consuming grain vs meat
only half of all food is grown for human consumption
the other half is to feed animals, which are then consumed
it takes 16 pounds of grain to produce 1 pound of edible meat
20% of the world's richest countries consume 80% of the world's meat production
d
malnutrition
improper or insufficient diet
undernutrition
over nutrition
frequently associated with extreme poverty in both less developed countries and developing countries
extended malnutrition may result in starvation, disease, diminished mental abilities and/or in
over nutrition
excessive nutrients that result in obesity
crop rotation
growing of a series of different crops in the same area over different seasons
no till farming
growing crops from year to year without disturbing the soil
increases the amount of water and organic matter (nutrients) in the soil and decreases erosion
increases the amount and variety of life in and on the soil
reduces labor, fuel, irrigation and mach
pros of GMOs
requires less water and fertilizer
higher crop yields
less spoilage
faster growth, greater productivity, lower operating costs
more resistance to disease, drought, frost and inseccts
may be able to grow in areas unfit for agriculture and increase nutritio
cos of GMOs
unknown ecological effects
less genetic diversity
may harm beneficial insects
may pose allergen risk
may result in mutations with unknown consequences
may cause pesticide resistant strains
irrigation
75% of all freshwater used is used for agricutlure
40% of all crop yields come from 16% of all cropland that is irrigated
irrigation depends on climate and degree of industrialization
70% of water used for irrigation can be lost through evaporation, leaka
drip irrigation
most water efficient method of irrigation
water is delivered at the root zone of a plant
sprinkler irrigation
uses overhead sprinklers, sprays or guns, installed on permanent rises
includes rotary and center pivot (sprinklers mounted on moveable towers)
biological pesticides
bacteria, ladybugs, parasitic wasps, certain viruses
inorganic pesticides
highly toxic and accumualtes in the environment
arsenic, mercury
organic pesticides
poisons derived from plants such as nicotine based pesticides derived from tobacco
pros of using pesticides
kills unwanted pests that carry disease
increases food supply
more food means food is less expensive
newer pesticides are safer and more specific
reduces labor costs
agriculture is more profitable
cons of using pesticides
accumulates in food chain
pests develop resistance
it costs up to $10 in damage done to the environment for every $1 spent on pesticides
pesticide runoff and its effect on biomagnification
inefficiency - only 5% of a pesticide reaches a pest
threatens end
tree harvesting methods
even age management
uneven age management
selective cutting
high grading
shelterwood cutting
seed tree cutting
clear cutting
strip cutting
selective cutting
specific trees in an area are chosen
clear cutting
all of the trees in an area are cut at the same time
pros of tree plantations
practical method for trees that require full or moderate sunlight
genetically improved species of trees that resist disease and grow faster and more efficiently
increases economic returns on investments
produces a high yield of timber at the lowest cost
p
cons of tree plantations
reduces creational value of land
if done on steeply sloped areas, will often cause soil erosion, water pollution and flooding
reduces biodiversity
promotes monoculture
trees are prone to disease and infestation due to low diversity
old growth forests
characterized by high biodiversity
older and mixed trees
minimal amounts of human activity
multilayered canopy openings due to tree falls
pit and mound topography
decaying wood and ground layer (carbon sink)
dead trees provide nesting sites
healthy soil p
deforestation
conversion of forested areas to non forested areas for agriculture, livestock grazing, mining, logging, urban sprawl
results in degraded environment, less biodiversity and reduced ecological services, habitats for endangered wildlife, soil fertility, prec
forest fires
current frequency is 4 times average with 7 times above normal acreage burned per year primarily attributed to influence of global warming (earlier snowmelts, vegetation drying out) and allowing undergrowth to build up
purposes of rangelands
habitat for game and nongame species
site for renewable food sources
habitat for various plant species
source off water, open space
recreation
overgrazing
occurs when cattle graze on grassland so heavily that the vegetation is damaged and the ground becomes liable to erosion
occurs when plants are exposed to livestock grazing for long periods of time without allowing the land to recover
reduces the usefulne
desertification
land degradation in arid, semi arid, and dry sub humid areas resulting from various factors, including climatic variations and human activities
caused by overgrazing, soil erosion, prolonged drought and overuse of available resources (nutrients or water),
progression of desertification
animals eat most of the plant life in an area
rain washes away trampled soil
springs and other sources of water dry up
what vegetation is left dries up or is taken as fuel
weeds take over, unsuitable for grazing
winds blow topsoil away
decrease in biodive
desertification remediation
regulate grazing
eliminate or restrict the use of slash and burn
plant legumes, which fix atmospheric nitrogen and anchor soil
plant drought resistant trees with fine leaves to trap blowing sand
cut artificial hoof prints into soil that allow seeds to anc
salinization
water that is not absorbed into the soil eventually evaporates and leaves behind dissolved salts in topsoil
stunted crop growth, lower yield, eventual destruction of plant life
waterlogging
saturation of the soil by groundwater which prevents or hinders agriculture
salty, saline water surrounds deep roots killing plants, lowers productivity, eventual destruction of plant life
wetlands
areas that are covered by water and support plants that can grow in water saturated soil
countries with most wetlands are brazil, canada andn russia
originally 10% of all land in united states, now 5%; mostly in florida and lousisana
most loss of wetlands
urbanization (planned development)
residential and commercial buildings in teh united staes consume one third of all energy and two thirds of all electricity in the united staes
energy needs of building account for one half of all SO2 emissions, one fourth of all NO2 emissions, and one thi
preservation
to keep or maintain intact
remediation
act of correcting a fault of deficiency
mitigation
to moderate or alleviate in force or intensity
restoration
to restore to its former good condition
land conservation options
adopt careful monitoring and enforcement to protect biodiversity and habitats
adopt a user pay approach
institute fair compensation for resources extracted from public land
require responsibility from those who damage public land
include ecological servic
dams
dams can be overwhelmed during excessive rainstorms
excess water is released that impacts people and wildlife below dam
preserve wetlands
preserves natural flood plains and reduces impervious surfaces throughout the watershed
maintains biodiversity
dams
deprive watersheds of nutrient rich silt that revitalizes depeleted soil profiles
result in silting that must be dredged
result in water loss through large scale evaporation and through seepage through porous rock beds
mining
removing mineral resource from the ground
can involve underground mines, drilling, room and pillar mining, long wall mining, open pit, dredging, contour strip mining and mountain top removal
mine wastes
removing ore from gangue
involves transporation, pro
global mineral reserves
reserves are resources that can be economically extracted using existing technology
germany, russia and united states are 8% of the world's population but consume 75% of the world's metals
two billion tons of minerals extracted per year in theh united sta
tragedy of the commons
story published by garrett hardin in the journal science in 1968
story parallels what is happening worldwide in regard to resource depletion and pollution
the seas, air, water, animals, and minerals are all the "commons"
no one person owns the commons
tho