Module 1 - Introductory Cases Flashcards
What was the global trends in the state of the world’s marine fish stocks between 1974-2017?
- increase in biologically unsustainable stocks
- underfished stocks are getting to be smaller
Perpetual Resouces
Resources that replenish constantly and are not impacted by human activity
Renewable Resources
Resources that restore/replenish themselves on a timescale that is meaningful to human society (part of an active ecological system)
Non-Renewable Resources
Resources that exist in a fixed quantity or stock in the earths crust. Any renewal rate is too slow to be meaningful to human activity.
When are we using resources as SOURCES?
When we take them from the environment and make use of them in consumption or production.
When are we using resources as sinks?
When we use them to store or process (attenuate) waste products.
What is an example of using a resource as a source?
- breathing in air
- cutting down a tree to make a table
What is an example of using a resource as a sink?
- septic systems
- GHG into the atmosphere
When does renewable resource degradation occur?
When the capacity of the renewable resource to act as a source or sink is reduced OR when the ecological functioning of the resource is degraded
What is a ‘sustainable yield’?
The highest rate at which a renewable resource can be used indefinitely as a source without degrading it
What is a ‘critical load’?
The highest rate at which a renewable resource can be used indefinitely as a sink without degrading it.
What is the ‘Freedom of the High Seas’?
Areas of the globe that aren’t governed, countries all have the same right to the open oceans.
Prior to 1977 what was Canada’s fishing like?
- Canada enacted no efforts to restrict or control fishing beyond a 12 nautical mile limit
- Large European, Canadian, and American fishing trawlers were fishing without restriction
In 1977, what did Canada do to fishing?
- Canada declared an EEZ (exclusive ecological zone) set at a 200 nautical mile limit which gave them control over much of the area.
- In theory, this new control should have helped prevent overfishing
What were 4 reasons that contributed to the tragic outcome of cod fisheries in Canada?
- Transboundary situation created challenges as Canadian gov did not control the entire resource w/part of the resource effectively being in an open access common property situation (aka no one entity can make the rules)
- Gov subsidies pushed the exploitation of the resource beyond what markets would have if left alone (perverse subsidies)
- Gov stepped in, pumped money into the regions, they bult new factories, boats and more ppl fished - Scientists who put forward predictions of concern were ignored while optimistic scientists who predicted positive futures were embraced by policymakers who were prioritizing economic growth - the Precautionary Principle was ignored
- Scientific monitoring was not in place and there was no system of adaptation to address changes in the condition of the fish stocks (Adaptive Management)
