought to coincide with a point on the rising curve of income

Question 4

is the optimism provided by the Kuznets curve justified?

Answer 4

between 1990 and 2015 the rate of net global deforestation slowed down by more than 50%

• 13% of forests are now classified as ‘conserved’
• the Brazilian government have historically supported conservation - they own 98.3% of the Jau National Park and have a strong body in charge of the environment (IBAMA)
• primary sources of funding for the Amazon rainforest are WWF, the EU and the government of Austria

Question 5

Indonesia (world’s largest producer of palm oil)

Answer 5

• warm, humid climate of the Tropics
  
  • suitable for growing oil palms
  • great demand for palm oil
  • huge areas of rainforest have been bulldozed/ burnt to create land for oil palm plantations
  • local communities depend on the rainforest for survival so over 700 land conflicts in 2016 were linked to the palm oil industry

2011 –> Indonesia’s government declared a ‘forest moratorium’
stopped the issuing of permits for the clearance of primary forests
in 2015, the moratorium was further extended with the aim of reducing CO2 emissions by 26% by 2020

Question 6

importance of forests

Answer 6

the UN has described forests as ‘fundamental’ to human well-being and survival

• over 1.6 billion people depend on forests and over 90% of these are poorest in societies
• forests are essential for human well-being through their ‘services’
• are the source of 80% of global diversity
• forests provide 1.1% of the global economy income
• provide 13.2 million formal jobs and 41 million informal jobs
• source of livestock fodder in arid and semi-arid areas
• a fuel wood source for 1/3rds of the global population for cooking and boiling water

Question 7

factors affecting where the tipping point occurs on the Kuznets curve

Answer 7

1. THE WEALTH OF COUNTRIES
   higher rates of economic growth, more people have disposable income after paying for basic needs
   more amenable to pay higher prices in return for better environmental standards
2. THE RISING KNOWLEDGE
   realising the role that the environment plays in human well-being
3. the AID given to poorer nations to help choices over exploitation
4. the POLITICAL SYSTEMS and enforcement of environmental laws
   higher economic growth in the US led to increased use for cars but due to regulation, levels of air pollution declined
5. the PARTICIPATION OF LOCALS
6. improvements in TECHNOLOGY
   primary driving force behind long-term economic growth is improved technology and higher productivity
   higher productivity –> higher output with less raw materials used
7. THE POWER OF TNCs in deciding how and where production will occur and how much they wish to prioritse the environment

Question 8

Brazil - Renca reserve

Answer 8

• August 2017, the Brazilian government dissolved the Renca reserve (size of Switzerland, important carbon sink, rich in gold, iron, other minerals) to attract mining companies into the region

but pressure from campaign groups like Greenpeace and WWF led to the suspension of the decree

Question 9

limitations of Kuznets Environmental curve

Answer 9

• no guarantee that economic growth will see a decline in pollutants
• many developed economies have seen a reduction in industry and growth in service sector but they are still importing foods from developed countries
• -> countries that export to developed countries are creating farmland out of forests etc.
• N-shaped, degree of reduced environmental degradation post industrialisation
  but if the economy continues to expand, some resources will have to be used in greater measure
• countries with highest GDP have the highest levels of CO2 emissions
  US has CO2 emissions of 17.564 tonnes per capita

Ethiopia has 0.075 tonnes per capita

• China’s CO2 emissions have increased from 1,500 million tonnes in 1981 to 8,000 million tonnes in 2009