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University of Toronto - ENV222 - Course Notes ALL lectures
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ENV222: Interdisciplinary Environmental Studies / Mark Hathaway / WINTER 2019 ALL lecture notes
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LECTURE 1: Jan 8th, 2019The Ecological Crisis in Perspective
Humanity at a Crossroads:
● Eco-crisis threatens human civilization and ecosystems
● It's possible to reduce CO2 80% by the year 2020 eliminate poverty, population decrease
and restore natural systems but there is a lack of political will, therefore, a new mindset is
needed.
● We have most of the technologies we need to deal w this
● “The significant problems we face cannot be solved etc
Planetary Limits by Rockstrom et al 2009
● getting v close to the boundaries of safe operating methods of the planet and some days
we pass it
● The 1950s marked the beginning of the great acceleration, ppl came to cities and
technology has progressed due to industrialization
● Temps are increasing and we have made a hole in the ozone layer
● We are altering earth’s natural cycles and have entered the Anthropocene
● We’ve destroyed half of all forests
● Raised the amount of GHG rapidly (+38%)
○ Climate change (0.5C) + ocean acidification (2-4C)
○ Released tens of thousands of new chemicals into the air and water and created
deadly nuclear wastes
Brian Swimmer
● “We are macrophasic power with a microphasic mind”
● Much power but little wisdom
The Crisis: Social Dimensions
● Richest 8 billionaires may have more wealth than the poorest half of humanity
● We are not equally responsible
● Top 1% vs bottom 99% top 1% controls 55% of the worlds wealth
● GHG emissions:
○ Poorest 50% are responsible for only around 10% of total lifestyle consumption
emissions
○ The richest ppl are responsible for the most damage
, Depleting the Earth
● It takes 500 y to build one inch of topsoil yet we lose 23 billion tonnes of soil each year
● Soil other than the ocean is the biggest carbon intaker, by disturbing the soil we take
carbon out of the ocean
● It's a carbon sink
● Every 2 min we turn 1 km2 of land into desert
● 20% richest use 100% sustainable
Poisoning Life
● Co2 isnt poisonous but like not good
● 70,00 new chemicals in the last 50 y
● Nuclear wastes are dangerous for ¼ million y
LECTURE 2: JAN 15, 2018
Key Planetary Boundaries
Paul and Anne Ehrlich: The Population Bomb (1968)
● Passed civilizations that have collapsed becuz they have reached ecological
● Population growth + growing per capita consumption + damaging technologies
● Need 1.5 planets at current levels to sustain us, we’d need 4.5 more planets if we were
living at the rate that we do in Can and US. we need to reduce consumption or something
● 2.5 billion more ppl by 2050
● Key challenges:
○ Nuclear war, Food shortages, Climate disruption, Sea level rise, Biodiversity loss
■ We need to keep warming below 2 degrees
■ Transform agriculture, water, energy, and waste
■ The problem is not technological but political and economic: costs are
immediate we tend to worry about short term things
■ Even if we reduce all the greenhouse shit that we’re doing climate change
is still gonna happen
■ “Endarkenment” ppl looking for scapegoats in the time of crisis. The
values of the companies depend
○ We have a lot of knowledge out there but we tend to not act on it
Climate Change
● Need to avoid warming over 2 degrees
● Basic science in 1850
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