Environmental Interrelationships Chapter 2

____________ In 1935 he became one of the first individuals to provide a formalized, contemporary description of ___________. He emphasized the importance of flows of energy and nutrients through communities.

Interrelated Nature Environmental Problems Environment is everything that __________ ________________________________.

An Ecosystem Approach Ecosystem - _______________________________ ______________________________________________________________________. . The task of an Environmental Scientist is to recognize and understand natural interactions that take place, and then integrate these with the uses humans must make of the natural world.

____________ is fundamental to human welfare and economic development and plays a critical role in meeting human needs by maintaining the ecological processes upon which our survival depends

The Field of Environmental Science Environmental Science is interdisciplinary, and includes applied and theoretical aspects of human impacts on the world. A mixture of _____________, _________________ _____________, and _________________. .

Interrelated Nature Environmental Problems Most social and political decisions are made with respect to political jurisdictions. Environmental problems ________ ____________________________. 1998 - Forest fires in Mexico affecting air quality in Texas. Air pollutants from U.S. causing acid rain in Canada. Turkish Syrian forest fires caused by the civil war in Syria

Interrelated Nature Environmental Problems International agencies such as the International Joint Commission have major bearing on environmental quality over broad regions. For Instance: Established in 1909, in part, to _________ ___________________________________________________________

Interrelated Nature Environmental Problems ____________- First worldwide meeting of 178 heads of state directed towards the environment. It took place at the Earth Summit (United Nations Conference on Environment and Development) in _______ _______________________. Most countries have also signed agreements on sustainable development and biodiversity.

Interrelated Nature Environmental Problems In________, representatives from 125 nations met in_______, Japan for the Third Conference of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change. Kyoto protocol is viewed as one of the most important steps to date in environmental protection and diplomatic diplomacy.

Its important to add that the scientific community ___________ governments that are involved in these summits however they __________ that the policies be adopted.

Regional Environmental Concerns Unfortunately, most regions tend to focus on specific, ____________ that apply directly to them. However many Environmental issues are _________, not _________.

Regions of North America

Wilderness North Much of Alaska and Northern Canada can be characterized as “wilderness” - _______________ _____________________________________. Much of this land is owned by _________, thus governmental policies have a large effect.

Wilderness North These areas have important economic values in their trees, animals, scenery, and other natural resources. Resource exploitation involves significant trade offs as these ecosystems are ____ _________________________ damage caused by exploitation. Many short-term political and economic decisions have failed to look at long-term environmental implications.

Wilderness North Native peoples in this area are sensitive to changes in land use or government policy that would force changes in traditional ways of life. Increasingly sophisticated in negotiations.

Agricultural Middle Middle of North America is dominated by intensive ______________. Original, natural ecosystems have been ________________________.

Agricultural Middle Tremendous economic value. Mostly private land - large economic risks. Major ______________________ source. Soil erosion and groundwater contamination. Fertilizers and Pesticides

Dry West Characterized by areas where ______________ ___________________________, but adequate enough to allow livestock production. Because much of western U.S. is of low economic value, most is still controlled by the U.S. government. Encourages use by providing cheap water for livestock and irrigation, cheap grazing fees, and access for industrial development.

Dry West As cities grow, conflict arises between ____ _________________________________. Increased demand will result in shortages and resulting trade-off decisions. Low population density areas tend towards wilderness character. Economic __________ vs. ________ preservation.

Forested West Coastal and mountainous regions of western United States and Canada receive _______ _________________________________ to dominate the landscape. Government and commercial timber companies own large sections of land. Historically, much of this timber has been sold at a loss.

Forested West In 1993, USFS was directed to stop below-cost timber sales. Timber officials claim access to public land is necessary to remain in business and support the economy; conservationists argue ecological and intangible values outweigh economic values. ___________________has become a symbol of conflict between logging and preservation.

Great Lakes and Industrial Northeast Great Lakes and Northeast are dominated by __________________________ with large, complex resource demands. Many older cities have declined, leaving behind abandoned sites and environmental problems.

Great Lakes and Industrial Northeast One of the greatest problems is __________ _____________________. ________________ in food chain. Fish Advisories

The Diverse South _______________ of all other regions. Extremely rapid population growth in some areas such as coastal regions. Pockets of extreme poverty.