Environmental Change and Management Flashcards
Lithosphere
Earth
Hydrosphere
Water
Biosphere
Life
Atmosphere
Air
System
Collection of interdependent parts enclosed within a defined boundary
‘Spheres’
Parts of earth’s system - lithosphere, biosphere, hydrosphere, atmosphere
Events
When a change occurs in more than one sphere / interactions between the spheres
Environmental change
can be grouped into 3 categories - change to land, change to atmosphere, change to water
Change to land
Land degradation - loss of productivity and decline in fertility of land
Change to atmosphere
Rising C0(2) in climate
Change to water
Water becoming polluted, ocean acidification
Causes to change
Natural - occurs over billions of year, or driven by human action
Ecosystem services
Benefits people obtain from ecosystems, even if they don’t know it - sources, sinks, service, spirituality (stewardship)
Sources
Provisioning services - Natural product we can use e.g. coal for fuel, timber for building
Sinks
Regulating services - Processes that absorb our waste e.g. microorganisms, ocean, bacteria, phytoplankton
Service
Supporting services - Things done by nature that don’t have a consumable product e.g. wetlands that filter and slow floodwater, forests that turn C0(2) into oxygen
Spirituality
Cultural services - Personal connections humans have to the earth e.g. Indigenous connection, enjoying the scenery
Stewardship
Our role to take care and sustain these services
Worldview
Set of beliefs about what is real, what is valuable and what it
means to be a human being
Weather
Atmospheric conditions occurring locally over short periods of time
Climate
Long term (>30 years) regional or global average temperature, humidity and rainfall patterns over seasons, years or decades
Global Warming
Long term heating of earth’s surface due to human activities
Climate change
long term change of average weather patterns and climates
Egocentric
Self centered - I am the most important creature on earth. Everything supports me and my lifestyle.
Anthropocentric
Human centered - Humans are the most important creatures and are in charge of earth and nature. Nature supports us and our lifestyle.
Ecocentric
Stewardship - We have an ethical responsibility to minimize our impact on earth and preserve biodiversity. We are no more important than any other organism.
Biocentric
Earth centered - We have an ethical responsibility to use earth’s resources in a sustainable way. Other species are useful, but also have a right to exist as much as we do.
Land degradation
Loss of productivity and decline of fertility of land
Ecological footprint
Way of measuring demand for ecological services. Considers the regenerative capacity and productivity of carbon, forests, cropland, grazing land, fishing grounds and built up land. Gives it a number, and is measured in hectares.
World overshoot day
When a country’s ecological footprint exceeds its biocapactiy.
3 pillars for sustainable development
Economic growth, environmental protection and social equity
Economic growth
Promotion of economic development to improve the standard of living of humans, particularly in relation to poverty, without degrading natural resources
Environmental protection
To protect ecological processes and ecosystems
Social equity
A focus on the wellbeing of humans and raising the standard living of all people. Central to this is access to resources.
Climate vs weather
Climate is what you expect, and weather is what you get eg. Darwin has a hot climate, Hobart has a cool climate. There can still be a day where it is hotter in Hobart that Darwin.
What makes climate?
The ocean and the sun
What makes climate - the ocean
Water absorbs the sun’s heath. The ocean currents go around the world in the Great Ocean Conveyor Belt in 2 parts - the Gulf Stream and the Humboldt Current.(
