Threats to Ocean Health - 500 million people depend on fisheries for their food and income (fishing, tourism), 90% of which are in developing countries. Climate change is altering the distribution and productivity of species, food webs and biological processes....
Forest Loss - Over 1.6 billion people depend on forests and over 90% of these are the poorest in societies. - Forests, like other ecosystems are essential for human well being, through the ‘services’ they provide. - They are also home to 80% of the world’s...
- The global drive to reduce carbon emissions and to decouple fossil fuels from economic growth must involve increasing reliance on alternative sources of ‘clean’ energy. - Renewable and recyclable energy sources are part of the multi-energy approach to energy...
Fossil Fuel Supply and Demand - Uneven distribution of reserves - Uneven distribution of demand - Energy pathways are vital and of extreme importance Energy Pathways As a result of the mismatches that exist in production and consumption of fossil fuels, there is a...
Energy Security Energy security refers to the uninterrupted availability of energy sources at an affordable price. The following four aspects of energy security must be stressed: - It is usually elevated at a NATIONAL LEVEL; so countries are either energy secure or...
The Natural Greenhouse Effect - A natural process that warms the Earth’s surface. - When the Sun’s energy reaches the Earth’s atmosphere, some of it is reflected back into space and the rest is absorbed and re-radiated by greenhouse gases, such as water vapour, carbon...
The Biological Carbon Pump - One part of the carbon cycle moves faster - biological carbon pump – at the surface of the ocean, there’s always an exchange of carbon. - The ocean’s surface layer contains tiny phytoplankton, which have shells and sequester carbon dioxide...
The Geological Carbon Cycle - Carbon regulates the climate, making it warm enough to survive. - Stores can be terrestrial, oceanic or atmospheric. - Flux refers to the movement of carbon between stores, creating cycles and feedback. The geological carbon cycle is a...