EQ3 - implication of human wellbeing because of degredation of carbon and water cycle

Question 1

what does the kuznets curve show?

Answer 1

Kuznets curve suggests that economic development initially leads to a deterioration in the environment, but after a certain level of economic growth, a society begins to improve its relationship with the environment and levels of environmental degradation reduces.

Question 2

what are the impacts of forest loss?

Answer 2

• reduction in sequestering carbon dioxide from the atmosphere
• less storing carbon
• less transferring moisture from the soil back into the atmosphere by evapotranspiration

Question 3

what are the impacts of rising temperatures?

Answer 3

The rising temperatures resulting from GHG emissions are increasing both evaporation rates and the amount of water vapour. This in turn, is impacting on:
precipitation patterns
river regimes
drainage basin stores
the cryosphere

The Artic :
- much melting of the permafrost
- loss of albedo - postive feedabck loop
tundra is created by loss of perma frost - leads to vegetation

• annihilating traditional ways of life, for example the the fishing and hunting of Inuits in North America and the Sami reindeer herders of northern Eurasia.

Question 4

what are the impacts on ocean health?

Answer 4

decline in ocean health caused by acidification and bleaching is resulting in changes to marine food webs. In particular, fish and crustacean stocks are both declining and changing their distributions

estimates that fishing supports 500 million people, 90% of whom live in developing countries

Tourism is another activity under threat, particularly in those countries, for example in the Caribbean, where coral reefs, now showing signs of degradation, have traditionally attracted scuba-diving tourists.