ERSC 1020H

The 7 themes: 1- Science

a way of understanding the world, Systematic observation of natural and biophysical systems

The 7 themes: 2- Governence

Considers the ways that we govern human activities, Laws and regulations, organizations and institutions

The 7 themes: 3- Values & Ideas

The way we make sense of the world affects, Ideas are worth spreading, asking questions

The 7 themes: 4- Politics, Interest, Power

Influencing the decisions we make, Politics is about advancing stakeholder interests

The 7 themes: 5- Scale & Jurisdiction

Environmental issues can be both global and local at the same time

The 7 themes: 6-Uncertainty, risk and complexity

We make decisions about environmental issues without a complete understanding of them

The 7 themes: 7- Technology

Products and approaches that create problems or have the potential to solve them, e.g: electric cars, wind turbines

Structure of intergovernmental panel on climate change IPCC

3 working groups:

WG1- scientific aspects

WG2- Consequences, positive and negative, of climate change, Adaptation to climate change

WG3- how to limit GHG emissions, Mitigation of climate change

IPCC’s role

Assesses peer-reviewed literature, References published technical reports from government agencies, do not conduct research

how did we estimate temperature before 1700s?

tree rings, ice cores: 2H (deuterium) and 18O isotopes in H2O, lake levels, glacier advance and retreat, pollen in lake sediments

Affects of Candian wildfires

public health risks, greenhouse gas emissions

climate change impacts

seal level rising, extreme hot weather, precipitation increase

how much does canada have to reduce its emissions by 2030?

40% lower than 2005 levels

net-zero

What we emit is balanced by what we capture, throughout all sectors of the country, assumes that impact of emissions = impact of removals (getting to almost zero emissions)

what determines C02 emissions?

Income(goods & services per person) X technology(c02 emmisions per $)

Solutions in reducing C02 emmisons

Reduce our energy consumption, Transition to lowcarbon energy source, Find other GHG reductions:

The Paris agreement

Set 2 ◦C target (net zero by 2080-2100), with aspiration for 1.5 ∘C (net zero by second half of century).

US Inflation Reduction Act

it injects at least USD $369 billion to clean energy technologies and essential to decarbonising the economy

what is plastic?

Mostly synthetic polymers (many + units)

how many tons of plastic are wasted annually in Canda?

3 million tons

How do we get closer to the goal of zero plastic waste? (stratagies)

plastic products to be designed for greater durability, reuse and recycling, Increase the demand for recycled plastics

bioplastics

a plastic derived from biological substances rather than from petroleum, many types of which are biodegradable.

what isze is a microplastic?

1um-5mm

what are priimary microplastics?

those which enter the environment through their micro size

what are secondary microplastics?

resulting from the breakdown of larger plastics in the environment

how are microplastics measured?

sink and float technique sorts them and measured through wet deposition and dry deposition

What are atmospheric plastics?

Microplastics that occur in the atmosphere from urban to remote areas

how are atmospheri plastic measured?

bunk collector, active air sample, wet only deposition collector

wet deposition

rain, sleet, snow, or fog that has become more acidic than normal.

Dry deposition

is when gases and dust particles become acidic

name some sorting techniques for plastics

sink float (reduces contamination)

Gary Anderson

Invented plastic

what does plastic degrade to?

C02 and D0C, microplastics, non-polymer compunds

what happens to plastics once they enter the environment?

water insoluable, cound in food chain, found everywhere

how are nanoplastics formed?

when microplastics breakdown by physical process to form nanoplastics

what is the one advantage to bioplastics?

they are compostable

how long does it take for plastic to breakdown in the environment?

20-500 years

what is the most comon microplastic in the environment?

polyester

what is an example of biomonitering?

moss bags

what is a moss bag? and purpose

1 g of moss was placed inside a bag: collects atmospheric plastics

why are microplastics bad?

water insoluble, unreactive, large surface area, found in food chain, found everywhere

who handles the cost of recycling and plastic pollution?

consumers rather than plastic producers

4 principles of sustainablility

1. Most ecosystems use renewable solar energy

2. Ecosystems replenish nutrients and recycle waste

3. Biodiversity maintains healthy and adaptable ecosystems

4. Nature limits population growth

3 pilars of sustainable development

1. environmental protection

2. social equality

3. ecenomic growth

what is sustainable development?

development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their needs

what is considered unsustainable?

if the extraction/use of resources creates injustice (economic, social), has health consequences, exacerbates climate change impacts, or affects biodiversity,

Definition for sustainability with respect to resources

Use natural resources: • at rates that do no exceed our capacity to discover replacements/substitutes • recycle and reuse our resources • dispose of wastes at rates that do not exceed the environment’s capacity to neutralize these

It has been argued that there is no resource crisis, how is this argument flawed?

• Eventually you will run out of resources, but we havent been on this earth long enough to see this happen

• Division, some of us can adjust quicker than others

• This arguemnt doesn’t look beyond the resource

What are some suggestions of things we should do or not do to achieve a more sustainable world?

• Reduce consumption

• Increase lifespan of our products

• Giving back to the earth

Some examples of how we "green" consumption

• Gas cars--> electric

• Natural gas/ oil--> solar/wind

• Plastic bott;es--> recylce them

what is ecological restoration?

The process of assisting the recovery of an ecosystem that has been degraded, damaged, or destroyed (initiates or accelerates the recovery of an ecosystem with respect to its health, integrity and sustainability)

abiotic barriers

Physical (rather than biological) barriers impeding ecosystem recovery

examples:

• Lack of soil

• Contaminated soil

• Contaminated water

biotic barriers

Biological barriers impeding ecosystem recovery

examples:

• No host population for seed

• Presence of invasive species

What Is a Recovered Ecosystem?

It looks like it did before

It functions

It has native species

It provides cultural value It provides biodiversity value

Self-sustaining

dispersal

the movement of individuals from their birth site to their breeding site, as well as the movement from one breeding site to another.

Niche Theory:

predictions assume that a successful invasive species will gain access to unused resources

Theory of Limiting Similarity

co-existence between species is more limited by competitive exclusion when species share niche properties

positive feedback loop

a change in a given direction causes additional change in the same direction

negative feedback loop

the effects of a reaction slow or stop that reaction.

Propagules

Rhizomes break apart easily • Rhizomes responsible for 70% of new plants found downstream after flooding

water pollution:

The degradation of one or more water quality parameters (pH, salinity, levels of trace materials, oxygen levels, temperature) and its effect on aquatic habitat and aquatic life

Sources of pollution to water: (3)

Industrial: organic chemicals

Agricultural: nutrients (P and N)

Municipal: domestic organic wastes (human wastes)

Lake erie in the 1960's : polluted by toxic chemicals

• Raw sewage in the lake

• Wastewater treatment plants werent a thing

• Industrial and solid waste was dumped into the water

• Phosphorus was coming from detergants

what is lake erie polluted by

high levels of phospurous

• From detergants and other contaminants

• Algal blooms

persistent organic pollutants

toxic chemicals that adversely affect human health and the environment around the world (not water soluable)

3 types of water usage

Consumptive (take out and not returned): Irrigation, mining, bottling, diversion, manufacturing

Non-consumptive (taken = returned): Thermal-electric power generation

In-stream uses (no water taken): eg- Commercial fishing (loss of biodiversity)

how to measure water quality

BOD (biological oxygen demand)

how are microplastics formed?

bigger pieces of plastics breakdown from physical, chemical, UV rays into tiny plastic particles

3 problems with recycling

landfilling, emits microplastics, improper disposal of waste, inadequate waste management

why is the north end of canada warming faster then the south

the oceans dark surface absorbs sunlight: therefore sea ice is melting, feedback loops