COM 362 Midterm 1 Study Guide PDF

Class 2 Learning objectives: 1.​ Understand the concept of ‘ecological footprint’ From Lecture: -​ The ecological footprint is a measure of human demand on the Earth’s ecosystems. -​ The supply and demand of goods and services for an entire planet by assuming that the whole planetary...

Class 2 Learning objectives: 1.​ Understand the concept of ‘ecological footprint’ From Lecture: -​ The ecological footprint is a measure of human demand on the Earth’s ecosystems. -​ The supply and demand of goods and services for an entire planet by assuming that the whole planetary population follows a specific lifestyle of a known person/group of people Definition:​ The ecological footprint -​ measures human demand on Earth’s ecosystems -​ quantifying how much biologically productive land and water is required to produce the resources a population consumes and to absorb the waste it generates -​ It highlights the gap between resource consumption and the planet’s ability to regenerate those resources. -​ Uses the lifestyle of a specific individual or group (e.g., a country’s average lifestyle) as a model for global population resource use. Key Concepts: -​ Supply and demand reflects the Earth's capacity to regenerate resources (supply) versus the human population’s consumption (demand) -​ Personal footprint: -​ Positive contributions include focusing on actions that improve quality of life -​ enhance sustainability awareness -​ protect ecosystems -​ and support social well-being. -​ Negative contributions include -​ minimizing resource overuse, emissions, waste generation, and other harmful impacts. Regional Example: -​ British Columbia’s ecological footprint is used as a case study to understand regional variations in sustainability practices. Relevance: -​ A critical tool for identifying sustainability challenges and encouraging behavioral changes to reduce the strain on planetary resources.  2.​ Understand the planetary boundaries and how they are threatened Framework: -​ The planetary boundaries framework, developed by Johan Rockström and others -​ identifies nine critical processes that regulate the Earth’s stability and resilience. -​ The boundaries are thresholds that, if crossed, risk destabilizing the planet's systems and threatening human survival. 2023 Status Update: -​ Six of nine boundaries have been crossed: -​ Climate change is caused by greenhouse gas emissions (e.g., CO₂) that disrupt Earth’s energy balance, causing global warming and extreme weather. Current warming is expected to stabilize below 3°C, based on progress toward renewables. However, efforts to stay below 2°C require urgent action. -​ Novel entities include synthetic chemicals (e.g., microplastics, GMOs) and radioactive materials released above safe thresholds without adequate testing. -​ Biosphere integrity, with the loss of genetic diversity and ecosystem health, threatens Earth’s capacity to co-regulate processes like energy balance and chemical cycling. -​ Land system change includes deforestation and urbanization, which have reduced forest cover in tropical, temperate, and boreal biomes below safe levels, impacting carbon sequestration and biodiversity. -​ Freshwater change, where human activities disrupt freshwater cycles (blue water: rivers/lakes; green water: soil moisture), has exceeded safe levels and reduced ecosystem functionality. -​ Biogeochemical flows, where overuse of nitrogen and phosphorus (via industrial agriculture) disrupts nutrient cycles, harming ecosystems and water quality. -​ Boundaries still within safe levels: -​ Stratospheric ozone recovery is ongoing, thanks to international agreements like the Montreal Protocol, but levels remain below mid-20th-century norms. -​ Atmospheric aerosol loading is currently within the safe operating space globally, though regional variations in airborne particles pose localized risks. -​ Ocean acidification occurs as oceans absorb CO₂, reducing pH and harming marine ecosystems. The aragonite saturation state (a measure of ocean chemistry) is close to the threshold. Importance: -​ Crossing these boundaries leads to irreversible damage, including biodiversity loss, climate instability, and resource shortages.  3.​ Understand how global risks lead to polycrisis Definition: -​ A polycrisis arises when multiple crises (e.g., climate change, pandemics, geopolitical tensions) interact in ways that compound harm, creating cascading failures and worsening impacts. Characteristics: -​ Interconnectedness means the crises are deeply intertwined; their interaction produces harms greater than the sum of their individual effects. -​ Hyperconnectivity and homogeneity involve increased global travel, trade, and communication, creating vulnerabilities (e.g., supply chain disruptions, faster pandemic spread). Homer-Dixon’s Four Key Justifications for Polycrisis: -​ Total human energy consumption has increased sixfold since 1950, driven by fossil fuels, reshaping ecosystems and amplifying environmental impacts. -​ Earth’s energy imbalance, where greenhouse gases trap 0.9 watts/m² of additional heat, is equivalent to detonating 600,000 Hiroshima bombs daily, leading to extreme weather and ecological disruptions. -​ Human population biomass has quadrupled since 1925, with total human biomass (~400M metric tons) second only to cows. Growth relies heavily on fossil-fuel-driven agriculture. -​ Global connectivity, where air travel, trade, and internet usage have dramatically increased. Homogeneity in systems (e.g., monoculture agriculture, standardized technology) amplifies vulnerabilities to cascading failures. Criticisms: -​ Right-center criticism argues the term is overhyped and rebrands historical crises. -​ Left criticism suggests it distracts from systemic issues like capitalism. Solutions: -​ Cut greenhouse gas emissions. -​ Diversify systems (e.g., food, financial, and technological) to reduce cascading risks. -​ Foster interdisciplinary research to better understand and manage crisis interactions.  4.​ Understand risks and opportunities in the context of climate change Global Risks: -​ Short-term risks (next 2 years) include -​ cost-of-living crisis, where inflation and rising costs of essentials drive social unrest, particularly among low-income groups. -​ Geoeconomic confrontation involves sanctions and trade restrictions that increase economic tensions. -​ Cybersecurity threats target critical infrastructure (e.g., finance, energy). -​ Erosion of social cohesion occurs due to political divisions and inequality, weakening trust in institutions. -​ Long-term risks (next 10 years) -​ include failure to mitigate climate change, which is the most severe risk, exacerbating biodiversity loss and extreme weather. -​ Resource crises involve water scarcity and overuse, which threaten food and economic stability. -​ Technological inequities, with uneven access to technologies, widen global disparities. -​ Large-scale migration is driven by climate change and conflict, causing involuntary displacement. Opportunities: -​ Progress in climate action is evident as global warming projections have fallen from >4°C to