...Ecological Problems: The disease is not the cure The entire human population, the young, the old, the rich, the poor, the governed, and the governors, stand at a very dangerous precipice. That precipice is the degradation of the natural environment: the cutting down of the rainforests, the pollution of the air and water, climate change the overconsumption of resources and energy that are not renewable, the list goes on. Some have surmised that corporations and the invisible forces of the market will create an economic atmosphere conducive to solving these problems through traditional market forces and corporate objectives. It is true that much progress has been made by corporations to be more “green,” but the unfortunate fact is that the progress is not enough to undue over one-hundred years of industrial waste and consumption, waste and consumption that is only growing. Indeed, how can the problem be the solution? The world’s population is on the rise: “More than six billion people currently inhabit the planet, and by the year 2050 this number is likely to grow to more than nine billion.” A growing population will only put a greater strain on the Earth’s all ready life support systems. Greater environmental degradation is beginning to make a palpable mark on the earths climate, with rising average temperatures and seas levels, and these effects will only magnify if business continues as usual. Of course, a technologically sophisticated society, such as ours, might be able...
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...consumption of nature resources. All of developed countries have a problem that over-using the nature resources. Last, nature resources are not infinite, but the scope of man’s use of nature resources will steadily grow. Over commercial exploitation of nature resources threatens our survival. So we have to protect the nature resources of the world. 2. How did the exercise change your thoughts about the goods and services you purchase? After got more information about nature resources, I think I have bad habits for using the goods. Before that, I usually throw the paper which I did not use the both side of it. And I always buy something which I do not have to buy it in supermarket. When I learned this class, I need to change some bad habits in my daily life. If everyone can do some activities for protect the nature resources, the world will be better. 3. How would your ecological footprint be different if you lived in a less industrialized country? If I live in a less industrialized, the market will have less kinds of products. And the number of cars on the road will less than developed countries. Also, I will buy bus or just walk to a place, it will protect the environment better. The purchasing will lower that others. So it will affect the ecological footprint. 4. How would your ecological footprint be different if you ate a vegetarian diet or a vegan diet? 5. How would your ecological footprint be different if you ate a lot more beef at every meal...
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...Sustainability from an economic perspective Introduction In 1987 the World Commission on Environment and Development tried to resolve the problem that lies in contradictions between environment and economical goals; the result was formed in definition of sustainable development: ‘Sustainable development is development which meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs’ (Smith & Rees 1998, p. 15). Since that long time ago 1987, there have been a lot of researches in this field, and three essential aspects of sustainable development have been defined (Kronenberg & Bergier 2012, p. 24). At first, there is economic – a sustainable system must be able to produce goods and services on a permanent basis, to maintain appropriate levels of debt (government as well as external one), and to avoid significant disbalance in different sectors (that can damage agricultural or industrial production). Second one is environmental aspect – a sustainable system must maintain a stable resource base, avoid over-exploitation of renewable resources, and exhausting nonrenewable resources only if adequate substitutes exist. The last aspect is social one - a sustainable system must characterized by fair distribution and opportunity for everybody, provision of social services (like health, education, etc.) on the adequate level, gender equity, and political accountability and participation (Hofkes 1996, p. 342).These three aspects of sustainability...
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...processes and practices) which come with benign environmental effects. The approaches applied to interpreting the datasets are innovation life cycle analysis, and product chain analysis. Main results include the following: 1. Innovations merely aimed at eco-efficiency do in most cases not represent significant contributions to improving the properties of the industrial metabolism. This can better be achieved by technologies that fulfill the criteria of eco-consistency (metabolic consistency), also called eco-effectiveness. 2. Ecological pressure of a technology is basically determined by its conceptual make-up and design. Most promising thus are technologies in earlier rather than later stages of their life cycle (i.e. during R&D and customisation in growing numbers), because it is during the stages before reaching the inflection point and maturity in a learning curve where technological environmental innovations can best contribute to improving ecological consistency of the industrial metabolism while...
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... Dhurim Gjureci The Measure of Ecological Footprint in Hopes to Reduce Human Consumption on the Earths Resources To: Benjamin Bradshaw GEOG*2210 (DE) S14 Environment and Resources From: Dhurim Gjureci 0678764 Thursday, July 17, 2014 The Measure of Ecological Footprint in Hopes to Reduce Human Consumption on the Earths Resources 1 GEOG 2210 S14 Dhurim Gjureci The Measure of Ecological Footprint in Hopes to Reduce Human Consumption on the Earths Resources By: Dhurim Gjureci Table of Contents What is Ecological Footprint? How is Ecological Footprint Measured? The Current State of the Earth Canada’s Ecological Footprint The Importance of Knowing Our Ecological Footprint Reduction Efforts Conclusion Bibliography...
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.......3 3. Description of Problem…………………………………………………………...……3 4. Method - Carbon Footprint.…………………….…...…............…........…….…………..4 5. Method - Water Footprint………...………………….................….……......…………...4 6. Assumptions…………………..………….............…..........……………………………..5 7. Limits………………………………………………………………………..…………5 8. Results - Carbon Footprint………...………………............………........……………..…6 9. Results - Water Footprint………………………………………………………………6 10. Discussion of Footprint Indicators………………...………...………………………….7 11. Comparison of Footprint Indicators……………………………………………….…...7 12. Conclusion & Recommendations………………………………………………………8 13. References…………………………………………………………....................……….9 14. Appendices.......................................................................................................….........................10 Executive Summary The ecological footprint of the SBRC building at the University of Wollongong was investigated; this includes investigating the water and the carbon footprint of the building. A complete life cycle assessment was conducted on the SBRC building to calculate its water and carbon footprint. According to the data collected during this report it has been observed that concrete is the highest contributor of CO2 emissions. Respectively, steel was the highest contributor to the water footprint. Nonetheless, the whole design for the SBRC has a low ecological...
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...ECOLOGICAL FOOTPRINT Mohammad Khanbashi Managing for Sustainability In 2007, the Earth’s people used about 50% more natural resources than the planet could regenerate.1 A measure of the impact humans have on the environment is called an ecological footprint. A country’s ecological footprint is the sum of all the cropland, grazing land, forest and fishing grounds required to produce the food, fiber and timber it consumes, to absorb the wastes emitted when it uses energy and to provide space for infrastructure. WWF’s Living Planet Report 2010 found that in 2007 the global ecological footprint was 18 billion hectares. This means that the Earth’s people needed 18 billion hectares of productive land in order to provide each and every person with the resources they required to support their lifestyle 1 . Living Planet Report, WWF, GFN and ZSL, 2010 and to absorb the wastes they produced. The bad news is that there were only 11.9 billion global hectares available. In Australia, we’re consuming more than three times our fair share of the planet’s natural resources. If we continue these consumption patterns, we will face an ecological overshoot that will have far-reaching future consequences for people and nature. Australians have one of the largest environmental footprints per capita in the world, requiring 6.8 global hectares per person. If all people consumed the Earth’s resources the way that we do in Australia, it would take the resources of more...
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...example that comes to mind is that of the strip mining industry. In this industry we see the largest amount of economic gain go head to head with the worst ecologic destruction. I grew up in West Virginia where mining was a way of life and the local economies still bend to whims of the coal mining industry. Today I live in South Dakota, home of the Homestake Mine, the longest running gold mine in the country which is almost 8,000 feet deep. (Homestake,2013) Coal mining is billion dollar industry here in the United States and the economic upside of it is hard to deny. Whole towns are still in existence due to the support that coal brings to their economies. Mining traditionally however brings many problems with it. Mining in general is associated with the following ecological problems: Saltiness, aridity and scarcity of water caused by the waste of enormous amounts of fresh water during the extraction process, heavy metals which are liberated and migrate into the ecosystem, the dislocation of thousands of tons of ore causes for sedimentation in rivers and susceptibility to both geologic and water erosion, migration of highly toxic cyanide into the subsoil and surface waters as well as the whole ecosystem, and acid drainage. (Shipirt, 2006) Finally, and most importantly all of these items lead to habitat loss which is perhaps the biggest threat in terms of conservation biology. Once a mountain top is removed, a stream full of acid, or a forest gone, the organisms that lived...
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...Explain the difference between Neoclassical Environmental Economics, Ecological Economics, and Natural Resource Economics. The three approaches originate from three different schools of thought. Broadly, Neoclassical Environmental Economics (NEE) is the opposite of the Ecological Economics (EE), and Natural Resource Economics (NRE) lies somewhere between them. Let’s begin with the opposing views. Field states, ‘Environmental Economics is the application of the principles of economics to the study of how environmental resources are managed. (Field & Field 2013:2). In gist, NEE is an Anthropospheric view of the environment through micro and macro-economic principles and sociopolitical influences that ignores the other spheres of life. The environment, is a subsystem of economics and has no intrinsic value. It is merely a factor of production, and only manufactured goods/services have an intrinsic value. EE, on the other hand, is a holistic approach, broader in scope, concerned with the supply and demand of energy and matter within the biosphere, hydrosphere, lithosphere and atmosphere - where contrastingly, the Anthroposphere is the subsystem. EE claims that NEE is totally dependent on the environment and that residuals and pollution are disruptive to natural processes and diminishes the earth’s bio-capacity. Environmental Economics’ primary focus is to manage the environment to supply services and goods in exchange for money (MO 2015 quoting Tietenberg 2014:7) whereas...
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...group had a fence enclosed around it. Also, there was a predation relationship between the wildflowers and the kangaroo rats because the kangaroo rats eat wildflowers. Assuming that the fence was limiting the space of the experimental plot, competitive exclusion caused the extinction of the 4 other wild flowers. To begin, there was some interspecific competition, which happens when individuals of different species compete for a resource that limits their survival, between the 5 flower species in the experimental plot because they had their space limited to the fence that they were enclosed in. this competition was a density dependent factor in that the death rate rose when population density in the plot rose. Also, some of the specie’s ecological niches (like what nutrients they needed and how many branches would form) would have had to been the same or else they could coexist together. Then, one of the species of wildflower might have had a reproductive advantage like thorns to repel the kangaroo rats which would have allowed them to prosper and the other species to die out. This is the principle of competitive exclusion. On a tangent, the kangaroo rats would have learned to stay away from the wildflower with thorns by classical conditioning because they paired the idea of getting stung with eating that particular wildflower species and eventually stopped. The control plot, on the other hand, did not have a fence, so they had all the room to grow and didn’t not have to compete...
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...1. Explain the factors which have contributed to Scandinavia being named the most advanced part of the planet? (12) Scandinavia; Norway, Sweden and Denmark being named as the most advanced part of the world causes debate on both sides of the spectrum, with factors supporting each side of the argument. On one hand Scandinavia can be seen as the most advanced part of the planet due to its economical stance. All countries feature in the top 13 of a World Bank GDP per Capita survey with Norway sitting in 2nd. This economical stature could come not just from the vast natural resources in the area, but the emphasis on education and R&D in the area. Within the three countries an average of 4% of their GDP is spend on education, 0.5% above European average. This can be highlighted by the fact on average between the three countries 33% of the population is educated to tertiary level, the European average for this is 25%. The well educated population not only leads to high paying jobs in the tertiary and quaternary sector but also to an increased level of Patents due to the all-round smarter population. On average 283 patents (per million people) were filled in Scandinavia, giving them the exclusive rights to such inventions, again they were all vastly above the European average of 186. As well as economically and through education Scandinavia can be assessed as the most advanced part of the world due to their use of technology. Technology use, through a well educated population...
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...Essay Guide for A2 Psychology What types of questions will there be? In AS Psychology you learned how to write short 8/10/12 mark answers, in which the AO1 and AO2 marks were divided equally. In A2, the essays are 24 marks each and you get 8 marks for AO1 and 16 marks for AO2/3/Issues, Debates and Approaches (IDA). So, you need to make a lot more evaluative points in A2! Here are some 24 mark questions from past papers: Topic: Relationships Discuss the influence of childhood experiences on adult relationships. (8 marks + 16 marks) Topic: Eating Behaviour Discuss explanations of one eating disorder. (8 marks + 16 marks) The questions can also be ‘parted’ like these: Topic: Eating Behaviour Discuss the role of one or more factors that influence attitudes to food. (4 marks + 8 marks) Outline and evaluate the role of neural mechanisms in controlling eating. (4 marks + 8 marks) Topic: Aggression Outline the role of genetic factors in aggressive behaviour. (4 marks) Outline and evaluate one social psychological theory of aggression. (4 marks + 16 marks) So it’s important to know when and how much AO1 and AO2/3/IDA to write. Also, don’t skip revising any parts of topics as they might come up in the parted questions. Different types of evaluation. AO2: This is where you provide evidence to support an AO1 idea e.g. about a theory, model or study. AO3: In AS you did this as part of AO2. AO3 is where you comment on the strengths...
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...------------------------------------------------- THE UNITED ARAB emirates AND THE ECOLOGICAL AND CARBON FOOT PRINTS A report done for ENS205 course July 7, 2013 Abu dhabi university Safaa Ismail (1028296) July 7, 2013 Abu dhabi university Safaa Ismail (1028296) UAE’s Ecological Footprint and Carbon Footprint Introduction: What is ecological footprint? The Ecological Footprint is a type of measurement that measures how much biologically useful land and sea is used by a given people or action, and relates this to how much land and sea is presented. The actions and resources needed by humans include food, fiber, timber, energy, and space for groundwork. Keeping in mind that these areas also include the space needed to dump all the waste that comes from that population. The Ecological Footprint processes the amount of these land, wherever they actually occur on the world. The Ecological Footprint is used broadly as a controlling and communication tool by governments, companies, informative institutions, and non-governmental establishments. (ecological foot print FAQ, n.d.) What is carbon footprint? The complete quantity of greenhouse gases created to directly and indirectly upkeep human actions. It is usually stated in equal tons of carbon dioxide (CO2). For example, when you drive a vehicle, the machine burns petroleum which generates a certain quantity of CO2, depending on its fuel intake and the driving distance. When you warm your household with fuel, gas or coal...
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...a system over time, you start to realize that the decisions our grandparents made about how to farm the land continue to affect agricultural practice today; and the economic policies we endorse today will have an impact on urban poverty when our children are adults. We also understand that quality of life is a system, too. It's good to be physically healthy, but what if you are poor and don't have access to education? It's good to have a secure income, but what if the air in your part of the world is unclean? And it's good to have freedom of religious expression, but what if you can't feed your family? The concept of sustainable development is rooted in this sort of systems thinking. It helps us understand ourselves and our world. The problems we face are complex and serious—and we can't address them in the same way we created them....
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...Unless sustainability aspects are mandatorily incorporated at all levels of development across varied fields and regions, with specific attention to rapid temporal changes and with legal sanctity, we cannot think of happy future generations, for which we, the humans are to be blamed undoubtedly and mother Earth shall not forgive us. The innumerable effects of unsustainable development, as we are already experiencing, are quite adverse and mostly irreversible like Climate Change, Global Warming, La Niña, El Niño, Ecological Imbalance, Water Scarcity, increased levels of Atmospheric Pollution, Soil Contamination etc. Even though these detrimental effects cannot be mitigated completely, they can be contained using frugal engineering which in turn helps in achieving sustainable development. The various aspects of how frugal engineering leads to sustainability are explained in this paper. KEY WORDS Frugal Engineering, Sustainable Development, Mitigation Measures, Ecological Balance, PROLOGUE As I was reading the theme for this write up, one thing that hinted me is a very fancy mobile which is bought anew for around 50,000 by one of my friends, and which has got lot of features, but seldom more than two or three features are used. Tips for effective utilization of the mobile have been explained to him. The Institution of Engineers INDIA has taken up a very apt topic for discussion, at the right time. “Earth provides enough to satisfy every man’s need, but not every man’s greed” ~ Mahatma...
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