PSC 116G Study Guide - Final Guide: Demographic Transition, Sulfur Dioxide, Smog
6. What are the major environmental issues facing the international system?
• Environmental degradation – set of interrelated problems that continues to worsen
o Food and natural resource shortages
o Increased population growth
o Global Warming
o Deteriorating ozone layer
o Deforestation
o Decreasing biodiversity
• Air pollution first environmental problem to enter international agenda in 1930’s
o US vs Canada: sulfur dioxide emissions
o Primary Cause: world’s reliance on fossil fuels: oil, coal, and natural gas –
drastically increasing the concentration of carbon dioxide in atmosphere
▪ Global carbon emissions quadrupled since 1950
▪ Lead to smog, increased pulmonary problems (asthma)
• Deforestation – natural carbon converters (trees), being cleared at an alarming rate,
exacerbating the problem
o acute in tropical zones, Amazon
o Leads to increased flooding, decreasing food supplies, decreased biodiversity
• Global Warming/Climate Change – unprecedented increases in global temperatures
have occurred in tandem with record levels of greenhouse gas concentrations and
emissions
o Expected rise in temp between 1990-2100 is 1.4-5.8 degrees Celsius
o Effects of global warming:
▪ Disruption in global weather patterns
▪ Shifts in suitable agricultural areas (Midwest)
▪ Rising sea levels
▪ Costal erosion
▪ Diseases (through increase insect transmission)
• Natural Resource Depletion –
o Energy and fresh water are the two most important resources (shrinking despite
increases in demand)
o Energy – particularly in fossil fuels will face decreasing supplies
▪ Energy is the mater resource: all other resource extraction depends on
energy’s availability
▪ Asia is increasing demand 57% between 1997 and 2020
▪ Key concepts peak oil and peak water
▪ Peak oil –
▪ Peak water –
o Fresh Water
▪ Considered scarce in commodity in many areas of the world (Yemen)
▪ Predicted that 21st century wars will be fought over water supplies
▪ Increasing number of militarized interstate disputes over water
• Overpopulation – growth of earth’s population is occurring at an alarming rate
o 1804 population was 1 million people
o 2000 population was 6 million people
o Estimated 2050, 9 billion people
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