Environmental change Flashcards
Define causal chains
One way to organize the interactions between society and environment
OECD
Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development
EEA
European Environment Agency
DPSIR
- driving forces (e.g., transportation)
- pressures (e.g., emissions)
- states (e.g., air quality)
- impacts (e.g., illness)
- responses (e.g., regulation)
THE NINE (?) EARTH SYSTEM PROCESSES
Nine earth system processes:
* climate change
* biodiversity loss
* nitrogen cycle/phosphorous
* ocean acidification
* land use
* fresh water
* ozone depletion
* atmospheric aerosols
* chemical pollution
What is climate change also referred to as
- global warming
- (enhanced) greenhouse effect
Greenhouse effect
Some sunlight that hits Earth is reflected back into space, while the rest becomes heat. Greenhouse gases prevent heat from escaping into space, warming the planet.
Consequence of the enhanced greenhouse effect:
▪ constant inflow of solar energy
▪ decreased outflow of heat
▪ resulting increased temperature
negtive consequences of climate change
- higher temperatures and heat waves
- melting of ice caps and glaciers
- rise of sea level
- change of vegetation patterns
- loss of habitat
- change of gulf stream
- forest fires
- wider spread of malaria and other diseases
positive consequences of climate change
- increased agricultural production
- agriculture in Siberia
- arctic sea navigable
The Stern Review (2006) conclusions on climate change
- climate change is the biggest market failure ever
- strong early action is much cheaper than doing noting
- tremendous opportunities for business
Acidification
- freshwater (aquatic)
- soil (terrestrial)
- oceanic
Acid rain example
- deposition (rain, snow) and other forms (fog, gases) of acids
- Western world: an issue in 1970-1990, but largely resolved
- Russia, China: still an issue
Acid rain causes
- emission of sulphur and nitrogen compounds (NO2, SO2, etc)
- from combustion of fossil fuels (power plants, households, traffic)
- from cattle breeding and application of manure (NH3)
Acid rain consequences
- damage to freshwater bodies, soil and vegetation
- damage to crops
- damage to buildings and material
- effects on marine ecosystems, threatening marine life, coral reef and more
(beispiel von der statur die ihr gesicht verliert)
–> sucessfully combatted in europe but becoming a problem elsewhere
Stratospheric ozone depletion andere namen
- ozone depletion
- ozone layer depletion
What is the ozone layer
It is a band in the air with a high concentration of O3 , it blocks and reduces ultraviolet-b sun light
What are the ozone depleting substances? (ODS)
- refrigerants
- solvents
- propellants
- etc
Impacts of reduced ozone:
- skin cancer
- cataract (trübung der augenlinse)
Nitrogen and phosphorous cycle
–> Nitrogen (N) and phosphorous (P) are nutrients that are part of the grand biogeochemical cycles
Man changes to N and P cycles and consequences
- applying fertilizer
- moving foods through trade
- using detergents
(Fotos von grünem lake)
consequences:
* eutrophication
* algal bloom
* hypoxia
* nitrate in drinking water
What is freshwater used for?
- for drinking
- for cleaning
- for agriculture
- for cooling power plants
- for industrial production
- and much more
Define “water stress”
The amount of freshwater is plenty, but often at the wrong places. E.g. areas in Africa, Southeast asia, Middle East have extremely high ratio of withdrawals to supply.
Consequences:
- E.g. Aral Sea, Kazakhstan/Uzbekistan dissapeared due to irrigation for cotton
What is land used for? (2)
Land is a finite resource, used to support many activities
* natural (wildlife, bush, tundra, etc)
* human (cities, agriculture, industry, traffic, etc)
–> the amount of urban and built up land has increased in the years
Impacts of land use and land usage change (LULUC)
- competition, scarcity, increasing prices
- loss of habitat and biodiversity
- loss of ecosystem services
- vulnerability to fires and floods
- etc
Biodiversity definition
Biodiversity is the variation of life forms
- UN: “the variability among living organisms from all sources, including, inter alia, terrestrial, marine and other aquatic ecosystems and the ecological complexes of which they are part: this includes diversity within species, between species and of ecosystems”
Impacts that caused biodiversity loss (secondary effect)
- climate change
- ocean acidification
- change of land use
- etc
direct human intervention causes:
* plague control
* monoculture
* deforestation
* genetic modification
* introduction of invasive species
* etc
If so many species are unknown, why bother?
- crucial role in ecosystems and food webs
- whole ecosystems may collapse or swing
- human food provision may be affected
- pharmaceuticals often rely on herbs
- etc.
What are Aerosols? (Atmospheric aerosol loading)
- natural (dust, fog, deserts, volcanos)
- man-made (particulates, smoke)
Major sources of aerosols?
- traffic
- industry
- fires (bush fires, fireplaces)
What are the health effects of such aerosols?
- respiratory diseases
- heart attack
- cancer
- birth defects and premature births
Risk strongly dependent on weather and geographical conditions
How are chemicals released into the environment?
- regularly (during mining or manufacturing processes, during use, or after disposal)
- incidentally
- on purpose (e.g., pesticides)
How many new chemical compounds are unleashed each year?
10 million annually
Key determinants of chemicals
- toxicity (what is a safe dose)
- mode of action (carcinogenic, neurotoxic, allergic, etc)
- lifetime (highly degradable, persistent)
- accumulative (ends up in food chain?)
- exposure pathway (breathing, drinking, digestion, skin)
- to whom (fish/worm/rat/adult man/baby/pregnant woman/etc)
