Tragedy of the Commons (S. 7)

Garrett Hardin discusses "no technical solution problems" and how these problems are effecting the world in the beginning of the selection. He then discusses tragedy of the commons, and describes in detail how one's decision to benefit themselves can have largely negative effects on the group as a whole. Harden talks about how tragedy of the commons relates to pollution, and explains how large groups of people all suffer as a result of a few peoples actions because the environment is common to all humans. The author recognizes that most of the environmental problems we have to deal with are examples of tragedy of the commons.

If everyone in the world decided to have as many kids as possible the entire world would suffer as a result of the "commons" suffering. The individuals who chose to have as many kids as possible would not be directly impacted. Instead, the population as a whole would suffer due to the large amount of extra people. Some of the exploited resources that are held in common by the entire world are; water, wood, air and farming land. Overuse of water can be prevented by people being cautious and careful with the amount of water one uses. One tree can be planted, for every tree that is cut down in the environment to maintain a constant amount of trees. Fossil fuel emissions can be greatly reduced by using better forms of transportation (public transportation, carpooling). Farming land can be better maintained, to ensure it will be productive for a long time.

Human Carrying Capacity (S 35)

The first section of this selection talks about Easter Island, an island who's population has changed drastically over time due to environmental and political changes. Easter Island is believed to be an accurate representation of how our planet as whole goes through population changes. In the second part of this selection the author talks about the human carry capacity of the earth. Joel Cohen argues that there are too many variables in today's world for their to be an exact number, at which we exceed carry capacity. With so many variables involving how different populations act and live around the world, as well as how each populations environment reacts to certain situations, Joel says we can only estimate what the human carry capacity is. He also discusses the different concepts of equilibrium, keying on passive equilibrium in the second part of the selection.

Carrying capacity or human carrying capacity is the maximum amount of humans that our world can maintain successfully. Earth does not have one single number that is our maximum human carrying capacity. With so many different cultures around the world, all acting so differently (different incomes, different land, different birth rates) it makes this number very hard to predict. Because there are so many variables contributing to the carrying capacity, this estimated number is also constantly changing.

Collapse: How Society's Choose to Fail or Succeed (S. 38)

This selection talks about what might have caused ancient societies to collapse and what might cause our society to collapse. The author discusses that the main reasons for collapse are usually due to ecological problems, economic problems, war, as well as migration. He also discusses how the cultures might have seen a collapse coming, if they even did. Furthermore, the article discusses how our society may end, and what are signs of this. The author argues that technology may be having a larger negative impact on culture then the positive benefits that come along with it. The author discusses five contributing factors for environmental collapse in depth; environmental damage, climate change, hostile neighbours, friendly trade partners and societies response to it's environmental problems. The most important factor is society's response to it's environmental problems, this is because every society responds in a different way, based on its political, environmental and economic beliefs.

Not all society that damage their environment are doomed to collapse. However, I believe that we have done such extensive damage to our environment that it is irreparable. Jarred Diamond defines society collapsing as "A drastic decrease in human population size and/or political/economic/social complexity over a considerable area, over an extended period of time". Societies collapse due to environmental damage if poor choices are made after a society recognizes its environment is endangered. Upon realizing that a society is at risk of collapsing due to environmental damage, drastic changes must be made in order to stop further damage and help fix the problems. If a society chooses to ignore the environmental problems, it will most likely lead to the society collapsing.

Park Management / Wapusk Provincial Park (In-Class Blog Question 3)

Parks can meet the perfect balance between access and protection, however the area must be studied so we as humans know exactly how much human access a certain environment can handle. Some environments have a much higher capacity for human activity then others. It is essential that we understand what an environments capacity is, that way we can best control the human access to ensure we do not disturb the environment. In Wapusk provincial park they are currently implementing further human access on tours and guides in order to create a better balance between access and protection. The park has previously had very little human access due to its geographic placement. With human access increasing, it is important that rules and regulations are in place regarding littering, camping, hunting, fishing and fires.

Environmental Ethics (In-Class Blog Post 2)

My views on the environment are mainly biocentric based. However, I believe all three of the main environmental ethic groups have some points that are strong and valid. I believe all life is important, and that humans are equals to all other animals. I believe the human race has over populated and evolved at extreme rates recently and as a result of that, many human’s beliefs are anthropocentric based. The majority of the population believes that the earth was made humans and that we can use it at our disposal. 

Humans Connection to the Environment (In-Class Blog Question 1)

I believe the best way to connect with nature is to spend time in it. For myself, my appreciation for nature increases with the amount of time I spend in it. The more time one spends away from nature, the easier it is for one to forget about how essential it is for us to protect the environment. The majority of humans spend so much time in cities, focusing on their day to day life that they end up being completely disconnected from the environment. I believe the longer one stays focused on their day to day “city life” the greater one becomes disconnected from the environment due to the distractions and “social norm” that our society offers. Much of society follows the idea that resources are unlimited and that the environment can repair itself from all human impacts. It is extremely scary that such a large percentage of society thinks this way. Much of society is so oblivious to the problems in the environment, because they have forgotten about the environment entirely. The more humans forget about the environment, the less likely they are to make decisions based around what’s best for the environment. If we want humans to be more connected to nature, then we must spend as much time as we can in the environment to remind ourselves how important it is to protect nature.