Lecture 7

Question 1

What are anthropogenic changes in ecosystems?

Answer 1

Changes that occur as a result of human activity.

Question 2

What are human activities that adversely affect ecological resilience?

Answer 2

1. Reduction of biodiversity
2. Exploitation
3. Pollution
4. Land use/habitat loss
5. Anthropogenic climate change

Question 3

What is biodiversity?

Answer 3

The variety of life on earth at all its levels from genes to ecosystems, and can encompass the evolutionary, ecological, and cultural processes that sustain life.

Question 4

What are 3 types of biodiversity?

Answer 4

1. Genes - variety of genetic makeup within species
2. Species - variety of species in a given area
3. Ecosystem - variety of habitats, ecosystems and communities

Question 5

How many species are estimated to be on the earth?

Answer 5

Range from 8 - 100 million.

Question 6

How many species have been identified on the earth?

Answer 6

1.9 million.

Question 7

What makes up most of the species?

Answer 7

Insects.

Question 8

Why is biodiversity important?

Answer 8

1. Humans are dependent on the services the ecosystems provide such as water, pollination, soil, food, and medicine
2. Natural resources are woven into every aspect of our lives
3. Humans are dependent on the earth’s resources

Question 9

What is the result of loss of biodiversity in ecosystems?

Answer 9

Ecosystems are less likely to provide the resources that humans are reliant on, which causes issues.

Question 10

What is the result of extinction?

Answer 10

It may result in other species becoming extinct, as all living things are connected.

Question 11

What are two types of natural resources?

Answer 11

1. Renewable
2. Non-renewable

Question 12

What are renewable resources?

Answer 12

Resources that are inexhaustible or for which the renewal is relatively rapid.

Question 13

What are non-renewable resources?

Answer 13

Resources that are limited or regeneration involves the passage of many years.

Question 14

What are examples of natural resources that are exploited?

Answer 14

Penicillin, morphine, cancer chemotherapeutics.

Question 15

What percentage of the world’s population rely on animal or plant base materials?

Answer 15

80%

Question 16

How many essential chemicals have been identified?

Answer 16

252.

Question 17

What percentage of essential chemicals come from plants and from animals?

Answer 17

11.1% from plants and 8.7% from animals

Question 18

What is the result of a poor understanding biology and ecology?

Answer 18

Dramatic changes in the ecosystem.

Question 19

When does over-exploitation occur?

Answer 19

When the harvest rate of any given population exceeds its natural replacement rate, which can threaten essential resources for future generations.

Question 20

What are examples of industries that receive the most backlash for their impacts on the environment?

Answer 20

1. Fossil fuels - energy and fuel for warmth and transportation
2. Timber/wood - building materials for shelter
3. Fish - food for ourselves and our animals
4. Agriculture - food, clothing, textiles raw materials

Question 21

What might happen if we reach carrying capacity of earth for our species?

Answer 21

Food shortages, energy wars, civil conflict, etc.

Question 22

What percent of earth’s surface shows some form of human modification?

Answer 22

95%

Question 23

What percentage of earth’s surface bears multiple forms on human impact?

Answer 23

85%

Question 24

What are examples of land use?

Answer 24

1. Human settlement
2. Agriculture
3. Transportation
4. Mining and energy production
5. Electrical infrastructure

Question 25

What is most land use used for?

Answer 25

Agricultural purposes.

Question 26

What percentage of food produced is not eaten?

Answer 26

40%

Question 27

What is the global annual food waste?

Answer 27

1.6 billion tons

Question 28

What are 2 types of food waste?

Answer 28

1. Pre-consumer 2. Post-consumer

Question 29

What percentage of food waste is from post consumer?

Answer 29

50-60%

Question 30

What are countries have the highest food loss per capita?

Answer 30

The U.S. and Europe.

Question 31

In 2016 how many people went hungry?

Answer 31

690 million.

Question 32

What restaurant chain was discussed in class?

Answer 32

McDonalds.

Question 33

How many tons of waste and green house gas result from McDonalds?

Answer 33

1.5 million tons and 54 million metric tons of green house gas.

Question 34

What was the first restaurant to address green house gas?

Answer 34

McDonalds.

Question 35

What percentage of freshwater is lost?

Answer 35

25%

Question 36

How many barrels of oil are used to produce food that is wasted?

Answer 36

300 million barrels.

Question 37

How much money is lost as a result of food waste?

Answer 37

$250-940 billion.

Question 38

How much land is devoted to food waste?

Answer 38

5.4 million sq miles.

Question 39

How big would the country made out of land devoted to food waste be?

Answer 39

The second largest behind Russia.

Question 40

What is the largest component of American landfills and green house gas?

Answer 40

Food waste.

Question 41

What percentage of green house gas in the world comes from America?

Answer 41

6.7%, the 3rd largest emitter.

Question 42

What are good things about fossil fuels?

Answer 42

1. It is efficient 2. It is coinvent 3. It is well established (logistics/practicality)

Question 43

How are fossil fuels efficient?

Answer 43

Organic material from ancient plants and microbes are compressed and heated into dense deposits of carbon. (It reuses materials)

Question 44

How are fossil fuels convinient?

Answer 44

It is easy to collect and store.

Question 45

How are fossil fuels good logistically?

Answer 45

They have been used for the past 2 centuries and our entire lives depend on and are intertwined with energy produced by fossil fuels.

Question 46

What is bad about fossil fuels?

Answer 46

1. Produces greenhouse gas - Carbon dioxide is the most dominant greenhouse gas and the destruction of carbon sinks 2. global consumption of energy has increased 3. It is difficult to find an alternative

Question 47

What is global warming?

Answer 47

The long-term warming of the planet, which is one aspect of climate change.

Question 48

What is climate change?

Answer 48

A broad range of changes that includes shrinking glaciers, accelerating ice melt in the poles, shifts in flower/bloom times, precipitation, and wind.

Question 49

What do skeptics of climate change say?

Answer 49

1. That it's a hoax 2. That it is a very small change and is irrelevant 3. There is contradicting information 4. Mars undergoes climate change too, so it's not because of us 5. There was a warming pause in 1998

Question 50

What do supporters of climate change say?

Answer 50

1. Climate change rate is faster than in the past 2. Scientific information supports it 3. It causes extreme heat, hurricanes, etc.

Question 51

Is it a scientific fact or misleading information that "2020 was a record year for hurricanes caused by warmer oceans"

Answer 51

1. Advances in technology allow us to identify more storms 2. Global cooling in the late 1900 caused the second strongest cyclone 3. The strongest storm occurred after the cooling period and the deadliest occurred after the cooling period

Question 52

What percentage of Americans believe climate change is caused by human activity?

Answer 52

61%

Question 53

What percentage of Americans believe that climate change is caused by natural patterns?

Answer 53

28%

Question 54

What percentage of Americans believe that there is no solid evidence that climate change is occurring?

Answer 54

10%

Question 55

What faith figures have spoken about environmental awareness?

Answer 55

1. Pope Francis 2. National Council of Churches 3. Major leaders in Jewish, Muslim, and Hindu