ES - AN ECOSYSTEM PERSPECTIVE

Question 1

what is ecology?

Answer 1

the study of organisms and how they interact with their environment, both abiotic and biotic
encompasses range of disciplines since the functioning of an organism in its environment is determined by its genetic, structure and physiology, but also by its behaviour.

Question 2

what is ecosystem science?

Answer 2

• not just about the study and management of ecosystems
• well established and rapidly growing multi-disciplinary field characterised by issues that span boundaries of scales, disciplines and perspectives

Question 3

what is the “perfect storm” of climate change?

Answer 3

• food; increased demand 50% by 2030
• energy; increased demand 50% by 2030
• water; increased demand 30% by 2030

Question 4

what is the projected population vs arable land by 2050?

Answer 4

• 9 billion
• only 0.16 ha

Question 5

what are the 3 summarising points about the dasgupta review from the lecture?

Answer 5

1. humanity must ensure its demands from nature do not exceed its sustainable supply
2. we must adopt different metrics for economic success
3. transformations of our institutions and systems to enable these changes and sustain them for future generations