- Average person in this room using quadruple the amount of resources available on earth
- irresponsible usage of resources has led to imbalance
- Recent studies suggest that the average Canadian lifestyle, if adopted by all, would require 8 earths to sustain life
- shows the environment deficit; demand for resources exceeds supply
- Human Impact on Nature (energy use, emissions, deforestation, etc.)
- How Nature Impacts Humans (diseases, climate change, etc.)
- Church's Position (Stewardship)
- How You Can Help!
Human Impact
On Nature
Effects?
There are many negative effects on the environment:
- Loss of habitat for millions of species
- Drives Climate change
- Forest soils moist, but w/o protection from trees, quickly dry out
- Trees block sun's rays during the day & hold in heat at night, disruption = extreme temperature swings.
- Trees absord greenhouse gases. Fewer forests = more greenhouse gases in atmosphere
Amazon Rainforest
*Largest rainforest in the world
*Environment would drastically change if were destroyed
- Absorbs carbon dioxide; large factor of preventing global warming
- Clear cutting results in the extinction of many species
- Rate of our destruction does not allow soil to replenish its nutrients
- Destruction would result in: widespread floods, massive climate change & vast resources lost
- Enteric fermentation in cattle, sheep, water buffalo, etc. produces Methane
- Nitric acid-based and ammonium-based fertilizers produce Carbon Dioxide and Nitrous Oxide
- Animal manure also linked to the production of all 3 green house gases
- Pesticides pollute air, water and soil, and are linked to health issue and death in animals (including humans)
- Solar radiation passes through the atmosphere (light waves)
- Some radiation is absorbed by the Earth for warmth
- Some energy is radiated back into space in infrared waves, some of which are trapped by the atmosphere to maintain the Earth's temperature
- Greenhouse gases thicken the atmosphere's layer, trapping excessive amounts of heat
- Erosion
- Formation of skinkholes
- Loss of biodiversity
- Contamination of soil, groundwater and surface water
- Logging in some cases
- Coal fires producing massive amounts of CO2
- Large amounts of waste called tailing produced
Nuclear Power is the use of sustained nuclear fission to generate heat and electricity
- Provides 6% of world's total energy
- Hardly any CO2 emissions
Chernobyl disaster (Ukraine, 1986)
- An explosion and fire released large quantities of radioactive contamination into the atmosphere
- 400x more radioactive material was released than had been by the atomic bombing of Hiroshima
- An estimated 200 000 cancer deaths among humans
- Mutation in both human and other animals increased following the disaster
- "The Red Forest"
- The amount of oil spilled could fill 125 Olympic-sized swimming pools.
- 1,300 miles of coastline were hit by the oil spill.
- The cleanup required about 10,000 workers, 1,000 boats and roughly 100 airplanes and helicopters.
- The spill caused over $300 million of economic damage to more than 32 thousand people whose livelihood is commercial fishing.
How Nature
Impacts Humans
CANCER
- Some claim it to be mad-made disease
- it is the leading cause of death worldwide
- caused by man-made environmental factors such as pollution:
- Emissions are released into the atmosphere that we breath in
- can accumulate within different vital organs, disrupting the natural processes
- UV Rays: amount of UV light today is higher compared to 50 years ago
- caused by the depliction of ozone layer, allowing more sunlight through
- exposure causes humans to become more susceptible to skin cancer
- Other factors: diet, exposure to asbestos and benzene, coal gasification
OBESITY
- Most of the food we eat has been genetically modified in some way
- Food modified in labs to enhance desired traits such as size, taste, and pest resistance
- Size: modern day food is larger & grows faster, but the nutritional content is lower
- body sends "cravings" to induce person to get more nutrition, causes person to overeat
- Taste: Fruits, vegetables and grains engineered to taste sweeter by increasing the sugar content
- Pest Resistance: chemicals sprayed/injected in crops to avoid pests
- chemicals poisoning water supplies & build up in our systems
- scientists not fully sure of health hazards
- Animals (pigs, cows, chickens) injected with growth hormones to increase weight (more meat)
ACID RAIN
- rain made acetic by certain pollutants in air
- caused by chemical reaction when sulfur dioxide & nitrogen oxides release into air
- burning of fossil fuels
- higher acid rain level, increased illness & premature death from heat & lung disorders
EARTHQUAKES
- Occur by the thousands everyday around the world
- Caused by collision of tectonic plates. immense stress is built up releasing massive vibrations
- Magnitude of 8 strike somewhere & kill 10 000 annually.
- Humans can affect activity of earthquakes by drilling into the earth's crust to extract minerals and other resources.
TORNADOES
- Vertical funnels of rapidly spinning air
- Occur around the world, but USA is major hotspot - thousands every year
- Formed using warm, moist air & cool, dry air. When 2 air masses meet, creates instability in atmosphere.
- Human Activity: potential link b/w tornadoes & man-made climate change
- Though researchers unsure if there is a link, important to note Us tornado activity increased over decades.
FLOODS
- Occur when water overflows on land that's dry (streams overflow banks)
- Human Activity: global warming had impact on ice caps of mountains.
- Melting = rise in sea level = floods
- Clear cutting: removal of vegetation in large quantities = greater change of floods.
- Man's responsibility (management, care, protection)
- Respect for creation
- Peace with nature
"Then God said 'let us make man in our image, in our likeness, and let them rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air, over the livestock, over all the earth, and over all the creatures that move along the ground." (Genesis 1:26)
"The land must not be sold permanently, because the land is mine and you are but aliens and my tenants. Throughout the country that you hold as a possession, you must provide for the redemption of the land." (Leviticus 25:23-24)
- We agree with the Church's peaceful sentiments about the environment (Creation)
- The environment, secular or sacred, deserves respect and attention
- The idea of stewardship should be adopted by all
- There is a cyclical relationship between man and earth (interdependence)
- "Treat the earth well: We do not inherit the Earth from our ancestors, we borrow i form our children." - Ancient Native Proverbs
Do you think of the Environment as something religious ("Creation") or secular (political, removed from religion)? Is one better than the other?
What is one of the largest
nuclear explosions in history?
What are the 3 main
Greenhouse Gases?
What are 3 (out of 5) environmental
factors that cause cancer?
Name the 2 modern popes who have
actively spoken about the environment
Name the 2
types of mining
Name 3 major reasons for
the genetic modification of food
What are 2 negative effects
of oil spills on birds?
How do trees help to stop
the progression of Global Warming
What is one word that sums up
the Catholic Church's position on the environment?
The Environment
By Mariya & Sarah
Sustainable/Alternative Movements
- Renewable energy sources (wind, solar hydro)
- Sustainable/organic farming
- Vegetarianism/Veganism
- Restrictions/legislation
*Major changes can only be made through major action.
Living Sustainably
Discussion
Do you think the problems discussed are our fault, or the result of natural processes? Is our moral duty to 'fix' these problems?
Water:
- Take showers instead of baths (if you already take showers, shorten them)
- Don't brush your teeth or shave while the water is running
- If you have a lawn, water early in the day or late in the evening, if possible
Agriculture/Food:
- Grow some of your own food
- Buy organic
- Cook at night or outside (to keep house cool)
- Keep water in the refrigerator (so you don't have to trun the faucet for cold water)
- Reduce your meat consumption
- Help non-profit organizations plant trees
- Support local farmers
Trivia
Trees
Transportation:
- Ride your bike or walk
- Take the bus, or carpool
- Drive an energy efficient vehicle
- Keep your car tuned and tire pressure at correct level
- Group your trips for the car
Personal:
- Be frugal. Use only what you need. (Buy less = produce less waste)
- Be efficient. Promote energy efficiency and use resources in your daily life efficiently
- Be a recycler. Recycle all wastes that you can and buy products from recycled materials
- Compost organic waste
- Help restore the environment, replant, and protect wetlands
- Print all assignments on both sides of the paper
Do any of these changes seem realistic?
Can you see yourself doing anything to help the environment? Is it too much to ask?
Home:
- Plant wildlife-friendly yards
- Discuss environmental ethics with you r family and friends
- Select nontoxic alternatives for cleaning products, pesticides and paints.
Energy:
- Shut off your electronics when not in use
- Draw curtains at night, use insulated curtains
- Use fluorescent bulbs wherever possible
- Dress more warmly
- Turn down thermostat on your water heater
- Install flow-reducers on faucets and shower heads
- Do only full loads of laundry
- Dry clothes on a line, outside
- Repair leaky faucets
- Only heat areas of your house that are used
- Install an automatic thermostat
The Problem
The Position of
the Catholic Church
Our Opinion
Environmental Bible Verses
Stewardship
Modern Catholic Statements about the Environment:
P.J.P. II
PEACE WITH GOD THE CREATOR, PEACE WITH ALL OF CREATION (World Peace Day, 1990)
Catechism
" God speaks to man through visible creation. The material cosmos is so presented to man's intelligence that he can read their traces of its creator. Light and darkness, wind and fire, the trees and its fruit speak of God and symbolize both greatness and his nearness." (no. 1147)
"The most profound and serious indication of the moral implications underlying the ecological problem is the lack of respect for life evident in many patterns of environmental pollution ... environmental destruction is the result of an unnatural and reductionist vision which at times leads to a genuine contempt for man."
"In God's plan man and woman have the vocation of "subduing" the earth as stewards of God. This sovereignty is not to bee an arbitrary and destructive domination." (no. 373)
Pope Benedict XVI
IF YOU WANT TO CULTIVATE PEACE, PROTECT CREATION (World Peace Day, 2010)
"The church has a responsibility towards creation, and she considers it her duty to exercise that responsibility in public life, in order to protect earth, water and air as gifts of God the Creator meant for everyone, and above all to save mankind from the danger of self-destruction."
From what you've gathered about genetic modification, do you think it is the future of the food industry or is it something we need to re-evaluate and handle with more caution?
Industrial Revolution
Results of Population Growth
- Marked major turning point in Earth's ecology & human's relationship with environment
- Began in the mid-1700s in Great Britain when machinery began to replace manual labour. Fossil fuels replaced wind, water, and wood
- Full impact not realized until use of machines to replace human labour spread to Europe and North America (1800s), "Industrialization of the world"
- Overall, society developed ability to have more things faster
- Most prolific evidence of Industrial Revolution's impact is seen in worldwide human population growth
Human population growth is permanently tied with increased use of resources
This exponential population growth has led to the exponential requirements for:
- resources
- energy
- food
- housing and land
- increase in waste by-products
Deforestation
*How we impact environment reflects how environment will have impact on us
* A delicate + vicious cycle that needs to be balanced
* One seemingly insignificant impact we make can have a huge effect on cycle, causing extreme imbalance
Natural Disasters
Diseases
Nuclear Power
Accidents
Energy Consumption
- Oil: 33% - 156 EJ
- Coal: 27% - 128 EJ
- Gas: 21% - 100 EJ
- Nuclear: 6% - 28 EJ
- Hydro: 2% - 10 EJ
- Renewable Energy: 11% - 52 EJ
Amount of Consumption
- More than half of the energy used in history has been consumed in the last 2 decades
- worldwide energy consumption is proportionate to world population
- in 2008, total worldwide energy consumption was 474 exajoules
Oil Spills
"Greenhouse Gases":
Mining
- Carbon dioxide (77%), created primarily through energy production (electricity & heat, transportation industry)
- Methane (14%), produced mostly by agriculture and waste
- Mitrous Oxide (8%), expelled from agriculture
Mining is the extraction of
valuable minerals or other geological
materials from the Earth.
Types:
- Surface Mining
- Much more common
- Removal of surface vegetation, dirt, and if necessary, layers of bedrock in order to reach buried ore deposits
- Sub-surface Mining
- Digging tunnels or shafts into the earth to reach buried ore deposits
Effects of Oil on:
Environmental Effects
Birds: impairs ability to fly, many ingest oil, reduces insulation
Mammals: reduces insulation, poisonous, damages eyes
Fish: can suffocate, destroys surrounding environment
Agriculture and Climate Change
The "Greenhouse Effect"
A Dramatic Rise in CO2 Levels:
photo credit Nasa / Goddard Space Flight Center / Reto Stöckli