Lecture 4 basic issues and values of environmental science

1. What are we going to learn in this lecture?
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 Facebook page link for this class
 Make-up class date, time and place
 Date and instruction for the Quiz exam -1
 Garrett Hardin’s Tragedy of the “Commons”
 The Precautionary Principle
 Video: President Obama's 2014 UN Climate
Summit Speech
Lecture 4; MrL

2. Facebook link for this section
Lecture 4; MrL
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 https://www.facebook.com/groups/71672745845716
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 Env107_sec38_fall2015

3. Make-up class
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 Date: 10/10/2015
 Time: 11am-2pm
 Place: NAC 210

4. Quiz 1: Env 107 (section 38)
DATE: 08-09-2015
TIME: NEXT CLASS TIME (PLEASE
DON’T BE LATE)
PLACE: ROOM NO. NAC 202
SYLLABUS: LEC 1-4
MARKS: 20
NO. OF QUESTIONS:
DURATION:
QUESTION TYPE:
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5. Sample questions
 Environmental Science is….?
 the surroundings or conditions in which a person, animal, or plant
lives or operates
 the interaction of the business components of the environment
 the integrated study of factors that influence the environment and
environmental systems
 All the above
 Which one is NOT true about Bangladesh
environmental issues?
 Bangladesh has experienced a stable economic growth during the
last decade that has resulted millions of people out of poverty but
there are little environmental impacts
 Poor are the most vulnerable to environmental changes
 Bangladesh has less resources in natural environment now than
pervious
 There is huge population in Bangladesh
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6. Sample questions
 By 2025 what percentage of world population will
live in urban areas?
1) 40 %
2) 50 %
3) 67 %
4) 75 %
 At the global scale, scientific data now indicates that
humans are living …………the carrying capacity of
planet Earth
a) beyond
b) less than
c) equal to
d) similar to
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7.  Please let others (who are absent) know about the
exams.
 My expectation:
Anything more to know about
Quiz 1?
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8. Garrett Hardin’s Tragedy
of the “Commons”
"Commons" means atmosphere, oceans, rivers, fish
stocks, the office refrigerator, or any other shared
resource which is not formally regulated.
The tragedy of the commons is an economic theory
by Garrett Hardin, which states that individuals
acting independently and rationally according
to each's self-interest behave contrary to the
best interests of the whole group by depleting
some common resource.
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9. 1. Congestion caused by driving cars. There
are many negative externalities of driving;
these include pollution, carbon emissions,
and traffic accidents.
2. Uncontrolled human population growth
leading to overpopulation which has many
negative effects.
Garrett Hardin’s Tragedy of the Commons…
Examples
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3. Collecting honey, firewood etc. is
damaging form the Sundarbans

10. What are the Solutions?
• Voluntary organization to enforce responsible
use?
• Governmental regulations?
• Declaration of World heritage sites?
• Solving commons problems involves two distinct
elements: Restricting access, and Creating
incentives
Garrett Hardin’s Tragedy of the Commons…
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11. The Precautionary Principle
 The “precautionary principle” or “precautionary
approach” – is a response to uncertainty, in the face
of risks to health or the environment.
 It involves acting to avoid serious or irreversible
potential harm, despite lack of scientific certainty as to
the likelihood, magnitude, or causation of that harm.
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12. Video
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 President Obama's 2014 UN Climate Summit Speech
 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oWrzXp2uJRM
 Previously we watched a developing
country’s (Bangladesh) environmental
issues.
 Now is about a Developed country’s (USA)
environmental (climate change issue)
 Now your task: What are the climate
change related issues in Obama’s speech?
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13. Climate change issues in Obama’s speech
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 Climate change is an urgent threat of the century
 Climate change is not now a future threat it is a present threat
 More climate change globally and in USA
 More extreme weather events, more flooding in Miami, more wild fire in the west,
drought in farms, hurricane, hardest summer in New York, but global carbon
emission is on a rise. So the climate is changing faster.
 How to address the climate change?
 Need to adapt to climate change as we cannot avoid
 Reduction of greenhouse gas emission
 USA and China are the two major carbon polluters – they have agreed to reduce
carbon emission
 USA has reduced its emission level compare to 2005 and will reduce more in
future
 USA uses more clean energy now
 All the country need to play their part to reduce carbon emission
 Developing country would also need to play the role
 USA will provide technology to developing country to combat climate change
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14. References for today’s lecture
 BOTKIN, D. B. & KELLER, E.A. 2011.
ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE: EARTH AS A
LIVING PLANET. JOHN WILEY & SONS, INC.
 If you don’t find in this book read directly from the
class note.
 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tragedy_of_the_com
mons
 President Obama's 2014 UN Climate Summit Speech
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oWrzXp2uJRM
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15. Any
question?
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