THE CONNECTION BETWEEN BIODIVERSITY, ECONOMICS AND ENVIRONMENTAL WORLDVIEW

 

THE CONNECTION BETWEEN BIODIVERSITY, ECONOMICS AND ENVIRONMENTAL WORLDVIEW

 

BIODIVERSITY: The variety of Earth’s species, or varying life forms; the genes they contain; the ecosystems they live in; and the ecosystem processes of energy flow and nutrient cycling that sustain all life.

 

FOUR COMPONENTS OF BIODIVERSITY: Species, functional, genetic and ecological diversity.

 

BIOLOGICAL EVOLUTION BY NATURAL SELECTION EXPLAINS HOW LIFE CHANGES OVER TIME: Populations evolve when genes mutate and give some individuals genetic traits that enhance their abilities to survive and to produce offspring with these traits.

 

MILLIONS OF SPECIES ON EARTH ARE HERE: The reason is because of biological evolution….the process whereby earth’s life changes over time through changes in the genetic characteristics of populations.

 

EARTH IS JUST RIGHT FOR LIFE TO SURVIVE: 1 – Most life requires average temperatures between freezing and boiling points of water. 2 – Size of the earth provides a gravitational mass to keep the atmosphere from flying off into space. 3 – Earth has the right amount of O2 to support life; too much or too little O2 can be lethal to life. 3 – Plants and some oxygen producing bacteria provide us with the necessary O2 and some O2 is converted into ozone to protect us from solar radiation.

 

EXAMPLES OF BIOLOGICAL AND ECONOMIC BENEFTS OF BIODIVERSITY

O2 production

Natural water purification

Climate moderation

CO2 absorption

Nutrient cycling

Reduced storm damage because of mangroves, coastal wetlands, coral reefs, etc.

Raw materials for industry

Pharmaceuticals

Food production

Energy

Recreation and Tourism

Employment

Waste treatment

Reduction of disease causing microbes

Flood control

Recharging of groundwater

Habitat for species

Drinking and irrigation water

Etc. etc. etc…….

LOSS OF BIODIVERSITY AND SPECIES EXTINCTION

Examples of Natural Causes: 1 – Changes in climate. 2 – Changes in sea levels and currents. 3 – Meteorites. 4 – Volcanic activity. 5 – Diseases. 6 – Invasive species

 

FIVE PERIODS OF MASS EXTINCTION IN GEOLOGIC HISTORY (Non-human related over last 500 million years)

Ordovician

Denovian

Permian

Triassic

Cretaceous

 

 

Examples of Human Centered Causes (HIPPCO acronym)

H….Habitat destruction

I……Invasive Species

P…..Pollution

P…..Population Growth

C…..Climate Change (controversial)

O…..Overexploitation

 

PROTECTION OF SPECIES VIA LAWS, INTERNATIONAL TREATIES, SPECIES SANCTUARIES AND PERSONAL RESPONSIBILITIES

 

1975 Convention on International Trade

Convention on Biological Diversity

U.S. Endangered Species Act

Wildlife Refuges and Other Protected Areas

Seed Banks, Botanical Gardens, Wildlife Farms

Zoos and Aquariums

Personal Responsibilities (reduce energy and water needs; fewer children; educate yourself and others; recycle and reuse plastics, paper, and metals; don’t buy furs, ivory products, or other items made from endangered animal species; do not buy wood or wood products from tropical or old growth forests; don’t buy animals or plants taken from the wild; plant trees, plant flowering plants to attract pollinating insects; lower your meat consumption; buy organically produced foods; use less toxic and/or non-toxic alternatives; support environmental organizations; become politically active at the local, state and national levels; support laws and treaties that protect biodiversity; etc.).

 

ECONOMICS AND THE ENVIRONMENT

 

Genuine Progress Indicator (GPI) verses Gross Domestic Product (GDP)

Implement full cost pricing

Reward (subsidize) environmentally sustainable economic growth

Penalize (tax and do not subsidize) environmentally harmful growth

Shift taxes from wages and profits to pollution and waste

Make products that are more durable that last longer

Do not deplete or degrade natural capital

Reduce poverty

Certify sustainable practices and products

Use eco-labels on products

Reduce resource use and waste by reducing, reusing and recycling

Improve energy efficiency

Rely more on solar, wind, hydrogen and geothermal energy

Shift from a non-renewable carbon-based fossil fuel economy to a non-carbon renewable energy economy

 

ENVIRONMENTAL WORLDVIEW

 

We are part of and entirely dependent on nature, and nature exists for all species

Resources are limited and should not be wasted

We should encourage earth-sustaining forms of economic growth and discourage earth-degrading forms

Our success depends on learning how nature sustains itself and integrating such lessons from nature into the ways we think and act

 

 

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