APES: Unit 5

Tragedy of the Commons

Tragedy of the commons: individuals will use shared public resources in their own self-interest degrading them

Examples of degrading causes are overgrazing, overfishing, water and air pollution

No one owns the resource and no one directly suffers the negative consequences of depleting, degrading, or overusing it

The problem: overfishing can lead to fishery collapses, loss of income, and starvation

air pollution from coal power plants can lead to bronchitis, asthma, and increased health care

overfishing affects Atlantic cod

pesticide runoff from farms contaminates drinking water

You can solve the tragedy of the commons with private land ownership, fees or taxes, fines, and criminal charges for pollution or shared air/soil/water resources

Examples of solutions to tragedy of the commons include clean air act, clean water act, safe drinking water act.

The direct affects of clearcutting include soil erosion, increased soil and stream temp, and flooding and landslides

Less tree shade means warmer soil and water

tree plantations: areas where the same tree species are repeatedly planted, gown, and harvested

tree plantations lower biodiversity

forest benefits are filtering of air pollutants, removal and storage of coz from atmosphere, and habitat for organisms

stomata removes VOC3, NO2, and PM

CO2 to glucose to starch

consequences of deforestation include reduces air filtering and carbon storing services

cutting trees down releases CO2 and the decomposition of leftover organic materials

slash and burn method: releases co2, n2o and water vapor

cropland is 77% of food production

rangeland is 16%

ocean fisheries are 7%

primary plants include wheat, corn, and soybean

most consumed meat in US is chicken

most consumed meat in world is goat

traditional subsistence agriculture is producing enough for family

traditional intestine agriculture is enough for family and to sell

42% of the world population uses low-input agriculture

lowinput agriculture provides 20% of the food for the world

farmers maker more food by farming more land and higher yield do to green revolution

high input agri. goal is to maximize yield from crop or herd

monoculture is one kind of crop

high input is in developed countries

agriculture is 18% of GDP and 20% of jobs

the us produces 50% of world corn and soybean

the us produces 17% of world’s grain

ecological services include maintaining water flow, prevent soil erosion, build organic matter, store atmospheric C, provide wildlife habitats

economic services include jobs, medicines. food crops, fiber crops, crop genetic resources

highinputs includes fertilizers, pesticides, and water

multicropping: 2 or more crops per year

1st revolution was in the 1950s

2nd revolution was in 1967

1st revolution countries include us, Canada, France, Italy, Austria, UK

2nd revolution countries include Mexico, India, Argentina, Columbia, Pakistan, japan, egypt

polyvarietal cultivation: few types of same crop on a plot

polyculture: 2 or more crops

intercropping: crop rotation and is 2 or more different crops at the same time on a plot

alley cropping: agroforestry and the growing of crops and trees together

conventional tillage: latefall and is the aeration of soil and lower soil compaction

conservation tillage: early spring and minimal to low till

windbreaks benefits include decreasing wind speed and soil erosion, retain soil moisture, provides firewood, provides habitats for wildlife

types of fertilizers include animal manure, green manure, and compost

commercial inorg. fertilizers include S,P,N,K

what belongs in a compost pile is banana peel, carrot peel, coffee grounds, apple core, orange rhine, and egg shells

what doesn’t belong in a compost pile is bones, raw eggs, spoiled milk, meat, dairy

no pesticides, no growth hormones, no antibiotics, and no genetic modifications make food organic

vermicompost worm is the red word

causes of soil erosion include wind, water, and people

water erodes the most

the two harmful effects of erosion are loss of soil fertility and soil can pollute water

dust bowl was in the 1920s

causes of desertification include overgrazing, deforestation, erosion, salinization, soil compaction, and natural climate change

effects of food production include biodiversity loss, soil degradation, air, water, food, soil pollution, water shortages, soil erosion, human health