Climate Change Chapter 6 PDF

Stuvia.com - The Marketplace to Buy and Sell your Study Material Chapter 6: Climate Change and the Environment Part I: Climate Change 1. Facts on carbon dioxide emissions Between 1950 and 2020 emissions of CO2 from fossil fuels have increased sixfold Changes in land use also contr...

Stuvia.com - The Marketplace to Buy and Sell your Study Material Chapter 6: Climate Change and the Environment Part I: Climate Change 1. Facts on carbon dioxide emissions Between 1950 and 2020 emissions of CO2 from fossil fuels have increased sixfold Changes in land use also contribute to CO2 emissions High income countries conBnue to have large emissions, but the share of China has increased substanBally Per capita emissions of CO2 are high in rich countries and in oil producing countries Since CO2 remains in the atmosphere for a long Bme, we have to look not only at current emissions but also at cumulaBve emissions o Who has contributed most in the history? Graphs: Land use change is responsible for a part of the carbon dioxide producBon o But the most is coming from the use of fossil fuels (electricity etc) Annual CO2 emissions: o Started increasing with the industrial revoluBon (1900) o The main rise starts a`er 1950 due to the expansion of populaBon and development on a massive scale Division: o Now: largest share comes from China; then USA and Europe o Emissions larger in rich countries & oil producing countries If we look at all the emissions from the past o Largest share comes form the USA o Then Europe and China o But if China keeps emi ng the most, this will change over Bme ContribuBon to total emissions overall o in high income countries: 15% of the populaBon, but contribute 1/3 of the global emissions o Opposite in low-income countries: 9% share of the populaBon, but count for 0.5% of global emissions ConsumpBon in Europe is responsible for a lot of emission elsewhere (due to import) 2. Greenhouse gases and climate change Climate change Climate change is not new, but anthropogenic (man made) climate change is o There have been “Ice Ages” (glacial) and warmer (interglacial) periods in the past o Possible causes: sunspots, volcanic acBvity, variaBons in the earth’s orbit, … Emissions due to fossil fuel burning (carbon dioxide) and other acBviBes cause a greenhouse effect and climate changes o How important are the future changes in climate? o What to do about it? MiBgaBon or prevenBon? o When to do something about it? Now or in the future? 51 Downloaded by: carolinaalmeidadj | [email protected] Want to earn $1.236 Distribution of this document is illegal extra per year?  Stuvia.com - The Marketplace to Buy and Sell your Study Material Greenhouse gases Climate change is caused by the emissions of greenhouse gases, of which CO2 is the most important one Other greenhouse gases include methane (CH4) and nitrous oxide (N2O) o Methane comes from livestock, biomass, waste, … o Nitrous oxide comes mainly from agriculture (ferBlisers) The contribuBon of greenhouses gases is expressed in CO2-equivalents Recent data Methodological update to harmonize esBmates of emissions due to land use, land use change and forestry (LULUCF) o NaBonal inventory approach o Global bookkeeping approach Graphs: Bookkeeping Approach: emissions are larger Total green house emmissions o China -> USA -> india Per capita: USA has the largest green house emissions o Then Russia, then China In the past there where variaBons on CO2 in the atmosphere, but never on this scale The role of greenhouse gases The concentraBon of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere Red line: within the year there are peak months; but clearly upward trend 2. Evidence of climate change Evidence of climate change Global temperature rise (+1.1 °C since the end of the 19th century) Warming oceans Shrinking ice sheets Glacial retreat Decreased snow cover Sea level rise Declining ArcBc Sea ice 52 Downloaded by: carolinaalmeidadj | [email protected] Want to earn $1.236 Distribution of this document is illegal extra per year?  Stuvia.com - The Marketplace to Buy and Sell your Study Material Extreme events Ocean acidificaBon Future effects of climate change Change will conBnue through this century and beyond Temperatures will conBnue to rise Frost-free season (and growing season) will lengthen PrecipitaBon pa;erns will change More droughts and heat waves will occur Hurricanes will become stronger and more intense Sea level will rise 30-120 cm by 2100 The ArcBc Sea will likely become ice-free Regional impacts Increased precipitaBon will occur in eastern parts of the Americas, northern Europe and parts of Asia Dry regions (Sahel, Mediterranean, southern Africa, parts of southern Asia) will become even drier Examples o Africa: water stress for 75-200 million people o Asia: decreasing freshwater availability in large river basins of South-East Asia; mega deltas at risk to flooding o Europe: climate variability risks in southern Europe o LaBn America: savanna replacing tropic forest areas o North America: increase in rain-fed agriculture yields UncertainBes Are there threshold effects? o Historical evidence of rather sudden shi`s in equilibrium temperatures o Once a threshold is past, all of a sudden thing will collapse or change drasBcally Does it affect oceanic currents? o Slower AtlanBc currents would change the AtlanBc heath conveyer leading to a cooling of Europe and North America Does it lead to more intense storms? Effects of clouds? (aerosols & carbon parBcle cooling) Other posiBve and negaBve feedbacks o Release of methane from permafrost and warming o Algae growth and cooling A lot of things could happen that we do not know!! 53 Downloaded by: carolinaalmeidadj | [email protected] Want to earn $1.236 Distribution of this document is illegal extra per year?  Stuvia.com - The Marketplace to Buy and Sell your Study Material 4. AcIon on climate change Everyone needs to take ac6on, otherwise nothing is going to change! 4.1. Kyoto protocol (1997) First a_empt to limit CO2 emissions Follow-up from 1992 UN framework (Rio Earth Summit) Agreement in 1997 to place legally binding limits on developed naBons; no limits on developing countries (only encouraged to promote greener growth) Target: reducBon of greenhouse gas emissions by 5% from 1990 levels by 2008 to 2012 RaBficaBon by enough naBons in 2005 to put Kyoto Pact into force; no raBficaBon by the US, China and India Annual Conference of the ParBes (COP) with conBnued negoBaBons between 200 countries, reporBng system, verificaBon procedure, fund for helping developing countries Kyoto results Emissions among Kyoto backers were 22.6% lower in 2012 than in 1990 (way beyond 5% reducBon commitment) but … o Many developed countries already adopted policies to decarbonize o Post 1990 collapse of Soviet economies o Offshoring of heavy industry and manufacturing by tradiBonal manufactures to emerging countries and the global south Mixed legacy o Emissions among countries under Kyoto have fallen, but rate of growth of carbon polluBon soared further o Growth in China and India is driving emissions Kyoto Protocol ran unBl 2020 with extension targeBng 18% cuts on 1990 levels 4.2. COP21 (Paris, 2015) Kyoto protocol replaced by the Paris agreement 195 countries adopted universal, legally binding global climate deal entering into force in 2020 (subject to raBficaBon) Global acBon plan to limit global warming to well below 2 °C and preferably 1.5 °C (climate neutrality before the end of the century) Key elements o MiBgaBon (2 °C or be;er) o Transparency and stock taking (progress tracking, 5-year reviews of targets) o AdaptaBon (support for adaptaBon to developing countries) o Role of ciBes, regions and local authoriBes o Support (goal to mobilize $100 billion per 2020) But very difficult measures! Follow-up in next COPs How feasible is this ambiBous plan? o Big shi`s in energy mix require o PoliBcal support (new administraBon US, other countries) BUT turns out that not a lot has changed with this plan! 54 Downloaded by: carolinaalmeidadj | [email protected] Want to earn $1.236 Distribution of this document is illegal extra per year?  Stuvia.com - The Marketplace to Buy and Sell your Study Material 4.3. COP26 (Glasgow, 2021) Difficult negoBaBons Not really a new ambiBous plan Nothing fundamental happened 4.4. COP27 (Sharm el-Sheik, 2022) Also not a lot of results! What is needed if we want to limit climate change? Emissions must go down drasBcally -> the use of fossil fuels have to diminish This in not happening!! We have not yet reached peak fossil fuels! (for coal yes, but tot oil or natural gasses) 5. Economics of climate change Nicolas STERN on the climate UK economist Chaired the Stern Review: The Economics of Climate Change (2007) o Climate change will have a huge impact, also for economics o Costs will be enormous o Rapid acBon needed! William NORDHAUS on the climate US economist, Nobel laureate (2018) Developed the DICE model (Dynamic Integrated model of Climate and the Economy) o What is the economic cost of climate change and the benefits of doing something about it When to act? The Stern-Nordhaus debate: o Stern: act now (prevenBon) § The costs are so huge so we should act now § So that we can avoid damages linked to climate change o Nordhaus: act later (miBgaBon of consequences, cure later) § Act when the consequences are clear § Cure the consequences when they appear A key factor is the discount rate (d) used in cost-benefit evaluaBon, with costs (C) occurring now and benefits (B) in the (distant) future: o A way to take into account things that will happen in the future o Make thing that happen in a long period of Bme comparable o NPV: Net present Value § Net effect of taking a sertain acBon Stern is in favour of a low discount rate (e.g., 1%), Nordhaus in favour of a higher one (e.g., 5%) o Discount rate: the weight we give to things that will happen in the future o How do we take into account thing that will happen in the far future? Is miBgaBon of the consequences in the future more cost-effecBve than limiBng economic and human acBvity today? o If we act now, this means we will have to reduce the economic acBvity level 55 Downloaded by: carolinaalmeidadj | [email protected] Want to earn $1.236 Distribution of this document is illegal extra per year?  Stuvia.com - The Marketplace to Buy and Sell your Study Material Who must act? Greenhouse gases remain in the atmosphere for a long Bme How should the efforts be divided between those who emit a lot today (e.g., China, India) and those who have emi;ed a lot in the past (e.g., most OECD countries)? Developing naBons perceive carbon reducBons as a limitaBon on their economic development o You have used a lot of gas and coil in the past to get rich, but now you limit us and prevent us from following the same developing process? This fairness issue makes internaBonal negoBaBons extremely difficult 6. To sum up Emissions of greenhouse gases remain very high The current climate change is man-made The consequences of climate change could be severe LimiBng emissions is necessary to limit global warming and climate change Global acBon is required (Kyoto, Paris, …) Tackling climate change involves difficult fairness issues o Emerging economies produce a lot of carbon dioxide today o Rich economies produced a lot of carbon dioxide in the past Part II - The Environment 1. some basic facts Environmental problems The human biosphere is a thin layer – about 3-8 km – around a 12,715 km diameter planet Earth We live in the geological Bme of the “Anthropocene” (Paul Crutzen, Nobel Prize Chemistry) o Since the end of WOII there have been major shi`s in producBon, populaBon, polluBon… o This indicates maybe the start of a area where the impact of humans becomes the predominant factor of change on earth o Impact of human acBvity on land use, ecosystems, biodiversity with global consequences The key problem is that environmental damage is an externality for most of us o i.e., decisions on economic acBvity are based on our private costs but not on social costs (social costs include costs imposed on third parBes) 56 Downloaded by: carolinaalmeidadj | [email protected] Want to earn $1.236 Distribution of this document is illegal extra per year?  Stuvia.com - The Marketplace to Buy and Sell your Study Material 2. UN conferences and the rise of environmental concerns Rela6vely recent that a_en6on is paid to the effect of human ac6vity on a global scale and the environment (1972 and 1987) United NaBons (UN) conferences 1972, 1982 1972: Stockholm o First internaBonal conference about the environment! o US and developed naBons pushed for environmental concerns o Developing naBons feared that environmental concerns put obstacles to development 1982: Nairobi o Developing naBons showed enthusiasm for protecBon (experience of environmental deterioraBon – deserBficaBon, soil erosion, deforestaBon, silBng of rivers & reservoirs, …) o Developed naBons were reluctant as they recovered from economic recession o Expansion of governmental environmental agencies o Worldwide awareness of the threat to the environment caused by human acBvity UN conference 1992: Rio de Janeiro (Earth Summit – UNCED) Gathering of world leaders and steak holders Treaty on global warming (control of greenhouse gas releases); led to the UNFCCC Treaty on biodiversity (protecBon of plant and animal species) ConvenBon to combat deserBficaBon The concept of “sustainable development” and UN Sustainable Development Commission UN conference 2002 Johannesburg (World Summit on Sustainable Development) Right a`er the WTC a;acks: focus of internaBonal community was internaBonal terrorism Environmental problems were secondary importance Focus on WEHAB (water, energy, health, agriculture, biodiversity) EU aimed for target of 15% of energy from renewable sources Opposed by US, Japan and oil producing countries DisappoinBng results; the fight against terrorism dominated the internaBonal agenda UN conference 2012 Rio +20 summit Resilient People, Resilient Planet: A Future Worth Choosing o The report of the United NaBons Secretary-General’s High-level Panel on Global Sustainability) o We have to take acBon now, the cause is not lost Renewed commitment to “sustainable development” Explore alternaBves to GDP as measurement of welfare Emphasis on ocean stocks to restrict use to maintain “sustainable levels” Phase out subsidies to fossil fuels 57 Downloaded by: carolinaalmeidadj | [email protected] Want to earn $1.236 Distribution of this document is illegal extra per year?  Stuvia.com - The Marketplace to Buy and Sell your Study Material Jared Diamond and “Collapse” Professor of Geography and Physiology, UCLA Books: o The Third Chimpanzee: The EvoluBon and Future of the Human Animal (1992) o Guns, Germs, and Steel (1997) o Collapse: How SocieBes Choose to Fail or Succeed (2005) 1. A five-point framework for collapse 3. Air Main air issues: smog, airborne lead, acid rain and ozone deple6on 3.1. Smog A problem in New Delhi, China… Early industrializaBon and toxic gasses (sulfur dioxide, parBculates, …) led to deadly episodes Significant progress was made in the 1970s and ‘80s, but there are sBll development countries o In rich countries they limited the amount of gas, and industries have moved to emerging countries Serious problems remain in emerging countries due to energy- intensive industrializaBon (e.g., China and India) In low-income countries there is a lot of indoor air polluBon due to cooking and heaBng o Ex: cooking with wood The main consequences are health risks (premature death, asthma, respiratory illness), damages to building, crop losses, … 3.2. Airborne lead Ice core analysis: almost no lead unBl 1750; rapid increase a`erwards, especially a`er WW2 The most important source: use of leaded gasoline; also: lead paint, lead water pipes… There is no safe level of lead in the human body! There are major health risks for children o brain Bssue damage, violent behaviour and crime Major improvements have occurred thanks to the banning of leaded gasoline in the US (1995) and the EU (2000) and other measures 3.3. Acid rain Use of fossil fuel releases sulfur dioxide and oxides of nitrogen; sunlight and moisture produce sulfuric and nitric acid o With the wind it went to other places Effects: acid rain, lake acidificaBon, damage to tree growth, damage to buildings and structures, …; no known health effects on humans Affected areas: North of US & Canada (Midwest coal burning electricity); Scandinavia, Eastern Europe (UK, France, Germany) 58 Downloaded by: carolinaalmeidadj | [email protected] Want to earn $1.236 Distribution of this document is illegal extra per year?  Stuvia.com - The Marketplace to Buy and Sell your Study Material Clean Air Act (US, 1990) IntroducBon of “cap and trade” system (tradable rights to pollute), with legally fixed decrease in the volume of sulfur permits o Only firms that have permits to emit these materials can actually emit them The policy seems too weak to control the problem Acid rain is also a major problem in Asia (China, India, Thailand, South Korea) for areas downwind of industrial zones with coal as main primary energy 3.4. Ozone deple5on The ozone layer protects life on earth against UV rays from the sun It is damaged by the use of chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) and halons o CFC react with ozone and lead to diminishing the concentraBon of ozone Major depleBon causes serious harm to living creatures o Skin cancer, eye cataracts, weakening of immune system Two issues: 1. A general decrease in the amount of ozone in the ozone layer 2. A much larger seasonal decrease over the poles (“the ozone hole”) Climate change interacts with ozone depleBon Ozone hole = A hole over the AntarcBc, where the layer of ozone becomes very thin This didn’t exist in 1970! In the mid 1980s a growing AntarcBc hole in the ozone layer was discovered Major iniBaBves: o 1985 Vienna: first fact finding discussion o 1987 Montreal: agreement to cut producBon of CFCs by 50% by 1998 § Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer § Before: used in sprays! o 1990 London: speed up phasing-out of CFCs & halt producBon by 2000 o 1992 Copenhagen: stop the use of all CFCs by 1996 Slowdown in ozone loss and return to 1980 condiBon expected by 2065 But: since 2020 the maximum ozone hole is again larger than before, although in 2023 it decreased a bit 59 Downloaded by: carolinaalmeidadj | [email protected] Want to earn $1.236 Distribution of this document is illegal extra per year?  Stuvia.com - The Marketplace to Buy and Sell your Study Material 4. Water Main water issues: Water pollu6on and water scarcity 4.1. Water pollu5on Li;le a;enBon was paid to sewage treatment in the early postwar period (burning rivers!), but major investments (US, UK, EU, …) in sewage treatment and runoff from urban and agricultural areas led to substanBal improvements in water quality (fish) Burning rivers: in the UK there was so much polluBon in rivers, that there were fires Unsafe water presents serious health risks: InfecBous and waterborne diseases o If you drink the water Polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB) contaminaBon (US, Japan, Europe) in fish dangerous for prospecBve mothers and children The main causes of water polluBon are: Waste of chemical (and other) industry Runoff and sewage from urban areas o cars loose a li;le bit of their Bres when they drive, if it rain it comes into the sewage. If the sewage is not very good, it comes in the rivers etc Use of pesBcides, ferBlizers, … in agriculture => Traces of insecBcides, anBbioBcs, fire retardants, disinfectants, detergents, insect repellents, nonprescripBon drugs, steroidal compounds, … can be found in food 4.2. Water scarcity Access to safe water is a major problem in developing countries In 2020, almost 75% of the world populaBon used safely managed drinking-water services o that is, they used improved water sources located on premises, available when needed, and free from contaminaBon There are 2 billion people (26%) without safely managed services Future conflicts over water are highly likely (India and Pakistan, Israel and Syria, Turkey and Iran, Mexico and the USA) In some countries freshwater systems are under stress The availability of water is linked to global warming (glaciers, monsoons, rivers, aquifers) UN Water UN Water monitors the water situaBon on earth Is a report published every year In 2022 o 2.2 billion people lacked safely managed drinking water o 3.5 billion people lacked safety managed sanitaBon o 2 billion lacked basic hygiene services !! A lot of people don’t have access to clean drink water o Mostly in the middle east o But also China and US!! 60 Downloaded by: carolinaalmeidadj | [email protected] Want to earn $1.236 Distribution of this document is illegal extra per year?  Stuvia.com - The Marketplace to Buy and Sell your Study Material 5. Land Main land issues: (over)use of minerals & deforesta6on 5.1 (Over) use of minerals The prices of minerals Nonfuel natural resource prices are volaBle Contrary to early predicBons, the prices have tended to decline o More supply than demand o Technological progress in mining Mineral prices do not fully reflect social costs (external effects, “commons problem”), but regulaBon and government allocaBon of property rights (aucBons) a;empt to internalise external costs and limit overexploitaBon The use of minerals For some minerals, industrial naBons are very dependent on source countries o European countries on fossil fuels o Creates vulnerabiliBes To reduce the dependency, different strategies have been adopted: resource efficiency, recycling & subsBtuBon 1. Resource efficiency Eco-efficiency (US): o Redesigning of products and processes using less resources and producing less waste o Some firms try to exploit win-win (profit – environment) opportuniBes Product stewardship (EU): o Companies are responsible for the environmental impacts of their products during their whole life cycle (total product liability) o “Polluter Pays” principle 2. Recycling In many European countries waste recycling has increased significantly in recent years Product life-Bme liability for manufacturers (e.g., cars, electronics, etc.) sBmulates recycling SeparaBon of household waste reduces recycling costs o Not all the waste in the same bag Electronic waste (computer monitors, circuit boards, cell phones) is o`en exported to emerging and developing countries (e.g., India, Ghana) for recycling, where it can cause a lot of environmental problems (e.g., water contaminaBon) o We can bring our old phone back to the store (but what do they do with it?) 3. SubsFtuFon Scarce (and o`en expensive) materials are replaced by less scarce (and o`en less costly) materials o Aluminum for copper in electricity, plasBcs for glass, … Some scarce materials have unique qualiBes and cannot be replaced (e.g., tungsten) o This creates opportuniBes for “mining” old products Reducing needs (best opBon!) -> consume less! Consumer products tend to become rapidly obsolete and frequently replaced o Wear and tear (depreciaBon) o Technological progress (obsolescence) Design of more durable products reduces needs for scarce materials The three-R waste hierarchy: “1. Reduce, 2. Reuse, 3. Recycle” 61 Downloaded by: carolinaalmeidadj | [email protected] Want to earn $1.236 Distribution of this document is illegal extra per year?  Stuvia.com - The Marketplace to Buy and Sell your Study Material 5.2. Deforesta5on One third of the world’s forests has been lost since the last Ice Age Only 20% of the earth’s original forests (“primary forests”) remain Primary forests contain 50-90% of the world’s plant and animal species Three countries – Brazil, Canada, Russia – have 61% of all primary forests Logging and clearing for agriculture are biggest threat o Harvest the trees for wood One third of today’s forests are primary forests Some countries have invested in reforestaBon, but secondary forests are less diverse, and many are not healthy DeforestaBon incenBves Landless and poor subsistence farmers (agriculture, fuel) and government backed conversion (ranching, se;lement) are the main causes of deforestaBon DeforestaBon also leads to erosion (flooding, deserBficaBon, …) Ecotourism is a possible soluBon: assigning private or local property rights rather than using forests as a “common resource”, which leads to overexploitaBon DeforestaBon and climate change Forests absorb CO2 (especially the Amazon) and are an important carbon dioxide “sink” o If the amount of forests diminishes it leads to the addiBon emission of carbon dioxide Clearing forests by “slash-and- burne” agriculture is a source of CO2 6. Waste Solid waste A`er WW2 the amount of solid waste increased with consumpBon (packaging, throwaway products, …) There was also a shi` towards non degradable products (plasBcs, …) Since the 1990s there is growing awareness about problems with landfills and dumps (water polluBon), and more emphasis on recycling trash The price mechanism is used (pay for disposal, charging for waste producBon, sorBng, ….) PlasBcs are a special problem (e.g., the Great Pacific Garbage Patch) o Trash accumulated in the ocean Toxic waste Toxic waste disasters o Japan 1950s-1960s: Minamata Bay (mercury poisoning) o US 1970s: Love Canal (benzene) o Netherlands 1980: Lekkerkerk (chemical waste) Most (developed) countries have legislaBon involving: o ReporBng toxic waste producBon o System of exploitaBon licenses o “Clean up” legislaBon Government and industry responses to the waste problem Clean up at the taxpayers’ expense Pigouvian taxaBon IncenBves to invest in recycling Make manufacturers liable for safe disposal of products (closed cycle or circular economy) Prohibit producBon processes 62 Downloaded by: carolinaalmeidadj | [email protected] Want to earn $1.236 Distribution of this document is illegal extra per year?  Stuvia.com - The Marketplace to Buy and Sell your Study Material Chemicals Many chemicals are untested for potenBal health hazards LegislaBon is changing (e.g., EU: prove safety before selling) Examples of chemicals that have raised concerns: o Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), mainly in industry o PesBcides and herbicides, mainly in agriculture There are worries that these are toxic materials that have cumulaBve effects in the food chain and the human body 7. The exIncIon of species Biodiversity E.O. Wilson’s view: o Vast growth of human populaBon, deforestaBon and overuse of grassland are sending Earth into its 6th spasm (mass exBncBon of species) PotenBal benefits of unstudied and unknown species: o Drug manufacturing o ProtecBon against the risks of monoculture o Insects and pests o Keep the ecosystem from collapsing during Bmes of stress (drought, catastrophes,…) Biodiversity: Policy efforts ConvenBon on Biological Diversity (CBD), created a`er the UN Conference on the Environment and Development, Rio de Janeiro, 1992: o to study and express commitment to preserve biodiversity Intergovernmental Science-Policy Pla~orm on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES): o to collect scienBfic evidence CriBcal Ecosystem Partnership Fund (CEPF): o to protect the world’s biodiversity hotspots – biologically rich ecosystems that are essenBal to humanity, yet highly threatened (currently 36 areas) Biodiversity hotspots: mainly on coastlines/ islands 8. The exIncIon of cultures 15,000 naBons in 200 states o NaBon = common history, language, religion, culture, … o State = territory, government, patrioBsm, internaBonal recogniBon 6,000 languages, of which about half is endangered Variety of cultures ma;er (survival of the species in Bmes of stress; progress needs variety) Diversity of cultures Modernity and development of the Anglo-Saxon world overpowering for many cultures o English as a “predatory language” Examples of endangered cultures (Yanomami, Estonians, …) Cultural compeBBon is an intrinsic feature of life 63 Downloaded by: carolinaalmeidadj | [email protected] Want to earn $1.236 Distribution of this document is illegal extra per year?  Stuvia.com - The Marketplace to Buy and Sell your Study Material 9. Environmental poliIcs Why is environmental poliBcs so emoBonal? Harold and Margaret Sprout’s two worldviews theory o The exploiBve worldview § We should dominate nature § nonhuman species are for man’s use § i.e., Biblical view o The mutualisBc worldview § man should adapt and not dominate § i.e., naturalist view Lester Thurow’s view (poliBcal raBonal choice theory) o Environmental movement = upper middle-class concern (have economic security and now want quality of life) § If you’re poor: how do I stay alive, how do I feed my children? o Lower income groups want higher incomes and see environmental laws as obstacles to jobs and economic security o The rich can buy their way out of environmental problems and see environmental laws as threats to their wealth 10. To sum up Unprecedented planetary pressures (human growth, climate pressure, ecosystem decline) brought us from the (stable) Holocene to the (probably unstable) Anthropocene Key quesBons: What are safe boundaries? How to stay under the threshold levels? Some boundaries are (probably) transgressed already (rate of biodiversity decline; climate change) Others are at risk (ozone depleBon, ocean acidificaBon, biochemical loading, land use, freshwater use, chemical polluBon) A shi` in mindset is required (from believing that the world is linear and stable to accepBng non-linearity, thresholds and instability) 64 Downloaded by: carolinaalmeidadj | [email protected] Want to earn $1.236 Distribution of this document is illegal extra per year?