APES Review

Tragedy of the Commons

common resources are exploit for riches, but the price of the depletion is an external cost paid by all people on Earth

Examples of Tragedy of the Commons

(1): Air pollution

(2): Habitat destruction and poaching

(3): Overfishing

Limits to Tragedy of the Commons

(1): Breaking commons into smaller, privately owned parcels fragments; different standards for individual parcels

(2): Easily controlled commons: land, lakes, deserts, and forests (easier than air or open oceans)

(3): Economic decisions are short-term, while environmental decisions are long term

1st Agricultural Revolution

(2000+ BCE) people went from hunting and gathering to the domestication of plants and animals, which allowed people to settle in areas and create cities

2nd Agricultural Revolution

(1700-1900 CE) aka the Industrial Revolution; mechanization had a major role in this revolution and changed the way people farmed (e.g. increased agricultural output made it possible to feed large, urban populations)

3rd Agricultural Revolution

(1900 CE-present) mechanization requires less labor and makes food prices more affordable; biotechnology, genetic engineering, and the use of pesticides are now beginning to focus on more sustainable methods

1st Green Revolution

(1940s-1980s) involved the use of inorganic fertilizers, synthetic pesticides, efficient irrigation methods, and high-yielding crop seeds with disease and climate resistance

2nd Green Revolution

(1980s-Present) new engineering techniques and free-trade agreements which helped to shape agricultural policies and food production and distribution systems worldwide; introduction to GMOs

Norman Borlaug

(1): Criticized for large-scale monoculture and input-intensive farming techniques to countries that had previously relied on subsistence farming to support smaller populations

(2): Created disease-resistant and high-yielding strains of food crops that could withstand harsh climates

(3): Laid the groundwork for agricultural technological advances that helped alleviate world hunger

mining

removing mineral resource from the ground (E: mine wastes---acids and toxins. Displacement of native species. Reclamation of land and recycling)

processing

removing ore from gangue (E: pollution (Air, water, soil, and noise). Involves transportation, processing, purification, smelting, and manufacturing. Human health concerns, risks, and hazards)

use

involves distribution to end rust (E: Air pollution involved in transporting final products to end user)

contour mining

(Surface) removing overburden from the seam in a pattern following the contours along a ridge or around a hillside

dredging

(Surface) a method for mining below the water table and usually associated with gold mining. Small dredges use suction or scoops to bring the mined material up from the bottom of a body of water

in situ

(Surface) small holes are drilled into the Earth and toxic chemical solvents are inspired to extract the resource

mountaintop removal

(Surface) removal of mountaintops to expose coal seams and disposing of associated mining overburden in adjacent “valley fills"

open pit

(Surface) extracting rock or minerals from the Earth by their removal from an open pit when deposits of commercially useful ore or rocks are found near the surface l

strip mining

(Surface) exposes coal by removing the soil above each coal seam

blast

(Underground) uses explosives to break up the seam, after which the material is loaded onto conveyors and transported to a processing center

longwall

(Underground) uses a rotating drum with “teeth", which is pulled back and forth across a coal seam---the material then breaks loose and is transported to the surface

room and pillar

(Underground) approximately half of the coal is left in place as pillars to support the roof of the active mining area. Later, the pillars are removed and the mine collapses

Mining Environmental Damage

(1): dust released causes lung problems and posing other health risks

(2): chemicals from in situ leaching entering the water table

(3): disruption of natural habitats

Solutions to Mining Damage

(1): using sulfate-reducing bacteria (acidophiles) in catchment basin

(2): neutralizing the soil with limestone (CaCO3) or lime (CaO)

(3): replanting the area with fast-growing native vegetation