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Society, Economy, and the Environment

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• Unit 1
• Unit 2
• Unit 3
• Unit 4
• Unit 5
• Unit 6
• Unit 7
• Unit 8
• Unit 9
• Unit 10
• Final Exam
• All Units

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Unit 1: Introduction to Complex Systems Theory  

Many of the crises and catastrophes that human societies have faced have seemed catastrophic, because humans typically assume that systems are simple and change in gradual, linear ways.  Instead, most systems are actually complex, and nonlinear relationships and changes are far more common.  Many scientific disciplines now use complex systems theory to better understand dynamic systems (those that undergo change constantly).  Complex systems theory, or the study of systems that are characterized by nonlinear changes over time, has been especially important to the study of coupled society-environment systems.  This theory has provided a foundation for the resilience concept for ecosystems and the development, maturity, collapse, and reorganization of coupled society-environment systems.

This unit will provide you with a basic background in complex systems theory, including definitions for common terminology, descriptions of the underlying system behaviors, and how this approach allows for system prediction and measurement, including the measurement of risk of catastrophe or collapse.

Unit 1 Time Advisory   show close


Unit 1 Learning Outcomes   show close


1.1 Complex Systems Theory  

1.1.1 Complex Systems  

• Reading: The Novel Research Institute: “Complex Systems Theory: Complexity, Emergent Systems, and Complex Biological Systems”

  Link: The Novel Research Institute:  “Complex Systems Theory: Complexity, Emergent Systems, and Complex Biological Systems” (PDF)
  
  Instructions: Please click on the above link and read pages 2-11 and 19-23 for an introduction to definitions, terms, and categories of complex systems.
  
  Reading this article and taking notes should take approximately 1 hour.
  
  Terms of Use: Please respect the copyright and terms of use displayed on the webpage above.

  See a broken link? Please let us know!

1.1.2 Self-Organization, Feedbacks, and Attractors  

• Reading: Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society of London: DJT Sumpter’s “The Principles of Collective Animal Behavior”

  Link: Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society of London: DJT Sumpter’s “The Principles of Collective Animal Behavior” (HTML)
  
  Instructions: Please click on the above link and either read this paper.  You can download the full text as PDF or HTML on the right side of the page.  Sumpter defines self-organization and explains the development of self-organization theory.  He then describes self-organized behavior in many different animal and human systems that are driven by individual behavior.  He also explains the importance of collective behavior, and the influence of complexity on self-organization at both the individual and collective scale.
  
  Reading this article and taking notes should take approximately 1 hour.
  
  Terms of Use: Please respect the copyright and terms of use displayed on the webpage above.

  See a broken link? Please let us know!

• Reading: Massachusetts Institute of Technology: Evelyn Fox Keller’s “Organisms, Machines, and Thunderstorms: A History of Self-Organization, Part Two. Complexity, Emergence, and Stable Attractors”

  Link: Massachusetts Institute of Technology: Evelyn Fox Keller’s “Organisms, Machines, and Thunderstorms: A History of Self-Organization, Part Two. Complexity, Emergence, and Stable Attractors” (PDF)
  
  Instructions: Please click on the above link and select the “Downloadable Full Text” link at the bottom of the webpage to access the PDF.  You may skim the historical material up to the “Reflections” section on page 22.  From the “Reflections” section onward, please read carefully and take notes.  Here, Keller describes how self-organization theory has been used in modern times to identify feedbacks and attractors in a variety of natural and human systems.
  
  Reading this article should take approximately 1 hour.
  
  Terms of Use: Please respect the copyright and terms of use displayed on the webpage above.

  See a broken link? Please let us know!

1.1.3 Catastrophe Theory and Thresholds  

• Reading: Ecology and Society: David Briske et al.’s “Catastrophic Thresholds: A Synthesis of Concepts, Perspectives, and Applications”

  Link: Ecology and Society: David Briske et al.’s “Catastrophic Thresholds: A Synthesis of Concepts, Perspectives, and Applications” (HTML or PDF)
  
  Instructions: Please click on the above link and read this paper.  You can click on the “Go to the PDF version of this article” link to access the PDF.  This paper describes how ecosystems cross thresholds (often interpreted by observers as catastrophes) into new regimes.  Understanding this behavior and learning how to identify thresholds can help improve ecosystem management.
  
  Reading this article and taking notes should take approximately 45 minutes.
  
  Terms of Use: Please respect the copyright and terms of use displayed on the webpage above.

  See a broken link? Please let us know!

1.2 Resilience  

1.2.1 Definition and Models  

• Lecture: University of Oxford: Carl Folke’s “Environmental Governance and Resilience: Resilience and Social-Ecological Systems”

  Link: University of Oxford: Carl Folke’s “Environmental Governance and Resilience: Resilience and Social-Ecological Systems”  (MP3)
  
  Instructions: Please click on the above link and either play the file in your browser or download it.  Carl Folke is a very prolific researcher in the area of resilience.  In this talk, he provides an excellent background of resilience and how it can be applied to manage linked human-environment systems more sustainably.
  
  Listening to this lecture and taking notes should take approximately 1 hour.
  
  Terms of Use: Please respect the copyright and terms of use displayed on the webpage above.

  See a broken link? Please let us know!

• Lecture: Delft University: Mark de Bruijne’s “What Exactly Is Resilience? Exploring the Concept and Its Use for Agent Based Modeling”

  Link: Delft University: Mark de Bruijne’s “What Exactly Is Resilience? Exploring the Concept and Its Use for Agent Based Modeling” (Silverlight)
  
  Instructions: Please click on the above link and watch this lecture about the meaning of resilience, how it compares to robustness (another word commonly used to describe systems), and how resilience can be modeled using simulations generated by agent-based models.
  
  Watching this lecture and taking notes should take approximately 1 hour.
  
  Terms of Use: Please respect the copyright and terms of use displayed on the webpage above.

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1.2.2 Measures and Indicators  

• Reading: Ecology and Society: Joshua Cabell and Myles Oelofse’s “An Indicator Framework for Assessing Agroecosystem Resilience”

  Link: Ecology and Society: Joshua Cabell and Myles Oelofse’s “An Indicator Framework for Assessing Agroecosystem Resilience” (HTML or PDF)
  
  Instructions: Please click on the above link and read this paper.  You can also click on the “PDF Version” link on the right side to access a PDF version.  Cabell and Oelofse outline how resilience might be measured for a coupled human-environment system such as an agricultural system.
  
  Reading this article and taking notes should take approximately 45 minutes.
  
  Terms of Use: Please respect the copyright and terms of use displayed on the webpage above.

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1.2.3 Example: Case Study  

• Reading: Ecology and Society: JoséGonzález et al.’s “Rethinking the Galapagos Islands as a Complex Social-Ecological System: Implications for Conservation and Management”

  Link: Ecology and Society: JoséGonzález et al.’s “Rethinking the Galapagos Islands as a Complex Social-Ecological System: Implications for Conservation and Management” (HTML or PDF)
  
  Instructions: Please click on the above link and read this paper.  You can click on the “PDF Version” link on the top to access a PDF version.  González et al. describe the impact that tourism and other industries have had on the ecosystems on the Galapagos as well as how the degraded systems feed back to concomitantly reduce the resilience of the human communities on the islands.  The authors argue that using a perspective based on resilience will help manage the islands more sustainably.
  
  Reading this article and taking notes should take approximately 1 hour.
  
  Terms of Use: Please respect the copyright and terms of use displayed on the webpage above.

  See a broken link? Please let us know!

1.3 Panarchy Theory  

• Reading: The Worldwatch Institute: Thomas Homer-Dixon’s “Our Panarchic Future”

  Link: The Worldwatch Institute: Thomas Homer-Dixon’s “Our Panarchic Future” (HTML)
  
  Instructions: Please click on the above link and read about the history of the Panarchy Theory and its application to current human societies.  You can find “Figure 8” on Resilience Alliance’s “Panarchy” webpage (HTML).
  
  Reading this article and taking notes should take approximately 15 minutes.
  
  Terms of Use: Please respect the copyright and terms of use displayed on the webpage above.

  See a broken link? Please let us know!

• Reading: Ecology and Society: Nicholas Gotts’s “Resilience, Panarchy, and World-Systems Analysis”

  Link: Ecology and Society: Nicholas Gotts’s “Resilience, Panarchy, and World-Systems Analysis” (HTML or PDF)
  
  Instructions: Please click on the above link and read this paper.  You can click on the top link to access a PDF version.  Gotts uses panarchy theory to describe social and political cycles that occur at the global scale.  He also discusses some of the shortcomings of this approach.
  
  Reading this article and taking notes should take approximately 45 minutes.
  
  Terms of Use: Please respect the copyright and terms of use displayed on the webpage above.

  See a broken link? Please let us know!

Unit 2: Societal Collapse  

In 1988, the anthropologist Dr. Joseph Tainter published his book, The Collapse of Complex Societies, which described de-evolution of ancient societies, such as the Maya, Chaco, and Roman empires, in the presence of climate change and resource depletion.  Dr. Tainter realized that the response of these societies to these environmental challenges was to increase societal complexity, establishing a positive feedback between complexity and resource consumption that ultimately led to the society’s demise.  In 2004, Dr. Jared Diamond’s book, Collapse: How Societies Choose to Succeed or Fail, furthered this line of inquiry, identifying historical and modern-day cases in which societal responses to environmental pressures either increased their resilience by adapting the society to operate within new environmental limits, or decreased their resilience by further degrading the environment and resource base.  These two works spawned a large field of research into societal resilience and collapse, for which complex systems theory has been a very helpful framework.  State failure (the collapse of governments in modern nation-states) is the current-day counterpart to the societal collapse literature.  While studies of past societal collapses can give us insight into the large-scale drivers of collapse, case studies of currently failed states provide much richer detail as to how central governments lose control over their territory, and how difficult it can be to pull a society out of a failed state.  From this small-scale perspective, state collapse is often the consequence of a collection of poorly made decisions by leaders; this observation was also made by both Tainter and Diamond working at a larger scale as a society’s response to stresses.  For some scholars, a failed state is the last step before a society completely collapses.

This unit will familiarize you with the terminology and concepts in the societal collapse research area.  This unit will demonstrate how this work helps to inform current decision-makers at local, regional, and global scales about ways to increase the resilience of their societies.

Unit 2 Time Advisory   show close


Unit 2 Learning Outcomes   show close


2.1 Societal Collapse and State Failure  

2.1.1 Past Societal Collapses  

• Lecture: TED Talks: Professor Jared Diamond’s “Why Societies Collapse”

  Link: TED Talks: Professor Jared Diamond’s “Why Societies Collapse” (Flash)
  
  Instructions: Please click on the above link and watch Jared Diamond’s TED Talk.  In this lecture, he describes the five main factors of collapse of human societies and provides examples from past societies and how these societies were unable to avoid collapse.
  
  Watching this lecture and taking notes should take approximately 30 minutes.
  
  Terms of Use: Please respect the copyright and terms of use displayed on the webpage above.

  See a broken link? Please let us know!

2.1.2 Modern-Day Collapsed States  

• Reading: The Wilson Center: Robert Rotberg’s “Failed States, Collapsed States, and Weak States: Causes and Indicators”

  Link: The Wilson Center: Robert Rotberg’s “Failed States, Collapsed States, and Weak States: Causes and Indicators” (PDF)
  
  Instructions: Please click on the above link and then click on the link under the “Attachment” heading; this will open a PDF of the first chapter of this book.  The chapter defines the main terms used in state failure research and outlines criteria for differentiating the different stages in a collapsed state.  Please note that this was published in July 2011, so it does not discuss the Arab revolutions in countries in northern Africa and the Middle East.
  
  Reading this article and taking notes should take approximately 1 hour.
  
  Terms of Use: Please respect the copyright and terms of use displayed on the webpage above.

  The Saylor Foundation does not yet have materials for this portion of the course. If you are interested in contributing your content to fill this gap or aware of a resource that could be used here, please submit it here.

  Submit Materials

• Reading: Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Zurich: International Relations and Security Network Staff: “Moving towards Weak and Failed States”

  Link: Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Zurich: International Relations and Security Network Staff: “Moving towards Weak and Failed States” (HTML)
  
  Instructions: Please click on the link above and read this short news article about causes of state failure in countries in Africa.  In particular, the “resource curse” is a risk factor for state failure that is cited in many studies.  You should note that the types of resources that increase risk are those that cannot be easily used by local communities (such as water or forests), but rather those that can fetch a high price from rich countries (e.g., diamonds and other minerals) and provide cash to purchase weapons.
  
  Reading this article and taking notes should take approximately 15 minutes.
  
  Terms of Use: Please respect the copyright and terms of use displayed on the webpage above.

  See a broken link? Please let us know!

2.1.3 Controversy with Identifying Failed States and Collapsed Societies  

• Web Media: Al Jazeera: Interview with JJ Messner, Elliot Ross, and Syed Mohammad Ali: “Grading State Failure”

  Link: Al Jazeera: Interview with JJ Messner, Elliot Ross, and Syed Mohammad Ali: “Grading State Failure” (HTML and YouTube)
  
  Instructions: Please click on the above link and read the material below the video box before watching the interviews.  The charts describe the results of the yearly Failed States Index study conducted by the Fund for Peace.  The methodology that the organization uses has been accused of having a Western bias, as Western and developed countries are consistently ranked more highly than other nations.  Then, click on the play button for the video, and watch the interviews with JJ Messner, Elliot Ross, and Syed Mohammad Ali.  The interviewees provide different opinions on the utility of failed states discussions in general and the Fund for Peace’s index in particular.
  
  Reading this material and watching the interview should take approximately 45 minutes.
  
  Terms of Use: Please respect the copyright and terms of use displayed on the webpage above.

  See a broken link? Please let us know!

2.2 Case Studies  

2.2.1 Collapse: Roman Empire  

• Lecture: YouTube: Yale University: Professor Paul Freedman’s “Transformation of the Roman Empire”

  Link: YouTube: Yale University: Professor Paul Freedman’s “Transformation of the Roman Empire” (YouTube)
  
  Instructions: Please click on the above link and watch this lecture.  Professor Freedman uses the more neutral term of “transformation” than collapse or failure to describe the end of the Roman Empire.  He pursues different explanations for the transformation and whether it was sudden enough to put the Roman Empire in the same category of other catastrophic societal failures.
  
  Watching this lecture and taking notes should take approximately 1 hour.
  
  Terms of Use: Please respect the copyright and terms of use displayed on the webpage above.

  See a broken link? Please let us know!

2.2.2 Collapse: Mayan Empire  

• Reading: Pennsylvania State University: David Webster’s “The Uses and Abuses of the Ancient Maya”

  Link: Pennsylvania State University: David Webster’s “The Uses and Abuses of the Ancient Maya” (PDF)
  
  Instructions: Please click on the above link and scroll down to “Recent Publications.”  Then click on the link for the “The Uses and Abuses of Ancient Maya” article to download the PDF.  Please read the entire article, which describes what is known about the history of the Mayan Empire, including its populations, governance, resource base and technology.  The article also examines several different explanations for why the Mayan Empire collapsed, including external stresses such as regional drought and internal factors such as a lack of adaptive capacity.
  
  Reading this article and taking notes should take approximately 1 hour and 30 minutes.
  
  Terms of Use: Please respect the copyright and terms of use displayed on the webpage above.

  See a broken link? Please let us know!

2.2.3 Collapse: Easter Island  

• Reading: American Scientist: Terry Hunt’s “Rethinking the Fall of Easter Island”

  Link: American Scientist: Terry Hunt’s “Rethinking the Fall of Easter Island” (HTML)
  
  Instructions: Please click on the above link and read the entire article.  On Easter Island (“Rapa Nui,” as it is known by its inhabitants), the causes of the disappearance of the people responsible for the striking stone statues (or “moai”) scattered around the island has always been shrouded in mystery.  Hunt (an anthropologist) argues that most of the popular beliefs surrounding what happened to the society are likely mostly or totally incorrect.  Instead, he suggests that an explosion of invasive rats may have led to the rapid devegetation of the island and loss of this critical resource for the human population.
  
  Reading this article and taking notes should take approximately 30 minutes.
  
  Terms of Use: Please respect the copyright and terms of use displayed on the webpage above.

  See a broken link? Please let us know!

2.2.4 Modern Failed States  

• Web Media: Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Zurich: John Bruni’s “South Sudan: A Newly Minted Failed State?”

  Link: Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Zurich: John Bruni’s “South Sudan: A Newly Minted Failed State?” (MP4)
  
  Instructions: Please click on the above link and listen to the podcast.  John Bruni discusses the uphill battle that South Sudan faces as it emerges as an independent nation.
  
  Listening to this podcast and taking notes should take approximately 15 minutes.
  
  Terms of Use: Please respect the copyright and terms of use displayed on the webpage above.

  See a broken link? Please let us know!

• Reading: Der Spiegel: Clemens Höges’ “Inside the World’s Worst Hellhole: Somalia, the Perfect Failed State”

  Link: Der Spiegel: Clemens Höges’ “Inside the World’s Worst Hellhole: Somalia, the Perfect Failed State” (HTML)
  
  Instructions: Please click on the above link and read this article, which describes what life is like for people living in a failed state.
  
  Reading this article and taking notes should take approximately 15 minutes.
  
  Terms of Use: Please respect the copyright and terms of use displayed on the webpage above.

  See a broken link? Please let us know!

Unit 3: Anthropogenic Climate Change and Energy Resources  

Although in the past, climate change has been linked to volcanic activity, meteor collisions, and other natural phenomena, the changes occurring now are for the first time closely linked to human activities, in particular the use of fossil fuels as an energy source and land use change.  The transition from fossil fuels to renewable fuels (such as solar, wind, and biomass) will not only help human societies shift their reliance from exhaustible to renewable sources (an important task in the face of peak oil, or reaching the maximum production of oil after which production declines), but these renewable sources are also either carbon neutral or have zero carbon emissions.  Transitions from fossil fuels to renewable fuels have a cost, however, as land previously dedicated to natural habitats and agriculture will need to be converted to biomass production (or flooded) for energy generation.  These land use changes also impact carbon sequestration and albedo, two key factors in climate change.  For these reasons, current climate change and energy use are linked by the same human activities.

In this unit, you will briefly review the science behind climate change as well as renewable and nonrenewable energy resources.  You will then learn about the interconnection between climate change and energy resources.  This interconnection makes solutions for both problems difficult, particularly in the long term.

Unit 3 Time Advisory   show close


Unit 3 Learning Outcomes   show close


3.1 Climate Change  

3.1.1 Processes and Controls  

• Reading: University of Illinois: Tom Theis and Jonathan Tomkin (eds.)’s Sustainability: A Comprehensive Foundation: “Chapter 3: Climate and Global Change”

  Link: University of Illinois: Tom Theis and Jonathan Tomkin (eds.)’s Sustainability: A Comprehensive Foundation: “Chapter 3: Climate and Global Change” (HTML)
  
  Also available in:
  PDF
  ePub
  
  Instructions: Please click on the above link and read Section 3.1 (page 49 of the PDF) and Section 3.2 (pages 50–63) for an explanation of the natural processes that drive climate to remain stable, or to change from warm periods to cold periods.
  
  Reading this article and taking notes should take approximately 1 hour.
  
  Terms of Use: Please respect the copyright and terms of use displayed on the webpage above.

  See a broken link? Please let us know!

• Reading: American Natural History Museum, Center for Biodiversity and Conservation: William Schlesinger and Ryan Eick’s “The Global Carbon Cycle and Climate Change”

  Link: American Natural History Museum, Center for Biodiversity and Conservation: William Schlesinger and Ryan Eick’s “The Global Carbon Cycle and Climate Change” (DOC and PPT)
  
  Instructions: Please click on the above link and select the five links to download all materials.  You may have to register a free account by clicking the “register” link at the top of the page to download these files.  The materials will be downloaded into a zipped folder on your hard drive, so you will need to extract the files to access them.  The downloadable files include a synthesis report, a Power Point presentation, and three Exercises.  The synthesis report describes the carbon cycle and how human activities have altered the cycle to increase carbon dioxide concentrations in the atmosphere (increasing climate change).  The presentation provides an overview of the report with additional images and illustrations.  Exercises 1 and 2 provide activities related to case studies of how climate change affects single species and ecosystems.  Although answers are not provided for the discussion questions, these questions would be excellent topics for the Saylor Foundation’s discussion forum.  Exercise 3 provides an opportunity to learn and write about the standards use to estimate climate change impacts on communities and ecosystems; this exercise will not be covered in the final exam, but it may be of interest to you.
  
  Reading these materials, taking notes, and completing the exercises should take approximately 2 hours and 30 minutes.
  
  Terms of Use: Please respect the copyright and terms of use on the webpages displayed above.

  See a broken link? Please let us know!

3.1.2 Historical Climate Change  

• Reading: University of Illinois: Tom Theis and Jonathan Tomkin (eds.)’s Sustainability: A Comprehensive Foundation: “Chapter 3: Climate and Global Change”

  Link: University of Illinois: Tom Theis and Jonathan Tomkin (eds.)’s Sustainability: A Comprehensive Foundation: “Chapter 3: Climate and Global Change” (HTML)
  
  Also available in:
  PDF
  ePub
  
  Instructions: Please click on the above link and read Section 3.3 (pages 63–76 of the PDF) for a description of the climate conditions that humans experienced over their evolutionary history up until the Industrial Revolution.
  
  Reading this article and taking notes should take approximately 1 hour.
  
  Terms of Use: Please respect the copyright and terms of use displayed on the webpage above.

  See a broken link? Please let us know!

• Reading: University of Newcastle: Jan Oosthoek’s Environmental History Resources: “The Little Ice Age, Ca. 1300-1870”

  Link: University of Newcastle: Jan Oosthoek’s Environmental History Resources: “The Little Ice Age, Ca. 1300-1870” (HTML)
  
  Instructions: Please click on the above link and read this webpage.  This entry describes an extended period of global cooling and its dramatic impacts upon societies around the world.  The most severe impact was to shrink agricultural production, leading to famines and most likely prompting the establishment of new trade and human migration routes that globalized many cultures.
  
  Reading this article and taking notes should take approximately 15 minutes.
  
  Terms of Use: Please respect the copyright and terms of use displayed on the webpage above.

  See a broken link? Please let us know!

3.1.3 Climate Influenced by Human Activities  

• Reading: University of Illinois: Tom Theis and Jonathan Tomkin (eds.)’s Sustainability: A Comprehensive Foundation: “Chapter 3: Climate and Global Change”

  Link: University of Illinois: Tom Theis and Jonathan Tomkin (eds.)’s Sustainability: A Comprehensive Foundation: “Chapter 3: Climate and Global Change” (HTML)
  
  Also available in:
  PDF
  ePub
  
  Instructions: Please click on the above link and read Section 3.4 (pages 76–97 of the PDF) for a discussion of the evidence for human-induced climate change, including historical weather data and observed changes in species distributions and ecosystems.
  
  Reading this article and taking notes should take approximately 1 hour.
  
  Terms of Use: Please respect the copyright and terms of use displayed on the webpage above.

  See a broken link? Please let us know!

• Lecture: TED Talks: James Hansen’s “Why I Must Speak out about Climate Change”

  Link: TED Talks: James Hansen’s “Why I Must Speak out about Climate Change” (MP4)
  
  Instructions: Please click on the above link and watch James Hansen’s TED Talk.  He explains the greenhouse effect, how energy policy favoring fossil fuels exacerbates this effect, and what the consequences may be for future human communities in the United States.
  
  Watching this lecture and taking notes should take approximately 30 minutes.
  
  Terms of Use: Please respect the copyright and terms of use displayed on the webpage above.

  See a broken link? Please let us know!

3.1.4 Predictions for Future Climate Change  

• Reading: University of Illinois: Tom Theis and Jonathan Tomkin (eds.)’s Sustainability: A Comprehensive Foundation: “Chapter 3: Climate and Global Change”

  Link: University of Illinois: Tom Theis and Jonathan Tomkin (eds.)’s Sustainability: A Comprehensive Foundation: “Chapter 3: Climate and Global Change” (HTML)
  
  Also available in:
  PDF
  ePub
  
  Instructions: Please click on the above link and read Section 3.5 (pages 98–115 of the PDF) for illustrations of what climate change might entail in the near future (over the next 100-200 years) and how human contributions (particularly CO₂ emissions) have increased the probability of warmer temperatures.
  
  Reading this article and taking notes should take approximately 1 hour.
  
  Terms of Use: Please respect the copyright and terms of use displayed on the webpage above.

  See a broken link? Please let us know!

3.2 Energy  

3.2.1 Fossil Fuels and Peak Oil  

• Reading: University of Illinois: Tom Theis and Jonathan Tomkin (eds.)’s Sustainability: A Comprehensive Foundation: “Chapter 8: Sustainable Energy Systems”

  Link: University of Illinois: Tom Theis and Jonathan Tomkin (eds.)’s Sustainability: A Comprehensive Foundation: “Chapter 8: Sustainable Energy Systems” (PDF)
  
  Also available in:
  PDF
  ePub
  
  Instructions: Please click on the above link and read Section 8.1 (pages 303–308 of the PDF) and Sections 8.2.4 and 8.2.5 (pages 311–320) for a description of the historical impacts of energy use and the current status of fossil fuel availability.  More information on the ways that these different energy sources are used will be discussed in sub-subunits 3.2.4–3.2.6.
  
  Reading this article and taking notes should take approximately 45 minutes.
  
  Terms of Use: Please respect the copyright and terms of use displayed on the webpage above.

  See a broken link? Please let us know!

3.2.2 Renewable Sources  

• Reading: University of Illinois: Tom Theis and Jonathan Tomkin (eds.)’s Sustainability: A Comprehensive Foundation: “Chapter 8: Sustainable Energy Systems”

  Link: University of Illinois: Tom Theis and Jonathan Tomkin (eds.)’s Sustainability: A Comprehensive Foundation: “Chapter 8: Sustainable Energy Systems” (PDF)
  
  Also available in:
  PDF
  ePub
  
  Instructions: Please click on the above link and read Section 8.2.6.2 (pages 322–332) for a brief overview of the different kinds of renewable energy sources that are currently available.  More information on the ways that these different energy sources are used will be discussed in Sub-subunits 3.2.4–3.2.6.
  
  Reading this article and taking notes should take approximately 30 minutes.
  
  Terms of Use: Please respect the copyright and terms of use displayed on the webpage above.

  See a broken link? Please let us know!

3.2.3 Nuclear Energy  

• Reading: University of Illinois: Tom Theis and Jonathan Tomkin (eds.)’s Sustainability: A Comprehensive Foundation: “Chapter 8: Sustainable Energy Systems”

  Link: University of Illinois: Tom Theis and Jonathan Tomkin (eds.)’s Sustainability: A Comprehensive Foundation: “Chapter 8: Sustainable Energy Systems” (PDF)
  
  Also available in:
  PDF
  ePub
  
  Instructions: Please click on the above link and read Section 8.2.6.1 (pages 320–322 of the PDF) for a brief explanation of nuclear energy and its history.
  
  Reading this article and taking notes should take approximately 15 minutes.
  
  Terms of Use: Please respect the copyright and terms of use displayed on the webpage above.

  See a broken link? Please let us know!

3.2.4 Energy Sources for Electricity Generation  

• Reading: University of Illinois: Tom Theis and Jonathan Tomkin (eds.)’s Sustainability: A Comprehensive Foundation: “Chapter 8: Sustainable Energy Systems”

  Link: University of Illinois: Tom Theis and Jonathan Tomkin (eds.)’s Sustainability: A Comprehensive Foundation: “Chapter 8: Sustainable Energy Systems” (PDF)
  
  Also available in:
  PDF
  ePub
  
  Instructions: Please click on the above link and read Section 8.4.1 (pages 337–365 of the PDF) for an explanation of how different energy sources are converted into electricity.  This section also discusses efficiency, pollution, and safety issues.
  
  Reading this section and taking notes should take approximately 1 hour and 30 minutes.
  
  Terms of Use: Please respect the copyright and terms of use displayed on the webpage above.

  See a broken link? Please let us know!

3.2.5 Liquid Fuels  

• Reading: University of Illinois: Tom Theis and Jonathan Tomkin (eds.)’s Sustainability: A Comprehensive Foundation: “Chapter 8: Sustainable Energy Systems”

  Link: University of Illinois: Tom Theis and Jonathan Tomkin (eds.)’s Sustainability: A Comprehensive Foundation: “Chapter 8: Sustainable Energy Systems” (PDF)
  
  Also available in:
  PDF
  ePub
  
  Instructions: Please click on the above link and read Section 8.4.2 (pages 365–375 of the PDF) for an explanation of how different energy sources are converted into liquid fuels (primarily for transportation).  This section also discusses efficiency, pollution, and safety issues.
  
  Reading this article and taking notes should take approximately 30 minutes.
  
  Terms of Use: Please respect the copyright and terms of use displayed on the webpage above.

  See a broken link? Please let us know!

3.2.6 Heat Generation  

• Reading: University of Illinois: Tom Theis and Jonathan Tomkin (eds.)’s Sustainability: A Comprehensive Foundation: “Chapter 8: Sustainable Energy Systems”

  Link: University of Illinois: Tom Theis and Jonathan Tomkin (eds.)’s Sustainability: A Comprehensive Foundation: “Chapter 8: Sustainable Energy Systems” (PDF)
  
  Also available in:
  PDF
  ePub
  
  Instructions: Please click on the above link and read Section 8.4.3 (pages 375–383 of the PDF) for an explanation of how different energy sources are used to generate heat (primarily to heat buildings).  This section will also discuss efficiency, pollution, and safety issues.
  
  Reading this article and taking notes should take approximately 30 minutes.
  
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Unit 4: Food Systems  

Aside from water, food is one of the most basic and important resources for all species, humans included.  As human societies have transitioned from hunter-gatherers or nomadic livestock herders to sedentary agriculturalists, the impacts on their societal and environmental systems have changed as well.  Intense debates currently surround the sustainability of any of these systems in general and the different approaches to agriculture in particular.  While the Green Revolution used fossil fuels, chemicals, and genetically modified organisms to greatly boost yields of foodstuffs in industrial fields, the social and environmental consequences of this revolution are beginning to become apparent.

This unit will cover the impacts of these food production transitions on social and environmental systems as well as their implications for societal resilience versus collapse.  Materials will compare resilience in both historical case studies and contemporary ones and will briefly examine the Slow Food, organic, and locavore movements as potential solutions to the negative impacts of industrial agriculture.

Unit 4 Time Advisory   show close


Unit 4 Learning Outcomes   show close


4.1 Hunter-Gatherer Systems  

• Reading: Nutrition Noteworthy: Brent M. Kious’ “Hunter-Gatherer Nutrition and Its Implications for Modern Societies”

  Link: Nutrition Noteworthy: Brent M. Kious’ “Hunter-Gatherer Nutrition and Its Implications for Modern Societies” (HTML or PDF)
  
  Instructions: Please click on the above link and read this article.  You may download the article as a PDF by clicking on the “Download PDF” link.  This article provides a brief description of the diet of modern hunter-gatherer societies.  The paper also discusses the negative impacts that the diet from sedentary agricultural systems (with an emphasis on grains) has on people who originate in these systems.
  
  Reading this article and taking notes should take approximately 15 minutes.
  
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4.2 Nomadic Livestock-Based Systems  

• Reading: National Geographic Society: “Herding”

  Link: National Geographic Society: “Herding” (HTML)
  
  Instructions: Click on the link above, view the photos, and read the encyclopedia entry.  You can also click on the “Vocabulary” tab at the top of the article to see all of the words defined.  The article describes nomadic and semi-nomadic herding systems and provides many modern examples of cultures that engage in these practices.
  
  Reading this article and taking notes should take approximately 15 minutes.
  
  Terms of Use: Please respect the copyright and terms of use displayed on the webpage above.

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• Reading: Solutions: Ronnie Vernooy’s “How Mongolian Herders Are Transforming Nomadic Pastoralism”

  Link: Solutions: Ronnie Vernooy’s “How Mongolian Herders Are Transforming Nomadic Pastoralism” (HTML)
  
  Instructions: Please click on the above link and read this article, which discusses the case of livestock herding in Mongolia and its recent negative impacts on the environment (particularly the grasslands).  Much of this degradation occurred after the collapse of Soviet rule, when the traditional communal management practices were replaced with a privatized structure which led to overgrazing.  These governance changes occurred in tandem with negative impacts from climate change.  Now, local leaders are diversifying local economies and reinstating a communal management structure to try to preserve the productivity of the grasslands and the sustainability of the herding culture.
  
  Reading this article and taking notes should take approximately 15 minutes.
  
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4.3 Agricultural Movements  

4.3.1 Overview of Modern Agriculture  

• Reading: Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health: Shawn McKenzie’s “A Brief History of Agriculture and Food Production; The Rise of ‘Industrial Agriculture’”

  Link: Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health: Shawn McKenzie’s “A Brief History of Agriculture and Food Production; The Rise of ‘Industrial Agriculture’” (HTML)
  
  Instructions: Please click on the above link and scroll down to Lecture 5, “A Brief History of Agriculture and Food Production; The Rise of ‘Industrial Agriculture,’” and click on the links to the “Part A” slides and MP3.  Listen to the MP3 lecture as you follow along with the Power Point slides.  Then, do the same for Part B.  Shawn McKenzie describes the development of agriculture from early to industrial agriculture and its impacts on natural resources and the environment.
  
  Reading the slides, listening to the lecture, and taking notes will take approximately 30 minutes.
  
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4.3.2 The Green Revolution  

• Reading: Yale University: Professor Kelly Brownell’s “Lecture 9: From Ancient to Modern Farming: The Green Revolution and the Prospect of Feeding the World”

  Link: Yale University: Professor Kelly Brownell’s “Lecture 9: From Ancient to Modern Farming: The Green Revolution and the Prospect of Feeding the World” (JWPlayer)
  
  Also available in:
  Transcript (HTML)
  
  Instructions: Please click on the above link and watch this lecture.  You may also download and following along with the transcript for this lecture.  Professor Brownell discusses Thomas Malthus’ early predictions that populations will always outstrip their food supplies (leading to famine and population reductions).  In this lecture, he also addresses how the Green Revolution has forestalled Malthusian predictions but also created a lot of environmental damage in its wake.  The Green Revolution was a series of inventions and methods developed after World War II that dramatically increased agricultural productivity, including the use of synthetic fertilizers, herbicides, pesticides, and genetic modifications to crop seeds.
  
  Watching this lecture and taking notes should take approximately 1 hour.
  
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4.3.3 Organic  

• Lecture: United States Department of Agriculture, Alternative Farming Systems Information Center: Jane Gates’ “Interview with Robert Rodale”

  Link: United States Department of Agriculture, Alternative Farming Systems Information Center: Jane Gates’ “Interview with Robert Rodale” (YouTube)
  
  Instructions: Please click on the above link and watch the interview with Robert Rodale.  You may view each part of the video separately by clicking on the links provided on the webpage, or you may view all 7 parts in succession.  Robert’s father, J.I. Rodale, was a pioneer in organic farming in the United States, and his son (and now grandchildren) has continued to advance organic practices at their Rodale farms in Pennsylvania.
  
  Watching this interview and taking notes should take approximately 1 hour and 15 minutes.
  
  Terms of Use: Please respect the copyright and terms of use displayed on the webpage above.

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4.3.4 Polyculture  

• Lecture: United States Department of Agriculture, Alternative Farming Systems Information Center: Jane Gates’ “Interview with Dr. Wes Jackson”

  Link: United States Department of Agriculture, Alternative Farming Systems Information Center: Jane Gates’ “Interview with Dr. Wes Jackson” (YouTube)
  
  Instructions: Please click on the above link and watch the interview with Dr. Wes Jackson.  You may watch each part of the video separately by clicking on the links provided on the webpage, or you may watch all 5 parts in succession.  Dr. Jackson is the founder of The Land Institute, a research center in Salina, Kansas that has developed a method of crop production that mimics the native tallgrass prairies through intercropping many species of grains, herbs, forbs, and other vegetables (or polyculture).  The first 10 minutes of the first part (“Introduction, family, academic life and the founding of the Land Institute”) can be skipped if necessary.
  
  Watching this interview and taking notes should take approximately 1 hour.
  
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4.3.5 Local and Slow Food  

• Lecture: Tufts University: Carlo Petrini’s “Slow Food Tufts”

  Link: Tufts University: Carlo Petrini’s “Slow Food Tufts” (Flash)
  
  Instructions: Please click on the above link and watch this guest lecture.  Carlo Petrini is the founder of the Slow Food International group and movement.  The lecture begins with a brief film covering the 2008 Slow Food meeting in Turin, Italy and then turns to Mr. Petrini’s talk at Tufts University.
  
  Watching this lecture and taking notes should take approximately 1 hour and 30 minutes.
  
  Terms of Use: Please respect the copyright and terms of use displayed on the webpage above.

  The Saylor Foundation does not yet have materials for this portion of the course. If you are interested in contributing your content to fill this gap or aware of a resource that could be used here, please submit it here.

  Submit Materials

4.4 Impacts of Agriculture on the Environment  

• Lecture: Yale University: Professor Kelly Brownell’s “Sustainability I: The Impact of Modern Agriculture on the Environment and Energy Use”

  Link: Yale University: Professor Kelly Brownell’s “Sustainability I: The Impact of Modern Agriculture on the Environment and Energy Use” (JWPlayer)
  
  Also available in:
  Transcript (HTML)
  
  Instructions: Please click on the above link and watch this lecture.  Professor Brownell discusses the impacts that the modern industrial agricultural system has on the environment (e.g., supplies of water, land and energy supplies, etc.) and how this system contributes to climate change through the release of greenhouse gases.
  
  Watching this lecture and taking notes should take approximately 1 hour.
  
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• Reading: American Natural History Museum, Center for Biodiversity and Conservation: L. Horrigan et al.’s “Agriculture and Biodiversity”

  Link: American Natural History Museum, Center for Biodiversity and Conservation: L. Horrigan et al.’s “Agriculture and Biodiversity” (DOC and PPT)
  
  Instructions: Please click on the above link and download all of the materials.  You may have to register a free account by clicking the “register” link at the top of the page to download these files.  The materials will be downloaded into a zipped folder on your hard drive, so you will need to extract the files to see them (you may be able to right click on the folder icon and follow the extraction instructions).  Materials in the folder include two Word files (a Synthesis report, and Exercises) and a Power Point presentation that provides a review of the main points of the report.  The report reviews the resources and services that agricultural systems require from diverse ecosystems, and then describes the many negative impacts that traditional and modern agriculture can have on ecosystems.  The report also briefly describes modifications that can be made to agricultural techniques and crops that can make the practice more sustainable.  The “Exercises” document provides a sample scenario for you to apply changes to techniques and crops to achieve sustainable agriculture.  Discussion questions will guide your learning, and although answers are not provided, these would be good questions to pursue in the Saylor Foundation’s discussion forums.
  
  Reading these materials, taking notes, and completing the exercises should take approximately 2 hours.
  
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Unit 5: Loss of Biodiversity, Cultural Diversity, and Ecosystem Functions  

Biodiversity (the number and abundance of different species of organisms) is known to be positively related to ecosystem productivity and perhaps to stability and resilience to disturbances and invasive species.  Recent research has found that cultural and linguistic diversity closely follows spatial patterns of biodiversity, suggesting that human diversity is dependent upon diverse ecosystems.  The extinction rates of both biodiversity and cultural diversity are substantially above background rates, and it is likely that our planet will become substantially simplified before these rates return to normal.  Globally, we are likely to lose many goods and services provided by ecosystems (such as food, fiber, energy production, water purification, and other goods and services that can be thought of as the natural capital of societies).  We will also lose the knowledge of how to use these goods and services effectively and sustainably as local cultures disappear.

This unit will provide a basic overview of the causes of extinction of biological and cultural diversity.  This unit will explain the linkages between biodiversity, ecosystem functions, and natural resources required by human societies.

Unit 5 Time Advisory   show close


Unit 5 Learning Outcomes   show close


5.1 Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services  

5.1.1 Biodiversity Distribution and Ecosystem Services  

• Reading: Millennium Ecosystem Assessment: Ecosystem and Human Well-Being: “Biodiversity Synthesis”

  Link: Millennium Ecosystem Assessment: Ecosystem and Human Well-Being: “Biodiversity Synthesis” (PDF)
  
  Instructions: Please click on the above link select the “Biodiversity” link under the “Synthesis Reports” section to download the PDF.  Read pages 17–41, which provide an explanation of how biodiversity is defined by ecologists and how it is distributed across the planet.  The reading also discusses the link between biodiversity and ecosystem functions and provisions (services).
  
  Reading this report and taking notes should take approximately 1 hour and 30 minutes.
  
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5.1.2 Extinction Rates and Patterns  

• Reading: Convention on Biological Diversity: “Global Biodiversity Outlook 3”

  Link: Convention on Biological Diversity: “Global Biodiversity Outlook 3” (PDF)
  
  Instructions: Please click on the above link and download the PDF in the language that you prefer.  This report describes the rate of species’ extinctions globally and by biome or ecosystem (e.g., terrestrial, inland waters, marine, etc.).  Future rates and patterns of biodiversity loss are estimated based on projections, which assume the continuation of the processes and forces that are currently responsible for loss in our current time.
  
  Reading this report and taking notes should take approximately 3 hours.
  
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• Reading: Millennium Ecosystem Assessment: Ecosystem and Human Well-Being: “Biodiversity Synthesis”

  Link: Millennium Ecosystem Assessment: Ecosystem and Human Well-Being: “Biodiversity Synthesis” (PDF)
  
  Instructions: Please click on the above link select the “Biodiversity” link under the “Synthesis Reports” section to download the PDF.  Read pages 42–59, which describe the currently observed declines in biodiversity and ecosystem services as well as the causes of these declines.
  
  Reading this article and taking notes should take approximately 1 hour.
  
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5.1.3 Future Trends and Opportunities for Conservation  

• Reading: Millennium Ecosystem Assessment: Ecosystem and Human Well-Being: “Biodiversity Synthesis”

  Link: Millennium Ecosystem Assessment: Ecosystem and Human Well-Being: “Biodiversity Synthesis” (PDF)
  
  Instructions: Please click on the above link select the “Biodiversity” link under the “Synthesis Reports” section to download the PDF.  Read pages 60–76, which use projections to illustrate the future losses we might experience given current trends, and the reading discusses conservation actions that can be taken to reduce the likelihood that we will see these losses.
  
  Reading this article and taking notes should take approximately 1 hour.
  
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• Reading: American Natural History Museum, Center for Biodiversity and Conservation: Madhu Rao’s “Biodiversity Conservation and Integrated Conservation and Development Projects”

  Link: American Natural History Museum, Center for Biodiversity and Conservation: Madhu Rao’s “Biodiversity Conservation and Integrated Conservation and Development Projects” (DOC and PPT)
  
  Instructions: Please click on the above link and download all materials.  You may have to register a free account by clicking the “register” link at the top of the page to download these files.  The materials will be downloaded into a zipped folder on your hard drive, so you will need to extract the files.  The downloadable files include a synthesis report, a Power Point presentation, and an Exercises file.  The report explains what ICDPs are and how they are meant to mitigate some of the negative impacts that can affect local communities when protected areas are established near them.  This biodiversity strategy is meant to contribute to sustainable development of an area, where social and economic concerns are addressed in conjunction with environmental ones.  The presentation highlights the main points of the report.  The exercise provides descriptions of two cases where ICDPs are slated to be used, and you can answer questions from the perspective of a conservation consultant.  Although answers are not provided for the discussion questions, these questions would be excellent topics for the Saylor Foundation’s discussion forums.
  
  Reading these materials taking notes, and completing the exercises should take approximately 2 hours and 30 minutes.
  
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5.2 Ecosystems  

5.2.1 Marine Systems: Cycles, Functions and Ecosystem Services  

• Reading: The Encyclopedia of Earth: Jorge Brenner and Sandra Arismendez’s “Large Marine Ecosystems”

  Link: The Encyclopedia of Earth: Jorge Brenner and Sandra Arismendez’s “Large Marine Ecosystems” (HMTL)
  
  Instructions: Please click on the above link and read this short review article.  The authors describe how ocean ecosystems are defined (both ecologically and geographically) and the main stresses that are deteriorating these ecosystems.  You are welcome to follow any of the hypertext links provided to learn more about specific terms, or to read about one or more specific large marine ecosystems.
  
  Reading this article and taking notes should take approximately 15 minutes.
  
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• Reading: The IRMACS Centre: Ken Denman’s “How Will Marine Ecosystems Adapt to a Future Ocean That Will Be Warmer, More Stratified, More Acidic, and Less Oxygenated?”

  Link: The IRMACS Centre: Ken Denman’s “How Will Marine Ecosystems Adapt to a Future Ocean That Will Be Warmer, More Stratified, More Acidic, and Less Oxygenated?” (MP4)
  
  Instructions: Please click on the above link and watch this video.  Ken Denman describes how the increase in carbon dioxide in the atmosphere affects oceans, physically and ecologically.  Increasing global temperatures are moderated by the heat that the ocean can absorb; however, this heat also has negative consequences for ocean ecosystems.
  
  Watching this lecture and taking notes should take approximately 1 hour and 15 minutes.
  
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• Reading: Millennium Ecosystem Assessment: Current State and Trends Assessment: “Chapter 18: Marine Systems”

  Link: Millennium Ecosystem Assessment: Current State and Trends Assessment: “Chapter 18: Marine Systems” (PDF)
  
  Instructions: Please click on the above link and then select the link for “Chapter 18: Marine Systems” to download the PDF.  This chapter describes the different regions of our oceans and seas, the current forces leading to degradation of these systems, and legal and management approaches to preserving their services (particularly fisheries).
  
  Reading this chapter and taking notes should take approximately 1 hour and 30 minutes.
  
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5.3 Relationships between Biodiversity and Cultural Diversity  

5.3.1 Linkages between Cultures and Ecosystems  

• Reading: UNESCO: Ana Persic and Gary Martin’s “Links between Biological and Cultural Diversity – Concepts, Methods, and Experiences”

  Link: UNESCO: Ana Persic and Gary Martin’s “Links between Biological and Cultural Diversity – Concepts, Methods, and Experiences” (PDF)
  
  Instructions: Please click on the above link and read this report.  The report not only gives background and real world examples of linkages between biological and cultural systems, but also discusses potential risks to both and where more research and better-informed policy is needed.
  
  Reading this article and taking notes should take approximately 2 hours.
  
  Terms of Use: Please respect the copyright and terms of use displayed on the webpage above.

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• Reading: Conservation & Society: Jules Pretty et al.’s “The Intersections of Biological Diversity and Cultural Diversity: Towards Integration”

  Link: Conservation & Society: Jules Pretty et al.’s “The Intersections of Biological Diversity and Cultural Diversity: Towards Integration” (HTML)
  
  Instructions: Please click on the above link and read this article; you can also download a PDF version if you click on “Download Article (pdf).”  Pretty and her coauthors provide a summary of how biodiversity and cultural diversity follow similar patterns and are linked in many ways.  These links are reflected in the growing number of professional sub-disciplines related to cultures and their environments (e.g., ecological anthropology, environmental history, etc.).
  
  Reading this article and taking notes should take approximately 1 hour.
  
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5.3.2 Language Diversity and Correlation with Biodiversity  

• Reading: Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences: Gorenflo et al.’s “Co-occurrence of Linguistic and Biological Diversity in Biodiversity Hotspots and High Biodiversity Wilderness Areas”

  Link: Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences: Gorenflo et al.’s “Co-occurrence of Linguistic and Biological Diversity in Biodiversity Hotspots and High Biodiversity Wilderness Areas” (HTML)
  
  Instructions: Please click on the above link and read this article.  The article discusses the closely related patterns of biodiversity and linguistic diversity (that is, areas with many species also have people speaking many languages) and considers different possible reasons for why these patterns are so similar.  The article also issues a call for conserving both biological and cultural diversity.
  
  Reading this article and taking notes should take approximately 30 minutes.
   
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• Lecture: TED Talks: Wade Davis’ “Dreams from Endangered Cultures”

  Link: TED Talks: Wade Davis’ “Dreams from Endangered Cultures” (MP4)
  
  Instructions: Please click on the above link and watch Wade Davis’ TED Talk.  In this lecture, Davis describes the relationship between cultural and biological diversity and the threats that these biological and cultural communities face in the modern era.  Try to follow the broad theme of the talk (the influence of cultures by their environments) as Dr. Davis discusses the examples and case studies.
  
  Watching this lecture and taking notes should take approximately 30 minutes.
  
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5.3.3 Cultural Vulnerability to Ecological Changes  

• Reading: Millennium Ecosystem Assessment: Current State and Trends Assessment: “Chapter 6: Vulnerable People and Places”

  Link: Millennium Ecosystem Assessment: Current State and Trends Assessment: “Chapter 6: Vulnerable People and Places” (PDF)
  
  Instructions: Please click on the above link and then select the link for “Chapter 6: Vulnerable People and Places” to download the PDF.  This chapter discusses the close linkages between societies around the world and ecosystem health.  Three case studies illustrate the ways that humans can be vulnerable to environmental changes.
  
  Reading this chapter and taking notes should take approximately 45 minutes.
  
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5.3.4 Traditional Environmental Knowledge  

• Reading: American Natural History Museum, Center for Biodiversity and Conservation: K.A. Landrigan et al.’s “Biological and Cultural Diversity: A Case Study of the Solomon Islands”

  Link: American Natural History Museum, Center for Biodiversity and Conservation: K.A. Landrigan et al.’s “Biological and Cultural Diversity: A Case Study of the Solomon Islands” (DOC)
  
  Instructions: Please click on the above link and download all materials.  You may have to register a free account by clicking the “register” link at the top of the page to download these files.  The materials will be downloaded into a zipped folder on your hard drive, so you will need to extract the files to see them (you may be able to right click on the folder icon and follow the extraction instructions).  The report gives a general description of the biological and cultural diversity on the islands, and it then argues that the linkages between these two types of diversity must be the dual focus of any conservation programs.  There are several “community-based conservation” programs ongoing on the islands that the report discusses.  Provided at the end of each section, discussion questions will guide your learning.  Although answers are not provided, these would be good questions to pursue in the Saylor Foundation’s discussion forums.
  
  Reading these materials and taking notes should take approximately 1 hour and 30 minutes.
  
  Terms of Use: Please respect the copyright and terms of use displayed on the webpage above.

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• Reading: United Nations Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues: Victoria Tauli-Corpuz’s “The Importance of Indigenous Peoples in Biodiversity Conservation”

  Link: United Nations Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues: Victoria Tauli-Corpuz’s “The Importance of Indigenous Peoples in Biodiversity Conservation” (PDF)
  
  Instructions: Please click on the above link and read this short communiqué from Victoria Tauli-Corpuz, the chairperson of the UN Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues.  She briefly describes the link between biodiversity and cultural (and linguistic) diversity, and she explains why biodiversity is important to the survival of many cultures around the world.  She argues that indigenous communities must be included in any discussions involving the use of natural resources and biodiversity.
  
  Reading this communiqué and taking notes should take approximately 10 minutes.
  
  Terms of Use: Please respect the copyright and terms of use displayed on the webpage above.

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• Reading: United Nations Environmental Program, Secretariat of the Convention on Biological Diversity: “Traditional Knowledge, Innovation and Practices”

  Link: United Nations Environmental Program, Secretariat of the Convention on Biological Diversity: “Traditional Knowledge, Innovation and Practices” (PDF)
  
  Instructions: Please click on the above link and read this short report, which describes the importance of traditional knowledge of local species and ecosystems for themselves and many other societies around the world.
  
  Reading this report and taking notes should take approximately 10 minutes.
  
  Terms of Use: Please respect the copyright and terms of use displayed on the webpage above.

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Unit 6: Invasive Species, Globalization, and Trade  

With the era of industrialization and fossil fuel use, humans have been able to move themselves, their cargo, and some unwanted stowaways much farther and faster than was possible historically.  Organisms such as zebra mussels, cane toads, and mountain pine beetles may be too small to do much damage individually, but as their populations explode in new areas, they have taken over ecosystems with dire consequences for the societies that depend upon them.  Migration of humans from one society to another has had both positive and negative social and environmental effects, as has the trade in the goods and services they produce.  The movement of cargo ships, trucks, and airplanes has created a wave of new organisms to new areas, increasing the risk of invasive species and the disruptions they can cause.

This unit will review the flows of humans, species, and resources across the planet.  This unit will explain how these flows are creating threats, stresses, and consequences that substantially decrease the resilience of many societies.

Unit 6 Time Advisory   show close


Unit 6 Learning Outcomes   show close


6.1 Invasive Species: Definitions and Trends  

6.1.1 What Makes a Species Invasive?  

• Reading: Centre for Agricultural Bioscience International, Invasive Species Compendium: David Richardson and Petr Pyšek’s “What Is an Invasive Species?”

  Link: Centre for Agricultural Bioscience International, Invasive Species Compendium: David Richardson and Petr Pyšek’s “What Is an Invasive Species?” (PDF)
  
  Instructions: Please click on the above link and then select the “Invasiveness” link.  On this webpage, locate the article titled “What Is an Invasive Species?” and click on “View Full Text” to download the PDF.  Please read the report for background a description of the terminology used to describe different kinds of invasive and non-native species.
  
  Reading this article and taking notes should take approximately 1 hour.
  
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6.1.2 Routes of Invasion  

• Reading: Centre for Agricultural Bioscience International, Invasive Species Compendium: Nick Pasiecznik’s “Pathways for Plant Introduction”

  Link: Centre for Agricultural Bioscience International, Invasive Species Compendium: Nick Pasiecznik’s “Pathways for Plant Introduction” (HTML)
  
  Instructions: Please click on the above link and then select the “Invasiveness” hypertext link.  On the new webpage, locate the article titled “Pathways for Plan Introduction” and click on “View the Full Text” to download the PDF.  Please read the report for brief descriptions of the many ways that plants can be moved (intentionally or unintentionally) from their native ranges to new areas, where they may become invasive.  Many of these routes are the same ones that introduce animal species to new areas.
  
  Reading this article and taking notes should take approximately 45 minutes.
  
  Terms of Use: Please respect the copyright and terms of use displayed on the webpage above.

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• Reading: American Natural History Museum, Center for Biodiversity and Conservation: C Finlayson and A Alyokhin’s “Invasive Species and Mechanisms of Invasions”

  Link: American Natural History Museum, Center for Biodiversity and Conservation: C Finlayson and A Alyokhin’s “Invasive Species and Mechanisms of Invasions” (DOC)
  
  Instructions: Please click on the above link and download all materials.  You may have to register a free account by clicking the “register” link at the top of the page to download these files.  The materials will be downloaded into a zipped folder on your hard drive, so you will need to extract the files to see them (you may be able to right click on the folder icon and follow the extraction instructions).  The files include a synthesis report, a Power Point presentation, and an Exercise file.  The report provides a great deal of information on the life history characteristics that successful invasive species possess and the types of ecological communities that are the most vulnerable to invasion.  The report also provides a description of the specific kinds of disturbances that invasive species create in ecosystems, along with their economic costs to local communities.  The presentation describes the main points of the report.  The exercise instructs you to examine your local habitats and ecosystems for invasive species, prompting you to collect data and conduct a basic analysis.  Of course, there are no “correct” answers, because each student will be conducting the survey in a different place, so you may find the exercise interesting but of limited use.  However, this exercise might be a good starting point for a discussion of invasive species in the Saylor Foundation’s discussion forums.
  
  Reading these materials and taking notes should take approximately 2 hours and 30 minutes.
  
  Terms of Use: Please respect the copyright and terms of use displayed on the webpage above. 

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6.1.3 Consequences of Invasive Species  

• Reading: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency: Henry Lee II and John Chapman’s “Nonindigenous Species – An Emerging Issue for the EPA, Volume 2: A Landscape in Transition: Effects of Invasive Species on Ecosystems, Human Health, and EPA Goals”

  Link: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency: Henry Lee II and John Chapman’s “Nonindigenous Species – An Emerging Issue for the EPA, Volume 2: A Landscape in Transition: Effects of Invasive Species on Ecosystems, Human Health, and EPA Goals” (PDF)
  
  Instructions: Please click on the above link and read the report but not the Appendices.  The report provides a summary of the impacts that invasive plants and animals have had and will likely have on ecosystems and industries in the United States.  Part V provides examples of how the EPA’s mission to uphold particular laws and regulations will be negatively affected by invasive species; all governmental agencies face similar problems.  (The appendices describe, in much more detail, the impacts of invasive species that are specific to the EPA’s mission and goals).
  
  Reading this article and taking notes should take approximately 2 hours.
  
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• Reading: Centre for Agricultural Bioscience International, Invasive Species Compendium: Sean Murphy’s “Impacts of Invasive Plants”

  Link: Centre for Agricultural Bioscience International, Invasive Species Compendium: Sean Murphy’s “Impacts of Invasive Plants” (HTML)
  
  Instructions: Please click on the above link and then select the “Invasiveness” hypertext link.  On the new webpage, locate the article titled “Impacts of Invasive Plants,” and click on “View the Full Text” to access the PDF.  Please read the report for a description of the many negative impacts that invasive plants can have on ecosystems, agriculture, and human communities.
  
  Reading this article and taking notes should take approximately 30 minutes.
  
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6.1.4 Case Studies  

• Reading: National Academy of Science: Michael E. Dorcas et al.’s “Severe Mammal Declines Coincide with Proliferation of Invasive Burmese Pythons in Everglades National Park”

  Link: National Academy of Science: Michael E. Dorcas et al.’s “Severe Mammal Declines Coincide with Proliferation of Invasive Burmese Pythons in Everglades National Park” (HTML)
  
  Instructions: Please click on the above link and read this paper to learn about how the invasive Burmese python has been implicated in the decline of several species of native mammals in Everglades National Park, Florida (USA), many of which had been quite common prior to the invasion and increase in python populations.
  
  Reading this article and taking notes should take approximately 30 minutes.
  
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• Reading: The National Invasive Species Council: “Biofuels: Cultivating Energy, Not Invasive Species”

  Link: The National Invasive Species Council: “Biofuels: Cultivating Energy, Not Invasive Species” (PDF)
  
  Instructions: Please click on the above link and read this report for a description of the general concerns for the widespread use of particular plant species as biofuel crops in North America.  Several of these species are already invasive in some areas or have characteristics that are common to many invasive species.  The report issues recommendations that serve as a good summary of the precautions that must be implemented as biofuel production increases.
  
  Reading this report and taking notes should take approximately 15 minutes.
  
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• Reading: American Natural History Museum, Center for Biodiversity and Conservation: Joseph Atkinson and Helen Domske’s “Great Lakes under Stress: Invasive Species as Agents of Ecosystem Change”

  Link: American Natural History Museum, Center for Biodiversity and Conservation: Joseph Atkinson and Helen Domske’s “Great Lakes under Stress: Invasive Species as Agents of Ecosystem Change” (DOC and TXT)
  
  Instructions: Please click on the above link and download the README file (with copyright information) and the synthesis report (GreatLakes_CS_VI-25-12).  You may have to register a free account by clicking the “register” link at the top of the page to download these files.  The report will be downloaded into a zipped folder on your hard drive, so you will need to extract the file to see it (you may be able to right click on the folder icon and follow the extraction instructions).  The report provides a background of the ecological characteristics and processes of the Great Lakes (USA).  The most problematic invasive species are then profiled, although with their impacts on the Great Lakes, and the methods used to try to control or eliminate them.  Discussion questions are provided throughout the report, and while answers to them are not provides, the questions might be a good starting point for a discussion of invasive species in the Saylor Foundation’s discussion forums.
  
  Reading this article and taking notes should take approximately 1 hour.
  
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6.2 Globalization: Definitions and Trends  

• Lecture: University of Oxford: Pascal Lamy’s “Global Governance, Local Governments”

  Link: University of Oxford: Pascal Lamy’s “Global Governance, Local Governments” (MP4)
  
  Instructions: Please click on the above link and listen to the lecture.  Pascal Lamy discusses the challenges that international trade poses to leadership in general as well as national governments and policy in particular.
  
  Listening to this lecture and taking notes should take approximately 45 minutes.
  
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• Reading: Environmental Sciences Europe: Reuben Keller et al.’s “Invasive Species in Europe: Ecology, Status, and Policy”

  Link: Environmental Sciences Europe: Reuben Keller et al.’s “Invasive Species in Europe: Ecology, Status, and Policy” (HTML)
  
  Instructions: Please click on the above link and read this article.  Keller et al. discuss the mechanisms by which invasive species spread through Europe, and the mechanisms by which trade and travel modes encourage spread of terrestrial versus aquatic plants and animals.
  
  Reading this article and taking notes should take approximately 30 minutes.
  
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6.3 International Trade  

6.3.1 Biological Impacts  

• Lecture: The National Academies: Charles Perrings’ “Trade and Invasive Species: A Global Perspective”

  Vimeo: The National Academies: Charles Perrings’ “Trade and Invasive Species: A Global Perspective” (MP4)
  
  Instructions: Please click on the above link and watch this video.  Charles Perrings discusses how increased integration and distance of trade flows have and will continue to increase the number of and damage caused by invasive species.
  
  Watching this lecture and taking notes should take approximately 30 minutes.
  
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6.3.2 Economic Impacts  

• Lecture: Vimeo: PopTech: Nils Gilman’s “Deviant Globalization”

  Link: Vimeo: PopTech: Nils Gilman’s “Deviant Globalization” (MP4)
  
  Instructions: Please click on the above link and watch this lecture.  Nils Gilman discusses the negative impacts of globalization and international trade on communities around the world, particularly those involved in natural resource extraction or waste treatment.
  
  Watching this lecture and taking notes should take approximately 30 minutes.
  
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• Reading: Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research: Direk Patmasiriwat et al.’s “International Trade, Environmental Issues and the Impact on Sustainability of Shrimp Culture in Thailand”

  Link: Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research: Direk Patmasiriwat et al.’s “International Trade, Environmental Issues and the Impact on Sustainability of Shrimp Culture in Thailand” (PDF)
  
  Instructions: Please click on the above link and read this article.  Shrimp farming has always been an important industry in Thailand; however, new technology and the growth of shrimp exports are threatening to damage local environments and economies.
  
  Reading this article and taking notes should take approximately 30 minutes.
  
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6.3.3 Social Impacts  

• Reading: Vimeo: Cross-Border Issues Group: Ann Theisen and Miguel Pickard White’s “North American Trade Policies and Migration”

  Link: Vimeo: Cross-Border Issues Group: Ann Theisen and Miguel Pickard White’s “North American Trade Policies and Migration” (MP4)
  
  Instructions: Please click on the above link and watch this lecture.  Ann Theisen and Miguel Pickard White describe how trends in trade and agricultural production impact labor and migration throughout North American countries.
  
  Watching this lecture and taking notes should take approximately 30 minutes.
  
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6.4 Resilience Implications of Invasive Species, Globalization, and Trade  

• Reading: Ecology and Society: Derek Armitage and Derek Johnson’s “Can Resilience Be Reconciled with Globalization and the Increasingly Complex Conditions of Resource Degradation in Asian Coastal Regions?”

  Link: Ecology and Society: Derek Armitage and Derek Johnson’s “Can Resilience Be Reconciled with Globalization and the Increasingly Complex Conditions of Resource Degradation in Asian Coastal Regions?” (HTML or PDF)
  
  Instructions: Please click on the link above and read this article.  You can click on the “Go to the PDF version of this article” link to see the PDF version.  The authors discuss the difficulty of using resilience to both measure the impacts of globalization on a combined social-ecological system and to determine whether those impacts are sustainable or not.  They use two case studies (one in India and one in Indonesia) to demonstrate their arguments.
  
  Reading this article and taking notes should take approximately 1 hour.
  
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Unit 7: Carrying Capacity: Overpopulation and Consumption  

In late 2011, the global human population exceeded 7 billion people; this was just 12 years after the population had reached 6 billion people.  The current rate of population increase is exponential, which means that it takes less time to add each additional billion.  While there is some debate as to whether growth in population is ultimately a problem, it is undeniable that more people will require more food, water, space, and other resources, leaving fewer resources for other species and ecosystems.  At the same time, economic development in many countries has rapidly increased the per person consumption of resources, leading to additional strains on the environment and passionate discussions regarding fairness across nations and cultures.  Indeed, the argument that dissuaded the United States from ratifying the Kyoto Protocol was over whether total carbon emissions (which would have favored the United States) versus per capita carbon emissions (which would have favored China and India) should have been the metric of compliance.  The debate over “total” versus “per capita” underlies many of the resource struggles at global and regional scales.

This unit will explain carrying capacity as well as several of its measurements, such as the Ecological Footprint index and the I=PAT equation.  The index measures the sustainability of a specific level of resource consumption and illustrates the consequences of population versus consumption on natural resources.  The unit will conclude with a discussion of policies aimed at slowing population growth (which have largely succeeded) and reducing consumption (which have mostly failed).

Unit 7 Time Advisory   show close


Unit 7 Learning Outcomes   show close


7.1 Human Population Trends  

7.1.1 Historical Population Growth and Carrying Capacity  

• Reading: United National Environment Programme, Global Environmental Alert Service: Bruce Pengra’s “One Planet, How Many People? A Review of Earth’s Carrying Capacity”

  Link: United National Environment Programme, Global Environmental Alert Service: Bruce Pengra’s “One Planet, How Many People?  A Review of Earth’s Carrying Capacity” (PDF)
  
  Instructions: Please click on the above link and read this report for background information on global human population growth.  This report discusses how human population growth relates to and impacts the global carrying capacity for this population.
  
  Reading this report and taking notes should take approximately 1 hour.
  
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• Reading: Millennium Ecosystem Assessment: Current State and Trends Assessment: “Chapter 27: Urban Systems”

  Link: Millennium Ecosystem Assessment: Current State and Trends Assessment: “Chapter 27: Urban Systems” (PDF)
  
  Instructions: Please click on the above link and then select the link for “Chapter 27: Urban Systems” to download the PDF.  The proportion of the global population living in urban areas has dramatically increased in the past century and will continue the trend well into the future.  This chapter describes the urbanization of human societies and how these urban areas interact with the surrounding environment.
  
  Reading this chapter and taking notes should take approximately 1 hour.
  
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7.1.2 Demographic Transitions  

• Lecture: Yale University: Professor Robert Wyman’s “Lecture 14 – Demographic Transition in Developing Countries”

  Link: Yale University: Professor Robert Wyman’s “Lecture 14 – Demographic Transition in Developing Countries” (JWPlayer)
  
  Also available in:
  Transcript (HTML)
  
  Instructions: Please click on the above link and watch this lecture.  You may also click on the link above to download and follow along with the transcript.  This lecture describes what demographers call a “demographic transition,” where a population shifts from rapidly growing with a large proportion of youth (under 30 years old) to a stable (or declining) population with equal numbers of people in the middle-aged and elderly age brackets.  Professor Wyman describes how these transitions occurred in European countries, and then he contrasts them to how populations are or might transition in developing countries.  He attributes these differences primarily to cultural views on birth control and women’s empowerment.
  
  Watching this lecture and taking notes should take approximately 1 hour and 15 minutes.
  
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• Lecture: University of Oxford: David Coleman’s “Who’s Afraid of Population Decline?”

  Link: University of Oxford: David Coleman’s “Who’s Afraid of Population Decline?” (iTunes and PDF)
  
  Instructions: Please click on the link, scroll down to the lecture files (a podcast 15 and PDF slides).  Download the slides, and scroll through them as you listen to the podcast.  The lecture describes the benefits to the population decline after a demographic transition and argues that if managed correctly with supportive policies, the decline can solve or mitigate many problems (particularly environmental ones).
  
  Listening to the podcast, studying the slides, and taking notes should take approximately 1 hour and 15 minutes.
  
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7.1.3 Immigration Trends and Consequences  

• Lecture: University of Oxford: David Coleman’s “International Migration: Guest Workers, Dependents, Asylum and Others”

  Link: University of Oxford: David Coleman’s “International Migration: Guest Workers, Dependents, Asylum and Others” (HTML)
  
  Instructions: Please click on the above link scroll down to the lecture files (a podcast and PDF slides).  Download the slides and scroll through them as you listen to the podcast.  The lecture begins with the history of human migration, how it affects the demographic trends in the source and host countries, as well as the economic consequences for the migrants and the source and host countries.
  
  Listening to the podcast, studying the slides, and taking notes should take approximately 1 hour and 15 minutes.
  
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• Lecture: University of Oxford: David Coleman’s “Demographic Behavior of Immigrant and Minority Populations”

  Link: University of Oxford: David Coleman’s “Demographic Behavior of Immigrant and Minority Populations” (HTML)
  
  Instructions: Please click on the link, scroll down to the lecture files (a podcast and PDF slides).  Download the slides and scroll through them as you listen to the podcast.  The lecture discusses the social impacts of immigration on host countries throughout the world.
  
  Listening to the podcast, studying the slides, and taking notes should take approximately 1 hour and 15 minutes.
  
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7.2 Consumption Trends  

7.2.1 Overconsumption  

• Web Media: YouTube: Annie Leonard’s “The Story of Stuff”

  Link: YouTube: Annie Leonard’s “The Story of Stuff” (YouTube)
  
  Instructions: Please click on the above link and watch this video.  In this video, Leonard discusses the current linear system of extraction of materials through consumption and then disposal of products into landfills (or otherwise not recycled).  The video points out the social, economic, and environmental impacts of this system.
  
  Watching this video and taking notes should take approximately 30 minutes.
  
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7.2.2 Waste  

• Web Media: Science Podcast: Edward Hurme and Jeffrey Mervis’ “Garbology 101: Getting a Grip on Waste”

  Link: Science Podcast: Edward Hurme and Jeffrey Mervis’ “Garbology 101: Getting a Grip on Waste” (MP3)
  
  Instructions: Please click on the above link and listen to the podcast.  Note that you can download the podcast, or you can simply press the play button and listen to it online.  In this podcast, Mervis discusses the types of wastes produced by different societies as well as solutions to managing and reducing these types of wastes.
  
  Listening to this podcast and taking notes should take approximately 15 minutes.
  
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• Web Media: Vimeo: University of Idaho: Greg Möller’s “E-Waste”

  Link: Vimeo: University of Idaho: Greg Möller’s “E-Waste” (MP4)
  
  Instructions: Please click on the above link and watch this brief video.  Greg Möller addresses the growing problem of the disposal and recycling of electronic waste (or “e-waste”).  If not managed carefully, this waste can be quite toxic to the environment and the humans who come in contact with it.
  
  Watching this video and taking notes should take approximately 30 minutes.
  
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Unit 8: Alteration of Flows of Resources  

Prior to the Industrial Revolution and fossil fuel-based transportation, the flow of key nutrients such as nitrogen and phosphorus, metals, and other resources was slow and fairly local.  Oceanic trade routes transported precious metals such as silver and gold, but most other material flows were primarily governed by climatic and abiotic processes.  In the past 200 years, human activities (e.g., trade, transportation, and industrialization) have greatly increased the speed and area over which many resources are transported and used, often ending up in areas of very high concentration that damage environmental systems.  For example, the massive excess of nitrogen and phosphorus used as fertilizers in agricultural systems in the Midwestern United States wash off of these fields and into local waterways, eventually ending up in the Gulf of Mexico by way of the Mississippi River.  These nutrients cause massive algal blooms, which sink to the bottom of the body of water and decompose when they die off.  The decaying biological matter creates a massive area of hypoxia (lack of oxygen), also called a “dead zone,” because the hypoxia prevents most other organisms from surviving in these waters.  Dead zones negatively impact fisheries and are a growing problem around the world, especially with negative impacts on local communities which depend upon ocean ecosystems for protein resources (e.g., fish, shellfish, etc.) but do not have the financial ability to ship in these foods from less damaged areas.  Many of these altered resource flows terminate in growing piles of discarded materials that are difficult to recycle or reuse.  For many resources, societies have converted cyclic flows to linear flows from the extraction of fossil fuels or virgin source to landfills or ocean pollution.

This unit will cover how these altered flows result from and affect activities discussed in previous units.  This unit will also address how these altered flows affect the resilience of societies.

Unit 8 Time Advisory   show close


Unit 8 Learning Outcomes   show close


8.1 What Are Natural Resources?  

• Reading: University of Illinois: Tom Theis and Jonathan Tomkin (eds.)’s Sustainability: A Comprehensive Foundation: “Chapter 4: Biosphere”

  Link: University of Illinois: Tom Theis and Jonathan Tomkin (eds.)’s Sustainability: A Comprehensive Foundation: “Chapter 4: Biosphere” (PDF)
  
  Instructions: Please click on the above link and read sections 4.1 (pages 117–119) and 4.2 (pages 119–126) for a discussion of what ecosystems services are as well as how human activities have altered the natural flows of carbon, water, and nitrogen on the planet.
  
  Reading this article and taking notes should take approximately 30 minutes.
  
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8.2 Basic Resources  

8.2.1 Soil  

• Reading: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Natural Resources Conservation Service, Soil Quality Institute: Soil Quality Technical Note No. 5: “Managing Soil Organic Matter: The Key to Air and Water Quality”

  Link: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Natural Resources Conservation Service, Soil Quality Institute: Soil Quality Technical Note No. 5: “Managing Soil Organic Matter: The Key to Air and Water Quality” (PDF)
  
  Instructions: Please click on the above link and read this short report.  The report discusses the status of soil loss in the United States and urges land managers to shift their focus on increasing the amount of carbon stored in soil (instead of solely focusing on soil loss).  As you learned in previous resources, soil is a major sink for carbon, and several carbon mitigation policies emphasize the use of techniques that sequester carbon in soils.
  
  Reading this article and taking notes should take approximately 15 minutes.
  
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• Web Media: Vimeo: University of Massachusetts Amherst: Richard Stein’s “Why Biochar?”

  Link: Vimeo: University of Massachusetts Amherst: Richard Stein’s “Why Biochar?” (MP4)
  
  Instructions: Please click on the above link and watch this short video.  Richard Stein explains what biochar is as well as how it can be used to help mitigate climate change (through sequestering carbon in the soil) and improve soil fertility.
  
  Watching this video and taking notes should take approximately 15 minutes.
  
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• Lecture: Vimeo: Geoff Moxham’s “Biochar Lecture”

  Link: Vimeo: Geoff Moxham’s “Biochar Lecture” (MP4)
  
  Instructions: Please click on the above link and watch this video.  Geoff Moxham gives a detailed lecture on the history of biochar discoveries, how it is produced, and how it can be used for energy and other needs.
  
  Watching this lecture and taking notes should take approximately 1 hour and 30 minutes.
  
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8.2.2 Water  

• Reading: American Natural History Museum, Center for Biodiversity and Conservation: C. Kirchhoff and J. Bulkley’s “Transboundary Water Resources Management and the Potential for Integrated Water Resources Management”

  Link: American Natural History Museum, Center for Biodiversity and Conservation: C. Kirchhoff and J. Bulkley’s “Transboundary Water Resources Management and the Potential for Integrated Water Resources Management” (DOC)
  
  Instructions: Please click on the above link and download these materials.  You may have to register a free account by clicking the “register” link at the top of the page to download these files.  The materials will be downloaded into a zipped folder on your hard drive, so you will need to extract the files to see them (you may be able to right click on the folder icon and follow the extraction instructions).  This report gives a basic background to a new approach to managing freshwater resources that cross international boundaries; these boundaries can complicate the sustainable use of these resources.  The authors provide a case study of the Rhine River watershed that includes territory in nine different European countries, the Mekong River watershed that includes six Asian countries, and the Zambezi River watershed that includes eight African countries.  Provided at the end of each section, discussion questions will guide your learning.  Although answers are not provided, these would be good questions to pursue in the Saylor Foundation’s discussion forums.
  
  Reading these articles and taking notes should take approximately 2 hours.
  
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• Reading: American Natural History Museum, Center for Biodiversity and Conservation: Erin Vintinner’s “How the West Was Watered: A Case Study of the Colorado River”

  Link: American Natural History Museum, Center for Biodiversity and Conservation: Erin Vintinner’s “How the West Was Watered: A Case Study of the Colorado River” (DOC)
  
  Instructions: Please click on the above link and download all materials.  You may have to register a free account by clicking the “register” link at the top of the page to download these files.  The materials will be downloaded into a zipped folder on your hard drive, so you will need to extract the files to see them (you may be able to right click on the folder icon and follow the extraction instructions).  The report describes the very complex engineering system that now regulates water flow through the Colorado River Basin, and how the system no longer meets the water needs of all of the residents, industries, and ecosystems that depend upon it.  Provided in the “How Will the West Be Watered?” section, discussion questions will guide your learning.  Although answers are not provided, these would be good questions to pursue in the Saylor Foundation’s discussion forums.
  
  Reading these materials and taking notes should take approximately 2 hours.
  
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• Reading: American Natural History Museum, Center for Biodiversity and Conservation: Erin Vintinner’s “Thirsty Metropolis: A Case Study of New York City’s Drinking Water”

  Link: American Natural History Museum, Center for Biodiversity and Conservation: Erin Vintinner’s “Thirsty Metropolis: A Case Study of New York City’s Drinking Water” (DOC, PPT, and TXT)
  
  Instructions: Please click on the above link and download all materials.  You may have to register a free account by clicking the “register” link at the top of the page to download these files.  The materials will be downloaded into a zipped folder on your hard drive, so you will need to extract the files to see them (you may be able to right click on the folder icon and follow the extraction instructions).  The files include a scenario exercise and a short PowerPoint presentation that gives a brief overview of the main points of the case study.  The presentation describes the history of the development of the water supply system for New York City, which relies upon watersheds quite far from the city itself (be sure to read not only the text on the slides themselves, but the notes provided below them).  The scenario asks you to take the position of one of the stakeholders in the case, and determine which option should be prioritized over the others.  Although a description in Part II of what really happened is provided, these scenarios and their accompanying discussion questions would be good topics to pursue in the Saylor Foundation’s discussion forums.  This New York City example of “payment for ecosystem services” is often cited as an early success of the approach.
  
  Reading these materials and taking notes should take approximately 3 hours.
  
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8.2.3 Nitrogen  

• Reading: Ecological Society of America: Issues in Ecology: Peter Vitousek et al.’s “Human Alteration of the Global Nitrogen Cycle: Causes and Consequences”

  Link: Ecological Society of America: Issues in Ecology: Peter Vitousek et al.’s “Human Alteration of the Global Nitrogen Cycle: Causes and Consequences” (PDF)
  
  Instructions: Please click on the above link scroll down to find the Issue 1 (Spring 1997) report.  Click on the image for the Issue 1, Spring 1997, and read the report.  This report briefly describes the nitrogen cycle and its components and then describes the ways in which human activities have altered these flows and how these alterations impact ecosystems.  In general, these impacts are negative, particularly to filtration and productivity functions, and in that way cause negative consequences to human societies, particularly in the long term.
  
  Reading this article and taking notes should take approximately 1 hour.
  
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• Reading: PLoS ONE: Yang Gao et al.’s “Groundwater Nitrogen Pollution and Assessment of Its Health Risks: A Case Study of a Typical Village in Rural-Urban Continuum, China”

  Link: PLoS ONE: Yang Gao et al.’s “Groundwater Nitrogen Pollution and Assessment of Its Health Risks: A Case Study of a Typical Village in Rural-Urban Continuum, China” (HTML)
  
  Instructions: Please click on the above link and read this article.  You may find a PDF version of the paper in the list of links on the right side of the webpage.  The authors discuss the sources of nitrogen in the groundwater supply of a village in China and the health risks that the polluted water poses to the local community.
  
  Reading this article and taking notes should take approximately 30 minutes.
  
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• Web Media: Vimeo: Ross Institute: Billy Schutt’s “Nitrogen Pollution: A Danger to Long Island Water”

  Link: Vimeo: Ross Institute: Billy Schutt’s “Nitrogen Pollution: A Danger to Long Island Water” (MP4)
  
  Instructions: Please click on the above link and watch this video.  Mr. Schutt presents an interesting case study of the ecological impacts to the Hewlett Bay, such as primarily eutrophication, due to nitrogen runoff from sewage treatment plants.
  
  Watching this video and taking notes should take approximately 15 minutes.
  
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8.2.4 Phosphorus  

• Reading: Cornell University Cooperative Extension: Agronomy Fact Sheet Series: Charles Hyland et al.’s “Phosphorus Basics – The Phosphorus Cycle”

  Link: Cornell University Cooperative Extension: Agronomy Fact Sheet Series: Charles Hyland et al.’s “Phosphorus Basics – The Phosphorus Cycle” (PDF)
  
  Instructions: Please click on the above link, scroll down to “Agronomy Fact Sheet #12,” and click on the Adobe Reader icon on the right to download the text.  Study this brief fact sheet, which describes the phosphorus cycle, its importance to agriculture, and how it is lost (usually to the ocean).
  
  Studying this fact sheet and taking notes should take approximately 15 minutes.
  
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• Reading: Society of Chemical Industry: Journal of the Science of Food and Agriculture: Tina-Simone Neset and Dana Cordell’s “Global Phosphorus Scarcity: Identifying Synergies for a Sustainable Future”

  Link: Society of Chemical Industry: Journal of the Science of Food and Agriculture: Tina-Simone Neset and Dana Cordell’s “Global Phosphorus Scarcity: Identifying Synergies for a Sustainable Future” (HTML)
  
  Instructions: Please click on the above link, scroll down to find the article, click on the link (either “Full Article (HTML)” or “PDF”), and read the article.  The authors discuss why phosphorus is so critical for agriculture and how the increasing scarcity of readily-available phosphorus (or peak phosphorus) will impact agricultural production.  The authors also suggest several potential solutions to conserving previous phosphorus reserves.
  
  Reading this article and taking notes should take approximately 15 minutes.
  
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• Web Media: Vimeo: TEDxBG Talks: Ian Sanders’ “Phosphate Cycle”

  Link: Vimeo: TEDxBG Talks: Ian Sanders’ “Phosphate Cycle” (MP4)
  
  Instructions: Please click on the above link and watch this video.  Ian Sanders explains why phosphate (a salt molecule that is mined for the phosphorus within it) is so important to everything we consume, and all human societies.
  
  Watching this lecture and taking notes should take approximately 30 minutes.
  
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8.3 Industrial Resources  

8.3.1 Precious Metals  

• Reading: University of Illinois: Tom Theis and Jonathan Tomkin (eds.)’s Sustainability: A Comprehensive Foundation: “Chapter 5: Physical Resources: Water, Pollution, and Minerals”

  Link: University of Illinois: Tom Theis and Jonathan Tomkin (eds.)’s Sustainability: A Comprehensive Foundation: “Chapter 5: Physical Resources: Water, Pollution, and Minerals” (PDF)
  
  Instructions: Please click on the above link and read sections 5.6 (pages 212–227) and 5.7 (pages 227–231) for a description of the many different kinds of metals that modern societies use as well as the environmental damage that often occurs when we mine these metals.
  
  Reading this article and taking notes should take approximately 1 hour.
  
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8.3.2 Plastic  

• Lecture: Vimeo: University of Idaho: Greg Möller’s “Our Plastic Footprint”

  Link: Vimeo: University of Idaho: Greg Möller’s “Our Plastic Footprint” (MP4)
  
  Instructions: Please click on the above link and watch this video.  Greg Möller defines what the general word “plastic” means.  He also discusses why its general properties make them so useful to modern human societies and why they are so difficult to give up even in the face of widespread plastics pollution.
  
  Watching this video and taking notes should take approximately 45 minutes.
  
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• Lecture: TED Talks: Captain Charles Moore’s “The Seas of Plastic”

  Link: TED Talks: Captain Charles Moore’s “The Seas of Plastic” (MP4)
  
  Instructions: Please click on the above link and watch Captain Charles Moore’s TED Talk.  In this lecture, he describes the fate of plastic products after they are disposed of and the impact of plastic trash on the environment.
  
  Watching this lecture and taking notes should take approximately 15 minutes.
  
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• Lecture: Vimeo: PopTech: Chris Jordan’s “Polluting Plastics”

  Link: Vimeo: PopTech: Chris Jordan’s “Polluting Plastics” (MP4)
  
  Instructions: Please click on the above link and watch this video.  Chris Jordan is a photographer that uses his work to demonstrate the magnitude of our waste stream.  In this lecture, he focuses on plastics and their impacts on the environment.
  
  Watching this lecture and taking notes should take approximately 30 minutes.
  
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Unit 9: Systems Thinking: Understanding Sustainability  

This unit focuses on material from the Open University’s “Systems Thinking: Understanding Sustainability”course.  The short readings and activities in the unit are an excellent primer on sustainability and sustainable development (and the difference between the two).  Both are inherently interdisciplinary topics, where interactions between social, environmental, and economic dimensions can complicate understanding system problems and finding solutions to them.  So far in this course, we have addressed single systems (e.g., energy, food, etc.), but the ways in which these systems interact in multiple dimensions is more clearly addressed here.

Unit 9 Time Advisory   show close


Unit 9 Learning Outcomes   show close


9.1 Sustainability and Equity Concepts and Measures  

9.1.1 I=PAT  

• Reading: University of Illinois: Tom Theis and Jonathan Tomkin (eds.)’s Sustainability: A Comprehensive Foundation: “Chapter 1: Introduction to Sustainability: Humanity and the Environment”

  Link: University of Illinois: Tom Theis and Jonathan Tomkin (eds.)’s Sustainability: A Comprehensive Foundation: “Chapter 1: Introduction to Sustainability: Humanity and the Environment” (PDF)
  
  Instructions: Please click on the above link and read Chapter 1 for a review of the three areas of sustainability (economy, society, and environment), a definition of sustainable development, and an explanation of the I = PAT formula.
  
  Reading this chapter and taking notes should take approximately 30 minutes.
  
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9.1.2 Life Cycle Assessment  

• Reading: University of Illinois: Tom Theis and Jonathan Tomkin (eds.)’s Sustainability: A Comprehensive Foundation: “Chapter 9: Problem-Solving, Metrics, and Tools for Sustainability”

  Link: University of Illinois: Tom Theis and Jonathan Tomkin (eds.)’s Sustainability: A Comprehensive Foundation: “Chapter 9: Problem-Solving, Metrics, and Tools for Sustainability” (PDF)
  
  Instructions: Please click on the above link and read sections 9.1 and 9.2 (pages 423–438) for a discussion of why measuring sustainability (and progress towards it) is necessary.  These sections also provide a review of Life Cycle Assessment (from Industrial Ecology) as one approach to assessing sustainable choices.
  
  Reading these sections and taking notes should take approximately 45 minutes.
  
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9.1.3 Footprints (Ecological, Carbon, Water)  

• Reading: University of Illinois: Tom Theis and Jonathan Tomkin (eds.)’s Sustainability: A Comprehensive Foundation: “Chapter 9: Problem-Solving, Metrics, and Tools for Sustainability”

  Link: University of Illinois: Tom Theis and Jonathan Tomkin (eds.)’s Sustainability: A Comprehensive Foundation: “Chapter 9: Problem-Solving, Metrics, and Tools for Sustainability” (PDF)
  
  Instructions: Please click on the above link and read section 9.3.2 (pages 450–464) for a discussion of the different kinds of footprints that can be measured for products, companies, other organizations, and countries.
  
  Reading this section and taking notes should take approximately 45 minutes.
  
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9.2 Culture and Sustainability  

• Reading: University of Illinois: Tom Theis and Jonathan Tomkin (eds.)’s Sustainability: A Comprehensive Foundation: “Chapter 10: Sustainability: Ethics, Culture, and History”

  Link: University of Illinois: Tom Theis and Jonathan Tomkin (eds.)’s Sustainability: A Comprehensive Foundation: “Chapter 10: Sustainability: Ethics, Culture, and History” (PDF)
  
  Instructions: Please click on the above link and read Chapter 10 (pages 490-523) to learn how a society’s perception of the environment and its utility for the production of cultural and economic products influences the degree to which the society can recognize and respond to environmental degradation.  The chapter provides two examples (honey bee colony collapse and the massive 2010 oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico) to demonstrate these concepts and processes.
  
  Reading this chapter and taking notes should take approximately 1 hour.
  
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9.3 Exploring Your Understanding of Sustainable Development  

• Activity: The Open University: Chris Blackmore, Jake Chapman, and Ray Ison’s “Exploring Your Understanding of Sustainable Development”

  Link: The Open University: Chris Blackmore, Jake Chapman, and Ray Ison’s “Exploring Your Understanding of Sustainable Development” (HTML)
  
  Instructions: Please click on the above link, read the introductory paragraph, and then proceed through the two activities below it.  This first activity will get you thinking about what your preconceived notions are regarding sustainability and sustainable development.  After you progress through the entire course, you may want to look back at your writings in these two activities and think about how you might have responded differently.  You can share how your way of thinking has changed about sustainability and sustainable development with other students on the Saylor Foundation’s discussion forums.
  
  Reading, taking notes, and completing the activities should take approximately 45 minutes to complete.
  
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9.4 Searching for “System” in Sustainable Development Situations  

• Activity: The Open University: Chris Blackmore, Jake Chapman, and Ray Ison’s “Searching for ‘System’ in Sustainable Development Situations”

  Link: The Open University: Chris Blackmore, Jake Chapman, and Ray Ison’s “Searching for ‘System’ in Sustainable Development Situations” (HTML)
  
  Instructions: Please click on the above link, read the webpage, and complete the activities.  This webpage will help you think about social hierarchies (and your place in them) and how sustainability issues are addressed at each level.  You can share your thoughts about hierarchies with other students by posting on the Saylor Foundation’s discussion forums.
  
  Reading, taking notes, and completing activity tasks should take approximately 1 hour and 15 minutes.
  
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9.5 Contextualizing Sustainable Development in Terms of Historical Events  

• Reading: The Open University: Chris Blackmore, Jake Chapman, and Ray Ison’s “Chapter 3: Contextualizing Sustainable Development in Terms of Historical Events”

  Link: The Open University: Chris Blackmore, Jake Chapman, and Ray Ison’s “Chapter 3: Contextualizing Sustainable Development in Terms of Historical Events” (HTML)
  
  Instructions: Please click on the above link and read this introductory webpage that provides an overview of topics that will be addressed in the sub-subunits below.
  
  Reading this chapter should take approximately 15 minutes.
  
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9.5.1 Predictions  

• Reading: The Open University: Chris Blackmore, Jake Chapman, and Ray Ison’s “Predictions”

  Link: The Open University: Chris Blackmore, Jake Chapman, and Ray Ison’s “Predictions” (HTML)
  
  Instructions: Please click on the above link and read this webpage, which is about the history and utility of predictions, particularly when they relate to catastrophes and societal collapse.
  
  Reading this webpage and taking notes should take approximately 15 minutes.
  
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9.5.2 Linking Environment and Development  

• Reading: The Open University: Chris Blackmore, Jake Chapman and Ray Ison’s “Linking Environment and Development”

  Link: The Open University: Chris Blackmore, Jake Chapman and Ray Ison’s “Linking Environment and Development” (HTML)
  
  Instructions: Please click on the above link and read the text about the “North/South” divide and its importance for understanding sustainable development efforts and policy.
  
  Reading this article and taking notes should take approximately 15 minutes.
  
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9.5.3 The Brundtland Report  

• Reading: The Open University: Chris Blackmore, Jake Chapman, and Ray Ison’s “The Brundtland Report”

  Link: The Open University: Chris Blackmore, Jake Chapman, and Ray Ison’s “The Brundtland Report” (HTML)
  
  Instructions: Please click on the above link and read this webpage, which discusses the Brundtland report.  This commission’s following definition of sustainable development has become the most commonly-used definition and is often used to gauge the sustainability of policy and management decisions: “Sustainable development is development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.”
  
  Reading this webpage and taking notes should take approximately 15 minutes.
  
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9.5.4 The United Nations Summits and Commission for Sustainable Development  

• Reading: The Open University: Chris Blackmore, Jake Chapman, and Ray Ison’s “The United Nations Summits and Commission for Sustainable Development”

  Link: The Open University: Chris Blackmore, Jake Chapman, and Ray Ison’s “The United Nations Summits and Commission for Sustainable Development” (HTML)
  
  Instructions: Please click on the above link and read this webpage, which reviews “Agenda 21,” a plan for improving social, environmental, and economic conditions around the world that was endorsed by all countries participating in the 1992 United Nations “Earth Summit” in Rio de Janeiro.
  
  Reading this webpage and taking notes should take approximately 15 minutes.
  
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9.5.5 Increasing Globalization  

• Activity: The Open University: Chris Blackmore, Jake Chapman, and Ray Ison’s “Increasing Globalization”

  Link: The Open University: Chris Blackmore, Jake Chapman, and Ray Ison’s “Increasing Globalization” (HTML)
  
  Instructions: Please click on the above link and read this webpage, which provides a brief discussion of the meaning of “globalization” and a few activities for this material and the material in previous subunits.  These activities would be excellent topics to share with other students on the Saylor Foundation’s discussion forums.
  
  Reading, taking notes, and completing the activities will take approximately 2 hours and 30 minutes.
  
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9.6 Sustainable Development and Sustainability  

• Reading: The Open University: Chris Blackmore, Jake Chapman, and Ray Ison’s “Sustainable Development and Sustainability”

  Link: The Open University: Chris Blackmore, Jake Chapman, and Ray Ison’s “Sustainable Development and Sustainability” (HTML)
  
  Instructions: Please click on the above link and read this webpage, which describes sustainable development as the intersection of ecological, social, and economic concerns, and this perspective will be used through the rest of the course.
  
  Reading this webpage and taking notes should take approximately 15 minutes.
  
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9.7 Values, Beliefs, and Circumstances  

• Activity: The Open University: Chris Blackmore, Jake Chapman, and Ray Ison’s “Values, Beliefs, and Circumstances”

  Link: The Open University: Chris Blackmore, Jake Chapman, and Ray Ison’s “Values, Beliefs, and Circumstances” (HTML)
  
  Instructions: Please click on the above link, read the webpage, and complete the activity.  This unit focuses on classifications of values and beliefs as well as how values and beliefs inform our perspective regarding circumstances (in the context of sustainable development).  The activity would be good to share with other students on the Saylor Foundation’s discussion forums.
  
  Reading this webpage and completing the activity should take approximately 1 hour.
  
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• Reading: The Open University: Chris Blackmore, Jake Chapman, and Ray Ison’s “Connections between Values, Beliefs, and Circumstances”

  Link: The Open University: Chris Blackmore, Jake Chapman, and Ray Ison’s “Connections between Values, Beliefs, and Circumstances” (HTML)
  
  Instructions: Please click on the above link, read the webpage, and complete the activity.  Here, you are encouraged to think about the connections between the subjects discussed in the previous unit.  The activity would be good to share with other students on the Saylor Foundation’s discussion forums.
  
  Reading this webpage and completing the activity should take approximately 45 minutes.
  
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9.8 Exploring Values, Beliefs, and Circumstances in Relation to a Sustainable Development Situation  

• Activity: The Open University: Chris Blackmore, Jake Chapman, and Ray Ison’s “Exploring Values, Beliefs, and Circumstances in Relation to a Sustainable Development Situation”

  Link: The Open University: Chris Blackmore, Jake Chapman, and Ray Ison’s “Exploring Values, Beliefs, and Circumstances in Relation to a Sustainable Development Situation” (HTML)
  
  Instructions: Please click on the above link, read the webpage, and complete the activity.  Here, you are asked to apply what you learned in the previous unit about values and beliefs to a particular situation, and reflect upon its importance to sustainable development.  The reflection activity would be good to share with other students on the Saylor Foundation’s discussion forums.
  
  Reading, taking notes, and completing the activity should take approximately 1 hour and 30 minutes.
  
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9.9 Issues of Stakeholding  

• Activity: The Open University: Chris Blackmore, Jake Chapman, and Ray Ison’s “Issues of Stakeholding”

  Link: The Open University: Chris Blackmore, Jake Chapman, and Ray Ison’s “Issues of Stakeholding” (HTML)
  
  Instructions: Please click on the above link, read the webpage, and complete the activity.  The webpage describes the meaning of “stakeholder” and how the approach of categorizing people into stakeholder groups influences sustainable development processes.  The reflection activity would be good to share with other students on the Saylor Foundation’s discussion forums.
  
  Reading, taking notes, and completing the activity should take approximately 45 minutes.
  
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9.10 Some Different Beliefs about Sustainable Development  

• Reading: The Open University: Chris Blackmore, Jake Chapman, and Ray Ison’s “Some Different Beliefs about Sustainable Development”

  Link: The Open University: Chris Blackmore, Jake Chapman, and Ray Ison’s “Some Different Beliefs about Sustainable Development” (HTML)
  
  Instructions: Please click on the above link, read the webpage, and complete the activities.  The webpage examines different beliefs that are held about sustainable development, some of which you may or may not agree with.  The activities ask you to think about your own beliefs regarding sustainable development as well as how you might look at these beliefs and understand how they can advance or impede progress towards sustainability.  The reflection activities would be good to share with students on the Saylor Foundation’s discussion forums.
  
  Reading, taking notes, and completing the activities should take approximately 1 hour and 45 minutes.
  
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9.11 Values and Sustainable Development  

• Activity: The Open University: Chris Blackmore, Jake Chapman, and Ray Ison’s “Values and Sustainable Development”

  Link: The Open University: Chris Blackmore, Jake Chapman, and Ray Ison’s “Values and Sustainable Development” (HTML)
  
  Instructions: Please click on the above link, read the webpage, and complete the activities.  The webpage describes the importance of understanding how values and attitudes affect our discussions surrounding sustainable development as well as what should be done to achieve it.  The reflection activities would be good to share with other students on the Saylor Foundation’s discussion forums.
  
  Reading, taking notes, and completing the activities should take approximately 1 hour and 45 minutes.
  
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9.12 Congruence between Your Sustainable Development Values and Your Behavior?  

• Activity: The Open University: Chris Blackmore, Jake Chapman, and Ray Ison’s “Congruence between Your Sustainable Development Values and Your Behavior?”

  Link: The Open University: Chris Blackmore, Jake Chapman, and Ray Ison’s “Congruence between Your Sustainable Development Values and Your Behavior?” (HTML)
  
  Instructions: Please click on the above link, read the webpage, and complete the activities.  The webpage sets up the activities, all of which ask you to reflect upon your own values and behavior and how they inform your attitudes on sustainable development and your likelihood of contributing towards sustainable development goals.  Be sure to have your work from previous sections on hand, as the activities in this section ask you to look back at what you have written before.  The reflection activities would be good to share with other students on the Saylor Foundation’s discussion forums.
  
  Reading, taking notes, and completing the activities should take approximately 2 hours and 30 minutes.
  
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Unit 10: Synthesis and Solutions  

Each of the systems discussed in previous units is important in its own right.  The problems that societies must try to solve within those systems are very challenging.  However, these systems interact with each other, and the weakening or collapse of one system (e.g., loss of coastal wetlands and the flood protection they provide) can lead to a catastrophe in another system (e.g., massive flooding of New Orleans and other coastal cities by a category 3 Hurricane Katrina).

In this unit, you will read articles and watch short videos that discuss many of these issues and their interconnections.  This unit will synthesize concepts from previous units.  This final unit is meant to give you a more holistic understanding of these issues and how they influence each other and human societies.  The resources in this unit will provide examples of how these issues can be woven into a cohesive narrative of the current problems we face and how we might solve them.

Unit 10 Time Advisory   show close


Unit 10 Learning Outcomes   show close


10.1 Energy Solutions  

• Reading: U.S. Department of Energy, Oak Ridge National Laboratory: Anna Shipley et al.’s “Combined Heat and Power: Effective Energy Solutions for a Sustainable Future”

  Link: U.S. Department of Energy, Oak Ridge National Laboratory: Anna Shipley et al.’s “Combined Heat and Power: Effective Energy Solutions for a Sustainable Future” (PDF)
  
  Instructions: Please click on the above link and read the report.  Shipley and her coauthors describe how combined heat and power systems (often called “cogeneration”) can greatly enhance the efficiency of many types of energy systems, but particularly those in power plants and industrial and commercial buildings.  This method of energy generation also reduces the greenhouse gas emissions by kilowatt of energy.
  
  Reading this article and taking notes should take approximately 2 hours.
  
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• Lecture: TED Talks: Amory Lovins’ “A 40-year Plan for Energy”

  Link: TED Talks: Amory Lovins’ “A 40-year Plan for Energy” (MP4)
  
  Instructions: Please click on the above link and watch the lecture.  Amory Lovins is the founder of the Rocky Mountain Institute, a think tank that advocates solutions for the efficient use of energy and resources.  Here, he discusses the problems inherent to the current fossil fuel-based energy systems and describes how the US could progress to energy conservation and renewable energy sources.
  
  Watching this lecture and taking notes should take approximately 30 minutes.
  
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• Lecture: TED Talks: Justin Hall-Tipping’s “Freeing Energy from the Grid”

  Link: TED Talks: Justin Hall-Tipping’s “Freeing Energy from the Grid” (MP4)
  
  Instructions: Please click on the above link and watch the lecture.  Justin Hall-Tipping discusses one type of technological advancement that can help meet energy needs more efficiently without releasing greenhouse gases.
  
  Watching this lecture and taking notes should take approximately 15 minutes.
  
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10.2 Food Solutions  

• Lecture: Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health: Michael Heller’s “A Vision for Agriculture”

  Link: Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health: Michael Heller’s “A Vision for Agriculture” (MP3 and PPT)
  
  Instructions: Please click on the above link scroll down to “Lecture 19: A Vision for Agriculture.”  Click on links for the Slides and MP3 for “Part A.”  Listen to the MP3 lecture as you follow along with the Power Point slides.  Then, click on the links for the Slides and MP3 for Parts B and C.  Listen to these podcasts as you read along with the slides.  C. Michael Heller describes the farming techniques that can be used to produce more sustainable crops and livestock products and discusses the systemic measures that can be used to monitor the shift to more sustainable agriculture.  He argues that agricultural production must occur at a far more local scale than the scale at which industrial agriculture operates.
  
  Listening to this lecture and taking notes should take approximately 45 minutes.
  
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• Lecture: Vimeo: PopTech: Will Allen’s “On Urban Farming”

  Link: Vimeo: PopTech: Will Allen’s “On Urban Farming” (MP4)
  
  Instructions: Please click on the above link and watch the lecture.  Will Allen is a founder of Growing Power, an organization that is focused on food production in urban areas for urban communities.  In this video, he discusses his approaches for teaching people in urban areas about small-scale farming and healthy foods as well as the impact these efforts have had on the social and economic conditions in these communities.
  
  Watching this lecture and taking notes should take approximately 30 minutes.
  
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• Reading: Solutions: Wes Jackson’s “The 50-Year Farm Bill”

  Link: Solutions: Wes Jackson’s “The 50-Year Farm Bill” (HTML)
  
  Instructions: Please click on the above link and read this article.  Earlier in the course (sub-subunit 4.3.3), you listened to an interview with Wes Jackson, describing The Land Institute and the agricultural practice of polyculture.  In this article, Jackson describes how to use a policy similar to the U.S. Farm Bill to gradually implement polyculture, perennial agriculture, and other sustainable agricultural methods on a large scale.
  
  Reading this article and taking notes should take approximately 30 minutes.
  
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10.3 Biodiversity and Ecosystem Conservation and Management Solutions  

10.3.1 Biodiversity Solutions  

• Reading: Solutions: Joe Roman et al.’s “Facing Extinction: Nine Steps to Save Biodiversity”

  Link: Solutions: Joe Roman et al.’s “Facing Extinction: Nine Steps to Save Biodiversity” (HTML)
  
  Instructions: Please click on the above link and read this article.  The authors argue that biodiversity conservation must occur at landscape or larger scales and must take an interdisciplinary approach, including policy, ecological economics (to place a value on what might be lows), and literacy in environmental science so that people may better understand the problems and solutions posed.
  
  Reading this article and taking notes should take approximately 30 minutes.
  
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• Web Media: YouTube: International Union for Conservation of Nature: “Biotrade Initiative”

  Link: YouTube: International Union for Conservation of Nature: “Biotrade Initiative” (YouTube)
  
  Instructions: Please click on the above link and watch this short video, which describes one community-scale solution to conserve biodiversity in Ecuador.  This solution focuses not only on biodiversity, but sustainable livelihoods.
  
  Watching this video and taking notes should take approximately 15 minutes.
  
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• Lecture: Vimeo: University of Arizona: Paul Robbins’ “Conservation as It Is: Producing Wildlife in the Contested Natural Sanctuaries of India”

  Link: Vimeo: University of Arizona: Paul Robbins’ “Conservation as It Is: Producing Wildlife in the Contested Natural Sanctuaries of India” (MP4)
  
  Instructions: Please click on the above link and watch this video.  Paul Robbins uses the example of wildlife populations in a reserve in India to argue that traditional nature reserves (which isolate plant and animal populations within strictly protected areas, away from human presence) may not be the most ideal or feasible approach to biodiversity conservation.  He describes the importance of considering land use and human activities as well as the day-to-day decisions of local land managers, when identifying the more effective conservation approaches.
  
  Watching this video and taking notes should take approximately 45 minutes.
  
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10.3.2 Ecosystem Solutions  

• Lecture: Vimeo: PopTech: Willie Smits’ “Saving Rainforests”

  Link: Vimeo: PopTech: Willie Smits’ “Saving Rainforests” (MP4)
  
  Instructions: Please click on the above link and watch this lecture.  Willie Smits discusses the current risks facing rainforests and the local communities that depend upon them as well as the impact that deforestation in these areas has on the global climate.  He then outlines how sustainable energy production could improve the future outlook of rainforest ecosystems.
  
  Watching this lecture and taking notes should take approximately 30 minutes.
  
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• Lecture: Vimeo: Texas A&M University: Kent Redford’s “Second Nature: The Case for Conservation after the Death of Nature”

  Link: Vimeo: Texas A&M University: Kent Redford’s “Second Nature: The Case for Conservation after the Death of Nature” (MP4)
  
  Instructions: Please click on the above link and watch this video.  Kent Redford discusses what we mean by the word “nature” and how that definition affects one’s perceptions and values regarding its conservation.
  
  Watching this lecture and taking notes should take approximately 1 hour.
  
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• Lecture: Vimeo: Point Reyes Bird Observatory: John Wiens’ “Conservation in a Changing World: Do We Need a New Paradigm?”

  Link: Vimeo: Point Reyes Bird Observatory: John Wiens’ “Conservation in a Changing World: Do We Need a New Paradigm?” (MP4)
  
  Instructions: Please click on the above link and watch this lecture.  John Wiens is a noted ornithologist and conservation biologist.  In this video, he discusses the strengths and weaknesses of different biodiversity and ecosystem management approaches, including adaptive management and restoration.
  
  Watching this lecture and taking notes should take approximately 1 hour.
  
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10.4 Solutions Involving Spatial Flows  

10.4.1 Invasive Species  

• Lecture: Vimeo: Chris Costello’s “Risks of Invasive Species from International Trade”

  Link: Vimeo: Chris Costello’s “Risks of Invasive Species from International Trade” (MP4)
  
  Instructions: Please click on the above link and watch this video.  Chris Costello discuses how better information and policy design can reduce the risk of invasive species that spread through international trade.
  
  Watching this lecture and taking notes should take approximately 30 minutes.
  
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• Lecture: Vimeo: The National Academies: Ann Bartuska’s “Control of Invasives in Forests”

  Link: Vimeo: The National Academies: Ann Bartuska’s “Control of Invasives in Forests” (MP4)
  
  Instructions: Please click on the above link and watch this lecture.  Ann Bartuska describes how the methods that land managers use to control invasive species have changed over time, due to new knowledge and information about them.  She also discusses why invasive species control is so influenced by cost of control.
  
  Watching this lecture and taking notes should take approximately 30 minutes.
  
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10.4.2 Air Pollution  

• Web Media: Vimeo: “Campaign for New York’s Future: Congestion Pricing”

  Link: Vimeo: “Campaign for New York’s Future: Congestion Pricing” (MP4)
  
  Instructions: Please click on the link and watch the video, which describes an initiative to adopt a congestion charge to reduce traffic and the air pollution it generates.
  
  Watching this video and taking notes should take approximately 5 minutes.
  
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• Reading: On the Commons: Charles Komanoff’s “Valuing the Commons: Congestion Pricing’s Hidden Payoff”

  Link: On the Commons: Charles Komanoff’s “Valuing the Commons: Congestion Pricing’s Hidden Payoff” (HTML)
  
  Instructions: Please click on the link and read the short article.  Charles Komanoff provides support for traffic congestion fees by describing how these fees help put a price on the damage that air pollution causes to our common spaces and atmosphere.  Many economists believe that resources that are held in commons (as opposed to private property) are often overused and damaged because there is no price associated with their use.
  
  Reading this article and taking notes should take approximately 10 minutes.
  
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10.4.3 Globalization  

• Reading: Solutions: Fred Curtis and David Ehrenfeld’s “The New Geography of Trade: Globalization’s Decline May Stimulate Local Recovery”

  Link: Solutions: Fred Curtis and David Ehrenfeld’s “The New Geography of Trade: Globalization’s Decline May Stimulate Local Recovery” (HTML)
  
  Instructions: Please click on the above link and read this article.  The authors take the interesting view that globalization has already begun to decline due to energy costs, which makes long-distance transportation of goods difficult.  As globalization contracts, the authors expect local economies to strengthen.
  
  Reading this article and taking notes should take approximately 15 minutes.
  
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10.4.4 Trade Solutions  

• Reading: Law, Environment, and Development Journal: Kabir Bavikatte and Daniel Robinson’s “Towards a People’s History of the Law: Biocultural Jurisprudence and the Nagoya Protocol on Access and Benefit Sharing”

  Link: Law, Environment, and Development Journal: Kabir Bavikatte and Daniel Robinson’s “Towards a People’s History of the Law: Biocultural Jurisprudence and the Nagoya Protocol on Access and Benefit Sharing” (PDF)
  
  Instructions: Please click on the above link scroll down to find the article titled “Towards a People’s History of the Law,” click on the “Full Text” link, and read the article.  The authors describe the development of the Nagoya Protocol (one of the first of its kind) to prevent rich countries and companies from using the traditional ecological knowledge of indigenous communities for profit (and worse, filing for patents for the knowledge).  The Protocol protects this knowledge and indigenous communities retain all rights to any beneficial species or properties found in their jurisdictions.
  
  Reading this article and taking notes should take approximately 1 hour.
  
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10.5 Resource Recycling Solutions  

• Reading: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency: “Waste Prevention, Recycling, and Composting Options: Lessons from 30 US Communities”

  Link: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency: “Waste Prevention, Recycling, and Composting Options: Lessons from 30 US Communities” (PDF)
  
  Instructions: Please click on the above link and then select the links on the webpage to access the report’s chapters as separate PDF files.  Please read Chapter One through Chapter Eight; you can read the Appendices as supplemental material, if you wish.  The report describes the many different methods use to improve the amount and kinds of resources that can be recycled from residential, commercial, and industrial sources.
  
  Reading this report and taking notes should take approximately 7 hours.
  
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• Reading: Solutions: Penny Sackett’s “Endangered Elements: Conserving the Building Blocks of Life”

  Link: Solutions: Penny Sackett’s “Endangered Elements: Conserving the Building Blocks of Life” (HTML)
  
  Instructions: Please click on the above link and read this article, which describes the many different inorganic resources and elements that have dwindling reserves in nature.  The article discusses the approaches that are currently underway to substitute more common elements for rare ones and to increase the recycling rates for all resources so that mining for new resources will become less necessary.
  
  Reading this article and taking notes should take approximately 15 minutes.
  
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10.6 Interacting Problems and Solutions (Synthesis)  

• Lecture: Vimeo: PopTech: Lester Brown’s “A World in Balance”

  Link: Vimeo: PopTech: Lester Brown’s “A World in Balance” (MP4)
  
  Instructions: Please click on the above link and watch this lecture.  Lester Brown is one of the foremost speakers on resource depletion and sustainability issues and is the head of the World Resources Institute.  In this lecture, he describes how overpopulation and consumption trends interact with energy and natural resource depletion to suggest possible catastrophic declines in Earth’s ecosystems and national economies.  He suggests a few policy options (like carbon emission taxes) that might help individuals make better consumption decisions that collectively would reduce the pressure on natural resources and the environment.
  
  Watching this lecture and taking notes should take approximately 30 minutes.
  
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• Lecture: Vimeo: PopTech: Michael Pollan’s “Sustainable Food”

  Link: Vimeo: PopTech: Michael Pollan’s “Sustainable Food” (MP4)
  
  Instructions: Please click on the above link and watch this lecture.  Michael Pollan is a prolific author focused on sustainable food systems and diets.  He discusses not only how the methods of food production, but also how the relationships of cultures to food production and consumption, dictate the sustainability of a food system.
  
  Watching this lecture and taking notes should take approximately 30 minutes.
  
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• Lecture: University of Oxford: Robert Costanza’s “Environmental Governance and Resilience: Solutions for a Sustainable and Desirable Future”

  Link: University of Oxford: Robert Costanza’s “Environmental Governance and Resilience: Solutions for a Sustainable and Desirable Future” (MP4)
  
  Instructions: Please click on the above link and then either press the play button, or click on “Get Audio File” to open the file using player software on your computer.  Robert Costanza is a noted expert in ecological economics and sustainability.  In this talk, he discusses what sustainability science is and how its interdisciplinary approach can be used to identify solutions to many sustainability and sustainable development problems.  In particular, he discusses ecosystem services and how payment to landowners for these services is one potential solution to solving multiple problems.
  
  Listening to this lecture and taking notes should take approximately 1 hour.
  
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Final Exam  

• Final Exam: The Saylor Foundation's "ENVS504 Final Exam"

  Link: The Saylor Foundation's "ENVS504 Final Exam" (HTML)
  
  Instructions: You must be logged into your Saylor Foundation School account in order to access this exam.  If you do not yet have an account, you will be able to create one, free of charge, after clicking the link. 

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