1. Chapter 2 Environmental History, Jurisdictional Authority, and Sustainability

2. Environmental Views in Canada: 1700s–1800s
Widespread environmental destruction
European settlement
Frontier attitude
Resources appeared inexhaustible

3. Early Environmental Movement
Henry David Thoreau
Writer
Lived simply
George Perkins Marsh
Man and Nature
Humans as agents of change

4. Early Environmental Movement
Resources quickly being depleted
Emergence of utilitarian conversation
Canadian Forest Service established
John James Audubon
Artist aroused public interest

5. North American Wildlife Model
Recognition that wildlife was an exhaustible resource
First push to conserve habitats and wildlife
Two Principles:
Wildlife belongs to all North Americans
Resources should be managed sustainably
Making a Difference:
Shane Mahoney

6. Mid-20th Century Conservation
Droughts of 1930’s
PFRA in 1935
DUC in 1938
Aldo Leopold
Game Management
A Sand County Almanac
Developed a land ethic

7. Mid-20th Century Conservation
Rachel Carson
Marine biologist
Silent Spring
Dangers of pesticides
Heightened public awareness
Paul Ehrlich
Ecologist
The Population Bomb

8. The Environmental Movement
1970: First Earth Day
Gaylord Nelson
Denis Hayes
Religious support
1990: 141 nations celebrate Earth Day

9. Important Dates In Environmental History
1986: Chernobyl nuclear accident
1987: Montreal Protocol drafted
1989: Exxon Valdez oil spill
1991: Oil spill in Kuwait
1999: Human population reaches 6 billion
2010: World’s worst oil spill

10. Jurisdictional Authority
British Common Law:
Property owners have the right to use land and resources on their land as they wish
Little influence on environmental protection
Statute Law:
BNA Act of 1867, government has control over environmental rules and regulations
Divided responsibility between the federal and provincial governments

11. Environmental Legislation
Environment Canada is legally incorporated, 1971
Canadian Environmental Assessment Act, 1992
Canadian Environmental Protection Act, 1999

12. Environmental Ethics
Application of ethical standards to environmental questions
Based on values, which change
Consider people today and in the future
Involves many tradeoffs

13. Environmental Worldviews
Helps us make sense of:
- How the environment works
- Our place in the environment
- Right and wrong behaviors
Two extremes
- Western
- Deep ecology

14. Western Worldview Expansionist; frontier attitude
Human-centered, utilitarian
Exploit nature
Accumulate wealth
Anthropocentric

15. Deep Ecology Worldview
Based on harmony with nature
Spiritual respect for life
All species are equal
Requires radical shift in modern thinking
Need for population control
Biocentric

16. Aboriginal Worldview
Passed on from generation to generation
Traditional stories, rituals and spiritual beliefs
Humans live in harmony with nature
Traditional knowledge
Add the image that will be place in Chapter 2 Figure 2.14

17. Voluntary Simplicity How should you live?
Material wealth not required for happiness
Values and
character important
How can you make changes?

18. Environmental Justice
Right of everyone to protection from environmental harm
Moral sense of fairness & equality
Who is exposed to the most pollutants?
Where are many
landfills and toxic
waste facilities
located?

19. A Plan Is Needed Carrying capacity
- Maximum population that can be sustained
- What is our carrying capacity?
Human population
must be stabilized
Over consumption
must stop

20. Strategies for Sustainable Living: Recommendations
Eliminate poverty—stabilize human population
Protect and restore Earth’s resources
Provide adequate food for all people
Mitigate climate change
Design sustainable cities

21. Development Goal: improve quality of human life
Unequal distribution of resources
Many live on less than $2 per day
How can this problem be solved?
What can you do?

22. Biodiversity & Us Biodiversity: variety of living organisms
Humans are part of Earth’s web of life
What does biodiversity do for us?
Ecosystem services

23. Protecting Biodiversity
Much biodiversity is in
the developing world
Need for more scientists
Proper management of
land
Every country needs a
plan

24. Eco Canada Career Focus
Have you considered a career as an environmental assessment analysts?
Identify, assess and mitigate environmental effects of proposed projects

25. Case Study: Jakarta, Indonesia
Population 16.9 million: 2006
Pollution from ~ 2 million commuters daily
95% of human
waste not cleaned
Flooding
Squatters
What can be done?

26. Franklin Delano Roosevelt, 1937
“The test of our progress is not whether we add more to the abundance of those who have much; it is whether we provide enough for those who have too little.”
Franklin Delano Roosevelt, 1937