Global Environmental Issues

Economic Development v Environmental Issues

Population Growth
For

most of our history it has taken 2000 years to double our population rate, since 1900 we have quadrupled our population. 1900=1.6 billion 1960=3 billion 1970=3.7 billion 1980=4.5 billion 2006=6.5 billion

What are the reasons for population growth?

Improvements

in sanitation & medicine have lowered the death rates. techniques have increased food production and feed large populations.

Agricultural

Does the planet have enough resources for the worlds population?
New

exploration and extraction techniques have increased supplies of energy. New materials are replacing scarce materials. Innovation has changed gears concentrating on new methods of energy. However, the fact remains we are using resources faster and many are nonrenewable.

Energy Resources
Energy

is at the crux of todays environmental dilemma. The industrial revolution fueled the use of fossil fuels. Substituting natural gas for oil and coal could reduce greenhouse gas emissions, it provides almost of the worlds energy. However, it too is in limited supply.

Gas Guzzling
The

most recent gas shortage and price hikes have finally fueled auto makers to look at alternative fuel car possibilities. Most automakers are now investing in alternative or hybrid models that use an energy source other than fossil fuels. Ethanol is a moot point. WE MUST decrease our dependence on foreign oil.

What are the alternatives to fossil fuel?

Nuclear=14% of the worlds power. Hydroelectric power=19% of the worlds power.

Both offer reductions in emissions of greenhouse gas. Nuclear energy does present some problems, most notably Chernobyl and Tokaimura, Japan. France meets 77% of their energy needs using nuclear power. Some critics of hydroelectric power say it disrupts the natural flow of rivers and the fragile ecosystem of these rivers.

What about wind and solar power?

Both

are safe and envrironalmentally friendly.

Hampered by cost and feasibility. Low fuel prices made developing these alternatives unrealistic monetarily. Large power plants, oil companies and gas and coal companies lobby against development of alternative fuel sources. HOWEVER

Closing the gap.

Yet in the last few decades wind power production cost have dropped 90% and are closing in on natural gas prices. Germany gets 6.4% of its energy from wind power. Extensive new wind farms are cropping up in the U. S. and Brasil. Solar energy has seen significant advances, yet the U.S. has of yet to jump on this bandwagon, while Germany and Japan have taken the lead on developing this form of alternative engery.

What else is out there?

Geothermal and hydrogen energy are not widely used today, but are expected to become more accessible in the near future.

Geothermal energy is energy gathered from the earths core and produces no waste and is accessible all over the world. Hydrogen fuel is abundant and efficient, it is the most common element in the world (hydrogen) and is completely clean. The process for making hydrogen fuel is called electrolysis which is the separating of H from H2O. When H and O are fused into water, energy is produced and can be stored in fuel cells.

Fusion
Fusion

is a more experimental energy source that is still in its infancy. This would be an endless supply of radioactive free energy. An international project to build a test reactor is scheduled for completion in 2016.

Resource Consumption

Little population growth in developed countries 1.2 billion people who live in these countries consume well over half of the worlds resources. The average person living in the US consumed almost ten times as much energy as the average person living in Asia. Shortages of clean water , food, land and fuel are some of the environmental factors that frequently spark conflict.

What is sustainable development?

Sustainable

development is a way of using resources that protects both environmental and human well-being in the long term. The goal of sustainable development is to meet the social and economic needs of the present generation without depleting resources for future generations.

Examples of Sustainable Development

Using fabric bags rather than plastic bags. In Paris, France they are offering bike rentals rather than using cars in order to reduce traffic congestion, emissions, and reduce the use of fossil fuels. Developing countries dont have to sacrifice progress for the environment either, solar power is used in the Philippines to pump and purify water. In the Andean villages of Peru they are harnessing electricity from the high levels of rainfall and networks of rivers and streams. All of this improves health, education and employment opportunities.

Competing interests?
Continued

economic growth environmental over site would be disastrous for the worlds ecology. Policy makers and economists say that the developing countries can grow green by using technologies that were not available when the developed nations were first industrialized.

Industrialized Counties: what environmental challenges do wealthy countries face?

Over

consumption: these countries produce over of the worlds wealth, consume most of the worlds resources and generate the bulk of pollutants. The U.S. alone contributes 1/5 of the worlds carbon dioxide emissions.

More issues.

Because the wealthy countries industrialized first, they are often the most polluted, i.e. many of Britains cities are soot covered and suffer from health problems related to polluted air and water. The U.S. has cities such as L.A. who rely heavily on cars therefore they have a severe air pollution problem. In Colorado many cities have banned the burning of firewood because of the pollution it causes.

The Former Soviet Union

Under

went a crash industrialization phase that has produced terrible long term results. Yet, because of the type of government (communism) failed to attain the wealth of their counterparts in the west. This has left a legacy of pollution and poorly monitored nuclear plants, there are 66 plants across the FSU.

Newly industrializing countries

Most

in Asia, the Middle East and Latin America have embarked on fast paced industrialization plans. They rely heavily on fossil fuels and do not have environmental standards in place. China overtook the U.S. as the leading emitter of carbon dioxide in 2006 as the result of production of goods, mainly sold in the U.S.

E-waste
http://www.pbs.org/frontlineworld/stories/g

hana804/video/video_index.html

Pollution caused by industrialization has become a world problem.

This

pollution has caused stunted growth in children in cities such as Cairo, Egypt. In China a mere 1% of 560 million people breath air that is deemed safe by European standards. Inadequate sanitation and waste disposal are major causes of disease.

Less-developed counties: how do environmental concerns affect these countries?

Growing number of people relying on land for food. Deforestation & desertification are widespread. Use of land for exportable crops rather than sustainable crops for food production. Because of over use hundreds of thousands starved to death in Sudan, Ethiopia and elsewhere in the region. These lessons have opened the minds of governments to pursuing sustainable development procedures.

Part III: Environmental Issues on the International Agenda

Historically when nations came together to discuss world issues such as war and trade, issues such as the health of the environment were rarely discussed. In recent years, however, environmental issues have been brought to the forefront by concerned scientists. Global environmental issues have become an important international topic of concern and debate.

What is the North-South divide?

Regarding

the issues of environmental debate the world has been divided by the northern and the southern. The northern countries are typically the wealthier, more industrialized nations, while those nations in the southern part of the globe typically are poorer and less industrialized. This divide is not about the issues themselves, but is a question of responsibility and obligation.

North v South
The

northern countries point to the rapid population growth and industrialization of southern countries as the chief threat to the environment. They want these countries to curb population growth and address issues of pollution and deforestation.

North v South contd

In contrast: the southern hemisphere countries note that the northern consume most of the worlds resources and emit most of the pollution. They feel they their need for economic development cannot be overlooked in efforts to clean up the environment. They feel the rich societies should absorb the majority of the cost of helping developing countries meet international environmental standards. The southern countries are at a distinct disadvantage in areas of climate change, i.e. rising seal levels (many developing nations are below sea level and therefore at greater risk). They also argue they suffer from the effects of the greenhouse gases the richer countries have caused.

What are the origins of the disagreements btwn the global North and South?

The North and the South have deep historical issues. In the early 19th and 20th centuries, many Northern countries colonized Southern countries and established industries in these countries to harvest and manufacture goods using the Southern countries raw materials, such as timber, spices, ore, gold, diamonds and much more.

Colonial Rule
the 20th century almost all of Africa and Asia were under the rule of Britain and France. U. S. colonies included the Philippines and Cuba. Imperial rule ended by the 1960s but colonization left lasting effects on the Southern countries. These effects are the source of many of these countries current problems.
By

The Environment and International Security

The

environment is closely linked to international security. Scientist believe that climate change will have increasingly negative effects on world stability. An example is the period btwn the 14th & 19th centuries when the world experienced dramatic winters that caused persistent crop failures which resulted in famine.

Destabilizers

Deforestation Urbanization Water pollution Are all considered major destabilizes in the Southern hemisphere. In the Southern countries where governments are not equipped to handle major catastrophic events a series of poor harvests or destruction of a fishing ground could cause millions of refugees to cross borders causing violence or governmental collapse. This has already happened in Sudan. This threat could lead to more authoritarian governments thus reducing democracy in the world.

Destabilizers cont

An example of this destabilization occurred in the country of Myanmar (Burma) a cyclone devastated the country and displaced one million people from their homes. Because of the structure of the government no humanitarian aid was sent to the millions affected. Starvation and disease was rampant. Unstable weather such as droughts, and hurricanes leave many without clean water and food supplies, this in turn creates tension and the feeling of protectionism. The violence after Katrina is another example of how precariously we sit and how desperate people may become.

International Environmental Agreements

1992-The Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The UN Framework Convention on Climate Change was signed by 150 countries here. 1997-The Kyoto Conference was a result of the Earth Summit as well. The Kyoto Protocol was developed here. Stakeholders from environmentalist to multinational corporation continue to meet yearly to address environmental concerns.

Yet
Unfortunately,

the 800 page document that resulted by the Earth Summit avoided many of the thorniest issus.

The developing nations pressured that there would be little said or insisted upon concerning population control. The developed nations (industrialized) succeeded in protecting the wealthy multinational corporations from the new environmental regulations.

How was climate change addressed at the Earth Summit in Rio?

The

UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCG) was an agreement among countries to reduce or prevent greenhouse gas emissions. It also developed a system through which countries could continue to meet in order to eventually reach the general goals set forth in Rio. (Western European were the most enthusiastic supporters).

The U. S. Role
The

U.S. was less enthusiastic they opted not to set targets to reduce emissions. U.S. carbon dioxide emissions increased by about 39% from 1990-2006. China and India insisted that the global North must reduce greenhouse emissions before we could expect the global South to accept restriction.

What was the purpose of the Kyoto Protocol?

Intended to put teeth into the international efforts to contain climate change. Established specific binding limits for the emissions of six greenhouse gases. Political jockeying went on and the global South joined with Western European countries insisting that the global North dramatically reduce their greenhouse gas emissions while rejecting any constraints on their own economic growth.

What is the Kyoto Protocol?

The Protocol is a legally binding treaty as of February 2005. It affects more than 180 countries. Thirty-seven industrialized countries in the world must meet their Kyoto targets by 2012 or the targets become more stringent.

Western Europe is to cut greenhouse gases by 9% of their 1990 outputs, Japan by 6%. All countries should reduce their gases to 5% below their 1990 levels.

Yet again

The Protocol does not require countries such as China and India to reduce their emissions, but calls on other Southern state to voluntarily set targets. In 2008 scientist determined the global South emitted more co2 than the global North. Butover the course of history the northern countries still outweigh emissions from the southern countries. Most scientist believe the Protocol does not do enough to decrease global warming as much as is needed.

Yet again

Another part of the treaty allows countries to use carbon sinks to reduce the presence of co2 in the air by reabsorbing it. This encourages countries to improve forest management and conserve soils. Critics claim it allows countries to continue business as usual. It also allows industrialized countries to assist developing countries in reducing their emissions, which then allows the industrialized country to meet their own targets without really doing so.