1 The climate is warming greenhouse gases temperature sea level N hem snow cover 2 It s us CO2 increasing carbon oxides nitrogen oxides nitric acid sulfur dioxide sulfuric acid particulates ozone secondary VOCs methane vinyl chloride CFCs 3 We re sure scientific consensus 4 5 We can fix it stabilization wedges efficiency fuel switching carbon capture storage new energy sources It s bad increased impacts with temperature Increase in extreme events frequency of heat waves natural sink o Precautionary principle When substantial preliminary evidence indicates that an activity can harm human health or the environment we should take precautionary measures to prevent or reduce such harm even if some of the cause and effect relationships have not been fully established scientifically GEO 1330 Study Guide Climate Change In 3 seconds or less Factors influencing air circulation Uneven heating Rotation of the Earth Global carbon cycle Biodiversity Sum total of all biotic variations from the level of genes to ecosystems Variety of species diversity genetic diversity ecological diversity and functional diversity Richness number of species per site Abundance how many individuals per species Evenness how even are the abundances of total species in each group What s our role in the extinction of species Human overpopulation habitat destruction deforestation industrialization ozone depletion consumerism greed rate of extinction economy NIMBY Why should we care What can we do Our well being keystone species domino effect it s our fault future generations interconnectedness hard to reverse effects natural capital food chain disturbing natural systems Education all ages birth control environmental literacy mindset change media technology conservation government organizations act local sustainable farming fix poverty There have been 5 mass extinctions in the history of life H Habitat destruction degradation fragmentation Range reduction Land use land cover change conversion to crop land Dole w bananas Species accidentally introduced by humans and that colonize new regions outside of where they re introduced HIPPCO I Invasive Species P Population and resource use growth P Pollution Pesticides DDT Chemical sediment plastic waste C Climate Change O Over Exploitation Poaching and live capture of animals for bush meat Also plants Agriculture Omnivores Dilemma Against the Grain Green History of the World Largest human land use in the world Farms and pastures 40 of Earth s surface 60x more than cities and suburbs combined Human activity that contributes to the most GHG emissions Agriculture 30 of global GHG emissions Aspect of agriculture that contributes the least to GHG emissions Transporting food from field to market Revolutions 1 Domestication of edible plants 10 000 years ago disease resistance color hardiness 2 Green Revolution 1950s and on irrigation technology inputs breeding 3 Biotechnology advanced genetics GMOs Short history Hunter gatherers hunted for naturally occurring plants for subsistence Protoagriculture when hunter gatherers assist the growth of wild plants Shift in climate made certain grains available Neolithic revolution shift from a hunter gatherer society to crop cultivation and animal domestication Wheat in fertile crescent region in the Middle East Rice in Asia Sorghum in Africa corn in Mesoamerica Green Revolution Stolen Harvest High input industrialized agriculture to increase crop yields Due to agribusiness ex Dow Syngenta DuPont and Monsanto 1950 1970 dramatic increase in crop yields in developed countries Traditional agriculture occurs on 80 of land and produces 20 of global food Industrialized agriculture occurs on 20 of land and produces 80 of world s food Traditional vs Industrial How it s done 3 steps 1 Develop plant monocultures 2 Produce high yields by using high inputs of water manufactured inorganic fertilizers and pesticides 3 Increase the number of crops grown per year on a plot of land multiple cropping EX conventional breeding to produce hybrids of maize Fast growing dwarf varieties PROS Diseases resistant wheat and rice for tropical and subtropical climates 1967 World grain production tripled from 1961 to 2009 More efficiency more food on less land Cereal yields have more than doubled Food prices have fallen Average farmer feeds 129 people compared to 19 in the 1940s CONS Fewer farming livelihoods in the US Hidden costs externalities o 8 fold increase in Nitrogen 2 fold in Phosphorus and irrigation Taxes for subsidies paying farmers to not farm Agrochemicals potential for epidemics of super bugs Pesticide use growth Nitrogen in fertilizer runoff animal waste Health insurance we get sick from all this stuff Ocean disruption dead zone in gulf from farming in Midwest Water sources depleted Soil degradation erosion loss of fertility salinization water logging desertification Energy use GHG emissions Average meat consumption per person more than doubled more money more meat consumed Biodiversity loss Degradation of grasslands forests and wetlands Killing predators to protect livestock Loss of genetic diversity due to monocultures Solutions Invest in local crops Technology Solar power breeding and GMO Local solutions individual vegetarian Water conservation on a large scale Integrated pest management ecologically based management biological control less disruptive chemical control softer chemicals Optimizing landscapes rotational grazing improve resource efficiency precision agriculture closing yield gaps depends on access to seeds water nutrients pests management knowledge and storage closing waste gaps utilize animal manure and compost a closed loop ecological system biogas Summary of Green Revolution 1940s 1970s Increased yields Increased technology Hybrid seeds Disease resistance GMOs Stolen Harvest 2nd Gene Revolution 1990s present Biotechnology GMO seeds PROS Need less fertilizer AKA transgenic organisms genetically engineered GE Altering an organisms genetic material through adding deleting or changing segments of its DNA to produce desirable traits or to eliminate undesirable ones Allows scientists to transfer genes between different species that wouldn t interbreed in nature o Many of which believe this will help improve global food security Types of GMOs Herbicide tolerant crops Nutritionally enhanced crops Crops that can produce a pesticide ex GMO sweet corn Animals ex salmons that grow faster pigs that produce more omega 3 fatty acids Need less water More