Sustainable Energy

3. Evaluate sustainability as an approach to addressing global social problems. 3.1 Discuss sustainable solutions to reduce carbon emissions.

4. Investigate the relationship between the natural environment and humans.

4.1 Investigate one’s own environmental impact on the earth with a carbon footprint calculator.

Course/Unit Learning Outcomes

Learning Activity

3.1

Unit Lesson Videos in Unit Lesson and Required Unit Resources Chapter 12 Unit IV Assignment

4.1

Unit Lesson Videos in Unit Lesson and Required Unit Resources Chapter 12 Unit IV Assignment

Required Unit Resources Chapter 12: Environmental Challenges In order to access the following resource, click the link below. The transcript for this video can be found by clicking the “Transcript” tab to the right of the video in the Films on Demand database. Cerebellum Corporation (Producer). (2013). Towards the great extinction (Segment 5 of 7) [Video]. In Beings

and biodiversity. Films on Demand. https://libraryresources.columbiasouthern.edu/login?auth=CAS&url=http://fod.infobase.com/PortalPla ylists.aspx?wID=273866&xtid=155030&loid=518646

Unit Lesson This unit’s lesson is about the environmental challenges that have developed due to human activity. Before discussing the concepts presented in Chapter 12 on environmental challenges, let’s review what we learned in Chapter 1 of the Greiner (2018) textbook about the relationship between humans and the environment. Chapter 1 talked about human ecology, a subfield of human geography that studies the give and take relationship between human culture and the environment. Several theories of human ecology were given in Chapter 1. The most current and most supported theory regarding the human-environment relationship is Earth as a dynamic, integrated system. In other words, the relationship between humans and the environment is ever-changing and deeply connected. The drastic modification of the Earth by humans does indeed impact the environment, which in turn impacts humans. The terms Anthropocene and sustainability were also introduced in Unit I. Anthropocene is the name given to this time in history where our human activity has greatly altered the Earth. Sustainability refers to finding a way for humans to exist on Earth that has minimal impact and even helps reverse some of the damage done.

UNIT IV STUDY GUIDE

The Relationship Between Humans and the Environment

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SOC 2010, Cultural Geography 2

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Earth’s Natural Resources Cultural geographers help research and explain how environmental issues are impacting humans, plants, animals, landscapes, and the overall health of the planet. These environmental issues are complex. They are impacted by globalization, politics, economics, and cultural practices. One of the biggest environmental concerns is the depletion of natural resources. Natural resources can be categorized as renewable or nonrenewable: renewable being resources that humans can pretty easily replenish and non-renewable being finite in quantity, a resource that cannot be easily replenished (Greiner, 2018). Greiner (2018) attached the concept of economic depletion to non-renewable resources, stating that when 80% of a non-renewable resource is used up, it becomes economically more expensive to keep extracting that resource, so there is a switch to a new one. Non-renewable resources to this point in history typically are never fully depleted. Even if a resource is renewable, it does not mean there is an endless supply. Renewable resources have what is called a maximum sustainable yield. This is the point at which overuse makes it hard to replenish the supply of that natural resource (Greiner, 2018). If a natural resource is overused and not easily replenished, it can cause environmental degradation. This refers to the harming of one or more of the physical aspects of the Earth. Examples of this would be deforestation. Other forms of environmental degradation occur due to pollution or human activity damaging biodiversity. Watch this short video clip on the causes of global deforestation and the impact. The transcript for this video can be found by clicking the “Transcript” tab to the right of the video in the Films on Demand database. Cerebellum Corporation (Producer). (2013). Deforestation (Segment 3 of 5) [Video]. In Forests. Films on

Demand. https://libraryresources.columbiasouthern.edu/login?auth=CAS&url=http://fod.infobase.com/PortalPla ylists.aspx?wID=273866&xtid=155032&loid=518657

Nonrenewable Energy Sources: Coal, Gas, Oil, and Nuclear Humans power the world with mainly nonrenewable energy sources (fossil fuels and uranium). Fossil fuels are oil, coal, and natural gas. The chart in our textbook on page 330 shows that almost 90% of energy consumed comes from fossil fuels (Greiner, 2018). The use and regulation of fossil fuels is a controversial topic. Beside fossil fuels, the other nonrenewable energy source is nuclear energy, which is powered with uranium. Greiner (2018) notes that only about four percent of the world’s power comes from nuclear energy and that nuclear power plants are found mainly in industrialized areas. This is because nuclear power plants are costly and require specialized knowledge to operate and a special support infrastructure (Greiner, 2018). Besides being costly to start up and requiring specialized knowledge to produce, other disadvantages to nuclear energy are the risk of a nuclear accident leaking radiation and the radioactive waste created by using nuclear power. There are a few advantages to nuclear energy. Only a small amount of a natural resource (uranium) is needed to generate a lot of power. Also, nuclear energy is a pretty clean energy source and exudes low levels of pollutants and carbon monoxide emissions (Greiner, 2018).

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SOC 2010, Cultural Geography 3

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Renewable Energy Sources

There are several types of renewable (alternative) energy sources. They include biomass, hydropower, solar, wind, and geothermal. See the chart below describing some of the facts, advantages, and disadvantages of these renewable resources. What renewable energy sources do you think are most viable in the United States and globally?

Alternative Energy Facts Advantages Disadvantages

Biomass is energy derived from plant matter or animal waste. Wood, corn stalks, and cow manure are a few examples.

Biomass is the most used alternative energy worldwide. About 3 billion people (mainly in developing nations) use biomass for cooking.

There are an abundant amount of biomass sources available worldwide. In most cases, it is easy and cost effective to use (Greiner, 2018).

Biomass depletes local forest reserves, and it can be labor intensive. Biomass can also cause indoor pollution when used for cooking or heating.

Hydropower is the conversion of energy from flowing water into electric power.

Globally, less than a third of hydropower resources have been accessed.

Hydropower is a clean, nonpolluting energy. It can be utilized in rural and developing regions with water sources.

Dams used as part of the hydropower plant can negatively impact local ecosystems (Greiner, 2018).

Solar energy is passive and active harnessing of energy from the sun.

Solar energy adoption has been more rapid in the past few years mainly due to use of photovoltaic (PV) cells (Greiner, 2018).

Solar is becoming cheaper to use, and solar technology is improving, which makes it more user-friendly today.

Technological and economical barriers are still a negative for solar. Another negative is that it is not as effective in areas that do not get a lot of natural sunlight.

Wind energy converts air motion to energy through use of wind turbines.

This form of energy is minimally used as a form of power.

Wind energy is a clean energy that does not emit pollutants. It is cost effective and sustainable.

A few negatives include that a windy location is needed, possible sight pollution, possible sound pollution, and it may not be the best use of certain land areas.

What do you think are the positives and negatives surrounding fossil fuels and nuclear energy?

How do we balance the benefits and risks?

SOC 2010, Cultural Geography 4

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Geothermal is heat generated from pressure and elements in the Earth’s core.

This energy is created when deep wells are dug to access heated groundwater. It can be used as hot water or converted to steam as a heat source.

Geothermal is good for places with geological formations that make it easier to access. Geothermal units can be installed in homes and businesses. These units draw heat from below the frost line.

Geothermal is limited to areas where it is easy and affordable to tap into the Earth. Drilling is needed to access geothermal heat source (Greiner, 2018).

Common Property Resources and Environmental Degradation Greiner (2018) defines common property resources as “natural resources, equipment, or facilities that are shared by a well-defined community of users” (p. 328). These can include things like common forests, pastures, and fishing grounds. An environmental issue arising from this is that some or many overuse or harm the common property, which in return has a devastating impact on the whole local community. It is vital that communities draw on both their traditional knowledge and modern sustainability techniques to care for their common property. Global Environmental Change How has human activity impacted the Earth? Human activity has increased the greenhouse gases in the atmosphere, which in turn makes the globe warmer and warmer. Carbon dioxide (CO2 ) gases from burning fossil fuels, methane from animal waste, and nitrous oxide from fertilizers are the biggest contributors to the increase in greenhouse gases. Greiner (2018) defines global warming as “a rise in global temperatures primarily attributed to human activities that have increased concentrations of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere” (p. 344). People often think of the impact of fossil fuels, but, many times, they do not think about the big impact of methane gas. Thirty percent of the production of methane gas comes from livestock. While global warming is a debated topic, most scientists agree that our human activity is adding to global warming. The year-over-year increase in global temperatures has caused rising sea levels, melting of snow and ice caps, and has altered ecosystems (Greiner, 2018). Other forms of human activity like deforestation and overusing land impact the climate and the ecosystem. There has been a global effort to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and to reduce deforestation and land degradation. “In a landmark development in 2015, representatives from 195 countries adopted the Paris Agreement, an international plan to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in order to minimize the impact of climate change” (Greiner, 2018 p. 348). The amount of CO2 emitted by human activity is often referred to as a carbon footprint (Greiner, 2018). Clean energy, sustainable agriculture, and other sustainable living and business practices can be used to reduce CO2 emissions. Watch this short video segment on how environmental sustainability has economic benefit. The segment includes the example of Toyota embracing sustainable practices. The transcript for this video can be found by clicking the “Transcript” tab to the right of the video in the Films on Demand database. Video Education America (Producer). (2009). Sustainability: Good for business (Segment 1 of 7) [Video]. In

Environmental sustainability in business: Case studies. Films on Demand. https://libraryresources.columbiasouthern.edu/login?auth=CAS&url=http://fod.infobase.com/PortalPla ylists.aspx?wID=273866&xtid=42214&loid=91589

Think about your role, the nation’s role, and the need of international cooperation to address the growing demands being placed on the Earth’s resources. What do you think? Is there a need to implement more sustainable measures locally, nationally, and globally? What measures are needed? How should they be implemented?

Reference Greiner, A. L. (2018). Visualizing human geography: At home in a diverse world (3rd ed.). Wiley.

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SOC 2010, Cultural Geography 5

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Suggested Unit Resources In order to access the following resources, click the links below. The transcript for each video can be found by clicking the “Transcript” tab to the right of the video in the Films on Demand database. This documentary discusses air pollution problems around the globe and how to address them. ARTE France (Producer). (2015). Environmental threat (Segment 1 of 17) [Video]. In Unbreathable: Cities on

the verge of asphyxiation. Films on Demand. https://libraryresources.columbiasouthern.edu/login?auth=CAS&url=http://fod.infobase.com/PortalPla ylists.aspx?wID=273866&xtid=114903&loid=419121

The following video segment presents information about how businesses are reducing their carbon footprint and how they are using innovate techniques and ideas to be more sustainable. Video Education America (Producer). (2009). Reduction of carbon footprint (Segment 3 of 7) [Video]. In

Environmental sustainability in business: Case studies. Films on Demand. https://libraryresources.columbiasouthern.edu/login?auth=CAS&url=http://fod.infobase.com/PortalPla ylists.aspx?wID=273866&xtid=42214&loid=91591

Learning Activities (Nongraded) Nongraded Learning Activities are provided to aid students in their course of study. You do not have to submit them. If you have questions, contact your instructor for further guidance and informatio