EVHM Ecology 2013

Wednesday, December 4, 2013

Final Exam- Updated

Yeb Sano, a representative to COP 19 from the Philippines, made the following statement.

"In Doha (COP 18), we asked “If not us then who? If not now, then when? If not here, then where? It may have fell on deaf ears. But here in Warsaw, we may very well ask these same forthright questions. “If not us, then who? If not now, then when? If not here in Warsaw, where?"

Mr. Sano's comments were specifically aimed at climate change, but I think that they could apply equally well to many other environmental issues. After this class you should have some background in ecology and you have the set of experiences you have gained through life and your other studies at TTU.

Exam Question 1- 75 % of the exam

Comment on Mr. Sano's statement. In particular, I would like you to discuss "the who", "the when" and most importantly, "the how" and "the what" of how you think that you/we (as individuals and as a society) should address environmental issues.

Exam Question 2- 25% of the exam

Discuss one specific example where your understanding of an environmental issue was informed by your knowledge of ecological principles.

Due: Because of potential changes in final exam schedules due to bad weather, I must receive an emailed copy of your final exam by 12 noon on Sunday December 8th. (of course you are welcome to turn it in any time before then).

Good luck

Thursday, November 21, 2013

From the CDC: Antibiotic Resistance Threat Report, 2013

http://www.cdc.gov/drugresistance/threat-report-2013/

Wednesday, November 13, 2013

Some Quasi-final Thoughts From McG

Here are links to the articles that propose a new way to think about conservation and environmentalism.

Time to reboot: towards a new Environmentalism. by Joe Zammit-Lucia
http://www.iucn.org/knowledge/focus/nature_for_all/?9493/Time-to-Re-Boot-Towards-a-New-Environmentalism

Conservation is not about nature. by Joe Zammit-Lucia
http://www.iucn.org/involved/opinion/?8195/Conservation-is-not-about-nature

These articles are posted on the IUCN's website http://www.iucn.org/.

They regularly post interesting articles on their Facebook page, http://www.facebook.com/iucn.org, so you might want to "like" them so you can receive the regular updates.

Who is Conservation For? http://chronicle.com/article/Who-Is-Conservation-For-/142853/

Tuesday, November 12, 2013

COP 19: Speach from Phillipines Delegate

The Philippines chief negotiator, Yeb Sano, opened the UN climate talks with an impassioned plea for urgent action, and announcing a hunger strike in solidarity for the victims of Typhoon Haiyan.

Must watch: Philippines speech moves COP19 plenary to tears
http://tcktcktck.org/2013/11/cop19-philippines-speech-moves-plenary-tears/58705

(this video lasts about 17 minutes. I suggest that you at least start at the 12 minute point where he starts to talk about the impact that the recent Typhoon has had on his family.)

Exerpts-

"To anyone who continues to deny the reality that is climate change, I dare you to get off your ivory tower and away from the comfort of you armchair. I dare you to go to the islands of the Pacific, the islands of the Caribbean and the islands of the Indian ocean and see the impacts of rising sea levels; to the mountainous regions of the Himalayas and the Andes to see communities confronting glacial floods, to the Arctic where communities grapple with the fast dwindling polar ice caps, to the large deltas of the Mekong, the Ganges, the Amazon, and the Nile where lives and livelihoods are drowned, to the hills of Central America that confronts similar monstrous hurricanes, to the vast savannas of Africa where climate change has likewise become a matter of life and death as food and water becomes scarce.

Not to forget the massive hurricanes in the Gulf of Mexico and the eastern seaboard of North America. And if that is not enough, you may want to pay a visit to the Philippines right now."

His Call to Action-

"In Doha (COP 18), we asked “If not us then who? If not now, then when? If not here, then where? It may have fell on deaf ears. But here in Warsaw, we may very well ask these same forthright questions. “If not us, then who? If not now, then when? If not here in Warsaw, where?

What my country is going through as a result of this extreme climate event is madness. The climate crisis is madness. We can stop this madness. Right here in Warsaw."