SUST 2000 EXAM 2

3 major ways food connects with our environment

food choices transform landscapes, environmental problems enter our food supply, town and country, the rural - urban divide

agrarian myth of food production

food production is renewable

Neolithic revolution

10,000 BCE, beginning of human “cultural ecology”, intensive gathering, controlled burning, crop rotation, a sense of place-based community, maladaptation, disease of civilization, class hierarchy and place based precocity

Columbian Exchange

1492-1800s Colonialism as ecosystem engineering Food Culture = exchange

Industrial Revolution

1910s to present, Production, Productivist ideology, Factory Farms, Consumption

Green Revolution

1940s to 1980s, globalization of industrial agriculture, plant breeding, irrigation - dams, synthetic fertilizer, agrochemical and pharmaceuticals, norman borlaug, bioaccumulation, DDT, rachel carson

4 Main components of the Green Revolution

plant breeding, irrigation, synthetic fertilizer, agrochemical and pharmaceuticals

3 main critiques of Green Revolution

Technological Treadmill - requires farmers to invest in new technology to stay competitive Pesticide Treadmill -chemicals vs. biological controls Biomagnification up the food chain - bioaccumulation and unintended consequences of purposive social actions

Ecological Farming

respected nature, the land, healthy relationship

Industrial Farming

convenience, mass-produced, standardized, wrapped, durable, mobile, reduction of biodiversity, monocropping

Ethical questions surrounding both GMOs and organic agriculture

GMO questions: Is it natural? Is it sustainable? Can it be equitable? Sustainable questions: Is it scalable? What is natural? Is it just for the privileged?

How are industrial food ways and chains becoming consolidated?

vertical integration, ownership of supply chain supplied by a few major companies, leverage points - behind the brands campaign

What company manages food services on AU’s campus?

Aramark

5 biggest environmental problems caused by food and agriculture

greenhouse gases, land use, freshwater use, eutrophication, biodiversity

How does the distance travelled by food versus eating red meat compare, in terms of their GHG emissions?

The production of red meat still creates way more GHG emissions than eating food from across the world. Carbon footprint not really about food miles, is about the production - about the beef

Locavore

eat local consider food miles, is about the production

Flexitarian

semi-vegetarian diet is one that is primary vegetarian with the occasional inclusion of meat or fish

Freegan

dumpster divers, a person who rejects consumerism and seeks to help the environment by reducing waste, especially by retrieving and using discarded food and other goods

What are some ways to produce beef-type products that don’t use cattle?

Faux veggie burgers - beyond burger, lab grown meat, ground up insects as protein ingredients

Food policy approaches: farm subsidies

corn ethanol, food or fuel debate, food dumping, renewable?, law of unintended consequences

Food policy approaches: pastureland vs. vertical farming

disconnected to nature

Food policy approaches: alternative food movement

Urban gardening, community supported agriculture, really about community-building

Food policy approaches: food waste

Can it scale up? unsold food laws, composting/food recycling, freegans, dumpster divers

Food policy approaches: consumerism-based reform

clean labels

Food desert

an urban area in which it’s difficult to buy affordable or good quality fresh food

Pro’s of vertical farming

efficient land use, higher yields

Con’s of vertical farming

high startup and operational cost

Pros of eating and raising insects

high in protein and nutritional

Cons of eating and raising insects

potential chemical contamination from pesticides and environmental risks

What makes a crop organic?

grown and processed without synthetic fertilizers or pesticides

What is a GMO?

an organism whose genetic material (DNA) has been altered using genetic engineering techniques

How is roundup ready corn detrimental?

associated with an increase in glyphosate use, which has been linked to health and environmental issues, including the development of superweeds 

What is golden rice and how is it beneficial?

genetically modified rice that contains betacarotene 

How do nitrogen fixing plants work?

by forming a symbiotic relationship with soil bacteria (like Rhizobia) that convert atmospheric nitrogen into a usable form for the plant

How is synthetic fertilizer different from non-synthetic fertilizer with respect to GHG emissions?

synthetic fertilizers have higher greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions compared to non-synthetic (organic) fertilizers due to both their production and application processes

what does organic architecture use?

natural materials like wood, stone, and earth, and often combines them with man-made materials like steel and glass

Gray Infrastructure

traditional, engineered systems designed to manage water by quickly collecting and moving it away from an area

Green Infrastructure

a network of natural and semi-natural areas and other green features that provide environmental, social, and economic benefits

Sprawl

uncontrolled expansion of low-density, car-dependent development into surrounding rural areas

Nature Deficit Disorder

a reduced connection between people and the natural world

What are the 3 Es of sustainability for green infrastructure design? 

Environment, Economy, and Equity

What trends are we seeing with world human population movement before the 1950s with
respect to urban and rural development?

a major shift from predominantly rural populations to increasingly urban ones

What trend are we seeing with world human population movement since the 1950s with
respect to urban and rural development? What transformation happened in the 1950’s to cause this?

suburbanization

bio-capacity

the ability of an ecosystem to produce useful biological materials and absorb waste generated by humans

ecological overshoot

when humanity's demand for natural resources exceeds the planet's ability to regenerate them

urban growth boundary

a planning tool that establishes a line to separate urban and rural areas, controlling urban sprawl by limiting city expansion and preserving surrounding natural and agricultural lands

complete street

integrating green infrastructure

biophilia

the hypothesis that humans have an innate tendency to seek connections with nature and other life forms

productive landscapes

areas designed to be economically and ecologically functional, integrating elements like agriculture, forestry, and energy infrastructure with community and ecological benefits

adaptive reuse

the process of repurposing an existing building for a new function, rather than demolishing it

Se’s only ‘living building’ location

The Kendeda Building at Georgia Tech in Atlanta, Georgia

Kendeda Building

net-positive energy and water systems, use of passive design strategies, and innovative water conservation methods, including on-site water treatment and a 330 kW solar canopy

Cultural commodification

using a place’s culture and the culture artifacts to make a large enough profit to support part of the area’s economy

Economic leakage

when money does not stay in the local economy for host location

Demarketing 

price - charge higher prices at peak times to discourage use as well as yield higher revenues place and distribution - eliminate info about certain places, how to reserve places, etc 

95-5 Rule in national parks

95% visitors in 5% of area

Phases of Evolution of Sustainable Tourism

Advocacy, Cautionary, Adaptancy, Knowledge

Advocacy phase

(1950s and 1960s) tourism brings many positives for destinations

Cautionary phase

(Early 1970s) concerns of ecological damage, economic leakage, cultural commodification and that continued uncontrolled tourism growth will breach a destinations environmental, economic, and sociocultural tolerance/carrying capacities

Adaptancy Phase

(1980s) tourism better when adapted to local conditions, alternatives to the mass tourism that was allegedly harming less-developed regions

Knowledge Phase

(1990s) tourism has both positive and negative impacts, sustainable development paradigm

High Economic Leakage

imported goods, foreign employment, foreign ownership

Why is balance of power important with cultural commodification?

it’s important that the authentic experience isn’t altered and there isn’t an introduced false culture

How does sustainable tourism benefit the environment? 

minimizing pollution, conserving natural resources, and protecting biodiversity through responsible travel practices

What are some examples of potential negative environmental impacts of tourism?

local resentment, tourist opposition to aspects of local culture and lifestyle

What are some sustainability concerns about wildlife tourism?

physical and psychological harm, cruel training method, disruption of natural behaviors, and inadequate confinement

How does tourism impact climate change? What are the 2 tourism sectors with the highest carbon footprint?

Tourism is responsible for 8% of global CO2 emissions, transportation sector generates largest part (75% of all emissions) and the 2nd is accommodation sector which generates approx. 20% of emissions

How is tourism in the Alps adapting to climate change?

What is social sustainability in tourism?

the ability to absorb inputs (extra people, waste, food supply) for short/long time periods

What are some benefits to communities from tourism?

employment, revenue for the community, instill the pride and community cohesiveness, exchange of cultural knowledge

Community tourism can lead to local resentment 

loss of homes, loss of access to resources, local opposition towards ecotourism and ecotourists, inadequate compensation

Community tourism can lead to local inequalities and internal disputes

costs and benefits of tourism are never equally distributed, tourism can reinforce the power of the local elite, important to make sure entire community benefits from tourism development

Community tourism can lead to tourist opposition to aspects of local culture

incompatibility between local lifestyles and the expectations and values of ecosystems

What are the issues with tourism at Uluru, Australia and Devil’s Tower, USA?

erosion of rocks, ecoli found in water coming down rock, presence of climbers interrupting Sun Dance and other ceremonies

How can zoning be used to protect natural and cultural resources?

put high intensity and more damaging activities in certain areas prepared for these activities, exclude tourists from sensitive/fragile conservation areas, focus general visitors into locations where they can have the experiences they are looking for

What are the 4 ways demarketing is used?

De-marketing is used through increasing price, eliminating info about certain places, advertise the less damaging activity, discourage use of overused and provide alternative sites

What is carrying capacity?

the maximum use of any site without causing negative effects on the resources

What are the 4 types of carrying capacity relative to tourism?

ecological carrying capacity, social carrying capacity, psychological carrying capacity, economic carrying capacity

ecological carrying capacity

maximum number of users above which the resource quality could not be sustained

social carrying capacity

the level of tolerance of the host population for the presence and behavior of tourists in the destination area

psychological carrying capacity 

maximum number of users above which recreation experience diminishes

economic carrying capacity

the ability to absorb tourism activities without displacing or disrupting local economic activities

What is the difference between weather and climate?

weather describes what is happening now or over the next few days ex: it’s raining and 15 degrees C today. climate describes patterns and trends, not daily changes ex: The Sahara Desert has a hot and dry
climate

What is the past and present difference
in climate change that we are seeing?

1-2 mm/year over the past century in global sea rise, 3-4 mm/year over the past year the present state of many aspects of the climate system – are unprecedented over many centuries to many thousands of years

What is the IPCC?

Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change

What are the 3 main greenhouse gases?

CO2, CH4, N2O

What are the top sources of these GHGs?

energy production, burning coal, oil and natural gas for electricity and heat, transportation, cars, trucks, planes, and ships burning gasoline or diesel

How do Eustatic and Steric Sea Level Rise differ?

Eustatic is the added water from melting ice sheets and glaciers

Steric Sea Level Rise is the expansion of seawater as it heats

What do the different RCPs (Representative Concentration Pathways) represent?

these are not predictions but plausible outcomes based on different levels of global emissions, from aggressive mitigation (RCP 2.6) to continued high emissions (RCP 8.5)

What is Cap and Trade? How does it work?

establishes a declining limit on major sources of GHG emissions through California, and it creates a powerful economic incentive for significant investment in cleaner, more efficient technologies

Who are the vulnerable populations for climate change?

poor, elderly, indigenous, coastal

Not all gases are created equal. Which greenhouse gas (GHG) remains in the atmosphere for centuries? Which only for a decade or so?

carbon dioxide remains in the atmosphere for centuries, methane remains for a decade or so

Which weather event causes maximum death?

heat waves

What is climate resilience?

the ability of a community, ecosystem, or business to anticipate, prepare for, respond to, and recover from the impacts of climate change

What is climate gap? What are some examples of climate gap issues?

the disproportionate and unequal impact the climate crisis has on people of color living in more polluted areas and the poor 1.suffer more during extreme weather ex. Katrina, heat waves 2. breathe dirtier air 3. pay even more for basic necessities 4. have fewer or shifting job opportunities

What is the ‘urban heat island’ effect? Why is it a climate gap issue?

"Urban heat islands" occur when cities replace natural land cover with dense concentrations of pavement, buildings, and other surfaces that absorb and retain heat. This effect increases energy costs (e.g., for air conditioning), air pollution levels, and heat-related illness and mortality.

Usually poorer people live in urban areas and are the most affected by the urban heat areas.

Minorities and the poor are more likely to live in urban centers with less tree cover to reduce heat and more concrete and pavement to trap it. They also have less access to air conditioning, and are less likely to own cars to escape extreme weather events.