Environmental Science

Environment

Science

Interrelatedness

change in water flow, change in ecosystems and biodiversityReintroduce Wolf who eat the Elk increased Willow tree >increased beavers & songbirds

Ecosystem Approach Ecosystem

System, scale, boundaries, interactions

Earth Forest

Area of pines (Pine Forest) Area of oaks (Oak Forest) A river running through it Under a rock in the river A Beaver pond in the middle

Desert

Islands Shores In-land forest

Lake Open water Shallow bottom areas Deep bottom areas

Salt marsh Vegetated areas Streams or canals

Coral reefs

Rivers

Ecosystem Approach:Political vs.

Environmental BordersMekong River Basin China, Myanmar, Thailand,

Laos, Cambodia, Vietnam Industry Power generation Transport Municipal water supply Agricultural irrigation Fishing

1995 Mekong River Commission Thailand, Laos, Cambodia,

Vietnam Downstream effects

Science vs. Policy Small artificial wetland system—1750 Keoladeo National Park, India, 1982 Endangered Siberian Crane

http://whc.unesco.org/pg.cfm?cid=31&id_site=340 http://www.pbase.com/dbehrens/image/874479

Global Nature of Environmental Problems

1992, Earth Summit United Nations Conference on Environment and

Development (UNCED) Sustainable Development Biodiversity

1997, 125 nations Kyoto Conference on Climate Change,Kyoto protocol Greenhouse gases —reduce to 5% of 1990 levels

between 2008-2012 2007, Intergovt’l Panel on Climate Change (IPCC)

—4th Assessment Report“Warming of the climate system is unequivocal, as is now evident from

observations of increases in global average air and ocean temperatures, widespread melting of snow and ice, and rising global average sea level”

Global Nature of Environmental Problems

2005, The Millenium Ecosystem Assessment Supporting Services

Photosynthesis, soil formation, nutrient cycling, water cycling

Provisioning services Resources such as food, fiber, genetic resources,

natural medicines, freshwater Regulating services

Activities that affect air quality, water flow, erosion control, water purification, climate control, disease regulation, pest regulation, pollination, natural hazards

Cultural services Spiritual, religious, aesthetic values & recreational uses

Negative comments overall

Environmental Programs(--no, don’t memorize)

Global UN Environmental Programme (UNEP) International Environmental Education Programme

(IEEP) World Health Organization (WHO) The Network on Environment and Development

Co-operation Organization for Economic Co-operation and

Development (OECD) North America

US Environmental Protection Agency Environment Canada

Environmental Programs(--no, don’t memorize)

UAE?? UAE Federal Environmental Agency Environment and Protected Areas Authority

(EPAA), Sharjah Bee’ah, Sharjah’s Environmental Company

—s Dubai Municipality & Abu Dhabi

Environmental Agencies Emirates Center for Strategic Studies and

Research (ECSSR) Emirates Wildlife Society/

World Wide Fund for Nature (EWS-WWF)

Wilderness North Much of Alaska and Northern Canada “Wilderness” - areas with minimal

human influence Generally in areas with severe climate

or undeveloped countries UAE—Remote areas w/o human

influence??

Agricultural Issues UAE—Greening of the dessert

Non-point source pollution Irrigation

UAE Historically grazing was nomadic Over-grazing Exotic plants Irrigation

Sustainable agriculture

Environmental Issues

Resolving environmental conflicts takes compromise Both sides of every issue need to be

considered Yes/no, good/bad, guaranteed, definite. . .

Do not exist

“Never say never or always, there are always exceptions, such as this one.”

Summary Environmental science

Study of the environment, humanities place in it, and humanities impact on it

Involves science, economics, ethics, politics and more, in arriving at solutions to environmental problems

Ecosystem Approach Because ecosystems do not coincide with

political boundaries, a regional approach to solving environmental problems is ideal.

This should use natural borders rather than political ones

Each region of the world has certain environmental issues that are of primary concern because of the mix of population, resource use patterns, and culture.

What was the most significant environmental issue of 2011?

What are some specific issues to do with the GCC countries?