The world population has been exponentially growing and will soon exceed the Earth's capacity. Population Control Since the essence of sustainability is assuring that the activities of current generations do not threaten the well being of future ones, the scale and the changes in magnitude of these activities are central. Environmental sustainability is inextricably linked with population growth and human activity. Many fear that population growth and consumption will also gravely jeopardize our efforts to fight climate change. The main obstacle to recognizing and discussing the importance of ending population growth to environmental sustainability is concern about ethical implications. Population growth is exploding at an exponential rate, while the death rate is not competing with this growth. The population continues to boom as resources dwindle. People live longer and thus require more resources. Steady-State Economy A steady-state economy consists of constant capital and population size. Because of the constant and consistent level op population and stock of physical wealth, such an economy does not grow in the course of time. A steady-state economy usually refers to a national economy of a country, but the term is also applicable to economic systems of cities, regions, or the world. Adam Smith believed that any national economy would eventually move to a state of stationary. Pressing ecological issues have brought a greater interest in the concept of a steady-state economy. Earth is exceeding global limits to growth with over population, pollution, and climate change. Additionally, net depletion of renewable resources and loss of biodiversity point to critiques in economic growth. Degrowth Movement The degrowth movement is a political, economic, and social movement derived from ecological economics. The movement is based on anti-consumerist and anti-capitalist ideas. The movement is considered a necessary economic strategy to address limits to growth, sustainable development, over-consumption, and overgrowth in population. Thinkers in the degrowth movement advocate for the downscaling of production and consumption. Overconsumption is the systematic core issue of environmental problems and social inequalities. Liming consumption does to decrease societal or individual well-being. The movement aims to maximize utility through non-consumption means such as consuming less, sharing work and enjoying art, culture, people, and nature. As economies grow, the need for resources grows. There is a fixed supply of nonrenewable resources that are becoming exhausted with overgrowth in population. Demand needs to be decreased to limit resource depletion. Less consumption will reduce individual ecological footprints and pave the way to a more sustainable future. Introducing technology to reduce resource use can result in a rebound effect, where individuals consume more as they feel their consumption is being offset by this technology. Consuming less and simple living is key to sustainable development. The movement also requires societal shifts in how we evaluate economic and societal well-being. Well-being can be measured in non-consumption means of utility. Society needs to stop measuring growth and economic well being in increases of GDP. Increases of GDP often point to environmental degradation and socioeconomic injustices. Shifting the global mindset away from measuring economic health through GDP will contribute to sustainable development and the degrowth movement. The degrowth movement call for a radical change in view on economic growth. Case Study: Population Control Ethics in China
Rapid population growth in the 1950s and 60s coupled with declines in fertility in 1970s put population control into question with economic development. In 1975, European scientists informed China about a theoretical way to limit population by controlling number of births. After Mao’s death, Deng Xiaoping emphasized need to limit population growth to achieve development goals. The Communist Party of China issued an open letter on the “Issue of Controlling the Population Growth,” which enacted the One Child Policy. Millions of Chinese parents had to endure strict enforcement methods: forced sterilization and abortions. There was a large increase in female babies being killed, orphaned or abandoned. As of 2016, there were 33.59 million more men than women. Chinese government estimated that 400 million births were prevented. Fertility and birth rate both decreased after 1980. Children born into families that already had one child often went undocumented which caused issues in access to education and job opportunities. The population control polices in China raises ethical questions where reproductive and family planning rights are restricted. A more ethical solution focuses on women’s autonomy and reproductive rights. Through allowing women the autonomy and the means to achieve their own reproductive intentions without external interference, population growth can be effectively reduced to achieve sustainable development. Equal opportunity for work and fair pay and easy access to free contraceptives at clinics, hospitals, universities etc. are necessary. Governments need to provide women with access to education: sex education, family planning, and adoption programs. Family planning should include adoption options and costs associated with having an additional child. Environmental Sociology and Demographics Environmental Sociology is the subfield of sociology that studied population and consumption patterns in developing countries. There are intrinsic controls on species in all ecosystems. Populations are becoming to large and exploding with exponential growth. Rising consumption levels coupled with rising population threatens sustainable development. Majority of population growth is in developing countries. Population growth is thus divided geographically. Consumption growth is present in developed countries. Although developed countries have a small fraction of the population, developed countries contribute to the great majority of consumption on the Earth. Environmental sociology and demographics addresses the demographic disparity of population and consumption growth in developing and developed countries. Middle classes emerging within classes demand similar consumption levels. Cities and Sustainability Urbanization is the establishment and expansion of urban and suburban areas. Urban growth is the rate at which an urban population increases. Urban sprawl is generally uncontrolled and unregulated expansion of urban areas, often poses a threat to natural habitats located at the periphery of these areas. Cities promote economic development and innovation and have more sustainable resources like mass transit. But cities have large ecological footprints which is uncompensated by lack of vegetation and natural environment. Noise and light pollution and congestion are also resulted from cities negatively affecting the environment and public health. About 80% of the United States population lives in urban areas, and half of the world lives in urban areas. Urban areas experience growth from natural increases of fewer deaths than births and also increases in population through immigration. The cities as human systems should operate on the same principles as natural systems. Although cities have large ecological footprints, the system of cities can act sustainability to achieve large-scale result. Promote sustainability within cities by cities. A transition town is a concept that promotes self-sustainability and resiliency in major cities to reduce the potential effects of peak oil, climate destruction and economic instability. Suburbia is dependent on peak cheap oil. Questions:
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Sustainable business is at the intersection of the triple bottom line: people, planet, profit. Sustainable Business An enterprise that has minimal or positive impact on the global or local environment, community, or economy is a sustainable business. Sustainable businesses strive to meet the triple bottom line. Sustainability is at the intersection of planet, people, and profit. The people comprise suppliers, customers, employees, investors, and communities. Within the planet sphere exists energy, waste, water, climate change, and biodiversity. Profit describes the short and long-term financial spheres and the economic, equitable, side. Sustainable development within a business can create value for customers, investors, and the environment. A sustainable enterprise faces the challenge of creating value for customers while not negatively affecting the environment. Sustainability and global systems are nested interdependencies such that businesses exist within societies that are both held within the environment. Because of the nested interdependencies of the global system, businesses inherently have strong capability to affect their surrounding society and environment. The nested interdependencies and nature of the triple bottom line also contribute to boomerang impacts in the global system. Sustainable businesses focus on the people and advocate and have for themselves progressive environmental and human rights policies. Generally a business can be defined as sustainable if it matches the following four criteria:
Does how you think about a challenge like sustainability impact your success in addressing it? All complex problems call for complex thinking. Positive psychology and systems thinking are critical in addressing sustainability. Systems thinking requires evaluating all the systems that contribute and interact with a problem. Capital market systems must be evaluated and transformed in order to address sustainability. The need for reform in market systems and rising investor demand has spurred innovative research to help companies address climate change and social pressure. Corporate social responsibility has driven much of the sustainable change seen in businesses. To me this also shows a need for society to hold corporations responsible. If consumers expect their consumption in a good or participation in a firm to benefit the environment it will greatly change the market and shift demand for more sustainable businesses. Sustainability should not be surface level, but deeply engrained. I believe that the further sustainability spreads deep into a company with result in a more streamlined, efficient, and effective sustainable strategy. Sustainability can improve other aspects of the company as they approach situations differently, creating greater innovative potential. Consumer or Citizen Businesses and societies need to redefine their consumption habits to prevent the coming of overshoot day. We need to learn to stop living beyond our environment: this chapter addresses the necessary lens and perspectives to do that on a global scale. With reduced consumption, inherently means a need for smarter production. Business leaders must lead the way in producing in a globally sustainable way. The lens and perspective needed to achieve the necessary reduced consumption and production is called sustainable globalization. While the globalization of sustainability is the impetus to create the necessary layers that will build the foundation for global prosperity. The ideal citizen should take a moral point of view, perceiving oneself as an equal individual among many in community. As a moral agent, a citizen should act not only from personal desire, but for the greater good of the community. The model consumer is an economic egoist who maximizes preferences and satisfaction. A producer entices a consumer by whatever means is necessary. In order to move towards a more sustainable future, consumers must move towards the ideal consumer, considering how their consumption affects society and the environment at large. The ideal consumer recognizes the personal benefits it receives from ecosystem services and natural capital and exerts efforts to extend those benefits onto the many. Environmental Law Environmental law, which is also known as environmental and natural resource law, describes statutes regulations and laws addressing anthropogenic effects on the environment. Environmental law can address many fields such as land use. However, the core environmental regime addresses environmental pollution, as many enterprises and institutions need to be held responsible and mitigate the pollution they have imposed on the environment. Pollution control addresses water quality, waste management, contaminant cleanup, and chemical safety. Many lawyers also practice resource sustainability, which involves impact assessment, water resources, mineral resources, and forest resources, wildlife and plants, and fish and game. I personally have worked with fish and game law to develop an environmental policy to get a turtle species of special concern off the game list. Environmental law and policy are closely tied together. Environmental lawyers can engage in other practices to help protect the environment. Lawyers in the New York City Bar founded the New York City Climate Action Alliance The NYC Climate Action Alliance is a growing coalition of New Yorkers: from individuals to NGOs to businesses and beyond -- committed to helping New York City reach its goal to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 80% by the year 2050. The NYCCAA is just one personal example of the many great movements environmental law and policy has facilitated. Questions: How can profitable and viable businesses protect the environment, reduce social injustice and global poverty, thereby enhancing -- rather than dissipating -- society’s trust and confidence in private enterprise? Does how you think about a challenge like sustainability impact your success in addressing it? How can humans live well on the planet without compromising the ability of current and future generations to do the same? Are people the next artifacts of a throwaway culture? Word Count: 1142 Businesses must implement systems thinking as a sustainable strategy to effectively drive a sustainable world.
Speciesism is unfair treatment based on one's species. Philosophical Worldviews Finding common ground in worldviews for the sake of working together and fostering cooperation can be difficult with opposing worldviews. The compatibility of the three worldviews varies with common ground and greatly conflicting values. Worldviews come from developmental psychology and educational background. For example, contact with nature as a child may lead to Earth Wisdom viewpoint. Worldviews are also shaped by environmental education that translates into personal lifestyle, consumer choices, and ecological footprint. A stewardship worldview focusing on moral duties to nature: an anthropocentric approach to the conservationist movement. This worldview is less about the intrinsic value of nature, and more. Stewardship still has elements of planetary. Control is limited of nature and so are resource, preventing gearing towards a limitless free market economy. Stewardship for the sake of all members of the ecosystem focuses on stewardship not just for people, including abiotic and biotic factors of ecosystems. Specisim is the favor of one’s own species and unfair treatment of other species. Giving interest to members of one’s own species, over other species violates equality. The interest of one’s own species, overrides the interest of others in the same way racism and sexism permeate in society. Treating the less powerful as mere objects. Earth Wisdom involves moral duties of respect to abiotic factors of ecosystems, which are necessary for fostering the biotic factors of ecosystems. Puts human beings into the same community as animals, relying on a basic distinction between humans and other animals as earthlings. Without plants in an ecosystem, the primary producers, and microorganisms, animals would not exist. This worldview sees the good in all creatures and nature, while resisting a concentric circle of focus on individual and familial economic capacity. Earth wisdom fosters many individual philosophies and areas of environmental ethics: Deep Ecology, Ecological Feminism, Biocentrism, and Ecological Theology. Deep Ecology should not just be on the levels of people’s lifestyles and policy. A sustainable society is dependent on Earth Wisdom worldview. Environmental Justice Kids vs. the Climate case claimed that the government violated rights to life, liberty and property as well as the public trust doctrine, which states that the government must use natural resources properly. Also known as Juliana vs. the United States addresses the government failing to address climate change despite their knowledge of climate change for years. Failure to action also includes translating the issue of climate change as less severe than reality by the United States government. The petition filed by the fossil fuel industry made the case that they did not have the standards to address. The children filing the case have the capacity to show that the government’s inaction is harming them as opposed to older people or nature. All of the public land in the United States is an environmental commons. The government is responsible for the environmental commons and ensuring the passing on of these resources for perpetuity. Climate change is one of the most pressing issues of modernity because of its inherent impact in many other monumental issues. Climate change is a human’s right issue. Climate change’s effects have displaced climate refugees. Climate change affects racism as environmental injustices disproportionately affect marginalized communities. Extremes such as deliberate targeting of people of color communities for toxic waste facilities are occurring. Additionally, racism exists within the environmental movement within the history of excluding people of color in leadership positions in the movement. Individuals and institutions with the most wealth and carbon dioxide emissions are greatly contributing to climate change and not feeling the effects. Whereas, people living sustainably in poverty are greatly affected by climate change despite their low contribution to the harmful changes in climate and fragile state of socioeconomic wellbeing. For example, Hurricane Katrina devastated the poor of New Orleans as many people could not evacuate. There are lawsuits that continue to be filed against companies and governments to stop harming nature. Laws exist to prevent animal cruelty and environmental degradation that include the nonhuman. For example, Ecuador has in its constitution that all life and nature have rights. The Earth Charter recognizes that everything on the planet has moral rights, but the United Nations have not adopted it. Switzerland has provisions for the protection of plants. Animals and plants have moral identities that cannot be trodden on by biotechnological advancements. The countries that cause climate related displacement are not accepting climate refugees. Additionally, climate change has greatly contributed to political unrest, wars, and upheaval and many countries as addressed in Trophic of Chaos by Christian Parenti. Standing in solidarity to promote the intersectionality of issues related to climate. The environmental migrant crisis most often affects those of undeveloped countries despite the fact that the majority of carbon emissions come from developed countries. Degrading natural capital is still disproportionately distributed. The case connects to worldviews as the plaintiffs’ appeal to natural resources and human rights. The lawsuit addresses intergenerational justice. The case specifically is fighting for the youngest generations right to a safe climate. The obligation to ensure a clean and environment for future generations is debated. The rights of people not yet existing can be difficult to protect as law cannot determine the quantity and demographic of future generations. The youth demanding climate recovery from the United States Government. Environmental Education
“It makes far better sense to reshape ourselves to fit a finite planet than to attempt to reshape the planet to fir out infinite wants” – David Orr To address climate change, the ways that people fundamentally understand the environment. Our Children’s trust advocates for future generations and educates children on climate recovery. Environmental education is necessary to ensure the wellbeing of current and future generations. Implementing environmental education becomes more challenging with the U.S. current administration. Climate change and environmental issues will if not already directly affect everyone, although current effects are disproportionately on the marginalized and the poor. Science literacy is important in environmental education, as there is a lack of understanding between temperature and climate. As science and society has transitioned from global warming to climate change, but many individuals and current administration associate cold temperatures as a rebuttal to climate change. Some viewpoints believe that expanding environmental education is pushing a certain political agenda. This anticipated concern connects to differing environmental worldviews. Education cannot be based on strong ideologies, but rather scientifically grounded truths to inform students of sciences such as climate change and evolution. Scientific literacy is extremely low among the United States, and the nation ranks poorly in scientific literacy when compared to other developed countries. Environmental disinformation for the fossil fuel industry and other corporate narratives decrease and skew climate change and environmental issue opinions and knowledge. Questions: How can environmental education help shape future generations philosophical worldviews and alleviate the ignorance that creates many of the environmental and species injustices? How can we establish a deeper connection with nonhuman providers and a greater respect for animals and nature and an understanding of the necessary roles they play in human survival and the anthropogenic destruction and mistreatments of animals and nature? Word Count: 1180 Environmental History Environmental History is a subfield of history focusing on environmental changes throughout time. The subfield studies the history and inherent interaction and influence of the environment and humanity. Conventional history is recorded history framed in a short time period focused only on human culture thus not including the influence of nature on humanity. Environmental history is long-term frame of history of the universe, Earth, and human evolution. Environmental history studies other life forms and views culture and nature as mutually dependent and intrinsically related. Some branches of science are related to environmental history such as geology, evolutionary biology, and ecology. In a class I took my freshman year entitled Contemporary Evolution, environmental history was a key subject to understand. The evolution of life on earth is greatly linked to environmental history. Changes in the environment throughout nature contribute to species evolution as different traits are better suited for the changing environment. Environmental history explains who we are our past and our future. Environmental history shows us where we have gone wrong in the past and where the path forward might lie. U.S. Environmentalism and Morris K. Udall The United States is currently falling behind the rest of the world in environmentalism. The environmentalism movement did not being in the United States until the 1960s and 1970s. Environmentalists became more influential after the creation and strengthening of environmental laws in the United States. The Clean Air Act and Clean Water Act were formed in 1970 as well as the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Between the election of Ford and Carter environmentalists emerged. One such environmentalist was Senator Morris K. Udall, an American democrat who served as a U.S. Representative from Arizona and was a leading contender for the 1976 Democratic presidential nomination. During the 1970s, a time of seemingly radical environmental advocacy, Morris K. Udall campaigned on the simple yet jarring idea that "the future is not what it used to be." The 1970s was preceded by a period of rapid astonishing growth – in just three decades automobile use increased from 10 million to an incredible 120 million. Udall advocated for an economy that supported a sustainable future. He argued that the road to a healthy economy and job security must include both energy and resource conservation. The words and actions of Morris K. Udall inspired me not only to dedicate my life as an environmental advocate, but also to fight intelligently for a sustainable, economically bright future. Specifically, Udall’s speech to the Yale Political Union in 1976 entitled “Energy, Economics, and the Environment: The Old Order is Breaking Down – The Old Rules Don’t Work Any More” propelled my decision to study economics. In this speech, Udall discusses the pressing need to take action and transition to a new way of thinking—one that would radically challenge the heretofore held assumptions that were controlling our national and global economies and that would lead us to a more sustainable and just future. While old world economic thinking exhausts natural resources and relies heavily on consumption and growth, Senator Udall advocated an environmental economic approach based on a more socially efficient and ecologically ethical economy; Senator Udall clearly grounded his environmental activism in economic thought. His lifelong dedication to the “three E’s” – Energy, Economics, and the Environment – truly inspired me in my study of economics. From an early age, I was determined to make a difference in the environmental field and secure the well-being of future generations. Economic and environmental thinkers such as Senator Udall inspired me to combine my environmental and technical training with a solid background in economics. Sustainable economic development is the only viable path forward. Like Udall, I believe in sustainable strategies that promote forward progressive thinking, as “it can do little to improve short-term conditions, and it obscures the long-term decisions we must make soon.” The primary issue I see with current environmental management is the lack of long-term vision, the same vision that Udall advocated in 1976. I aspire to implement economic and environmental principles that spark transformative collaboration, longstanding solutions, and motivated, well-equipped future generations. The principles of my personal environmental advocacy can best be summed up by these words of Morris K. Udall: “don’t let anyone tell you that being for the environment means you have to be against progress.” The advancement of environmental policy and management will aid in economic development. I have explored many of the economic principles advocated by Senator Udall in numerous classes at Fordham University on Environmental Economic Policy. I was drawn to economics immediately because of the similar parallels, relationships and feedback responses I had observed in ecology. Much of economics entails figuring out how the interactions, changes, and relationships of economic agents will affect other agent and economies as a whole. Morris K. Udall understood that economics and the environment are not opposing issues, but, rather, mutually dependent and inherently related fields. Economics is necessary for the management of natural resources and ecosystem services, and, additionally, economics is extremely helpful in developing policies that protect the environment and its scarce resources and vital services. The old way of thinking that Morris K. Udall spoke out against in his 1976 speech has led humanity to a world plagued with environmental injustices and threatened by climate change. As inspiring as Udall’s words are, the speech is largely alarming. In 1976, Udall refers to an economy heavily dependent on the constant doubling of energy, resource consumption, and GDP. In 2019, I see an economy that is just as dependent on consumption with an even larger, expanding population. Udall strongly advocated for less consumption and growth: "at this moment in history we need to realize that: bigger is not better; slower may be faster; less may well mean more." Although the moment in history that Udall spoke of has passed, his ideas still live on. Overconsumption remains the systematic core issue of many environmental problems and social inequalities. Current environmental activists advocate for the same principles as Udall through the degrowth movement. The backbone of this movement is similar to what Senator Udall encouraged, “I am convinced that we must make dramatic changes in our economy and our lives if we are to [create] a sound, sustained-yield economy in a good and just country.” Just as Udall created programs and acted to effect dramatic change. I am committed to taking such actions in my own life, in my community, and on my campus. I am similarly driven to continue the fight against environmental injustices using my education and training in Economics, Environmental Studies, Sustainable Business fueled by the inspiring principles of Morris K. Udall. Questions: How do we move forward with United States environmentalism when the same problems that loomed at the beginning of the movement still persist? What can we learn from U.S. environmental history as we reevaluate consumption habits and energy usage? Word Count: 1163 Senator Morris K. Udall was an environmentalist and an American democrat who served as a U.S. Representative from Arizona and was a leading contender for the 1976 Democratic presidential nomination.
The Evolution of Life on Earth Modern day life on earth has evolved from 4.5 billion years ago single celled organisms lived. The start of life progressed as prokaryotic cells engulfed other cells to form eukaryotic cells, cells with internal organs, and these cells then colonized to form multicellular life. This life quickly evolved from sea plants to animal life. Incredible diversification takes place from vertebrates to animals moving on land and the start of mammals. The extinction of dinosaurs marks the age of mammals. Evolution eventually leads to the start of humankind. Trophic Cascade Trophic cascade is an ecological process that starts at the top of the food chain and affects the entire chain. Adding a third level consumer decreases secondary consumers, increasing primary consumers, and thus decreasing producers. An example of this is the reintroduction of wolves in 1995 to Yellowstone National Park. Wolves are a third level consumer, and despite their predatory nature they can actually give life to many other species. Wolves had been absent from the park for 75 years, resulting in an explosion of the deer population. The overpopulation of deer caused the vegetation to suffer from grazing. The reintroduction of wolves decreased the number of the deer, but more importantly changed the behavior of the deer. The deer navigated the park differently, avoiding the valleys and gorges and favoring more secluded and less visible areas. The regeneration of vegetation in those areas was astounding. Bare valley sides became forests inviting songbirds and migratory birds and beavers. Beavers are ecosystem engineers as they create niches for other animals. Dams that the beavers built in Yellowstone created habitats for muskrats, otters, and ducks, fish, reptiles, and amphibians. The wolves also killed coyotes causing the number of rabbits and mice to rebound. The renewed presence of these emails encouraged hawks, eagles, badgers and foxes. The bear population grew as well from berries on regenerating shrubs and carnages the wolves left behind. The most interesting and unusual response to the reintroduction of the wolves was the rivers. The rivers changed in response to the wolves. The rivers meandered less and less erosion was present. The trees had stabilized the banks, so that they collapsed less often and became more fixed in their course. The vegetation also prevented soil erosion through stabilization. The reintroduction of a small number of wolves changed the geography of Yellowstone National Park. Wolves are keystone species. A keystone species is a species that has a disproportionately large effect on its ecosystem and habitat despite its smaller relative abundance. Keystone species thus play a critical role in maintaining the trophic pyramid structure of an ecosystem. The absence of a keystone species can dramatically alter the ecosystem or cause the system to cease to exist. The wolves in Yellowstone show the drastic effects that the absence of wolves had on the natural environment for 75 years. The ecosystem pyramid includes the trophic pyramid of consumers as well as the atmosphere, lithosphere, and hydrosphere. The absence and reintroduction of wolves involves the area of ecological correction and restoration. It can be difficult to figure out how to if at all intervene in an ecosystem to restore the balance disturbed by anthropological affects. Ecosystems can tend to correct themselves; however, the example of the wolves shows the necessity of the reintroduction and intervention to restore an ecosystem. The wolves were absent from the park though because of initial human impacts. Invasive species can also disturb ecosystems. An example of an invasive secies is the Asian Long horned Beetle. The beetles severely damage trees, specifically maple trees causing a large disruption in the maple industry. The introduction of invasive species is largely the result of anthropological transportation. The trophic cascade effects of the reintroduction of the wolf, a keystone species, in Yellowstone National Park. Contemporary Evolution The case of the reintroduction of wolves in Yellowstone National Park also shows how quickly evolution can take place. Evolution is the change in the characteristics of a species, usually over several generations, which are dependent on natural selection. Natural selection is the process of organisms that are better adapted to their environment have a higher tendency to survive and reproduce. Charles Darwin began to develop his ideas of evolution and natural selection after his voyage on the Beagle included a stop to the Galapagos Islands. Through his ideas, Darwin concluded that evolution is the change in the inherited characteristics of biological populations over successive generations. Darwin did not believe he would be able to directly observe evolution; he believed that the rate of evolution via natural selection could only be observed through long, slow changes in the fossil record. However, recent research provides strong evidence for contemporary evolution, rapidly occurring evolution that can be directly observed. Darwin concluded that evolution via natural selection only occurred over long periods of time because when he looked at the fossil record he observed it to be static for long stretches of time. Evolution often occurs through oscillating selection rather than slowly moving directional selection. Oscillating selection as seen in Darwin’s finches is often the result of population disturbances and dramatic environmental changes. Evolution oscillates more often then moving slowly in one direction because selection pressures change throughout years and life stages. For example, modern researchers saw that Darwin’s finches had different selection pressures throughout their life stages. During the same environmental change, the drought, juvenile and adult finches faced different selection pressures. The drought selected for larger birds with larger beaks in adults, while selecting for smaller birds with smaller beaks in juveniles. A single organism can face opposing selection pressures throughout its lifetime. Underlying causes of changing selection pressures can be changes in size of resources or competitors, changes in population of natural predators or prey, invasion of new habitats, and environmental variability from year-to-year or longer time scales. Populations are dynamic and can be pushed in one direction or the other by great changes in their environments. The dynamic nature of evolution illustrates that populations are still changing; consequently, any change in the environment can push the population one way or the other. Ever-changing biological populations provide greater evidence for evolution: if these populations were static it would suggest that the processes that brought these populations to fruition were over. The evolutionary research of modern researchers provides greater evidence for uniformarianism: the same processes operating in the past still operate today. Creation is ever occurring. The aforementioned research changes the perspective of life. It is seemingly more accurate to picture the story of life in motion rather than fossils in stone. Evolutionary change is dynamic and observable. The implications of dynamic contemporary evolution have greater scope then just finches and sparrows. Changing perspective can lead to an entirely new, better understanding of life. Ecosystem Organization It is important to understand how ecosystems are organized and natural sciences to understand many principles in Environmental Studies. An ecosystem starts with a single atom, the smallest unit of a chemical element that exhibits the chemical properties of that element. The fusion of two or more atoms of same or different elements produces a molecule. Physics and chemistry explains the interaction of atoms, elements, and molecules in relationship to concepts such as the production of energy and chemical reactions. The law of conservation of matter is important in understanding concepts such as pollution, as matter cannot be created or destroyed. The law of conservation of energy and law of energy dissipation into lower quality forms is necessary to understand the energy supply and waste in our environment. Molecules form cells, the fundamental unit of life. The anatomy of a cell is important for all areas of biology, as it is what all life is created from, and thus it is inherently important in Environmental Studies. Cells form organisms, individual living beings. A group of individuals that are of the same species and reside in the same place are a population. Populations of different species interacting in a particular place form a community. Community ecology is the study of interaction of different species (i.e. competition, mutualism, predation, commensalism, and parasitism). The interaction of these group and the interactions of the populations with the abiotic factors of the environment, including matter and energy, is an ecosystem. There are different kinds of ecosystems like forests, grasslands, and deserts. Finally, the biosphere is parts of the earth’s air, water, and soil where life is found. An understanding of biospheres is crucial for conservation and understanding climate change. Question: What is the best way to implement research from the natural sciences into public policy? Word Count: 1432 Ecosystems are organized from individuals to biospheres.
Ecological Footprint Online calculators, like footprintcalculator.org, can show you your individual or family ecological footprint. An ecological footprint shows the impact of an individual or group on the environment. The impact is typically expressed in the amount of land needed to sustain their use of natural resources. The online calculator that I used, footprintcalculator.org, calculated results as personal overshoot day and the number of earths needed based on your usage of natural resources. My personal earth overshoot day is December 7th. Earth overshoot day is the day when humans have used up as much resources as the earth can generate in a year. In 2018, earth overshoot day was August 1st, which is the earliest overshoot date ever. In 2017, it was August 2nd. A date of December 7th shows me that the earth could almost regenerate the amount of natural resources I consume each year, as December 7th only leaves a couple of weeks left in the year. To me this signifies that I am still living beyond my means. If everyone lived liked me, we would need 1.1 Earths. The average human lifestyle in the US requires 5 Earths; however, the average in South Africa is 2 earths. We are living unsustainably. The amount of earths my lifestyle needs signifies that I can certainly do better. I want to get my ecological footprint within the means of one planet, especially considering the US average of 5 Earths. In evaluating my impact, it is interesting to think about how my attendance and specifically my housing at Fordham University affect my impact. My diet definitely decreased my impact as I eat mainly plant-based and a lot of whole foods. Living on campus, I am constrained to what campus dining provides. If Fordham provided less processed foods and more plant-based options, it would be easier to have a low impact diet. The calculator asked a lot of questions about housing. Living in a dorm building with many people as opposed to living in a large house with an excess of living space, certainly decreased my impact. However, I do not have control over the amount of renewable energy usage and much of the light and ventilation usage. Living on a college campus and in the city definitely reduces my impact in terms of transportation. I walk to all of my classes, and I take public transportation or walk to other locations in the city. Many people do not consider the drastic environmental impacts of flying. Throughout most years of my life, I have flown very little; however, in 2019 I have already flown many hours due to a trip to India. I am studying abroad this year as well. I plan to reduce my transportation impacts by visiting places while I am abroad as opposed to later in life when I would have to fly a greater distance. It is important that I try to offset my flying emissions. After I study abroad, I will be moving off campus to a small apartment. Moving to an apartment will give me greater control of my lifestyle and environmental impact. Ecological Economics Ecological economics is a synthesis of economics and ecology. The discipline studies how economies are similar in structure to ecosystems and how individual economies are components of the greater economy of nature. Both ecology and economics have the same prefix of “eco,” derived from the ancient Greek word oikos, meaning management and science of the household. The derision of household is paralleled in the concept of Earth as our planetary or common home. Care for the environment is often referred to as care for our common home in theological spheres. Environmental economics is distinguishable from ecological economics. Environmental economics traditionally focuses more on internal mechanisms in economies and market systems. Environmental economics often deals with externalities, like environmental costs in production processes, and how to offset to the socially efficient level such as implementing environmental taxes. Ecology is a branch of biology that focuses on the relations of organisms to one another and to their physical surroundings; both biotic and abiotic factor relationships. Ecological studies seek to determine ecosystem health. The health of an ecosystem can best be understood as a balance of nature, in which there is an efficient allocation of natural resources and ecosystem services to all organisms. The allocation of services and resources ensures the well-being and survival of all organisms in the ecosystem. Ecosystems are structured as a food web and also as a feedback loop of upward cycling and downward recycling. The Earth has sustained itself by relying on solar energy, biodiversity, and nutrient cycling; however, human consumption is diminishing these services faster than these processes can occur and regenerate. Economics can utilize the ecosystem structure by implementing biomimicry. Disruption in forms of climate change or degradation can throw off hydrological spheres and cycles. Chaos ecology challenged the idea of balance and lack of disruption, and points to constant changing and disruptions that are natural and not anthropological. Economics seeks to find the efficient level of consumption and production, where all resources and services are allocated to achieve economic and social well-being of all economic agents. Incorporating environmental ethics develops a different uncertain and challenging balance. There needs to be a balance of obligation towards sustainability and individual freedom as we consider concepts such as “eco-fascism.” Analyzing individual footprints and the American lifestyle living way beyond the Earth means might tip that balance towards sustainability obligation. It is difficult thought to reduce individual impact because of how the United States is systematically structured to consumption. Ecological economics has an important but largely unstated moral dimension seeking values and environmental justice. Environmental ethics seeks to also find a balance between intrinsic value and utilitarianism. Ecosystem services are directly tied to constituents of human well-being and poverty reduction. Direct drivers of change effect ecosystem services and biodiversity like climate change, change in land use cover and consumption, and external inputs like those used in agriculture (e.g. fertilization, pest-control, and irrigation). Indirect drivers of change influence the direct drivers of change. Scientific research, economics, and culture all influence change in the ecosystem. It is interesting to see the inherent relationship between ecology and economics. I was particularly surprised to see that ecology was in part inspired by methods and studies of economics. I am studying Economics and Environmental Studies at Fordham University. I was recently evaluating my interests and thinking about what studies came most natural for me. I was introduced to ecology at a young age. I enjoyed the feedback loops and complex relationships in ecology. I enjoyed thinking systematically to solve ecological problems. I was not introduced to economics until my first semester of college. I loved economics right away because of the similar relationships and feedback responses found in ecology. Much of economics is figuring out how economic agents’ interactions, changes, and relationships affect other agents and economies as a whole. The combination of the environment and economics has been the most interesting field of study for me. Economics is necessary for the management of natural resources and ecosystem services, and additionally economics is extremely helpful in developing policy to protect the environment and its scarce resources and vital services. Ecosystem Services & Natural Resources Economics studies the production, distribution, and consumption of goods and services. Additionally, economics focuses on behaviors and interactions of the economic agents that drive how economies work. Because of the nature of economics it is incredibly important for environmental studies. Economics is also commonly defined as the study of the allocation of scarce resources. Economics is extremely important as we manage the growing scarcity of natural resources. The necessity of economics becomes more apparent as we see how our global society lives beyond its means with its vast requirement of land and early overshoot day. In addition to natural resources, the environment provides an endless array of ecosystem services necessary for the sustainment of life on Earth. Ecosystem services can be divided into four main categories: provisioning, such as production of food and water; regulating, such as the regulation and control of the climate and diseases; habitat or supporting, such as nutrient cycling and oxygen production; and cultural, such as the spiritual and recreational benefits that nature provides. An understanding of the importance and types of ecosystem services should be a core understanding in an economics education. The exchange of marketed goods and services within economics are dependent on natural resources and ecosystem services. The economies are either directly dependent in natural capital or are dependent on non-marketed or free natural resources and services. Questions
What ecological resources are the most important to convey when advocating for protection of natural resources and the environment as a whole? Environmental ethics and economics are both key components of an Environmental Studies education. How can environmental ethics and ecology be better incorporated into a traditional economics education? Word Count: 1227 Supplementing my Environmental Studies education through plant evolutionary ecology research in Dr. Frank's Lab. Environmental studies are interdisciplinary approaches to implementing and translating the environment into a variety of fields, dimensions, and practices. Environmental studies enables scholars to address pressing environmental challenges and speak for the Earth. My interest in environmental studies is led by my higher calling to public service and love for the outdoors. Caring is the most important virtue to me; I strive to care for others and my environment. I am excited to serve the environment and the people through my education in environmental studies. An education in Environmental Studies promotes interdisciplinary thinking to tackle the most pressing environmental issues of our time. I believe the most challenging questions and problems of our time cannot be addressed by a single discipline. How can humans live well on the planet without compromising the ability of current and future generations to do the same? How can we prevent forcing coastal communities to move inland with sea level rise? Our environment’s most complicated questions cannot be fully understood under the lens of one discipline. At Fordham University a degree in Environmental Studies enables you to tackle the pressing issues of our time: climate change, sustainable enterprises, environmental health and species and habitat loss. Studying both science and humanities illuminates the physical and societal factors of environmental problems. The program at Fordham focuses on developing policy solutions to achieve economic, political, and societal well-being. The structure of the Environmental Studies major at Fordham University enables students to become versed in more environmental studies dimensions than just policy. The major curriculum explores humanities, social sciences, applied arts and sciences, and environmental sciences. These disciplines result in students having a deep understanding in many Environmental Studies dimensions such as worldviews, values, policies, stakeholder groups, technology and design, and a vast array of environmental problems. Because of the wide variety of disciplines that an Environmental Studies major can address, Fordham University facilitates students’ specialization in one or more areas through major concentration and career tracks. These tracks can be achieved through additional major and minor combinations that integrate well with Environmental Studies given its interdisciplinary nature. Additionally, the major concentrations and career tracks can be achieved through electives, internships, research, and other experiences. Fordham University helps guide students through their selected major concentrations and career tracks by providing recommended additional minors and majors as well as Fordham faculty and alum to serve as career advisors. Fordham has career tracks in environmental law, environmental politics, government and regulation, sustainable business and environmental economics, environmental design (architecture, urban planning), conservation biology, environmental organizations, parks, recreation and public land management, organic agriculture and food security, environmental education, environmental communications, medicine, public health and nutrition, environmental philosophy, religion and ethics, environmental history and American studies, environmental art and literature, and sustainable development. The long list of career tracks and major concentrations offered at Fordham University and the included career advisors speaks to the vast array of career possibilities with an Environmental Studies education. Without specialization in one or more of these areas, I feel that I will still have appropriate knowledge to address many of the issues present in these fields from just my Environmental Studies education. Personally, I choose to compliment my Environmental Studies education with a major in Economics and a minor in Sustainable Business, pushing me along the sustainable business and environmental economics career tracks. My career goals focus on developing economic, political, and societal solutions to pressing environmental issues. Fordham University also fosters undergraduate research to compliment environmental education. For Environmental Studies majors at Fordham, students are able to pursue research in their courses, study abroad experiences, and internships. These research experiences than culminate in a senior research thesis. The thesis enables students to spend a semester or a whole year conducting original research with the guidance of faculty and mentors. Outside of the major and senior thesis, any student has the ability to pursue independent research or help conduct research under the mentorship of Fordham faculty. Fordham’s Undergraduate Research program fosters faculty-student collaborations and supports students in pursuing their own research. The Office of Research provides competitive research grants that students can apply for to enable them to concentrate on their research. I have personally worked with Fordham faculty and FCRH undergraduate research grants to pursue environmental research to compliment my Environmental Studies education. Dr. Steven Franks mentors me on dune ecology research. I am part of Dr. Franks’ plant evolutionary ecology lab. Pursuing an Environmental Studies education at Fordham University gives you access to world-class Fordham and NYC facilities. In Dr. Franks’ lab we utilize the Louis Calder Center Biological Field Station and the New York Botanical Garden. Participating in the environmental communities at Fordham University advances environmental understandings for Environmental Studies students. There are a variety of student clubs and initiatives that comprise the student sustainability community at Fordham. The United Student Government (USG) has a Sustainability Committee where students come together to speak for the student body and help improve Fordham’s sustainability practices. Fordham also has a student club for environmental activism: Students for Environmental Awareness and Justice (SEAJ). SEAJ gives students a community to discuss and learn pressing environmental issues. Fordham also has a student run garden, St. Rose’s Garden. The garden is a fantastic community and space for students to learn more about sustainable agriculture and food security. The Social Innovation Collaboratory supports a network of sustainability at Fordham. The Collaboratory has recently launched the Climate Impact Initiative. I am the co-fellow of the initiative. I created the initiative to build a transparent, comprehensive network of sustainability at Fordham. We are raising climate consciousness and building climate solutions, including a sustainable living community. Fordham’s Lincoln Center campus also has a passionate Environmental Club where students are able to discuss sustainability and environmental activism for the Lincoln Center campus. Pursuing Environmental Studies at Fordham University fulfills the mission of Fordham and fosters environmental citizenship. Fordham has a moral obligation to improve its respect for the environment, a priority of the Jesuit Mission. Pope Francis recognized this in his Encyclical, in which he pleads with us to take care of our “common home.” Pope Francis speaks to humans being the root cause of the destruction of the earth, despite that God trusted us to protect the earth when He placed us here. It is students’ duty not only as followers of the Jesuit tradition but also as humans to care for the environment. A Jesuit and Environmental Studies education helps to fulfill this duty by learning to advocate and defend our common home. Question: What internship experiences best compliment a concentration in Environmental Economics and/or Sustainable Business? How can universities implement sustainable and environmental education into the core liberal arts education? How should universities make research more accessible for undergraduate students? How can humans live well on the planet without compromising the ability of current and future generations to do the same? How can we prevent forcing coastal communities to move inland with sea level rise? Word Count: 1163 Presenting at Fordham's Research Preview night.
Environmental Practicum
I am leading the Climate Impact Initiative in the Fordham Social Innovation Collaboratory as the Climate Impact Fellow. The Social Innovation Collaboratory is a network of Fordham University students, faculty, administrators, alumni and community members working together to promote social innovation for the achievement of social justice, social entrepreneurship and environmental sustainability. Through our combined efforts in the Collaboratory, Fordham is an AshokaU Changemaker Campus. AshokaU's global network of leading universities is advancing an education that develops interdisciplinary and entrepreneurial skills. I was just invited to the AshokaU Exchange in San Diego, where I was able to interact with changemakers all around the world. Through the Collaboratory, my freshman year I spearheaded a collaboration between the NYC Climate Action Alliance and the Burns Group, a marketing firm, to reduce NYC’s carbon emissions. The Alliance is a growing coalition of New Yorkers committed to helping NYC reach its goal to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 80% by the year 2050. Currently, I am co-leading the Climate Impact Initiative to increase climate consciousness and develop climate solutions. The initiative aims to develop an on-campus network of students, faculty, administrators, alumni, and community members that collaborates on climate impact. My goal is to benchmark Fordham's current sustainability initiatives and resources through a campus map. To implement climate solutions more effectively, we are also creating a systems map of sustainability stakeholders at Fordham. Our team has been creating this map by identifying key stakeholders and scheduling meetings with them to learn more about their sustainability work and interests. I am also working with other environmental student groups to build a campus wide movement and create administrative policy change. I attend the weekly Sustainability Committee meetings to work on environmental initiatives on campus. Currently, the Sustainability Committee has created a petition for Fordham to commit to 100% renewable energy usage. My vision is to create a culture of sustainability at Fordham to inspire others to take care of our common home. As a large university in NYC, Fordham has a great capacity to effect change and create a better future in the face of climate change. I spend at least ten hours a week meeting with our team, faculty, Collaboratory student leaders, and other student groups. I am also working on creating content for the Fordham website and an Instagram page to display our work. |
AuthorI am a senior at Fordham University, studying Economics, Environmental Studies, and Sustainable Business. My research interests include dune and plant ecology, coastal management, conservation, and climate change. CategoriesArchives |