SUSTAINABILITY, CLIMATE CHANGE, AND GLOBAL WARMING

What is Sustainability? Balance of 3 factors: economic growth, preserving natural resources for future generations, and ensuring healthy communities. Looking for new solutions and alternatives to environmental problems without sacrificing the other factors = Sustainable Solution

Indigenous Perspective on Sustainability In Canada, part of our Sustainability project is to listen to Indigenous perspective. Part of Truth and Reconciliation project Earth Charter (U.N.) recognizes its importance Why? They lived in the land now-called North America for 12,000 years. http://earthcharter.org/discover/the-earth-charter/

Indigenous Perspectives on Sustainability

Think of 7 generations ahead

Catholic Perspective on Sustainability Pope Francis’ Encyclical asks us to recognize climate change and commit in changing the future through sustainable practices. Consulted environmentalists such as Canadian Naomi Klein in conducting his Encyclical. http://w2.vatican.va/content/francesco/en/encyclicals/documents/papa-francesco_20150524_enciclica-laudato-si.html

How does Global Warming happen? Greenhouse Effect Not all Greenhouse gases are bad. Earth needs to retain heat for life but too much heat causes Global warming.

Types of Gas that causes Global Warming Carbon – fossil fuels Methane – animals PFC – byproducts of aluminum industry N2O – anesthetic, fertilizers SF6 – production of Magnesium and insulation for major electrical equipment HFC – car AC

Sources of Global Warming Processing and use of fossil fuels (oil and gas) How? Burning fossil fuels contribute harmful carbon emissions to the environment. Using fossil fuel as source of power in factories. Using fossil fuel in transportation industry (buses, cars, planes, trucks).

b) Waste How? Consuming non-reusable, and non-recyclable items lead to more garbage. In order to make room for garbage in the landfill, wastes are burned. Burnt garbage contributes harmful carbon emission to the environment.

c) Livestock Agriculture How? In order to farm and feed millions of animals, farmers have to cut down forests (deforestation). Cows produce 150 billion of methane gases/day (250-500L x 1.9 billion of cows). - The transportation, and processing of livestock (burgers, steak, hotdogs) contributes carbon emission.

d) Deforestation and Urbanization How? Cutting down forests in order to make way for urban areas and/or urban industries. No more carbon absorbers as trees, and other organisms (algae, etc) die as a result.

Causes of Global Warming

e) Water contamination (garbage, pipelines) How e) Water contamination (garbage, pipelines) How? - Contaminating the water kills carbon absorbers under the ocean (plankton, etc)

As a result of Global Warming, our climate change happens As a result of Global Warming, our climate change happens! Effects of climate change: - Extreme Weather conditions (drought/extreme cold/frequent hurricanes) - Glaciers melting which causes high water level (floods) - All of the above-effects affect food supply, and with a growing population (2 billion more by 2050!), this could lead to food insecurity; that is if we still have a place to live by then.

Climate Change

THINK-PAIR-SHARE Think of sustainable solution to the causes of Global Warming?

Sustainable Solution to our problems? a. Promote and Create jobs that promote the use of alternative products that does not contribute harmful gasses.

b. Ecological Fiscal Reform Tax breaks – lowering taxes for those who want to switch to alternative energy. Carbon Tax – charging big businesses taxes for their carbon emission and waste contribution.

c. Vote and demand our politicians to support sustainability and act on the recommendations of UN Framework on Climate Change (UNFCC). Kyoto Protocol (1997) – decrease greenhouse gases by a set amount