Geography and World Environmental Problems

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GEOG 200 Dr James D. Ford Dept. of Geography

Thursday September 8th

Overview
1. 2. 3.

What is a world environmental problem? What is Geography? (Re)Emergence of environmental issues in geography Geographical perspectives in practice

4.

We will have some interactive sessions today

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Learning outcomes

Be able to describe the key features of a geographical approach Be able to apply a geographical approach to understand a world environmental problem

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1. What is a World Environmental Problem

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Environmental Problems

Environmental problem = condition of the biophysical environment which negatively affects humans. Maybe caused by human activities or be entirely natural

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Environmental Problems: History

Environmental problems are not new Many examples from history of human induced environmental collapse

Maya Easter Island

Famous geographer Jared Diamond

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Environmental Problems: History

Environmental problems are not new Many examples from history of human induced environmental collapse Characteristics:

Usually small scale: limited to a small area Involve change in a limited number of the environmental conditions, e.g. water availability, soil erosion, trees Not long lasting in scope

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Environmental Problems: History

Environmental problems are not new Many examples from history of human induced environmental collapse Characteristics Why?

Low population Technology limitations: limits extent of impact

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Environmental Problems: Today

Today we still have small scale, localized problems

Pollution of local water ways Loss of locally important plant and animal species

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Environmental Problems: Today

Today we still have small scale, localized problems BUT as population has increased, technology advanced, affluence increased, the human impact has accelerated so that many problems are now global (Lecture 3) Social organization unable to keep up

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World Environmental Problem

World Environment Problem: condition of the global biophysical environment which negatively affects humans. Maybe caused by human activities or be entirely natural GEOG 200: focuses on those caused / accelerated by humans and how humans cause the change GEOG 200: focuses on the effects of these human caused world environmental problems
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Systemic vs. Cumulative

Two types of world environmental problem Systemic

Direct human impact on globally functioning biophysical systems E.g. greenhouse gas emissions which affect the global climate E.g. CFCs which cause ozone depletion

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Systemic vs. Cumulative

Two types of world environmental problem Systemic Cumulative

Changes that attain global significance through their worldwide distribution (i.e. they happen everywhere) E.g. Deforestation E.g. Loss of prime agricultural land and wetlands

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Systemic vs. Cumulative

Systemic or cumulative will determine policy response Systemic = need global solutions Cumulative = problem will be different in different locations (e.g. species loss due to farming in the Amazon vs. mineral development in The Congo), therefore need specific local policy

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Examples of World Environmental Problems

Examples:

Anthropogenic climate change (systemic) Deforestation (cumulative) Biodiversity loss (cumulative) Fish depletion (cumulative) Habitat degradation (cumulative) Ozone depletion (systemic)

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2. What is Geography
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Time to Think

Take a few minutes and think about the following question What do you think geography is? Write down a few key points

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Some Definitions

Literal translation = to write about the earth. The study of the [bio]physical features of the earth and a human activity as it relates to these, OED (2003) The purpose of geography is to provide 'a view of the whole' earth by mapping the location of places." Ptolemy (150 BC) Geography is the study of the earths landscapes, peoples, places and environments. It is, quite simply, about the world in which we live, Royal Geographic Society (2008) 4/27/12

A Contested Discipline

Geography meant different things, to different people, at different times No consensus on what Geography is But we can identify key traditions in Geography characterized by specific approaches to study

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Traditions in Geography: A Brief History

Pre-20th century geography

Exploration and geography: Al Idrisi, Ibn Batuta, Columbus Geography Militant: power of the empty space on the map, geography as the science of empire Livingstone, Stanley, Speke, Murchison

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Traditions in Geography: A Brief History

Pre 20th century geography

Exploration and geography: Al Idrisi, Ibn Batuta, Columbus Geography Militant: power of the empty space on the map, geography as the science of empire Livingstone, Stanley, Speke, Murchison Scientific geography also emerges in 19th century: Von Humboldt, Darwin, describe natural features; MacKinder and political geography

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Alexander Von Humboldt Charles Darwin: Geographer par

Traditions in Geography: A Brief History

20th century geography Environmental determinism common

Trace links between climate, development & culture Vigorous climate of Northern Europe Languid climate of the tropics Justify colonialism In other areas, propose simple link between environment and human behaviour

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Ellen Semple

Traditions in Geography: A Brief History

Pre 20th century geography Environmental determinism

Trace links between climate and inferior races Vigorous climate of Northern Europe Languid climate of the tropics Justify colonialism In other areas, propose simple link between environment and human behaviour Discredits env. geography for many years

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Traditions in Geography: A Brief History

Pre 20th century geography Environmental determinism Regional geography in 1920s, 30s, 40s

Focus on regional description of human and physical environment Geography languishes in academia Dropped from Harvard in late 1940s Crisis in Geography

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Traditions in Geography: A Brief History

Pre 20th century geography Environmental determinism Regional geography Quantitative geography

1960s Geographers want to make Geography more academic Decide to use statistical and mathematical models in all studies

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Traditions in Geography: A Brief History

Pre 20th century geography Environmental determinism Regional geography Quantitative geography Revolutionary geography

1970s: Marxist and feminist radical geography

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Contemporary Geography

Contemporary geography characterised by how it approaches problems not the problems it studies (more than maps and naming capital cities!):

Focus on human biophysical systems, specifically how they interact together Focus on spatial and temporal scale and how processes interact over different scales Use of quantitative and qualitative approaches

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3. (Re) Emergence of Environmental Issues in Geography

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(Re)Emergence

Env. determinism limits geographical research on environmental issues But in the 1970s / 80s environmental issues gain ground (Lectures 3&4) Geographers realize they are well placed to tackle these issues

Env. problems involve complex interplay between human and biophysical drivers, geography has long history of studying human-env interaction Scale important: many local changes due to non-local processes

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Geographers Take a Lead Role

More importantly geographers see deficiencies in the research being done 1970s-80s common for researchers to identify single causes to env. problems, often biophysical in nature

Sahel desertification = climate change Natural hazards = due to acts of god, caused by physical events

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Geographers Take a Lead Role

1980s common for researchers to identify single causes to env. problems, often biophysical in nature A number of geographers point out limitations to this thinking

Not climate per se but human interaction with climate that caused desertification Many natural hazards not natural but human caused : social construction of hazards Not neutral in terms of impacts poor and marginalized loose out

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Key Players in the 80s

Piers Blaikie
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Pressure and Release Model

Root Causes Dynamic Pressures Unsafe Conditions / Impact on the env.

HAZARD / ENV PROBLEM

Blaikie et al. 1994

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Key Players in the 80s

Piers Blaikie
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Michael Watts

Kenneth Hewitt

Geographers Take a Lead Role

Environmental problems with global impacts and global causes emerge in 80s -90s: i.e. World env. problems World env. problems = not easy problems but wicked problems

Multiple human and biophysical causes Processes operating over many scales

Geographers well placed to take a lead role with focus on human-env. interaction (esp. with new approaches inc. GIS)
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4. Geographical perspectives in practice and the geographical advantage

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Example 1: Climate change impacts in the Arctic

Context: Climate changing rapidly in the Arctic and predicted to continue Physical science (Engineering, atmosph. science) = Arctic vulnerable to climate change, indigenous peoples very vulnerable

WHY: Big changes in climate predicted therefore must have large impacts SOLUTION: Need to slow down climate change E.g. Canada Climate Impact Study 1997; IPCC 2001; Arctic Climate Impact Assessment 2005

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The Geographical Advantage

But these studies only consider the role of climate in affecting people Ford et al., 2006 model for understanding the human impacts of global environmental problems in the Arctic

Multiple causes, multiple scales, feedbacks important

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The Geographical Advantage

The Geographical advantage

Results are quite different! Lots of change predicted but indigenous peoples highly adaptable Problem is not climate change per se, but social and economic stresses which make it hard for people to adapt Policy can address these to reduce the impacts of climate change Broadened our understanding of the problems

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Time to Think

Think about problems caused by climate change (e.g. increasing temps, more extreme weather, more flooding, more drought, rising sea levels etc). Talk to your neighbor about how your discipline would approach the problem.

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Example 2: Land-use change and disease

Sleeping sickness affects large areas of subSaharan Africa Spread from animals to humans by the tsetse fly What causes epidemics and spread (e.g. 1970s and 80s re-emergence?

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Example 2: Land-use change and disease

Sleeping sickness affects large areas of subSaharan Africa Spread from animals to humans by the tsetse fly What causes epidemics and spread (e.g. 1970s and 80s re-emergence?
Biological sciences = focused on distribution of tsetse fly. Cause of sleeping sickness reemergence in 1970s and 80s = land use change which affect tsetse fly
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The Geographical Advantage

Biological perspective inadequate to fully explain re-emergence Berrang-Ford et al (2005) model

Multiple human and biophysical causes at different scales affect tsetse fly distribution and human interaction with the tsetse fly Need to go beyond just focusing on distribution of the tsetse fly Looks at Ugandan case

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Berrang-Ford et al. (2005) in

The Geographical Advantage

The geographical advantage

Civil conflict main driver of re-emergence; in 1970s and 80s: dictator Idi Amin in Uganda

Compromised health of individuals, health system collapse, tsetse control scales down, people flee villages to the bush where tsetse fly live Human conditions affect how people interact with the fly

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Time to Think

Think of a world environmental problem that you know the most about Note down some of the key features geographers might focus on when studying the problem (remember geographers look how the human and biophysical world interact, and examine the role of scale) Discuss with your neighbour or think on your own

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Summary

Defined world environmental problem Explored what geography is Examined how geographers began to play lead roles in world environmental problems research Reviewed some key geographical perspectives on world environmental problems

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Next Class

Required readings:

Myers, N. (1998), Kates et al (2001), Sachs and Reid (2006) All short readings

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