TOPIC 8 Flashcards
non-consumptive use values
-natural capital assessment type
-recereational and cultural acitivites that DO NOT require product harvesting
-subset of direct use value
carrying capacity and resource limitation
-humans show ingenuity when this occurs and SUBSTITUTE one resource for another
e.g, plastic for glass
Ester Boserup (list of 3)
-Danish economist who worked for the UN
-studied agricultural methods in various societies
-suggested that agricultural productivity does not determine population but rather that population growth DRIVES IMPROVEMENTS in agricultural productivity
evaluate incineration as a waste disposal method
ADVANTAGES (3)
-reduces volume of waste, thus reducing need for landfill
-kills pathogens
-way of producing energy from waste
DISADVANTAGES (3)
-releases toxic chemicals
-ash still needs disposal
-community resistance to building new incinerators
issues population growth can lead to (4)
-pressures on gov to provide for people
-increased environmental pressure
-increased famine and malnutrition risk
-greater disparities between MEDCs and LEDCs
altering human activity general methods
-reducing consumption
-increased recycling
-reuse of materials
-composting food waste
-developing alt technologies
Crude birth rate (CBR)
the number of births per 1000 of the population
demographic transition model stage 5 characteristics and appearance
-UNKNOWN birthrate, possibly FALLING FURTHER and THEN RISING
-LOW death reate
-LITTLE CHANGE in natural increase rate
example society: Italy; Japan
-shape: parabolic, BUT middle is wider and top and bottom are the same width; like a slightly squashed surfboard
regulating services
-ecosystem service
-includes POLLINATION, REGULATION OF PESTS AND DISEASES
-production of GOODS (food, fibres, wood)
-climate and hazard regulation and water quality regulation
cleanup and restoration general methods
-removing pollutants from environment (eg use of energy for waste schemes)
-reclaiming landfill sites
-removing pollutants from the environment
mortality patterns in LEDCs
-HIGH death rate, LOW life expectancy, BUT is improivng
-result of: poor nutrition, lack of health care, unsafe environemtnal conditions (adequate housing, safe water, proper sanitation)
mortality patterns in MEDCs
-death rate has FALLEN, very high life expectancies
-a result of: nutrition, health care, environmental conditions (housing, safe water, sanitation)
Natural capital goods
Tangible products such as timber, crops, fruit – things that have ‘value”
Crude Death Rate (CDR)
The number of deaths per 1000 of the population
demographic transition model stage 4 characteristics and appearance
-LOW birthrate
-LOW deathrate
-FALLING and then STABLE natural increase
example society: Australia; Argentina
shape: like a tongue; parabola with a slightly wider base
Waste disposal options (list of 4)
-landfills
-incineration
-recycling
-composting
4 types of ecosystem services
-supporting services
-regulating services
-provisioning services
-cultural services
cultural services
-ecosystem service
-derived from places where people’s interactions with nature provides CULTURAL GOODS AND BEENFITS
-open spaces (gardens, parks, rivers, forests, seashore… etc) provide OPPORTUNITIES for recreation, learning, wellbeing, health improvement
controlling release of pollutants
-key word is CONTROL: legislation based
-standards can be set and targets introduced for:
-increased rates of recycling wate
-reuse of materials
-taxes or charges on plastic bags
-increased cahrges for waste collection
THE THREE TYPES OF POLLUTION MANAGEMENT STRATEGIES
-altering human activity
-controlling the release of pollutants
-clean up and restoration
Doubling time
The number of years it will take a population growing at a constant rate to double in size and value
evaluate reuse as a waste disposal method
ADVANTAGES (2)
-little energy used
-provides CHEAP RESOURCES for poorer people
DISADVANTAGES (2)
-can require energy to CLEAN products being reused (eg milk bottles)
-products will still eventually wear out and need disposing
important person in neo-malthusian view
Esther Boserup
-believes that ‘necessity is the mother invention’
-technocentrism
provisioning services
-ecosystem service
-RAW materials provided by ecosystem
-services obtained from ecosystems such as food, fibre, fuel (peat, wood, non-woody biomass), water from aquifers rivers and lakes
-goods can be from HEAVILY MANAGED SYSTEMS (fishfarms), or SEMI-NATURAL ONES (eg fishing)
Natural capital services
ECOSYSTEM SERVICES such as a climate regulation that have value
Natural capital
resource
supporting services
-ecosystem service
-provide essentials for life
-include PRIMARY PRODUCTIVITY, SOIL FORMATION, CYCLING OF NUTRIENTS
population policies
-pronatal (attempts to increase population) and anti-natal (attempts to control population increase)
-increasing awareness about family planning
-cultural/religious policies on contraception usage or non-usage can change fertility rates
-policies targeting female education/participation in workforce –> MOST EFFECTIVE METHOD
-policies encouraging immigration
evaluate the ecological footprint model
ADVANTAGES:
-useful snapshot of the sustainability of a population’s lifestyle
-provides a means for indivuals or governments to measure their impact and to identify potential changes in lifestyle
-popular symbol for raising awareness of environmental issues
DISADVANTAGES
-does not indluce all information on the environmental impacts of human activities
-only a model; simplied, lacks precision
-does not show type of resources used – only shows total resources
factors affecting human population dynamics
-cultural (beliefs, values, traditions shaping perception of family, gender, reproduction)
historical (past hisotircal trends that influenced population like wars and epidemics and demograph transitions)
religious (beliefs, teachings, shape attitudes towards fertility, contraception, family planning)
-political (governments, policies, laws, regs that impact pop dynamnics, eg family planning and immigration policies)
social (social norms, equality, female empowerment, social institutions influencing repro decisions)
-economic (socioeconomic, poverty, income inequality, economic opportunities that influence repro decision and ability for aged care)
consumptive use values definition
-natural capital assessment type
-harvesting food products
-timber for fuel/housing
-hunting animals for food and clothing
-SUBSET of direct use value
demographic transition model stage 2 characteristics and appearance
-HIGH birth rate
-RAPIDLY FALLING death rate
-RAPID natural increase
-example society: Afghanistan; Guinea
-shape: a Reliable Triangle
evaluate landfill as a waste disposal method
ADVANTAGES
-cheap and easy way to dispose of waste
-relatively limited amounts of time and labour required
-can create land (eg Hong Kong)
DISADVANTAGES
-produces methane, which is a greenhouse gas
-leachate can pollute watercourses and groundwater
-gives off odour
factors contributing to low birth and fertility rates
-improved or improving gender equality –> women who have access to education, healthcare, etc, have less children
-parental education –> the more educated a parent, the fewer amount of childre n
-high cost of livin
demographic transition model stage 3 characteristics and appearance
-FALLING birth rate
-FALLING MORE SLOWLY death rate
-SLOWING DOWN of natural increase
example society: Columbia; India
-shape: triangle but sitting on top of a thin horizontal rectangle
Infant mortality rate
Number of infants below the age of 5 who die, per 1000 members of population
non-use values definition
-natural capital assessment type
-include aesthetic and instrinsic values
-also known as existence values
-have no market price
-ecosystems providing these may not have IDENTIFIABLE GOODS OR SERVICES and remained undervalued from an economic viewpoint
-example: Mt Fuji, Uluru
how many stages of the demographic transition model are there?
5
types of solid domestic waste (list)
-paper/packaging/cardboard
-glass
-metal
-plastics
-organic kitchen/garden waste
-textiles
-nappies
-electrial appliances (WEEE: waste electrical and electronic equipment)
-rubble/bricks
-ash
examples of pronatal policy implemenation
-providing maternity care
-accessible and affordable childcare
-child allowance for every child
-example: Sweden (offers money)
optional values definition
-natural capital assessment type
-derived from potential future use of ecosytems goods and suervices not currently used
-either for YOURSELF (option value)
-for FUTURE OFFSPRING (bequest value)
measurable characteristics of a population
-age
-sex
-gender
-ethnicity
-language
-religion
-occupation
characteristics of areas that can support higher population density
-warm, wet climates
-fertile soils
factors of mortality rates and how they look in MEDC vs LEDCs
influenced by:
-nutrition
-access to health care
-environmental conditions (adequate housing, safe water, proper sanitation)
-if GOOD or IMPROVING (eg MEDCs) conditions, then DEATH RATE FALLS and VERY HIGH LIFE EXPECTANCY
-if bad/inaccessable (eg LEDCs) conditions, then HIGH death rate and LOW life expectancy, although this has begun to improve recently
increasing carrying capacity (food production)
increasing food production:
-growing crops in nutrient enriched water (hydroponics)
-0use of high-yielding varieties of plants and selective breeding of animals
-greater use of irrigation and fertiliser
-land reclamation (from the sea, draining of wetlands, terracing steep slope)
example of anti-natal policy implementation
-increased used of contraception
-forced abortion
-sterilisations
-example: China one-child policy –> china pop also affected by increased female participation in workforce
Thomas Malthus
-suggested in 1798 that the GROWTH of human population would OUTRSTRIP ability of earth to provide sufficient food resources
resource requirements’ influence on difficulty to estmiate carrying capacity of human populations
-varies according to lifestyles
-differ over time and from population to population
e.g, a Maasai herdsman uses less resources than an urban dweller in an MEDC
Valuation of natural capital
-use of valuation: resources that have a price such as marketable goods, ecological functions recreational function
-non-use of valuation: resources that have intrinsic value (the right to exist), future uses (medicines, potential gene pool), existence values (Amazon Rainforest), present for future generation
factors contributing to birth rates and fertility rates
-lack gender equality –> women no power or education/employment creates HIGH birth rates
-religion –> most religions pro-natal, favour large families
-high infant mortality rates –> pressure on women to have more children to offset mortality losses
-agricultural societies –> larger families to provide labour and (financial/housing) security as parents age
waste disposal methods
-recycling
-reuse
-composting
-incineration
-landfill
Zero-waste policy
Aims to reduce the amount of SDW going to an incinerator to zero, with the rest of the SDW reduced (ie., never produced), never recycled, or reused
Thomas Malthus
-Published essay on the principle of population
-argued that populations tend to grow GEOMETRICALLY while the resources that suppor them grow ARITHMETICALLY
-thus populations would outstrip the resources, leading to widespread, famine, disease, and war
evaluate composting as a waste disposal method
ADVANTAGES
-produces fertiliser
-reduces volume of waste
-reduces use of chemical fertilisers
DISADVANTAGES
-can smell unpleasant
-requires effort and space
-can attract vermin if not done correctly
Unsustainable use of renewable natural capital (EQUATION)
Use of natural income + the natural capital reserves
importation and why it is difdfifuclt to estimate carrying capacity
-populations regularly import resources from outside immediate environment
-allows them to grow beyond boudnaries of local resources and INCREASE carrying capacity
-eg. import of food from Kenya to Europe
evaluate recycling as a waste disposal method
ADVANTAGES (3)
-used to make new products
-maintains stocks of non-renewable and replensihable resources
-reduces greenhouse gases
DISADVANTAGES (3)
-can produce toxic waste
-can be labour intensive
-can be UNECONOMIC re supply and demand factors
humans re carrying capacity
-range of resources used is much greater than any other species
Unsustainable (in reference to populations)
If the ecological footprint exceeds the land available
characteristics of areas with low population density
-too hot
-too cold
-too dry
-too wet
unable to support high population because cannot produce sufficient food
-however globalisation=increased trade, now possible to import resources to these areas and they can now support greater populations
natural resource vs natural capital
-can be itnerchangable HOWEVER
-NATURAL RESOURCES suggests that resources are there to be USED
-NATURAL CAPITAL suggests something to be MANAGED to produce an INCOME
Reasons EFs vary (list of 4)
-lifestyle choices
-productivity of food production systems
-land use
-industry
methods of assessing natural capital
-direct use values
-consumptive use values
-non-consumptive use values
-indirect use values
-optional use values
-bequest value
-non-use values/existence values
Dynamic concept of natural capital
Whether or not something has the status of natural capital, and the marketable value of that capital varies regionally and over time is influenced of:
-cultural
social
-economic
-environmental
-technological
-political factors
influencing factors of the EF of LEDC vs MEDC populations
-can be related to stages of demographic transition model
-generally an INCREASE of EF with each stage of the dtm
-very developed countries may be reducing their EF through techniques like energy efficiency strategies
-usage of resources (energy, goods, natural resources) is GREATER in MEDCs because people have moer appliances and wealth
-more transport/travel in later stages
-greater production of domestic waste
2 example countries: Afghanistan vs America
neo-malthusian view overview
-called limits to growth model
-developed in 1970s, predicted limits to growth of human population would be reached in 2100
-also believes that it would be possible to change these projections
-technocentrism
indirect use value
–natural capital assessment type
-derived from ecosystems services that provide benefits OUTSIDE THE ECOSYSTEM
-eg natural water filtration that may benefit people downstream
Circular economy
An alternative to a traditional linear economy (MAKE, USE, DISPOSE), in which we keep resources in use for as long as possible, EXTRACT the MAXIMUM VALUE from them whilst in use, then RECOVER AND REGENERATE products and materials at the end of each service life
carrying capacity
The maximum number of species, or ‘load’ that can be sustainably supported by a given area
demographic transition model stage 1 characteristics and appearance
-HIGH birth rate
-HIGH death rate
-STABLE or SLOW natural increase
example society: NO MODERN COUNTRIES; considered pre-industrial stage
-shape: concave curve wide base very thin pointy top
direct use values definition
-natural capital assessment type
-ecosystem goods and services DIRECTLY USED by humans
-usually valued by people visting or residing in the ecosystem
Ecological footprint (EF) (2 points)
-the area of land and water required to provide all resources and assimilate all the waste for a given population
-if the EF is GREATER than the area of land and water AVAILABLE to that population, then it is NOT SUSTAINABLE
increasing carrying capacity (energy production)
-use of new resources (eg shale gas)
-greater development of altnerative energy (eg solar, wind)
-increased energy conservation (home, public buildings, industry, transport)
basic list of why it is difficult to estimate carrying capacity of human populations
-much greater range of resources used
-substituting
-resource requirements differ
-technological developments change resources required
-regular importation allows to grow beyond boundaries of local resources
technological development and why it is difficult to estimate carrying capacity
-gives rise to continual changes in: RESOURCES REQUIRED and AVAILABLE for consumption
eg: increase in nuc power since the 1950s
Total fertility rate (TFR)
The average number of children per woman living through childbearing age
infant mortality rate (IMR)
numbero f deaths of children less than 1 year old PER 1000 live births per year
