Sustainability Quiz 1

The original Model for Sustainability

ecology, economy, equity (the 3 Es)

The Triple Bottom Line

Planet, People, Profit

Natural capital

renewable and nonrenewable resources

Human made capital

most measurable capital-can be substituted for natural capital

Human Capital

skills, knowledge, creativity supported by investing in our health, education, and nutrition

Strong sustainability

when Natural capital is NOT substitutable for human-maid capital

weak sustainability

when natural capital is substitutable for human-made capital

Anthropocene

geological epoch (est. 1945-1964) that is altering Earth's biological, chemical, geographical makeup-Caused by human societies

The Great Acceleration

*exponential curves in the increase of various socio-economical and environmental aspect after 1950

The 9 Planetary Boundaries

used to help people be more sustainable

1- Biosphere integrity

2-Climate Change

3-Novel entities

4-Ozone deplentation

5-Aerosol Loading

6-Biochemical flows

7- Fresh water use

8-Land-system change

9- Ocean acidification

Fertilizer consumption

creates Dead Zones in water when the algae decomposes and and robs water of Oxygen

Quadruple squeeze

pressure on the Earth because of...

1- population growth and innequality

2-climate dilemma

3-eco-system decline

4- surprises

Sustainable Development

meets the needs of the present without hindering the future intergenerational equity and intragenerational equity

-

UN's biggest priority in millennium development goals

eradicate global poverty and hunger

what is largely responsible for environmental degradation?

poverty

what is the biggest source of planetary boundary stress

excessive resource consumption by the richest 10% of the population and the production patterns of the companies our goods and services

What's missing from the planetary boundaries model?

social and economic sustainability

what must be done to insure a "Safe and Just Space for Humanity"?

-bring everyone above the social foundation level

-reduce consumption to below the environmental ceiling

effects of Nitrogen Pollution

-can create whole in Ozone

-can create dead zones in water

-cutting meat consumption can reduce nitrogen footprint

Ecological Footprint

allows us to see human demand compared to biosphere's carrying capacity -should be at 4.45 acres per person (world) US is at 19.77 acres per person

ecological rucksack

used to describe the total material required of a product plus the hidden material that becomes waste

Global Reporting Initiative (GRI)

guideline for businesses to measure and report their environmental, social, and economic performances

Materials Economy

linear "cycle" of where our stuff goes

extraction-> production-> distribution-> consumption-> disposal

planned obsolescence

make things as cheap as possible so people keep having to buy new things

perceived obsolescence

people get rid of perfectly good stuff in order to be "hip with the times"

Earth Overshoot Day and National Ecological Deficit day

-day when humanity has used up the resources allotted for that year

National Ecological Deficit day

when a nation's ecological footprint exceeds its biocapacity

formula used to calculate environmental degradation impacts

IPAT

Impact= Population X Affluence X Technology

carry capacity

how many individuals our planet can support without degrading a population's ecosystem

sustainability

meeting the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their needs

biocapacity

the planet's biologically productive areas (forests, pastures, cropland and fisheries

what did the Millennium Development goals not address?

-it did not address the need to promote sustainable consumption and production in developed nations

-did not integrate the economical, environmental, and social sides of sustainability

3 major goals of OU's sustainability plan

citizenship,stewardship, and justice

areas of the planetary boundary system we have exceeded the safe boundaries of

* genetic diversity

*nitrogen levels in ocean

*phosphorus levels in ocean

* carbon levels

the great acceleration

occurred in the 1950's

shows exponential growth and correlations between certain socio-economic trends and environmental trends

half of the world's CO2 emissions are produced by what percentage of the world's population

11%

water footprint

represents volume of freshwater needed per unit of product or per time ( includes direct use, indirect use, and volume of water polluted)

4 main pollinating insect groups

1) Beatles 2) bees 3) flies 4) butterflies

how flowers attract pollinators

plants create protein rich pollen

Orchids

-requires highly specialized pollination

-attracts insects with deception

-have bright colors and sweet scent

- release sex hormone

big reason behind the decline in pollinators

large scale monocultures

the values of nature

1- intrinsic value 2- instrumental value

Different instrumental values of nature

-economic value

-spiritual value

- scientific/educational value

- ecological value

Millennium Ecosystem Assessment -2005

-1st review of the state of our planet

-recognized natures well being

-raised awareness to environmental degradation

4 main ecosystem services

1- provisioning

2-regulating services

3- cultural services

4- supporting services

Colony collapse disorder -2005

-happened within the bee population

- bees were malnourished- fed corn syrup

-pesticides messed up their nervous systems

The Bee Act

-encourages high way developers to use tactics to make road ways more friendly to pollinators

-7 million acre to be set aside for monarch butterflies over the next 5 years

Diluting Disease

when certain diseases are less likely to pop up in humans because other animals attract the disease- if there are no small mammals around the specific disease is more likely to pop up in human population

percent of world population that relies on traditional plant medicines

more than 80%..but less than 05% have been examined for potential medicinal properties

earth worms' climate change weapon

break down leaf litter and sequentch carbon in soil as Stabilized Soil Organic Carbon

Fungi's climate change weapon

higher diversity in wood decaying fungi decrease CO2 emissions the wood secretes

Pros of Agro Forestry

- becomes a natural pest control

- provides wildlife diversity

- has pollination benefits

- has landscape and habitat diversity

- increases soil fertility

Cons of Agro Forestry

-not all species like fragmented habitats

-they require intensive management

- they can be less productive

-trees take a long time to grow and become established

REDD

-UN program that pays developing countries that will prevent deforestation or degradation that would otherwise happen

6 Values of Biodiversity

-economic value

-ecological life support

- cultural value

- recreational value

- scientific value

-Negative value ( how nature can harm people...earth quakes, floods...)

Two aspects of biodiversity

1- number of organisms

2- how organisms interact with each other

Three compositional levels of biodiversity

1-genetic

2-species

3- community/ecosystem diversity

Three types of species diversity

1- alpha

2- beta

3-gamma

what is the "main currency" of biodiversity

species diversity

alpha diversity

the species we find in 1 place (local)

beta diversity

difference of species composition among different sites

gamma diversity

species we find in a large area (regional)

red wolf

hybrid of the gray wolf and coyote in a specific area- so it's a product of nature and the environment

latest estiment for the number of species on earth

12 million (+/- 3)

how many species have we named?

1.75 million

how many species on earth are insects?

about 1 million

how many species of Beatles are there?

about 500,000

where is most of our planets biodiversity located?

the tropics

keystone species

small in number but have a big impact on the ecosystem ( ex- wolves in yellowstone)

umbrella species

when we conserve these species, a large number of other species are also protected

Flagship species

have special charismatic or cultural value and are a strategic concept for raising public awareness and financial support

Indicator species

1st species to become effected by any changes in a habitat

dominant species

impact on community or ecosystem is large because of its high abundance of biomass

- ex : bunnies

ecosystem engineers

a species that can create, significantly modify, maintain or destroy a habitat

ex- beavers

characteristics of systems

-interconnected

-relationships among elements

-great diversity

-more than the sum of its parts

functions of natural capital

- provide resources for human activity

-absorb waste from human activity

-provide environmental services -bees pollinate for us

7 top benchmarks of the OU sustainability plan

1- reduce green house gas emissions

2- reduce energy intensity

3- increase renewable energy generation

4- build LEED certified buildings

5- reduce solid waste

6- implement annual sustainability checks

7- increase recycling rates

ecological debtors

ecological foot print is greater than its biodiversity -US, China,UK

REDD+

UN program that seeks to..

Reduce Emissions from Deforestation

Changed ideas of nature over time

60's-70's-> nature for itself

80's-90's-> nature despite people

2000-2005-> nature for people

2010-today-> nature and people