Unit 4 ch 16 s3 mining regulations & mine reclamation
Unit 1 ch1 s2 the environment & society
1. Section 2: The Environment & Society
Standards: SEV4d, SEV4f, SEV5c, SEV5f
2. Essay written by
Garrett Hardin in
1968
Main idea: Problem
with solving env.
problems is the
conflict btwn short
term goals of an
individual vs. the
long term welfare
of society.
3. Imagine a “common” area
of land for grazing sheep.
It is in the best interest of
one INDIVIDUAL farmer to
put as many sheep as he
can on the common
grazing land. That way
he can make more
money.
HOWEVER, when ALL
farmers think this way,
too many sheep graze in
that area and the area
becomes depleted from
overgrazing, trampling,
etc..
4. Someone has to take
responsibility for
maintaining a
resource or it can be
overused & depleted.
We now have grazing
regulations and
hunting & fishing
laws to prevent
resource depletion.
What are some other
“common” areas?
5. Supply & Demand
◦ If resource is limited
and has greater
demand then the
higher its cost.
6. Costs-Benefit
Analysis
◦ Weighing the cost of
buying/producing a
product vs. the benefit
to the environment
◦ EX: Is fracturing the
Earth to get remnant oil
more beneficial even
though there is a cost
to the environment and
drinking water sources?
7. Risk Assessment
◦ Usually done along
with cost-benefit
analysis
◦ Must determine risk to
know if there is a
benefit to an
environmental action.
◦ Risk assessment
depends on who is
doing it.
If done by an industry-
may see less risk
If done by a citizen
group- may see more
risk
8. Developed countries
◦ higher average incomes
Top World Oil Consumers in 2009
◦ slower population growth
◦ diverse industrial economies
◦ stronger social support
systems
◦ EX: US, Western Europe, Japan
Responsible for the
“consumption crisis”- use &
waste too many natural
resources
Use 75% of world’s natural
resources BUT only makes
up 20% of world’s
population.
9. Developing countries
◦ lower average incomes
◦ simple & agricultural-
based economies
◦ rapid population growth
◦ EX: Mexico, Indonesia,
countries in Africa
Responsible for
“population crisis”-
Population grows too
fast for current
resource level- causes
malnutrition, disease,
fewer jobs
10. China is most
populated country- 1.3
billion people
China is on the verge
of becoming developed
thanks to outsourcing
and globalization.
Population crisis +
consumption crisis =
INCREASED RESOURCE
DEPLETION AND
POLLUTION
India (population 1.2
billion ) not far behind!
11. Shows the
productive area of
the earth needed to
support one person
in a particular
country.
Here’s Mrs.
Davis’ data…
12. Sustainability-
condition in which
human needs are
met in such a way
that a human
population can
survive indefinitely.
Requires
participation of
citizens, industries,
& governments
Notes de l'éditeur
Examples of grazing regulations might include: limiting number of animals per acreage of land, putting up fences (like in the picture above), rotating herds from one plot to another to give used plots a chance to regenerate.Examples of hunting & fishing laws include: only catching certain species of fish, certain numbers of a species, organism has to be a certain length or gender, can only fishing during certain seasons.
Hydraulic fracturing or “Fracking” is where water and harmful, flammable chemicals are forced under high pressure into old oil wells to crack bedrock and extract oil & natural gas remnants previously trapped there. The fracturing of the rock creates cracks that allow the chemicals to seep into groundwater sources (see top right of picture). This creates an unusable drinking water well for the people that live near these sites.
Ask kids to rank which is riskier technology- riding bike or nuclear power. Public usually ranks nuclear power plant as most risky and experts put it 20th on the list BEHIND riding a bike. Just goes to show risk assessment depends on who you ask.
How many countries on this list are developed vs. developing? More developed than developing.
Make sure kids see difference between 2 blue lines. China is expected to exceed the US in CO2 emissions by 2030. This CO2 will result because more Chinese people will become affluent, buy cars & homes (they burn coal to heat their homes which releases a lot of CO2) that cause this pollution and resource depletion.
