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Global Climate Change and Conflict Wangari Maathai - Resources and Conflict http://youtube.com/watch?v=dA0qGlnc-30 Carbon cycle CB 54.17 http://www.esr.org/outreach/climate_change/basics/basics.html CO2 and other greenhouse gases keep heat from radiating back into space http://www.esr.org/outreach/climate_change/basics/basics.html Ecological Restoration and Global Climate Change J. Harris, R. Hobbs, E. Higgs, and J. Aronson Restoration Ecology Vol. 14, No. 2, pg. 170– 176 June 2006 Mismatches – an example • Great tit (relative of the chickadee) • Common in Europe • Studied in detail since the 1950’s by scientists at the Netherlands Institute of Ecology. Information: Grossman, D. 2003, Spring Forward, Scientific American, 85-91. http://www.sciencenewsforkids.org/articles/20030723/a106_1511.jpg • Tits lay eggs at the same time that they did in 1985 – mid-spring (~4/16 to 5/15) • Since ~1985 spring temperatures have risen about 2oC • Tits primary food is the winter moth caterpillar (below) • Caterpillar production is 2 weeks earlier in 2002 than in 1985 Grossman, D. 2003, Spring Forward, Scientific American, 85-91. Grossman, D. 2003, Spring Forward, Scientific American, 85-91. Restoring a disturbed ecosystem to historical conditions may not be valid as ecosystems change. It is increasingly likely that the next century will be characterized by shifts in global weather patterns and climate regimes. precipitation changes CB 55.2 Genetic diversity is needed within species and ecosystems to ensure continued survival under rapidly changing conditions. The past is no longer a prescriptive guide for what might happen in the future. precipitation changes Human Population Growth If everyone on earth consumed at the rate of the average American, we would need 6 planet earths to supply the resources. http://sustainability.publicradio.org/consumerconsequences/ CB 52.22 CB 54.11 Energy is lost in each consumer: the 10% rule Human impact: As consumers CB 54.14 Use of agriculture in the U.S. About 1/2 of water and ~80% of agricultural land is used for raising animals. Fossil Fuels: Producing beef consumes over 100 times more fossil fuel than producing potatoes. The typical American could save almost as much gas by going vegetarian as by not driving. http://bicycleuniverse.info/transpo/beef.html The connection between resources and armed conflict: Darfur http://www.ushmm.org/conscience/analysis/details.php?content=2005-11-25&page=1&menupage=Sudan#top Changes in precipitation 1900-2000 Drought in the northern part of Darfur forced nomadic groups to immigrate southwards in search of water and herding ground, which resulted in conflict with sedentary tribes. Nomadic herders Farmers in Darfur http://www.usaid.gov/stories/sudan/ss_sudan_crop.html http://gbgm-umc.org/umcor-hotline/20050802.cfm The extent of the drought forced many Darfurian tribes to change their Nomadic lifestyle and seek settlement in lands considered by other tribes as their Dar or homeland. The decades of drought led to migration of more nomads into Darfur in search of water and grass. The population of Darfur is generally divided into Arabs and non-Arabs. The separation along such lines is probably more based on cultural heritage than on true ethnic separation. Although what is called Arabic tribes may have some Arabic roots, generations of immigration and intermarriage have rendered such separation almost meaningless. "Militia talks could reshape conflict in Darfur" by L. Polgreen The New York Times (April 15, 2007) Adam Shogar, a commander of the Sudan Liberation Army, the non-Arab rebels at the center of the Darfur conflict, stretched a coalblack arm at Yassine Yousef Abdul Rahman, his copper-skinned, brown-eyed counterpart from an Arab insurgent group, studying him carefully with midnight eyes. The struggle in Darfur has often been portrayed as one between Arabs and black Africans, nomads and farmers, with the former bent on slaughtering the latter. But the conflict has never been that simple. There is an essential need to address the root cause of the problem – competition over dwindling natural resources. The nomads and farmers have depended on each other for centuries to survive on some of the world's most forbidding terrain. Farmers allowed herders to traverse their lands, and the herders brought milk and meat. They also transported farm goods to markets, and traded durable goods not usually available in remote farming villages. The farmers bartered those items for vegetables and grain. Solutions to the violence in Darfur must consider the environmental factors behind the conflict. What are the two most basic resources necessary for biodiversity? Restoring ecosystems must begin with the basics: water and space CB 55.22 Truckee River, Nevada- Water diversions reduced flow. Increased flows during willow and cottonwood seed release season allowed recovery of riparian ecosystem. CB 55.22 Kissimmee River, Florida- Had been turned into a 90 km canal. About 24 km of the river has been restored. CB 55.22 Rhine River, Europe- dredging for ships reduced biodiversity. Side channels are being reintroduced to allow species to recover. CB 54.17 Water cycle Stream restoration in urban catchments through redesigning stormwater systems: looking to the catchment to save the stream C. Walsh, T. Fletcher, and A. Ladson J. N. Am. Benthol. Soc., 2005, 24(3):690–705 Restoration of streams degraded by urbanization has usually been attempted by enhancement of instream habitat or riparian zones. Restoration of streams degraded by urbanization has usually been attempted by enhancement of instream habitat or riparian zones. Restoration of streams degraded by urbanization has usually been attempted by enhancement of instream habitat or riparian zones. Recent studies of urban impacts on streams in Melbourne, Australia, on water chemistry, algal biomass, diatoms and invertebrates, suggest that the primary degrading process to streams in many urban areas is effective imperviousness. The direct connection of impervious surfaces to streams means that even small rainfall events can produce sufficient surface runoff to cause frequent disturbance. Where impervious surfaces are not directly connected to streams, small rainfall events are intercepted and infiltrated. http://www.brevstorm.org/watershed.cfm A wet retention pond to filter pollutants and buffer and maintain stream flow http://www.brevstorm.org/watershed.cfm Roadside swales can increase water filtration http://www.brevstorm.org/watershed.cfm Inlet screens for filtering large debris http://www.brevstorm.org/watershed.cfm Baffle boxes to remove sediment http://www.brevstorm.org/watershed.cfm Restoration of streams degraded by urbanization has usually been attempted by enhancement of instream habitat or riparian zones. The use of alternative drainage methods, which maintain a near-natural frequency of surface runoff from the catchment, is the best approach to stream restoration in urban areas. Conflicts over resources are predicted to intensify. Reduced resource exploitation can help mitigate these conflicts.