7.7 KBAR (HAHA THE LAST HGAP NOTES I WILL EVER TAKE DOWN)

As we round off the very last note of AP Human Geography, let’s focus on one more important concept that encapsulates key themes we've explored throughout the course: sustainable development. This principle emphasizes the need to meet present needs without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own, integrating economic growth with social equity and environmental protection.

One way to do this is to aim to reduce the negative effects of industrialization

Resource depletion refers to to gradual depletion of resources, natural resources, much faster than they can be replenished. Nonrenewable resources aren’t infinite, so if we do not plan, they will run out quickly. Examples of resource depletion include mining, deforestation, aquifier depletion, and overfishing. Industrial agriculture plays a significant role in resource depletion, as it often requires vast amounts of water and land, leading to soil degradation, deforestation, and habitat loss

Think about it, the United State’s high culture of mass consumption has caused car sales to steadily increase, resulting in not only higher greenhouse gas emissions but also a greater demand for fossil fuels, which will eventually lead to further depletion of these vital resources. China and India, together whose total population is more than 2 billion are also experiencing rapid car ownership rates. If this trend continues, it is very unlike these countries will reach the same culture of mass consumption, as our natural resources are depleting at a rapid rate, and will continue to do so without other energy sources and new extraction technologies.

With the urgency for sustainable practices becoming increasingly apparent, it is crucial for nations, particularly those with burgeoning economies, to invest in renewable energy sources and energy-efficient technologies to mitigate the impending crisis of resource depletion.

Another consequence is environmental pollution of the water, air, and earth from industrial practices. This pollution not only affects ecosystems but also poses significant health risks to human populations. There are two types of pollution- point source and non-point source pollution. Point source pollution often originates from a single identifiable source, such as a discharge pipe from a factory, like oil refineries, paper mills, and automobile manufacturers, releasing a variety of chemicals into the environment. Non-point source pollution however mostly comes from precipitation mixing in with runoff from factories, mining, parking lots, and city streets, picking up contaminants and transporting them into nearby water bodies. It often comes from multiple sources of pollution and isn’t easily pinpointed.

Finally, global warming has become a serious problem, and industrialization by humans has only made the problem much worse. The rise of average world temperatures as the years pass is the most noticable effect.Carbon dioxide ( CO 2 ) is a naturally occurring gas in the atmosphere. It is one of the gases responsible for keeping Earth warm and suitable for all life. The CO 2 molecule traps heat in the atmosphere before it can escape into space. There is, therefore, a direct relationship between the amount of CO 2 in the atmosphere and average global temperature. There are many natural and human-generated sources of atmospheric CO 2 . Any form of combustion produces CO 2 . Since the Industrial Revolution, the combustion of fossil fuels has been the top human-created source of CO 2 in Earth’s atmosphere. Climate change is producing several negative effects, such as rising sea levels, which lead to coastal flooding. In the coming decades, millions of people will need to relocate away from coastlines as a result. Our changed climate will also feature more extreme weather events. Hurricanes are becoming stronger and more frequent, and droughts and heat waves are becoming more prolonged and severe. China is the biggest producer of Co2 emissions.

There are solutions, not to fear!

1- Follow the 4 Rs (Reduce, Reuse, Recycle, and Rethink)

One way to think about slowing natural resource depletion is to follow the 4 R’s: reduce, reuse, recycle, and rethink. This strategy applies to both industrial producers and everyday consumers. Reduce means consuming fewer resources by using more efficient methods. For example, industrial agriculture can use several techniques to decrease the amount of water used for irrigation, such as computers that monitor soil moisture and control watering. Consumers can reduce fossil fuel consumption by insulating their homes or driving fuel-efficient cars. Computerized monitors of soil moisture allow for more efficient irrigation, thereby reducing water usage.

Factories and consumers can also reuse or recycle resources. For example, factories may establish cogeneration facilities. Cogeneration means producing two forms of energy from one fuel. When fuel is combusted, some of the energy is released into the environment as heat. Cogeneration facilities capture that heat and use it to warm buildings or to power machinery. The construction industry can reuse materials from demolished structures, and consumers can recycle everything from aluminum cans to computers

Finally, we must rethink how we will achieve environmentally sustainable and socially just economic development for all. Awareness of industrialization’s environmental effects is a first step to lessening them. We must think forward across spatial scales. How far will a contaminant spread? How long will it remain in the environment? How much will it cost to manage its effects? The saying “Think globally, act locally” applies here.

2-Reducing Pollution

Government regulation and intervention was the main reason for the dramatic decrease in pollution in the mid-20th century. In the United States, the most important regulations were the Clean Air Act of 1963 and the Clean Water Act of 1972. The Clean Air Act set standards for emissions from factory smokestacks and vehicle tailpipes. It identified common toxic contaminants that must be kept at low concentrations or eliminated completely.

Industries met these requirements by using “scrubbing” technologies to extract contaminants before they leave the factory smokestack. Lead, a major contaminant, was removed from gasoline and paints entirely. Automobiles and jets were re-engineered to greatly reduce dangerous gas emissions.

Similarly, the Clean Water Act set wastewater standards for industry, making it illegal for any person to release any point source contaminant into a water body. The act also funded the construction of sewage treatment plants for cities. These and other actions dramatically improved water quality.

Unfortunately, however, some rapidly developing countries have not adopted and enforced the necessary regulations. In Asia, for example, pollution laws have not kept pace with the rise in automobile ownership that has accompanied economic growth. Consequently, the cities with the world’s worst air quality include Beijing, China; Jakarta, Indonesia; and New Delhi, India, all recently industrialized and undergoing rapid economic growth.

3- Carbon neutral industrialization

Carbon neutrality, producing zero Co2 emissions, can be achieved through a variety of strategies. Many developed countries, including France, New Zealand, and Norway, have passed laws to reach carbon neutrality no later than 2050.

Carbon removal is achieved mainly through carbon offsets. Carbon offsets are processes that remove or sequester (store) carbon from the atmosphere to make up for CO2 emissions elsewhere. For example, forest conservation and reforestation projects are common offsets. Because plants take in CO2 through their leaves, increasing forest cover through reforestation is a way to remove C 2 from the atmosphere. Polluters, such as electrical generation plants using fossil fuels, can also pay to protect standing forests, which store CO2 in living trees.

Emissions reductions are achieved mainly by switching from fossil fuels to renewable sources of energy. Currently, hydroelectric, solar, and wind power are the main renewable sources positioned to replace fossil fuels. Denmark, the world’s leader in emissions reduction, will soon produce 70 percent of its energy from wind and solar.

Globally, renewable resources now account for more than two-thirds of all new power sources.

Ecotourism (like in Chumbe Island, Tanzania) is travel to natural areas of ecological value in support of conservation efforts and socially just economic development. Commonly, lodging and associated facilities are designed and managed for sustainability, using renewable energy sources, recycling waste, and conserving water. The economic logic behind ecotourism is simple. Natural landscapes, such as tropical forests and coastal marine ecosystems, can bring sustained economic growth if they are protected rather than exploited. A portion of the revenue from ecotourism goes directly to local conservation, ensuring that the natural landscape will be protected permanently. It also has a social aspect: tourists come away from the experience with a new mindset and appreciation and the locals feel empowered to act as guides and hosts. A significant share of the revenue from ecotourism should go to the local community and its members.

There are limits to ecotourism though: The large international corporations that run the airlines, hotels, and travel agencies that move tourists to their green destinations take the largest share of profits. Only a very small portion of the revenue contributes to the destination country’s GDP, and the majority of the jobs are low-skilled and low-waged paying.

Ecotourism lodging often has negative environmental impacts, such as pollution from sewage and fossil fuel consumption. At the regional scale, transportation infrastructure is required to move tourists into and out of the site. Finally, at the global scale, most ecotourism relies on passenger jets to move tourists to their eco-friendly destinations. Jet travel is a major contributor to global warming.

Since the 1970s, the United Nations has been at the forefront of devising and implementing sustainable development programs. Most recently, the United Nations established 17 sustainable development goals (SDGs) to be met by 2030.

The goals are ambitious and not all countries may be able to meet them fully, but they provide a framework for fostering sustainable practices and addressing climate change, poverty, and inequality worldwide.

The goals are- no poverty, zero hunger, good health and well-being, quality education, gender equality, clean water and sanitation, affordability and clean energy, work and economic growth, infrastructure and innovation, reduced inequalities, responsible consumption and production, climate action, life below the sea, life on land, peace and justice institutions, and the partnership for these ambitious goals.

These goals are quite hollistic.

The 17 SDGs are now the principal means used to evaluate and compare countries’ development status. The United Nations created the High-Level Political Forum on Sustainable Development (HLPF) to monitor each country’s progress. It is aided in this effort by the publication of the Sustainable Development Report, which is an annual review of all 193 United Nations member states’ performances on the SDGs.