SS 11, Lesson 6, The Environment

Important subject; can be depressing. What happens to you when you think or talk about the environment?

Do you? Do you worry about it?

Where do you think your views on the Environment came from? (they are highly political in Canada). Do you share your perspective on the environment with family, friends, culture, school? Who has a contrasting view?

There is an environmental problem; what should be done about it

Which environmental problems are most serious and what we should do about them are widely disagreed about.

Although some environmental problems are impossible to deny, there is a lot of resistance to taking decisive action.

One poll showed Canadians wanted to stop Climate Change, but were only willing to pay 100$ a year:

https://torontosun.com/news/national/most-canadians-unwilling-to-pay-much-for-carbon-tax-poll

So, how serious is the problem, how much should we spend on it?

The theory of the “Carrying Capacity” of the Earth is often referred to as “Spaceship Earth.”

The philosophy is that the earth is like a Spaceship which keeps us alive in space and if the life support systems fail, we will suffer or die.

In this analogy, the life support system includes things like plants that absorb Carbon and produce oxygen. A climate and soil that produces food, available clean water etc…

So even outside of the idea that other living things are beautiful, interdependent, provide medicines and have a right to live. We need the earth ecology to work for selfish reasons.

Here are some of the most serious Environmental Problems; Many of them have a strong relationship to climate change:

1. As well as being unpleasant, Air Pollution leans to shorter lives and worsens Climate Change.

2. Ocean Plastic/ Overfishing. Many fisheries have collapsed and the many pressures on marine ecosystems will lead to more. Shark Finning, Soil Runoff, Ocean Plastic, overfishing, sea floor damage, warming. These strains on the ocean will lead to much less food.

3. Soil Degradation. Soil microbes are a huge store of Carbon (#2 after oceans). We need reliable food to feed our growing population. Droughts and desertification often worsen this.

4.

5. Species Decline/Extinction. Many human activities weaken ecosystems. The recent fires in Brazil and Australia, expansion of agriculture into rainforests and other deforestation especially. Remember that animals like bees, birds, bats and others pollinate most plants and so affect carbon.

Greenhouse Gases

Because climate change is the one factor that is affected by, and also worsens other environmental problems, it is arguably the most serious.

Why do we constantly hear that this is not so? Well in Canada, particularly in Alberta and parts of Saskatchewan and BC. They have based their economy on Fossil Fuel extraction and even the TSX, Canada’s stock exchange is strongly dependant on Oil and Gas extraction. We have many oil friendly governments and many people that do not want to see the economy affected by things like Carbon Taxes.

There is here and throughout the world a lot of money spent on Climate Denial and Delay.

It is possible to see through this however, if you don’t just read you Facebook Feed and look at the right information. We discussed the Public Relations Industry in Earth Science and how people who slowed down government doing anything on Smoking now work for Oil and Gas Producers. This is explained well in this book and others:

You can also look at what Climate Scientists (not other scientists) say is the consensus. People have even found Fossil Fuel Companies documents about studying climate change in the 1980s and determining it is true and serious then deciding to deny that later. There are also a lot of records on the amount of money that is spent on lobbying governments, education and swaying public opinion.

EXTENSION: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/climate-consensus-97-per-cent/2018/sep/19/shell-and-exxons-secret-1980s-climate-change-warnings

What would slow Climate Change?

There are many things that do not affect the Carbon Cycle above, but it is when carbon is taken out of the atmosphere is stored somewhere that Climate Change is slowed. Carbon can be stored in trees, but much of it is stored in Marine (ocean) environments (when things like seashells and algae sink) and in soils.

Is it hopeless?

There is a popular radical plan known as the Green New Deal which could intervene significantly in this problem. These involve making big changes to the tax structure so that carbon intensive activities, like driving, are taxed and low or 0 carbon alternatives have their taxes removed. Some governments will even return the amount taxed in cash so the burden of the tax is minimal and there is a strong incentive to do low carbon activities. (Obviously the fossil fuel industry does not like these policies as they would likely be ruinous for them).

Popular protest movements have really grown. Greta Thunberg has been a popular figure in the climate change movement and there have been large protests globally as a result of her movement. These are

the sorts of movement that have resulted in large political changes before (like the Civil Rights movement or the Anti-War movement).

Here is some additional Extension research you can do for extension:

EXTENSION: Here is a reference to the study that discusses a 50% decline in Animal Populations. https://www.nationalgeographic.com/animals/2018/11/animal-decline-living-planet-report-conservation-news/

EXTENSION: Could our society collapse? If so, to what extent. Here is an expert on collapsed civilizations perspective: https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20190218-are-we-on-the-road-to-civilisation-collapse

EXTENSION: Strain on the Ocean. https://www.eea.europa.eu/themes/water/europes-seas-and-coasts/marine-environmental-pressures/marine-environmental-pressures

Possible Solutions

https://www.downtoearth.org.in/news/climate-change/how-communities-in-china-helped-keep-desertification-at-bay-66542

Here is the strategy to reduce climate change according to NASA: https://climate.nasa.gov/solutions/adaptation-mitigation/

The trends that are most hopeful when it comes to a Climate Change response: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2017/nov/08/seven-megatrends-that-could-beat-global-warming-climate-change