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GS WEEK 1 > Environmental change > Flashcards

Environmental change Flashcards

1
Q

Define causal chains

A

One way to organize the interactions between society and environment

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2
Q

OECD

A

Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development

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3
Q

EEA

A

European Environment Agency

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4
Q

DPSIR

A
  • driving forces (e.g., transportation)
  • pressures (e.g., emissions)
  • states (e.g., air quality)
  • impacts (e.g., illness)
  • responses (e.g., regulation)
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5
Q

THE NINE (?) EARTH SYSTEM PROCESSES

A

Nine earth system processes:
* climate change
* biodiversity loss
* nitrogen cycle/phosphorous
* ocean acidification
* land use
* fresh water
* ozone depletion
* atmospheric aerosols
* chemical pollution

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6
Q

What is climate change also referred to as

A
  • global warming
  • (enhanced) greenhouse effect
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7
Q

Greenhouse effect

A

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.

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8
Q

Consequence of the enhanced greenhouse effect:

A

▪ constant inflow of solar energy
▪ decreased outflow of heat
▪ resulting increased temperature

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9
Q

negtive consequences of climate change

A
  • 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
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10
Q

positive consequences of climate change

A
  • increased agricultural production
  • agriculture in Siberia
  • arctic sea navigable
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11
Q

The Stern Review (2006) conclusions on climate change

A
  • climate change is the biggest market failure ever
  • strong early action is much cheaper than doing noting
  • tremendous opportunities for business
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12
Q

Acidification

A
  • freshwater (aquatic)
  • soil (terrestrial)
  • oceanic
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13
Q

Acid rain example

A
  • 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
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14
Q

Acid rain causes

A
  • 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)
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15
Q

Acid rain consequences

A
  • 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

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16
Q

Stratospheric ozone depletion andere namen

A
  • ozone depletion
  • ozone layer depletion
17
Q

What is the ozone layer

A

It is a band in the air with a high concentration of O3 , it blocks and reduces ultraviolet-b sun light

18
Q

What are the ozone depleting substances? (ODS)

A
  • refrigerants
  • solvents
  • propellants
  • etc
19
Q

Impacts of reduced ozone:

A
  • skin cancer
  • cataract (trübung der augenlinse)
20
Q

Nitrogen and phosphorous cycle

A

–> Nitrogen (N) and phosphorous (P) are nutrients that are part of the grand biogeochemical cycles

21
Q

Man changes to N and P cycles and consequences

A
  • applying fertilizer
  • moving foods through trade
  • using detergents
    (Fotos von grünem lake)

consequences:
* eutrophication
* algal bloom
* hypoxia
* nitrate in drinking water

22
Q

What is freshwater used for?

A
  • for drinking
  • for cleaning
  • for agriculture
  • for cooling power plants
  • for industrial production
  • and much more
23
Q

Define “water stress”

A

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

24
Q

What is land used for? (2)

A

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

25
Q

Impacts of land use and land usage change (LULUC)

A
  • competition, scarcity, increasing prices
  • loss of habitat and biodiversity
  • loss of ecosystem services
  • vulnerability to fires and floods
  • etc
26
Q

Biodiversity definition

A

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”
27
Q

Impacts that caused biodiversity loss (secondary effect)

A
  • climate change
  • ocean acidification
  • change of land use
  • etc

direct human intervention causes:
* plague control
* monoculture
* deforestation
* genetic modification
* introduction of invasive species
* etc

28
Q

If so many species are unknown, why bother?

A
  • 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.
29
Q

What are Aerosols? (Atmospheric aerosol loading)

A
  • natural (dust, fog, deserts, volcanos)
  • man-made (particulates, smoke)
30
Q

Major sources of aerosols?

A
  • traffic
  • industry
  • fires (bush fires, fireplaces)
31
Q

What are the health effects of such aerosols?

A
  • respiratory diseases
  • heart attack
  • cancer
  • birth defects and premature births

Risk strongly dependent on weather and geographical conditions

32
Q

How are chemicals released into the environment?

A
  • regularly (during mining or manufacturing processes, during use, or after disposal)
  • incidentally
  • on purpose (e.g., pesticides)
33
Q

How many new chemical compounds are unleashed each year?

A

10 million annually

34
Q

Key determinants of chemicals

A
  • 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)
35
Q
A

GS WEEK 1 (10 decks)

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