Environmental Issues: Political and Economic Perspectives

Environmental Issues: These arise from human activities that alter the natural world and involve diverse perspectives and values.
Political and Economic Intersections: Decisions regarding the environment involve governance (laws and regulations) and economics (resource use, production, and consumer demand).
Key Law Example: A federal law passed in 2007 made energy-efficient light bulbs mandatory by 2012, illustrating a political response to an environmental issue.

Stakeholders are groups with specific interests or perspectives on environmental matters, including:

Workers: Construction, resource extraction, and industry employees.
Companies: Resource companies, developers, and mining/forestry firms.
Aboriginal Peoples: Focus on collective rights to land, resources, and traditional connections to wildlife.
Environmental Organizations: Groups like the Alberta Wilderness Association and Pollution Probe.
Consumers: The driving force for products and services that impact the natural world.
Governments: Regulators whose decisions are shaped by the values of the political party in power.

Climate Change: A rise in Earth's average temperature caused by a buildup of GHGs, primarily from burning fossil fuels (natural gas, gasoline, coal, oil).
Atmospheric Impact: GHGs affect the global atmosphere regardless of which region or country emits them.
Ecological Footprint: A measure of human impact based on individual demands for land and resources versus the Earth's ability to regenerate those resources.

Canada's Total GHG Emissions (2014): $732 \times 10^6\,tonnes$ .
Provincial Emissions (2017): Alberta ( $AB$ ) and Saskatchewan ( $SK$ ) recorded the highest emissions per capita at $67.7\,tonnes$ of $CO_2e$ .
Global $CO_2$ Emissions (2017):
- United States: $5,269\,MtCO_2$ ( $14.6\%$ of global emissions).
- Canada: $573\,MtCO_2$ ( $1.6\%$ of global emissions).
- Mexico: $490\,MtCO_2$ ( $1.4\%$ of global emissions).

The Kyoto Protocol: The first global climate change plan. The United States did not agree. Canada ratified it in 2002 under a Liberal government but changed its stance in 2006 under a Conservative government, citing concerns about economic damage.
The Paris Agreement (2015): Adopted by 196 countries to:
1. Limit average global temperature increase to $< 2^\circ C$ .
2. Achieve net-zero emissions by mid-century.
3. Enhance resilience and adaptation to climate impacts.

Biodiversity Levels: Includes Species Diversity (types of species), Ecosystem Diversity (variety of habitats like wetlands or tundra), and Genetic Diversity (genetic differences within species).
Nature Positive by 2030: A global goal to halt and reverse biodiversity loss. Key solutions include:
- Protecting at least $30\%$ of natural habitats.
- Recognizing Indigenous people's land and water rights.
- Transitioning to sustainable production and consumption (fishing, forestry, agriculture).

Cartoon Analysis: Students must identify the cartoonist’s perspective (e.g., Battle of the Bag) and how it reflects individual values.
Individual Responsibility: Discussion on how personal choices, such as hot water usage (responsible for $6\%$ of Canada's emissions) or private vehicle use ( $12\%$ of emissions), impact the environment.
Governance vs. Individual Choice: Consideration of whether the government should implement taxes on gasoline or promote biofuels as alternatives to leave choices up to individuals.