Pressures on the planet

2. Pressures on the planet • Agribusiness • Focus on large scale farming to promote profits • Concerns • Focus on cash crops in developing countries makes them dependant on international trade • Loss of local ownership of land • Increasing competition by corporate farms in South America is creating strain for farmers in Canada • Increasing use of pesticides and herbicides (Green Revolution of the mid 20th century) “Think global, act local”

3. Kyoto Protocol • CNN summary • http://www.cnn.com/video/data/2.0/video/tech/2009/12/06/coren.kyoto.backgrounder.cnn.html

4. Pressures on the Planet Increasing population and the corresponding demands on the world’s resources

5. The Theory of Demographic Transition • Researchers noticed the change from a society with high birth rates and death rates to one with low birth and death rates usually accompanies industrialization, modernization and a rise in living standards (first observed in Great Britain - first to industrialize). • Debated whether or not all countries will go through the same transition, as most of the nations that have gone through the transition are mainly “western” (religion, culture play a role)

6. Phase One • high birth and death rates • a few countries in Africa and Asia • unaffected by industrialization

7. Phase Two • high birth rates but death rates coming down = increased rate of natural increase (population grows) • most Asian countries, Central Africa and parts of Latin America • mostly undeveloped but have been exposed to some modernization, especially medicine

8. Phase Three • very low death rates and birth rates high, but gradually starting to fall = high rate of natural increase • underdeveloped but are not isolated from the modern world; significant technological advances

9. Phase Four • Acceptance and availability of birth control leads to a major drop in the birth rate and death rates remain low = natural increase rate moderately high • developing nations Beijing China Bangalore India

10. Phase Five • low birth rate and low death rates (at times becoming higher than birth rates due to couples having fewer children to replace themselves) = low or negative natural increase • the most advanced nations of the world: Europe, Australasia, Anglo-America, parts of Asia (Japan) Calgary Tokyo

12. Why so many babies? • Birth control too expensive • Male dominated societies • Son-mania • Religion • Economic – workers, retirement

13. Attempted Solutions • In India they would tell people they had a job, then pay them to get sterilized (sometimes by force) • China – one child policy (has reduced population growth – younger generations sometimes don’t want any children, but has led to infanticide and human rights abuses) • Indonesia – education campaigns and promotions to encourage the use of contraception (church opposition)

14. What impact does this have on the environment? The People Bomb

15. Impact of Population • Not just the number of people but also their impact on the environment • baby in US has 30 times greater environmental impact than a baby in developing nation(autos, electrical appliances, garbage, material goods) • North American overpopulation is a bigger problem for the planet – the industrialized world is only ¼ of the population, but they use ¾ of the world’s energy

16. Urban Sprawl – Environmental Footprint Beijing, China – 13 million people, 3000 km2 for city - 17,000 km2 suburbs

17. Calgary - 1 million people,; 5083 km2 including suburbs

18. Issues of waste, water usage, loss of farmland, over- consumption of resources by developed nations and poor use of resources (like burning wood for fuel) in developing nations

20. Humans release carbon dioxide faster than plants can absorb it. Impact of Climate Change Mother and cub drifting 12 miles out to sea

21. Industrial Pollution

25. Essential questions…. • What is sustainable prosperity? • What choices are associated with sustainable prosperity?