Conclusions

Question 1

What are the two main causes of environmental problems?

Answer 1

Direct - manipulation of environment for our benefit (dams)

Indirect - human activities to improve society (fertilizer pollution)

Question 2

Why are environmental issues complex?

Answer 2

They can be rapid or gradual

Cause and effect not always obvious - like coal burning causing acid rain

Overlapping issues - deforestation can cause species loss, soil degradation, climate change

Lack of knowledge

Question 3

What are common human factors?

Answer 3

Ownership/no ownership. No one owns atmosphere, who cares for international waters

Poverty forces environmental degradation or prevent governments from acting

Prosperity leads to overconsumption

Politics can be corrupt

Question 4

Which renewable tech is china becoming a leader in?

Answer 4

Solar and wind

Question 5

What national efforts are taking place to help the environment?

Answer 5

Increased data gathering - Canada’s Federal Sustainable Management Strategy

Environmental indicators to monitor resource use - total forest harvested to annual growth

Question 6

Which country was the first to develop a plan for sustainable development, and when?

What were the stages?

Answer 6

Netherlands 1970

Stage 1 - protect human health and ecosystems

Stage 2 - sustainable supply of resources nationally and internationally

eliminate pollution - avoid pollution - sustainable resource use

Question 7

What are some problems with Netherland’s plan?

Answer 7

Pollution from other countries - transboundary movement

Dutch exports more expensive

Dutch imports may cause problems elsewhere

Question 8

What are problems with international conventions?

Answer 8

enforcement is hard - just sign, but don’t comply

Making laws is hard

Compromises to agree weakens the law

Question 9

What is a debt for nature swap?

Answer 9

Debt is paid by a foreign group at cheaper price

Creditor happy to get something

Debtor nation must use saved money (they didn’t pay the debt, someone else did) to make a conservation programme.

Downside is foreign group gains some power over debtor nation

Bolivia did this with Conservation International. Happens in mostly tropical, stable countries

Question 10

How to achieve a sustainable future?

Answer 10

Replace economic growth with sustainable growth

Guided by flexible policy informed by science and economics

Reduction in poverty, tech improvements for poor needed to succeed

Global effort needed

People must see themselves as a part of nature