Transcript Environmental Problem Solving

What were Earth’s Main
Concerns???
How to Solve Environmental
Problems, and Make Decisions:
• We must know how humans
interact with their environments in
order to focus on solving
environmental problems. What
types of hazards do we have?
Anthropogenic
Caused by an uncontrollable series of
Natural environmental or geological events.
Caused by humans, either
purposefully, or not.
Of the main concerns, which are anthropogenic,
and which are natural, which are both? Justify.
A study reports that 40%
of Amazonia will be
deforested by 2050. Does
this only affect the
Amazon area?
• A carbon sink
• O2 production
• Wildlife habitat
• Hydrologic
cycle
•Reducing
condensation
nuclei
• Global Weather
Patterns
Almost all anthropogenic environmental problems
trace their beginnings back to two root causes.
• Human Population
What type of population growth have
humans exhibited?
• Human Consumption We are hungry, and we have
an insatiable appetite!
It is the goal of environmental problem
solving to achieve a sustainable world.
To be sustainable, the environment would
have to support human populations
indefinitely with a high standard of living and
health.
Habitats would be preserved and garbage
would be turned into either harmless
substances, or energy resources.
Nonrenewable resources
would be used efficiently and
sparingly, while renewable
resources would be used no
faster than they could be
replaced. Inexhaustible
resources would be preferred.
There would always be
enough for future
generations.
Scientific research is an essential first step in solving
environmental problems. This is important before any
action should be taken. There are, however, many other
factors that must also be considered.
•How will your solutions affect people’s lives?
•How will it affect the lives of other organisms?
•How much will it cost?
•Is it ethically right?
In answering these questions, we must look at our own
values, or what we consider to be important. What values
should be considered when making decisions that affect
the environment?
Values play a role in
environmental decisions and
problem-solving
• Aesthetics
• Economics
• Environmental • Educational
• Ethical/Moral • Health
• Scientific
• Recreational
• Social/Cultural
A good example of this kind of decision making was the choice that
President George W. Bush made to abandon the Kyoto protocol.
The Kyoto Protocol was negotiated by more than 160 industrialized
nations in December 1997, with the aim of reducing net emissions of
certain greenhouse gases (primarily carbon dioxide…CO2).
Each of the participating developed countries decided how to meet its
respective reduction goal during a five-year period (2008-2012).
• Clinton agreed and signed, setting our goals.
What values helped him make his decision?
• Bush backed out. What values helped him make
his decision?
So what about Obama?
• Like Bush, he refused to sign unless revisions were made
making the treaty more “fair”, so that developing
countries such as India and China had to play a role in
the emissions game as well.
There is a way that you can make
environmental decisions based on your
values. How would you vote on
environmental issues?
• Would you just guess?
• Would you vote the way your family, or
spouse tells you to vote?
• Would you fail to vote entirely?
Log into NetSchool, where you will find a
hypothetical environmental situation about a small
bird, and its possible addition to the endangered
species list. Learn about the possible impact of this
occurrence.
The town of Pleasanton, in Valley County
(fictitious place) could be in for trouble, if they
don’t make the right decision. Read the passage
with time left today, and tomorrow, you will be
helping them make the right decision, by following
along and completing the decision-making model on
the next slide.
Should Valley County Set Aside a Nature Preserve?
Consequences
Environmental
Economic
Recreational
Positive
short-term consequences
Negative
short-term consequences
Positive
long-term consequences
Negative
long-term consequences
.
In your lab groups, create a chart that looks like this one on the large
paper. Then, amongst those in your lab group, pick three values that
you agree are most important (doesn’t have to be the values from the
sample grid). Fill out the grid, and answer the question…which is what
to do… Be prepared to discuss your answer with the class.
Possible Values Include: Aesthetics, Economics, Environmental,
Educational, Ethical/Moral, Health, Recreational, Scientific,
Social/Cultural