UNIT 1: Environmental Decision Making

Population Crisis: Most environmentalists agree that the root cause of most environmental problems has been human population growth. Human populations have been relatively small throughout history and it wasn't until 1800 that the population reached one billion. One hundred and thirty years later, the population doubled to two billion. However in the last 78 years the population has tripled to over six billion people.

With increased population sizes, the demand for food, energy, and other resources increases, putting a greater stress on the soils and land. Similarly with more people, the waste produced also increases and issues arise because the landfills fill up and pollution of the land becomes more evident.

Some of the most pressing environmental issues in today's society include:

•over-consumption of resources; •air pollution causing global warming and acid rain; •safety of water and pollutants in the water supply/ecosystem; •extinction of wildlife and loss of biodiversity; and •habitat fragmentation.

Environmental MovementThe industrial revolution in the early part of the 19th century brought urbanization as people clustered in large cities and were segregated from the land. The resource use was accelerated and pollution of the land increased dramatically. However, during this time people put their faith into science to control the effects on nature and they believed in the rights of individuals and the accumulation of wealth and human wants.

Rachel Carson's

Her book Silent Spring warned of the dangers of pesticide use. The book, published in 1962, marks the beginning of the environmental protection movement, in which people became aware of the environmental problems caused by the industrial revolution. Carson advocated that people live in harmony with the environment and work within the limits of the ecosystem.

Link: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rachel_Carson

Carrying Capacity – Important Term

The Carrying Capacity is the number of organisms that an area can support while maintaining its natural functioning.

As Rachel Carson pointed out in the early 1970s, as the human population increases, it will reach the Earth's carrying capacity and we will not be able to live within the limits of the environment as well as meet the demands of a larger population.

HISTORY1960s – 1980s: the issues were focused regionally on pollution, energy crisis, offshore drilling and oil spills, waste management, and resource depletion

1985 – present: the issues have been focused globally on global warming, ozone depletion, habitat preservation, waste reduction, hazardous wastes, resource depletion (biodiversity), oil spills, and air quality

Canadian Contribution: Environmental Movement

Sir Clifford Sifton

Sir Clifford Sifton was aware of the importance of conservation and was appointed the head of a Commission of Conservation in 1909. He focused on the management of resources rather than complete preservation; he campaigned against companies abusing the lax forestry regulations, free trade, and the development of a dam on the St. Lawrence River in Cornwall, Ontario.

Link: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clifford_Sifton

David Suzuki

David Suzuki has been an environmental activist since the mid 1970s. In the 80s and 90s he brought the natural world and environmental issues to the community through his television series “The Nature of Things” which has aired in nearly 50 countries. The David Suzuki Foundation was founded in 1990 "to find ways for society to live in balance with the natural world that sustains us." The priorities of the foundation are sustainable fishing, climate change, oceans, and clean energy.