GEOG 170 Lecture Notes - Lecture 1: Triple Bottom Line, Natural Capital, Ecosystem Services
Document Summary
Idea: understanding the body of knowledge that deals with how dynamic systems work, including what we know about the health of decline of these systems. Whole greater than sum of its parts. Ecosystems: complex relationships among the living resources, habitats, and residents of an area. Each organism has a unique role to play. Constant flows of energy, chemicals, and nutrients: natural capital: Analogy of a planetary savings account: triple bottom line: We need to foster communities that are healthy, safe, secure, with economic opportunity for everyone, while keeping earth"s life support systems in good shape. Preserving or restoring the health of living systems. Ecosystems services: the benefits people obtain from ecosystems (supporting, provisioning, regulating, cultural. We are drawing on the planet"s natural capital more than 50% faster than we can replenish. We need to learn to live within the earth"s carrying capacity (the number of people, living organisms, or crops that a region can support without environmental degradation)
