Global Systems And Global Governance Flashcards
Economies of scale definition
The cost advantage that results from a large size output or scale of operation as savings are made by rationalising operations
Concept of “Global Commons”
Areas that arent owned by any country or organisation
Antarctica
High seas
Atmosphere
Outer space
They are governed by different pieces of international law - UNCLOS for the high seas
What are the pressures the global commons face?
Industralisation and development are increasing the demand for resources such as food oil and minerals
New technology has made it easier to get to areas like the high seas, Antarctica or outer space which previously were relatively inaccessible - now more vulnerable to exploitation
Antarctica’s unique environment and climate
Antarctica covers an area of 14 million km ^2
The whole of Antarctica plus the southern ocean as far north as the Antarctic convergence is all considered part of the global commons
Inland areas recieve less than 166mm of precip a year making it a desert
At the antarctic convergence there is an upwelling of nutrient rich cold water, phytoplankton thrive here which provides plenty of food for krill, forming the basis of the southern ocean food chain
Four main threats to Antarctica - Climate change
In the past 5 decades areas along the west coast of Antarctica have warned by as much as 3 degrees - one of the fastest temperature rises on Earth
Caused Antarctica’s Weddell Sea and Ross Sea to melt. Krill depend on the sea ice - the krill population has declined by around 80% since the 1970s
Knock on effect as krill are the main food source for penguins, whales and seals too so these populations will also decline
Four main threats to Antarctica - Fishing and Whaling
Krill are the most fished creature - in 2013 over 200,000 tonnes of krill were fished from the Antarctic
There are legal limits on how much fish can be caught per year to keep stocks at a sustainable level. However, lots of illegal fishing takes place which is difficult to monitor
Whaling was common in the mid 20th century but has declined since 1982 when bans on commercial whaling were put in place.
Whaling significantly decreased the Antarctic whale population , now slowly recovering, however whales are slow breeders so will take a long time for populations to fully recover (temporal scale)
Four main threats to Antarctica - search for minerals
There are large underground deposits of coal and iron ore in the Transatlantic Mountains
Mining is currently banned in Antarctica but the conditions make it unfavourable anyway - too far to transport machinery from any other landmass and the landscape and climate would make mining difficult and expensive
