GEO 162 Spring 2024 Exam 1

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GEO 162: Introduction to Environmental and Sustainability Studies Take-Home Exam #1 Spring 2024 Due: Friday, February 23 rd on Canvas 100 Points (*each answer has equal weight) *Please refer to where you learned about your answers to the questions (it does not need to be formal citations, but websites, etc. where you obtained your information!) Name: Morgan Edwards Date: 2/20/24 1. Do you think we should have a new geologic epoch, the Anthropocene? Why or why not? https://education.nationalgeographic.org/resource/anthropocene/ I do think that we should have a new geologic epoch because we have definitely made technological processes, had population growth, and increased production and consumption, which has influenced our climate and environment. 2. Some believe the sixth mass extinction of humans will happen in the next 50 years. Do you agree (yes or no) and justify your answer? https://evolution.berkeley.edu/mass- extinction/the-earths-sixth-mass-extinction/#:~:text=We%20are%20rapidly %20approaching%20a,of%20Earth's%20sixth%20mass%20extinction . I do think that mass extinction will occur because the Earth is overly populated, and we are destroying habitats and unleashing a climate crisis all because of our own actions. If we do not start doing what is necessary to fix things, then the end is upon us. 3. Why does Andrea Nightingale argue it is important to ask sustainability “of what” and “for whom” (*provide a real-world example to explain “of what” and “for whom” in your answer)? https://undisciplinedenvironments.org/2021/01/21/environment-and- sustainability-in-the-globalised-classroom/ Andrea argues this because all interpretations and solutions regarding sustainability are political. An example can be seen with sustainable mining. Local communities are against mining projects, and corporate extractive companies support it. Different stakeholders would all have different perspectives on sustainable development. While the mining companies defend themselves by saying that it benefits the economy, local communities say that it could have distracting consequences on nature. 4. Use this Ecological Footprint Calculator: https://www.footprintcalculator.org/home/en and tell me your Ecological Footprint: a. What was your footprint score? It was 6.8 Earths. 1

b. What did you learn about your life from this exercise? What impacted your score from your lifestyle? I learned that most of my global hectares or gha come from food and shelter. My food and shelter were the highest because I mainly eat processed foods, and my house does not use a lot of renewable energy. c. Is there anything you plan to change about your life now? Why or why not? I plan to try to eat less processed foods because they are better for the environment. 5. Who created the Carbon Footprint and why is this controversial? https://www.fuelourdemocracy.com/articles/671-controversy-carbon-footprints The global oil company BP created the Carbon Footprint. It was controversial because BP was trying to shift the responsibility of climate change onto the common people even though the fossil fuel companies are the ones that are responsible for most of the greenhouse gas emissions. 6. Why was Rachel Carson’s book Silent Spring so powerful in spearheading the environmental movement in the United States? https://www.nature.com/articles/485578a#:~:text=Published%2050%20years%20ago %20after,rise%20to%20the%20environmental%20movement . It was so powerful because it brought new ideas and awareness to the public’s mind and dared to criticize the then use of pesticides. Due to the uproar it caused, there was a change in the United States and international policy, which helped to give rise to the environmental movement. 7. Tell me about one of the Planetary Boundaries by answering the following questions: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2351989419309412 https://www.thenaturalstep.de/challenge/planetary-boundaries/#:~:text=Biosphere %20integrity%2C%20biodiversity%20loss%20and%20extinctions&text=Ecosystem %20damage%20and%20extinction%20can,while%20maintaining%20high %20agricultural%20productivity . a. What is your planetary boundary? My planetary boundary is Biosphere integrity. b. Describe one human use of planetary resources that causes negative ecological impacts on your planetary boundary: One human use would be fertilizers. Most agriculture methods use fertilization to increase yield. However, the use of fertilizers adds many gases to the atmosphere. c. Are we past the tipping point of your planetary boundary? Why or why not? We are past the tipping point of Biosphere integrity because around 1 million of the estimated 8 million plant and animal species are threatened with extinction, and more than 10% of genetic diversity may have been lost over the last 150 years. d. How do scientists measure the status of your planetary boundary? Scientists measure it by using two variables: genetic diversity and functional integrity, as well as measuring the level of biodiversity loss and species extinction. 2

e. What is one sustainability strategy to help fix the negative ecological impacts of your planetary boundary? We should cut down on the use of fertilizers. By doing this, we will slow down the damage to ecosystems. 8. Describe the Sustainable Pathways approach that was created by the Institute of Development Studies in Sussex, England (you learned about this in recitation): https://www.ids.ac.uk/programme-and-centre/social-technological-and-environmental- pathways-to-sustainability-steps-centre/#:~:text=The%20STEPS%20Pathways %20Approach%20linked,society%20and%20ecologies%20are%20entangled . They developed an approach called STEPS. This is a guide to thinking and acting on sustainability changes. These changes include things like climate change, energy, pandemic disease, etc. The approach is both analytical and normative and aims to understand the complex interactions between social, technological, and environmental systems. 9. Give an example of a successful application of the Sustainable Pathways approach in addressing a specific environmental and/or economic development challenge. https://www.coolgeography.co.uk/A-level/AQA/Year%2013/World%20Cities/ Sustainability/Curitiba.htm A specific example can be seen in Curitiba, Brazil. While Curitiba is a large city with a large population, it has achieved a high level of sustainability because it has implemented several innovative policies. One of their most important policies is the city’s rapid transit system. This system provides fast transportation for residents and has helped reduce traffic congestion and air pollution. The city has also invested heavily in green spaces, has a number of programs that promote recycling and composting, and has invested in renewable energy sources such as solar and wind power. 10. How does Emma Marris in her TED talk we watched in class substantiate her argument: “An empty lot in downtown Chattanooga, Tennessee that was established simply by leaving it alone and letting it grow, a kind of “wild nature” or a space that is an untended part of our urban, peri-urban, suburban, agricultural existence” is arguably more wild than a national park? What is it about US National Parks that makes them “unnatural”? Emma feels that the more human involvement there is with something, the less natural it is. This is why the empty lot in Chattanooga is more natural than the US National Parks. There are no humans that have affected or influenced the lot, while with the National Parks, humans have. 11. Describe how one country in the world is trying to achieve one Sustainable Development Goal (SDG). What is the name of your country, what is the SDG you are describing, and how is the country working towards achieving it? https://afghanistan.un.org/en/sdgs I decided to pick Afghanistan. One of their SDG goals is to have zero poverty. They are working towards this by adopting measures to ensure the proper functioning of food 3

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commodity markets. They are also trying to ensure significant mobilization of resources from a variety of sources. 12. Describe the Global Climate Change strategy of “Mitigation” and provide a real-world example of a specific type of mitigation strategy implemented in the world (choose a specific place and a specific strategy): https://climate.nasa.gov/solutions/adaptation- mitigation/#:~:text=The%20goal%20of%20mitigation%20is,to%20proceed%20in%20a %20sustainable https://earth.org/countries-climate-policy/#:~:text=Denmark%2C%20Sweden%2C %20and%20Chile%20are,from%20their%20climate%20policy%20strategies . The purpose of mitigation is to avoid human interference as much as possible with the Earth’s climate. A real-world example would be Sweden developing a climate policy framework that included climate goals, a climate act, and a climate policy council. The three goals will help to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, foster investment with carbon offsets and protection of forests, and simultaneously look at climate and budget policies as a whole. Sweden is also a part of the European Union Renewable Energy Directive, which works with countries to reach net-zero goals. 13. Describe the Global Climate Change strategy of “Adaptation” and provide a real-world example of a specific type of adaptation strategy implemented in the world (choose a specific place and the specific strategy): https://unfccc.int/topics/adaptation-and- resilience/the-big-picture/introduction#:~:text=Adaptation%20refers%20to %20adjustments%20in,opportunities%20associated%20with%20climate%20change . https://gca.org/12-great-examples-of-how-countries-are-adapting-to-climate-change/ Adaptation is when there are adjustments to ecological, social, or economic systems, whether that be through things such as projects, programs, etc., in response to actual or expected climate impacts. A real-world example would be The Thames Barrie in the UK. To p[prevent flooding they created a barrier to hold back storm surges and high tides. 14. What are the United Nations Framework Convention for Climate Change (UNFCCC) Convention of the Parties (COP) Meetings? And who is represented at the COP meetings (who has a seat at the table)? https://www.climate.gov/news-features/understanding- climate/what-cop https://www.metoffice.gov.uk/weather/climate/cop/what-is-cop#:~:text=Who%20goes %20to%20COP?,manages%20all%20attendees%20at%20COP . The COP is the decision making body of the convention. It is made up of representatives of governments and charities. They are organized into five groups being Africa, Asia, Eastern Europe, Latin America and the Caribbean, and Western Europe and Other States (Australia, Canada, and the USA) and the COP presidency and host of the COP meeting 4

usually rotates between the groups. The purpose of the meetings is to bring together representative to discuss and negotiate ways to address climate change. 15. What is one agreement made at the last UN Climate Change Conference (COP 28) in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) meeting from the 30 th of November to the 12 th of December 2023? https://unfccc.int/cop28#:~:text=COP28%20closed%20today%20with%20an,cuts %20and%20scaled%2Dup%20finance . The countries agreed to move away from the use of fossil fuels and start using more renewable energy. ***********Bonus-Extra Credit*********** *What do you want to be when you grow up (give an example of a real job)? I want to be a nurse practitioner when I grow up. *What is one thing you will do during your time at UK (aside from classes) to help you get your dream job? Aside from my classes I will intern at the hospitals to gain experience. 5

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