Apes unit 5

• Tragedy of the Commons


  Use of the commons is below the carrying capacity of the land. All users benefit; if one or more users increase the use of the commons beyond its carrying capacity, the commons becomes degraded and the cost of the degradation is incurred by all users; unless environmental costs are accounted for and addressed, eventually the land will be unable to support the activity
• Prevention of Tragedy of the Commons

  • cooperation
  • privatize
  • regulate
• Carbon Footprint


  Measure CO2 generated by activities
• Carbon Footprint


  • Only includes carbon emissions
  • Can be used for Carbon Credit Marketplace
  • Directly impacts climate change
• Ecological Footprint


  Measures renewable and nonrenewable resources used
• Ecological Footprint


  • Includes both carbon footprint and environmental impact
  • Use to gauge global competition
  • Directly impacts life on Earth
• Green Revolution


  Increased crop yield, improved nutrition content
• Green Revolution


  • GMO crops
  • Fertilizers and pesticides
  • Combining of small and polyculture farms with large and monocultural farms
  • Increased use of large farm equipment (mechanizzantiation)
  • Changes in irrigation from furrow/flood to sprinklers
• Pros of Green Revolution

  • Increased crop yield, improved nutrition content, More crops survive, faster growth, Higher yields, easier to harvest, Faster harvesting, More water efficient
• Cons of Green Revolution

  • Limits genetic diversity, expensive, Nutrient pollution through runoff, harm to beneficial insects, Decreased employment, decreased diversity, increased susceptibility to pests and disease, Increased use of fossil fuels, decreased air and water quality, soil erosion, More expensive, still not the most efficient, misses large areas, depletes groundwater
• Environmental Impacts of Food and Agriculture

  • Greenhouse gasses
  • Land use
  • Freshwater use
  • Water pollution
  • Biodiversity loss
• Slash and Burn


  Cutting down vegetation and burning it to clear for agriculture
• Tilling


  Mixing and breaking up soil for agriculture
• Cons of Tilling


  • Soil erosion, breaking root structure, loss of organic matter in soil, increased sediments in water
• Monocropping


  Planting only 1 type of crop, leads to a decrease in biodiversity, increases soil erosion, decreased habitat diversity
• Furrow Irrigation


  60% efficient; cheap; trench along crops
• Flood Irrigation


  50-60% efficient; cheap; disruptive; waterlog soils
• Spray Irrigation


  80-85% efficient; intermediate; groundwater pumped into spray nozzles
• Drip Irrigation


  90-95% efficient; expensive; most effective; holes in hose
• Soil Salinization


  Salts build up due to evaporation, especially when groundwater is used for irrigation
• Consequence of pest-control methods: Pests can become resistant or are artificially selected by pesticide by killing all the non-resistant pests
• GMO crops: genetic biodiversity, crops are more prone to disease and pests, no chance of a genetic mutation that will help them
• Integrated Pest Management


  A science-based approach that combines a variety of techniques by studying life cycles and how pests interact with the environment
• Integrated Pest Management


  • Biocontrol: Introducing a natural predator
  • Crop rotation: Prevents pests from becoming established since they don't always have their food source
  • Intercropping: push (pests out) and pull plants (attract natural predators)
• Benefits of Integrated Pest Management

  • Reduce the death of non-target species, no pesticides, reduce contamination of surface and groundwater
• Contour plowing


  Parallel to natural slopes, creates mini terraces, prevents runoff and soil erosion
• Terracing


  Flat platforms in soil, catch water, prevent soil erosion and runoff
• Windbreaks


  Trees and plants block wind, prevent soil erosion
• No till


  Leaving crop remains to add organic matter to the soil
• CAFO


  Animals fed grain to raise them quickly and kill them, antibiotics/growth hormones, lots of waste, GHG
• Free Range Grazing


  Graze grass and grow at a natural rate, no antibiotics, no corn
• Rational grazing


  Moving animals around to prevent overgrazing
• Aquaculture


  • Reduce risk of fishery collapse and small amounts of water, space, and fuel
  • Increase risk of disease to wild pop and invasive species into wild pop.
• Bycatch


  Unwanted species accidentally caught while fishing
• Cons of overfishing


  • Decrease biodiversity and genetic diversity
• Surface mining


  Removal of large portions of rock and soil
• Impacts of mining


  • Decrease pH of water, methane and particulate matter release
• Urbanization


  Prevents groundwater recharge because of impermeable surfaces
• Urban sprawl


  Movement of people from cities to suburban
• Urban environmental impact is lower than suburban and rural because

  • Less vehicle use/more walking and public transit
  • Smaller housing/more compact living/higher population density