The Global Environment Lecture 25

Global Warming

Depicts Average Annual Temperatures Relative to the Average Temperature Between 1961 and 1990 Source: United Nations Environmental Program,

Severity of the Problem Mean Global Temperature has Risen by.5 to 1 degree In Alaska and Siberia, Average Annual Temperature Has Risen by 7 degrees Sea Ice is 40 % Thinner and Covers 6% Less Land than in Is This Caused By Human Behavior?

The Ozone Hole Chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) and other Halocarbons Damage the Stratospheric Ozone Layer. Produced by Refrigerants (Freon), Industrial Solvents, Aerosol Propellants.

Severity of the Problem Ozone Depletion Over Arctic and Northern Europe By As Much as 30%

Degradation of Arable Land

Severity of Problem Arable Land In Developing Countries Fell by 1.9% per capita % of Earth’s Total Arable Land Lost Between 1985 and 2000

Percent of Population with Access to Safe Drinking Water Source: United Nations

Water Availability in the Middle East (per capita cubic meters) Algeria Egypt Oman Israel Kuwait Saudi Arabia Lebanon Source: World Resources Institute and the United Nations

Depletion of Fish Stock

Severity of the Problem 11 of the World’s 15 Most Productive Fishing Grounds are in Decline 60% of World’s Most Important Fish Species Have Been Over-Exploited.

Frontier Forests

Severity of the Problem 80% of the Original Forest that Covered the Earth Has Been Cleared. 39% of the Remaining Forest is Threatened by Logging, Mining, and Other Large-Scale Development Projects.

Implications of Environmental Degradation Decreased Agricultural Production More General Economic Decline Population Displacement Disrupted Social Institutions and Social Relations

Are These Outcomes Necessary? The Neo-Malthusians Versus The Cornucopians

Neo-Malthusians: (After Thomas Malthus of the late 18 th Century) Population Growth outpaces the environment’s capacity to support the population

The Cornucopians: Technology, by allowing us to extract more from a given set of resources, will allow us to escape the Neo-Malthusian pessimism.

Six Reasons the N-Ms Might be Right Multiple Interactive Scarcities Rapid Development of Scarcities Consumption-oriented Societies Technology is in North, problems arise in South Are we smart enough? Need government solutions

The Debate “Misleading Math About the Earth,” in The Scientific American, January 2002 Global Warming: Neglecting the Complexities Energy: Asking the Wrong Questions Population: Ignoring its Impact Biodiversity: Dismissing Scientific Process Richard B. Norgaard “Optimists, Pessimists, and Science,” BioScience March 2002, pages