GEOG 203 Study Guide - Winter 2018, Comprehensive Midterm Notes - Canada, Wildlife, Ecosystem
12 Oct 2018
School
Department
Course
Professor
GEOG 203
MIDTERM EXAM
STUDY GUIDE
Fall 2018
GEOG 203- Canadian Environmental Issues
Chapter 1: Introduction: Change and Challenge
• Two concepts relating to a vision for the future: sustainable development and
resilience.
• Introduction to environmental change and challenge with reference to the global, national,
and regional levels
Introduction
- 9/10 of the hottest years have occurred since 2000: implicitly implies the urgency of the need
for a change in behavior/attitudes
- Strong evidence suggests it is the result of human activity
- Not just population growth but mostly an increase in consumption
- This brings up the question:
How do we continue to meet basic human needs while protecting the integrity of biophysical
systems? These questions:
- Force us to think about conditions both today and in the future.
- Remind us that an understanding of environmental and resource systems requires both
natural and social sciences
- Pose fundamental challenges as to whether we can realistically expect to manage or control
natural systems or whether we should focus on trying to manage human interactions with
natural systems
Human population growth is putting a strain on the planet, but so are consumption patterns of
the more affluent sectors of society
- These factors are leading to unprecedented changes in global systems
A particular challenge is global climate change
- Important to regard the role that Canada plays in global environmental change (both as
the second-largest country on Earth and as a source of major carbon resources [forests and
oil reserves]
find more resources at oneclass.com
find more resources at oneclass.com
- The decisions made by Canada regarding these resources have global implications: it is
therefore important to understand the governance aspects of environmental management
in Canada to appreciate how decisions are made and how stakeholders [such as me] can
become more involved
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How are environment, resources, and society defined?
- We use indicators (ecological footprints) to measure environmental change and response
and discuss how these indicators are used.
-
Defining Environment Resources
- Environment: the habitat or home on which humans and others depend to survive
o Atmosphere, hydrosphere, cryosphere, lithosphere and biosphere
- Resources: more specific
o Forests, wildlife, oceans, rivers, lakes, minerals and petroleum
o Intrinsic and Extrinsic values, what they mean to humans
- [Natural] resources
o Quality [value]: extrinsic (value that it has for human)/intrinsic
o Type: renewable [flow] and non-renewable [stock]
Certain people consider that resources are the only components of the environment that are of
use to the human species
• Anthropocentric view [human-centered view]
o Value is defined relative to human interests, wants, and needs.
• Technocentric view
o Value system that is centered on technology and its ability to control and
protect the environment. Technocentrics have absolute faith in technology and
industry and firmly believe that humans have control over nature.
o Shallow ecology [alternative definition]
o Pollyanna
• Ecocentric or biocentric view [nature-centered view]
find more resources at oneclass.com
find more resources at oneclass.com
Document Summary
Important to regard the role that canada plays in global environmental change (both as the second-largest country on earth and as a source of major carbon resources [forests and oil reserves] [natural] resources: quality [value]: extrinsic (value that it has for human)/intrinsic, type: renewable [flow] and non-renewable [stock] June 2014: the government of canada accepts the independent panel"s recommendation to impose 209 conditions on northern gateway. Perspectives on the environment: sustainable development: two key concepts. The concept of (cid:498)needs(cid:499) in particular the essential needs of the world"s poor, to which environment"s ability to meet present and future needs overriding priority should be given; State indicators: quantity and quality of physical phenomena (temperature), biological phenomena (fish stocks, extinctions) and chemical phenomena (co2 concentrations, phosphorus loading, indicate state of a current environmental system and track trends over time, ex: ppm of co2. Overall commitment to repair environmental damage and create a path toward sustainability.
