GEMS Final Exam

Sustainability

  • Three Spheres of Sustainability:

    • Economic:

      • Aim to preserve and promote long-term economic well-being.

      • Balances economic growth, resource efficiency, social equity, and financial stability.

    • Environmental:

      • Focus on preserving and protecting natural environments.

      • Ensure present needs are met without compromising future resources.

    • Social:

      • Emphasizes well-being of communities and individuals.

      • Promotes equity, human rights, access to education, healthcare, and decent work.

Recycling

  • Eddy Current:

    • A machine that separates non-ferrous materials using a magnetic field.

    • Effective for recycling copper, aluminum, and brass.

  • Compostable Waste:

    • Organic waste includes food items that can be composted.

  • Items Recycled by Holland:

    • Accepts cardboard, metal, glass, and plastic.

    • Requirements:

      • Items should be larger than a credit card.

      • Must be clean, dry, empty.

      • Cannot be mixed with other materials.

      • Should be broken down and flat.

  • Campus Recycling:

    • Paper and cardboard only in bins.

    • BSC: Recycles mechanical pencils, batteries, snack wrappers.

    • Metal cans: recycled in dorms, apartments, or at Meijer.

    • Clothes drives: place to drop off clothes and plastic bags at compatible grocery stores.

    • BSC for hard plastics: #1-7.

Tragedy of the Commons

  • Definition: Overexploitation of resources for individual or group gain.

    • Example: Overfishing leads to endangered species and ecosystem imbalance.

  • Julian Simon’s Response:

    • Suggested that people are the greatest resource capable of innovation for solutions.

    • Example: Researchers inventing new packaging solutions to reduce plastic waste.

Fossil Fuels

  • Historical Fuel Trends:

    • Transition: wood → coal → oil → gas.

    • Fuel Export Changes (2018):

      • Shift to net exporter of oil due to unconventional extraction methods.

    • Shale Oil Deposits:

      • Bakken shale (North Dakota); Marcellus Shale (Pennsylvania).

Nuclear Power

  • Uranium Pellets:

    • Primary fuel for nuclear reactors, undergoing fission to create heat.

  • Nuclear Fission:

    • Splitting of atoms releases energy.

  • Pros of Nuclear Power:

    • No greenhouse gas emissions.

    • Reliable energy source.

    • Highly concentrated fuel source.

  • Cons of Nuclear Power:

    • Risk of accidents affecting people and ecosystems.

    • Requires nonrenewable uranium mining.

Renewable Energy

  • Passive Solar Power:

    • Does not rely on electricity; uses solar energy directly.

  • Active Solar Power:

    • Relies on technology to convert solar energy into electricity (e.g., solar panels).

  • Wind Farms:

    • Land Wind Farms: Cost-effective, integration with old power grids; limitations from infrastructure.

    • Offshore Wind Farms: Higher efficiency, but high maintenance and transport challenges.

Hydroelectric and Biomass Energy

  • Top Generators:

    • Hydroelectric: China (Three Gorges Dam).

    • Biomass: China.

Geothermal Energy

  • Pros:

    • Reliable and constant power source.

    • Smaller land footprint than solar/wind.

    • Long-lasting infrastructure.

Environmental Events and Regulations

  • Burning Cuyahoga River: 1969 fire prompted changes.

  • Clean Water Act (1972): Regulates pollutants in US waters.

  • Pennsylvania Smog: Led to air regulations; caused respiratory issues.

    • Cause: Temperature inversions trapping warm air beneath cold air.

  • Silent Spring: Initiated discussions on environmental toxicity.

Legislation and Governance

  • Municipal Separate Storm Sewer Systems (MS4):

    • Reduces pollution and sewage overflow; developed post-1990.

  • Superfund (CERCLA):

    • Federal law for cleaning hazardous waste sites since 1980.

Governance Types and Environmental Impact

  • Democratic Governments:

    • Pros: Checks on rights; citizen engagement.

    • Cons: Slow political action due to checks and balances.

  • Authoritarian Governments:

    • Pros: Quick political action.

    • Cons: Risk of human rights violations and neglect of environmental issues.

  • Social-Liberal Democracy:

    • Focus on equity and environmental protection.

  • Povetkina and Jagers (2022):

    • Found social-liberal democracies more effective in addressing environmental concerns.

Climate Change

  • Species Adaptation: Positive feedback loops inhibit species' adaptation to climate change.

  • CO2 Levels: Consistent annual increases in atmospheric CO2 over 50 years.

  • Greenhouse Gases: Include methane, CO2, nitrous oxide, and fluorinated gases (CFCs).

  • Main Contributors: Transportation causes significant greenhouse gas emissions.

  • Permafrost: Melting releases CO2 and methane contributing to climate change.

  • Differences: Climate change encompasses all environmental changes; global warming is a narrow focus.

Agriculture

  • Green Revolution: Implemented efficient farming techniques to increase productivity.

  • IR8 Rice: "Miracle rice" developed in 1966 for high yields.

  • Monocropping: Planting same crops annually depletes soil nutrients and reduces biodiversity.

  • Biodiversity in Agriculture: Can reduce pesticide use; intercropping enhances landscape variety.

  • Erosion: Loss of soil due to water/wind; vegetation prevents erosion by stabilizing soil.

  • Silvopasture: Integrates trees with grazing livestock for better land use.

Urbanization

  • Carbon Footprint Factors:

    • Transportation emissions and local food availability.

  • Solutions: Encourage sustainable practices and increase green spaces in urban areas.

  • Biodiversity Impacts: Urbanization converts green spaces into urban areas, harming biodiversity.

  • Flooding: Increased impervious land cover contributes to flooding.

Redlining**

  • Historical practice denying financial services based on racial demographics, leading to negative urban outcomes.

Waste Management

  • Historical Context: Hogs were once used for informal waste management; trash incineration improvements include air quality controls and energy recovery methods.