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EAT111/231: Topic 2 Ba sic concepts a nd tools in a study of the Environment

EAT111/231: Topic 2 Ba sic concepts a nd tools in a study of the Environment. Lecture 3: Rich  rd White Where have/do Environmental Problems come from?. Integrated models of life on Earth: the Gaia Hypothesis.

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EAT111/231: Topic 2 Ba sic concepts a nd tools in a study of the Environment

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  1. EAT111/231: Topic 2Basic concepts and tools in a study of the Environment Lecture 3: Richrd White Where have/do Environmental Problems come from?

  2. Integrated models of life on Earth: the Gaia Hypothesis • James Hutton, father of modern geology, viewed Earth as a super organism in 18th Century • James Lovelock published Gaia: A New Look at Life on Earth, 1979 • Viewed the Earth as a single living, breathing entity – inter-related actions • Challenged by some evolutionary biologists • Gaia is the Greek goddess, Mother • Published The Revenge of Gaia: Why the Earth Is Fighting Back - and How We Can Still Save Humanity, 2006 – strongly supports nuclear power – has alienated many supporters • March 6th: UWC visit by Patrick Moore • Earth System Science – interactions of many disciplines – viewing Earth as complex system

  3. Environmentalism continues on global scale…the United Nations contribution • 1972 – UN Conference on the Human Environment in Stockholm – environment recognized as a development concern • 1992 – Rio Earth Summit – Agenda 21 agreed on as blue print for sustainable development • 2000 – Millennium Summit – adoption of Millennium Development Goals • 2002 – World Summit on Sustainable Development (WSSD) – Johannesburg • But aren’t these becoming a lot of hot air? Is there enough action to back up the words?

  4. We need a new paradigm… • Are you the key? • Charity begins at home… • …and so might the new sustainability movement… • …and at work, at play, on holiday…

  5. One modelof theenvironment Handout p4 – this is the model you’ll use for the assignment

  6. Biophysical aspects are the foundation of the environment… • …without biophysical realm we have nothing. • Political, Social and Economic aspects also important… • …Many interactions between all 4… • …some factors will be a combination of 2, 3 or all 4 types a closer look

  7. an example using this model • Consider the story of Innocence Makalima on page 5 of the handout • Look at each sentence and each factor in the story that led to her death • Decide whether each factor is biophysical, social, political or economic in nature or a combination of these • This is one of the things you’ll do in the assignment for your chosen environmental issue

  8. another model of the environment: handout page 5 Nature out there The environment where I live The environment in my body The environment where I work The global environment

  9. When did environmental issues begin? • We shall assume, rather anthropocentrically, that the human species is the only one to create ‘environmental issues’ • Age of the Universe? • 14 billion years – any environmental problems? • Age of Earth? • 4.6 billion years – any environmental problems? • Origin of humanoids (i.e. ancestral or closely related species to humans)? • 2-4 Ma (million years ago) – any environmental problems?

  10. Origin of environmental issues (2) • Earliest Homo sapiens? • 500 000 years ago – any environmental problems? • Earliest Homo sapiens sapiens (our sub-species)? • 100 000 years ago – any environmental problems? • Earliest human culture? • 50 000 years ago – any environmental problems? • Earliest agriculture (wild seed/animal domestication)? • 10 000 years ago – any environmental problems?

  11. Origin of environmental issues (3) • Age of oldest civilisations? • 5000 years – types of environmental issue? • Voyages of discovery? • 1500s – types of environmental issue? • Industrial revolution? • Since 1700s – types of environmental issue? • Technological revolution (due to science)? • Parallels industrial revolution but rate increased exponentially in 20th Century – types of environmental issue?

  12. The role of ‘modernity’ • Modernity: • Describes the social and technological developments from the Middle Ages to modern times • It is not about ‘modern times’ – is about the transition • Involved all sorts of key influences – we’ll now discuss some of these

  13. The Voyages of Discovery • Columbus ‘discovered’ America in 1492 • Great period of discovery – West Indies, etc., etc. • Why did they take place? • To explore for resources • What happened as a result? • Colonization – why? • Allowed trading (usually western world imported raw materials and exported finished produce) – colonization allowed control of this • Other consequences: battles between western countries for countries, resources, etc.

  14. The printing press • Invented 1447 by Johannes Gutenberg* • Consequences of this? • Made books more affordable • Made different types of book available • Dissemination of information to more people • Harder for church, etc., to control information *http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Printing_press

  15. Astronomy • Why is this relevant? • 1543 Nicolaus Copernicus published De revolutionibus orbium coelestium (On the Revolutions of the Celestial Spheres). Importance? • Heliocentric view of Universe • 1618 Galileo Galileii – observed moons of Jupiter using telescope. Importance? • World not the centre of Universe (geocentric) – things can orbit around other bodies

  16. Science and maths • Sir Isaac Newton • Published Philosophiae Naturalis Principia Mathematica in 1687 included: • Universal gravitation • Three laws of motion • i.e. Modern mathematics

  17. Philosophy • Why would this be important? • René Descartes – 17th Century French philosopher • Tried to find stability in things – doubted everything • Famously: I think therefore I am • In other words, we can solve all problems if we think long enough

  18. Philosophy (2) • Immanuel Kant – 18th Century German philosopher • Don’t trust what parents, church, etc. tell us • i.e. Don’t have to rely on religious or belief systems for explanations – questioned the church • Always ask for reasons • All people share the same reasoning • Universal Human Rights based on this

  19. Modernity continued • Drove the industrial revolution • Feminists argue that the logic of Domination is strongly responsible for modernity • Lynn White, 1967, argued that Christianity is the root of all evil. Why? • Go forth and multiply • Dominate the Earth • World is not sacred

  20. When was environmentalism born? • One book was pivotal – Silent Spring – by Rachel Carson (1962) • Concerned with pesticides in the environment • Discussed how target specific pesticides impact the whole web of life • Carson was threatened by multinationals such as Monsanto (large pesticide producer and now largest GM crop manufacturer – see Topic 5) • Led to the ban of DDT in USA • Showed that people had a voice – started movement against materialism and scientism

  21. Some key references • Clive Ponting – A Green History of the World: the environment and the collapse of the Great Civilizations (1991) • Jared Diamond – Guns, Germs and Steel – The Fates of Human societies (or a short history about everyone for the last 13,000 years) (1997) • Jared Diamond – Collapse – How societies choose to fail or survive (2005)

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