ESS Topic 8: Human Systems & Resource use

what is direct use value

directly used by humans by visiting or residing in the ecosystem 

what is consumptive use value

to consume

examples of consumptive use value

harvesting food to eat, timber for fuel / housing, animals for clothing

what is non-consumptive use value

recreational and cultural activities

what is indirect use value

derived from ecosystem services that provide benefits outside the ecosystem

example of indirect use value

natural water filtration

what is optional value

potential future use of ecosystem goods & services currently not being used 

what is bequest value

your future offspring use it

what is non-use value

aesthetic and intrinsic values, no market price 

what is existence value

may not provide identifiable goods or services thus remain unpriced or undervalued from an economic view

resources, or natural capital

everything that is useful to mankind 

examples of natural capital

air, water, soil, people, education, ecosystems 

natural income

people can use as ‘interest’ sustainably 

examples of natural income 

marketable goods, timber, food, protection by forest

the four ecosystem services

supporting, regulating, provisioning, cultural

supporting services

essentials for life

examples of supporting services

primary productivity, soil formation, cycling of nutrients

what is regulating services

providing service by regulating and controlling

examples of regulating services

pollination, regulation of pests and diseases, water quality regulation

provisioning services

services people obtain from ecosystems 

examples of provisioning services

food, fibre, fuel, water from lakes

cultural services definition

peoples interactions with ecosystems

cultural services examples

outdoor recreation, learning, spiritual wellbeing

shale gas

natural gas that is trapped within shale formations

why is shale gas significant

have recently become important because of the natural gas they contain, therefore many countries try to develop it

shale gas in the USA

took off because they have a lot of shale rock, their available pipeline technology and the country’s determination to achieve energy security helped. 

shale gas in china

has large deposits of shale rocks, but less likely to develop because there are earthquake risks

shale gas in the UK

deposits in the south are less likely because the middle-class are more politicized

Trend of solid domestic waste

increases as a result of growing human populations and consumption

types of solid domestic waste

organic waste, paper/packaging/cardboard, glass, plastics

types of non-biodegradable waste

plastic, batteries, e-waste

example case of non-biodegradable waste

china receives about 70% of the world’s waste. guiyu is the e-waste capital of the world

effects of non-biodegradable waste on human life

lead poisoning, cancer, risk of miscarriage

effects of non-biodegradable waste on nature

soil, water, air are all polluted

biodegradable

capable of being broken down by natural biological processes 

pros of recycling 

reduces amount of energy used, reduces greenhouse gas emissions, creates new jobs

cons of recycling 

involves transport thus requires a lot of energy, labour intensive, produces toxic waste

pros of reusing

little energy is used, cheap resources for people of limited means

cons of reusing

requires energy to clean products being reused, eventually wear out, eventually has to be disposed

composting

converting organic materials into nutrient-rich soil through natural decomposition

pros of composting

produces fertilizer, reduces the use of chemical fertilizers

cons of composting

produces unpleasant smells, takes time

incineration

waste treatment by combustion

pros of incineration

reduces volume of waste, way of producing energy from waste

cons of incineration

produces greenhouse gas, still expensive

landfill

dumping ground

pros of landfills

cheap and easy way, little time and labour required

cons of landfills

produces methane (ghg), potential to contaminate land in the future

three steps of pollution management

altering human activity, controlling release, cleaning and restoring

examples of altering human activity

reduced consumption, increased recycling, use of materials, composting of food

examples of controlling release

set standards, introduce targets for recycling, taxes on plastic bags

examples of cleaning and restoring

energy for waste (efw) schemes, reclaiming landfill sites, removing pollutants from the environment

factors affecting the choice of waste disposal at a national scale

government policy, population density, amount of land available for landfill, involvement in international agreements, involvement of environmental pressure groups, geographic or climactic characteristics

how to measure carrying capacity

ecological footprint

carrying capacity

number of people deemed sustainable

ecological footprint

area of land and water needed to meet the population’s needs

how is carrying capacity problematic

humans use a wider range of resources than any other species, when one resource becomes limited humans are good at substituting it with another, resource requirements are different based on lifestyles, technologic development causes changes in the resources required

example of how resource requirements are different based on lifestyles

Massai Herdsman uses less resources than urban populations

EXAMPLE of how technologic development changes resources

increase in nuclear power since the 1950s

example of how certain areas carry more people than others

areas with warm and wet climate, fertile soils support larger populations

how does globalization affect carrying capacity

trade is always an option so people can import needs, thus support more people

increasing carrying capacity

determined by rate of resource consumption, level of pollution, extent of recycling, reuse and reduction in the use of resources

two perspectives on carrying capacity

neo-malthusian view, optimist view

neo-malthusian view of carrying capacity

human population will outdo the ability of the earth to provide sufficient resources for all populations

optimist view of carrying capacity

ways of food production can be increased by irrigation, fertilizers, and growing crops in greenhouses

energy progresses

use of new resources (shale gas), development of alternatives (solar/wind energy), increased energy conservation

categories contributing to ecological footprint

energy land, consumed land, currently used land

pros of the idea of EF

useful snapshot of the sustainability of a population, provides means for people and governments to measure their impact, identify potential changes in lifestyle, popular symbol for raising awareness

cons of the idea of EF

does not include all information about human activity impact on environment, only a model thus a simplification, negative in approach thus might be demotivating

what does EF overlook

aquatic and atmospheric resources, wastes other than carbon dioxide, replacing loss of productive land through urbanization

factors that can explain EF differences between LEDC / MEDC

EF increase with DTM increase, energy use is more in later stages of DTM, greater wealth means higher consumption, more goods mean more pollutions, higher DTM means eat more

exceptions to DTM patterns

China and India has more population but US and UK have higher EF per person, resulting in higher DTM

population patterns based on resources

growing population means more resources used, decrease in resource stocks, limits population growth

population patterns based on resources

growing population means more resources used, decrease in resource stocks, limits population growth

examples of newly industrializing countries 

china and india

globalized consumer culture

demand for consumer goods have increased dramatically int he past 30 years, thus puts in the world’s resources under pressure 

what can technology do to carrying capacity

argued that carrying capacity can be expanded through technological innovation

why are nations unsustainable

sustainable development is very expensive, cheaper to extract fossil fuels than to develop alternative technologies