Midterm 1

Question 1

define sustainable development. what are problems with this term?

Answer 1

the development that meets the needs of the present generation without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.
Fails to distinguish between mere growth and true development. Growth = increasing in size, Development=getting better/improving

Question 2

define environmental sustainability (sustainability). What is another accepted definition by the IUCN,UNEP and WWF?

Answer 2

The ability of an ecosystem to maintain ecological processes and functions, biodiversity and productivity over time.
To improve the quality of human life while living within the carrying capacity of supporting ecosystems.

Question 3

define rewilding. what is an example of a place that does this?

Answer 3

Form of conservation where humans recreate an ecosystem that existed before human influence - requires reintroduction of predators into these ecosystems (keystone species) .
Ex. Hustai National park in Mongolia that successfully reintroduced the Przewalski Horse

Question 4

Where did sustainable development originate in 1980 and 1987?

Answer 4

1980- World Conservation Strategy (WCS) aimed to achieve this by conserving living resources (IUCN, UNEP, WWF)
1987 - world commission on environment and development - defined this as the development that meets the needs of the present generation without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.

Question 5

Intergenerational vs Intragenerational equity (the 2 pillars of sustainable development)

Answer 5

Intergenerational (considering the future)- requires sustainability
Intrageneration (considering the present)- requires development to share benefits equally amongst people of same gen.

Question 6

How much of the Earth’s land surface is dedicated to agriculture? What is the global pop. estimate for 2030? How much of an increase is required for grain production?

Answer 6

crop land = 11%
crop/grazing land < 33%
8.3 billion people by 2030
30% increase in grain production required

Question 7

What percentage of energy and GHGs do cities consume? How much are cities growing per year in developed vs. developing countries? What year did half the world begin to live in cities

Answer 7

Cities use 75% of the world’s energy and 80% of its GHGs
Developed countries- 2% a year
Developing countries- 3% a year
In 2009- half the world began living in cities

Question 8

What were Jacob Bronowski and Paul Ehrlich’s theories about cities? What was Paul Ehrlich’s theory called?

Answer 8

Jacob Bronowski- believed advancement in tech will make cities more efficient
Paul Ehrlich (Neo-Malthusian)- believed cities are causing people to lose contact with the Earth = downward spiral of degradation

Question 9

What are the 3 scenarios for future cities?

Answer 9

1. Ruralized city- David Holmgren believed the suburbs will turn into urban gardens
2. Divided city- Idea that cities will become divided along ecological lines (Ex. eastern parts of the city are in more poverty than western)
3. Resilient City- Clean energy, efficient transit and walkable efficient urban environments

Question 10

What’s the problem with using GNP to measure development? What did Simon Kuznets say about this?

Answer 10

Gross National Product- measures monetary transactions but doesnt judge whether it is positive or negative for society

"The welfare of a nation can 
scarcely be inferred from a 
measurement of national 
income as defined by the 
GDP".

Question 11

How is Genuine Progress Indicator (GPI) different from GDP?

Answer 11

• adjusts for certain factors relating to economic well being (ex. income distribution) while GDP focuses on the value of all the goods/services produced within a country
• adds other factors (ex. value of household and volunteer work- increases social sustainability)
• subtracts other factors (ex. costs of crime, damage to property, pollution, commuting and congestion costs)

Question 12

What 3 things does the UN Human Development Index (HDI) include? What does a lower HDI value mean?

Answer 12

• Health (Life expectancy)
• Education (adult literacy, school enrollment)
• Economics (PPP- Purchasing Power Parody)

*Lower HDI= Less disparity

Question 13

Which country is the least and most corrupt based on CPI (corruption perception index)? What does a low CPI mean?

Answer 13

Canada/Sweden = least corrupt
Africa (Somalia) = most corrupt
Low value out of 100 = very corrupt
High CPI = least corrupt

Question 14

Colonialism vs. Neo-colonialism

Answer 14

Colonialism- 1 country has direct political control of another country while exploiting them as well
Neo-colonialism- situation where a former colony has become politically independent but remains economically independent

Question 15

What happens if we help other regions develop?

Answer 15

• refugee/migrant burden on MDCs (More developed countries)
• failed states- breeding ground for terrorism
• underdeveloped states- dumping ground for toxic waste affecting environment

Question 16

What are the 4 perspectives on how to best help regions to develop?

Answer 16

Modernization- modernizing their economy
Dependency Theory- depending on the West for aid
Neoliberalism- opening all the economies in the world to make distribution more equal
Sustainable Development- improving quality of life by supporting non-profit organizations

Question 17

3 main objectives of WCS in relation to sustainable development

Answer 17

Main Objectives
(1) maintaining essential ecological processes
and life support systems
(2) preserving genetic diversity (biodiversity)
(3) ensuring the sustainable use of species and
ecosystems.
Source: Draper and Reed, 2009

Question 18

Define development aggression by Jacobson and Holden.

Answer 18

“the process of displacing people from their land

and homes to make way for development schemes that are being imposed from above without consent or public debate”

Question 19

What is the Population Bomb theory by Paul Ehrlich?

What are the formulas to calculate impact and disaster?

Answer 19

“Population Bomb” - predicted diminishing resources / energy, famine, environmental catastrophe

Impact = pop. * affluence * technology
I=PAT
(affluence = level of consumption by a pop. or GDP)
Overconsumption in
North + overpopulation in South = disaster

Question 20

Who is Julian Simon and what does he believe?

Answer 20

Julian Simon — Economist and Cornucopian
- Neo-Malthusian predictions have not come true
- “No known physical limits to processes of growth and
improvement”
-Faith in human inventiveness,
technology - the world has unlimited resources as long as we have tech
- Bjorn Lomberg “The
Skeptical Environmentalist”

Question 21

Who believes in each of the 2 competing worldviews? (Ecological worldview vs. dominant social paradigm-expansionist)

Answer 21

ecological worldview- paul ehlrich, rachel carson

Expansionist- Julian Simon, the Modern Scientist

Question 22

Who coined the term ecological footprint? What does it mean?

Answer 22

William Rees
Def:
the area of land and water ecosystems
required on a continuous basis to produce the resources that the population consumes, and to assimilate (some of) the wastes that the population produces, wherever on Earth the relevant land/water may be located (Rees 2001).

Question 23

What 4 factors determines a population’s theoretical eco-footprint?
What is the role of the EFA (Ecological footprint analysis)?

Answer 23

1. population size
2. average material standard of living
3. average productivity of land/water ecosystems
4. efficiency of resource processing, harvesting and use

EFA- collects data on natural capital of a pop. (land and water productivity)

Question 24

What were the contributions of minister Clifford Sifton? Why did he do this?

Answer 24

-As minister of the interior, Clifford Sifton known for aggressive
promotion of immigration to settle the west.
-Recognized conservation movements in other countries
-Canada should do something towards effort of conservation
-placed forests under federal control and in 1902
-created a separate forestry branch of the Department of the Interior.
organized the Canadian Forestry Association in 1900.
-conservation focused more on efficient management and the best
way to exploit resources, rather than on preservation.
Source: Draper and Reed (2009)

Did this not just to preserve its beauty but bc it made economic sense too

Question 25

How many national parks were built out of the 39 terrestrial regions in Canada based on the plan proposed in 1970?

Answer 25

36 national parks have been built

Plan was to build one park in each region.

Question 26

What are the time periods for the first and second waves of environmentalism? What caused the greener movement to be more expensive to pursue?

Answer 26

First wave (1968-1976)- building awareness of problems 
Second wave (1985-present) - ozone depletion bc of CFCs, global warming 

More expensive bc of oil crisis in 70s

Question 27

What are the 4 environmental spheres? What are two sub-spheres?

Answer 27

• Lithosphere - The land portion of the Earth (soil chemistry)
• Atmosphere - weather/climate, biogeography, temp., precipitation, ozone depletion, Greenhouse Effect
• Hydrosphere- all the water systems on the Earth
• Biosphere- all living things on Earth (biogeography, plants, animals, soils)
• Pedosphere (soils and biogeography)
• Toposphere (landforms and geomorphology)

Question 28

What is the influence of subtropical highs to the environment?

Answer 28

Creates desert regions in south hemisphere bc high pressure to the surface decreases precipitation and humidity

Question 29

What are the 5 types of soil?

Answer 29

• Cryosolic
• Podzolic
• Luvisolic
• Chemozemic
• Mountain Complex

Question 30

Define a bioclimatic frontier

Answer 30

The limits of a species’ tolerance to environmental factors. (ex. different types of pines can only grow in specific areas)

Question 31

What influences climate? Define climate.

Answer 31

Climate- the average weather conditions over a long period of time
Influenced by:
- latitude
- global circulation of air masses/ocean currents
- distance from oceans
- landforms (ex. mountain ranges)

Question 32

Where are the 3 vegetation zones?

Answer 32

• Forests
• Polar and Tundra Desert
• Grasslands

Question 33

How did the Ice Age change the environment?

Answer 33

• some species migrated further South (only some could move fast enough)
• some species adapted, others became extinct
• Vegetation zone moved closer to the equator

Question 34

How did global warming change the environment?

Answer 34

• some species migrated further North
• Boreal forest species adapted while tropical species went extinct
• vegetation zones moved closer to the Poles

Question 35

What did Neo-Malthusians believe?

Answer 35

That population growth is the cause of environmental degradation/crisis bc of our overuse of natural resources.

Question 36

What/when was the Green Revolution?

Answer 36

A series of inventions made for agriculture between the 1950s and 1980s which increased yield dramatically using fertilizers but costed the environment

Question 37

What was the difference between Malthus and Ehrlich’s views?

Answer 37

Malthus blamed the poor for crises while Ehrlich believed the wealthy were equally at fault (I=PAT)

Question 38

Expansionist vs. Ecological Worldview

Answer 38

expansionist- “wise management” based on values of Enlightenment tradition
- nature should be used not preserved (conservation= exploitation)

ecological- “righteous management” based on values of Counter-Enlightenment tradition
- focuses on preservation