How Connected to Earth Are We?

How do the ideas of connection and sustainability help us think about Earth’s spheres? We are all connected. Sustainability ensures balanced, healthy systems now as well as in the future. Being a scientifically literate citizen matters to you both locally and globally.

What do you think of these images? Locomotive Train 1911 London during the Industrial Revolution Circa late 19th early 20th century

Beijing Olympics Summer 2008 – can we breath?

Countries that create the most pollution

Places most impacted by pollution

What do you notice about the ice levels?

NASA took these pictures in 1984 and 2016

Polar Bears Fishing

Threats of pollution - WWF https://www.worldwildlife.org/threats/pollution

Ponder This… What causes pollution? Why do we burn these fossil fuels? The burning of carbon (fossil fuels) – gas, oil, coal, etc… Why do we burn these fossil fuels? To create energy, usually electrical energy, to power trains, planes, and automobiles (and homes, buildings and etc…) What else can produce power? Hydro Dams, Solar Panels.

Ponder This Fossil Fuels were rampantly used in the late 1800’s early 1900’s. They continue to be used to the present. However, in 1911, we discovered a way to harness energy from the sun to run electrical devises - they were called solar panels. (Scientists were Robert Milliken and Albert Einstein). Oil and gas industry persuaded governments to ignore this “hoax” of science and to continue using fossil fuels in our society.

Ponder this… We had a way to prevent all the pollution we have now, and it was ignored by government who let their bias get in the way. Particularly by governments in the 1960’s and 1970’s when we knew that pollution was having an impact in the atmosphere. Oil and gas industry has a lot of money tied up in politics – to help persuade politicians to fight for their cause.

Think-Pair-Share With a partner compare your thoughts of what you had seen in these images and the information we have discussed. Then answer the following questions Do any of these things impact you? If so, how? Have you impacted the conditions of the things that you have seen in these images? If so how?

Contemplate this… What connections do you have to our earth… Think of five things that the earth gives you that you need to survive both positive and negative examples. (Example – oxygen to breath, but don’t use this example) Then think of five things you do that impacts our earth, both positive and negative examples. (Example, pollution, we have discussed this already so don’t use it.)

We are all connected The idea of interconnectedness is at the heart of what it is to be First Peoples And many people around the world are starting to understand the symbiotic connection between humans and earth. And example of such a movement is the modern environmental movement (1970) Figure 4.1: The birth of the modern environmental movement is considered to be the first Earth Day on April 22, 1970.

Sheila Watt-Cloutier: Inuit Leader and Environmental Activist Canadian Inuit leader Sheila Watt-Cloutier made a petition before the U.S. Senate in 2004 about the threat of climate change on Inuit and the Arctic environment: Sheila Watt-Cloutier was discussing the impact the melting ice in the arctic have on its habitants – people, animals, wildlife and etc… What do you think she means when she said, “… that the planet and its people are one.”

Biotic and Abiotic Parts of the Environment Biotic parts: Living parts of an environment Abiotic parts: Non-living parts of an environment Biotic and abiotic parts of the environment are connected through the ways in which they interact with one another biotic: the living parts of an environment abiotic: the non-living parts of an environment

Earth’s Spheres (Systems) Natural processes move matter in cycles from the biotic and abiotic parts of the environment. At any time, matter occupies one of Earth’s four spheres (systems): Atmosphere: Gaseous part of Earth about 10 km of the surface to hundreds of kilometers higher Geosphere (Lithosphere): Solid, rocky part of Earth Hydrosphere: All of the water (liquid, solid, gaseous) on and within the geosphere Biosphere: All the areas in the geosphere, atmosphere, and hydrosphere that are inhabited by and support life

Earth’s Spheres (Systems)

Earth’s Spheres are Interconnected Earth’s spheres interact with and affect each other in different ways Example: Landslides Occur when soil and rock from the geosphere are pulled downward by gravity. Affects the biosphere (living things that live in or on the geosphere) since they can cause habitat loss. This Landslide may have been created by of an additional amounts of rain in the atmosphere. The additional rain came from the additional water in the hydrosphere. The additional water was there because of the melted ice caps. All of this occurs because of global warming.

Discussion Questions Which of earth’s spheres are involved when liquid water expands as it freezes and causes small cracks to form in rocks? Name something that is currently having a negative impact on our hydrosphere (our oceans and lakes). Identify something we as humans do that negatively impacts the atmosphere. Since the planets temperature is heating up via global warming, how does this affect our hydrosphere, atmosphere, geosphere and biosphere?

Scientifically literate citizens are aware of bias in sources of information. Being scientifically literate involves being able to recognize and evaluate bias in information Bias: A judgment that is based on a person’s knowledge, understanding, and beliefs Example: “tar sands” vs. “oil sands” Which term do you think would be used by a person who is against the processing of Alberta’s oil resources?

Recognizing and Understanding Bias Example: Figure A and Figure B The choice of photo can also indicate a bias Both photos show open-pit mining in Fort McMurray, AB What do you think and feel when you look at each photo? Figure A Figure B

Recognizing and Understanding Bias Recall the oil companies that were trying to ensure their survival by minimizing the value of solar panels. What they did was higher scientists, pay them a huge amount of money, to discover anything negative about solar panels, or find all the positive things about fossil fuels. Once that negative concepts were found, or the positive concept of fossil fuels were identified, oil companies and politicians, would only promote those ideas that benefited them and ignored the other facts. Thus, these scientists were allowing a bias in their work and that infiltrated their argument.

Recognizing and Understanding Bias It is well known that windmills that produce power do cause harm to birds that are flying around in the sky and their migration pattern. However, if the windmills are strategically placed, it will minimize the impact of the birds that fly in the sky. An oil company would only focus on the negative impact of the birds that will be killed via the windmills (thus making them look like a caring company). And argue that windmills are bad for the environment. When in reality, they are not telling the public the other half of the story. Nor do they discuss the impact they are having on wildlife's ecosystem when they dig for oil, coal and natural gas.

Discussion Questions Define bias. Why it is important to be able to recognize bias when gathering information about a topic or issue? Give an example of a time when you were able to identify bias when reading about or discussing a topic or an issue.