GEOL 105 Lecture Notes - Lecture 1: Land Ethic, Environmental Ethics, James Hutton
Document Summary
Socioeconomic difference: hi story, population, economic activities, cdp output. Reasons for degradation of haiti"s environment and subsequent inability to quickly rebuild after the 2010 large earthquake. A small volcanic island with a subtropical climate. By the 16th century, a thriving society with 15,000- Europeans reached there in 17th century, only 2000 people struggling in a degraded environment. Reasons for collapsed society: overpopulated, deforestation, soil erosion, loss of agricultural base, further conflicts and wars, geographic isolation, and geologic limitations. Origin of earth system (4. 54 my): lithosphere, atmosphere, hydrosphere, and biosphere. Facing limited resources: energy, soil, freshwater, forests, ocean fisheries, rangelands. James hutton (1785): earth as a super organism. Life modifies the environment for the betterment of life. Life deliberately or consciously controls the global environment. Everything alive: with a beginning and an end. Earth environment as a total, as a whole. Environment: a complex system with physical, biological, geological, ecological and geopolitical aspects.
