Environment and Culture Chapter 7 Resources and Conservation

Challenges of Sustainable Development recall the idea/importance of ensuring there are enough natural resources for the needs and wants of people in the future…sustainable development we have not always succeeded at practising sustainable development example: The Cod Fishery (p.95) example: Our supply of oil (a non-renewable resource) is decreasing (p.96) oil reserves: the amount of oil known to exist in the environment, for use in the future example: The Greenhouse Effect/Global Warming resulting from the burning of fossil fuels (p.97) greenhouse gases: gases produced by the burning of fossil fuels, causing air pollution and contributing to global warming carbon dioxide: a colorless, odorless gas that is part of air…one of the greenhouse gases

Examples of Sustainability Practices Canada: Aquaculture “fish farms” farming seafood in water; includes raising, fish, shellfish, and plants all provinces, one territory, and 16 First Nations communities in Canada are doing this Atlantic Provinces – includes salmon, trout, mussels, oysters ensures we have fish for the future

Brazil: Ethanol ethanol: a type of alcohol made from plants, such as corn or sugar cane, and can be used as fuel for cars and trucks pure ethanol or ethanol mixed with gasoline produces fewer greenhouse gases Brazil is the world’s leading producer of ethanol BUT, people have started to cut down trees to plant sugar cane, which is then made into ethanol

United States: Solar Power an alternative to burning fossil fuels for energy solar panels absorb energy from the sun to create electricity government sometimes helps with the cost of setup to encourage more people to use this alternate form of energy

South Africa: Wind Power windmills can be used to generate electricity a small windmill can generate enough energy for a single home

Japan: Waste Management Composting: allowing plant materials (and sometimes meat)to decay and be recycled into soil decomposing vegetables, table scraps, and manure are mixed together to create fertilizer a law exists in Japan where hotels and restaurants have to compost food scraps

REMEMBER “Think globally, act locally”… find out what challenges the world faces, and then do something in your own community to change things for the better…you are then doing your part to make the world a better place.