Choose ONE of these questions to answer.
1. Considering what you have read to date and we’ve discussed in class and in lab about sustainability, do you believe that we are exceeding Earth’s resources? Define sustainability in your answer. State why you believe, or don’t believe, that we can currently sustain our growing population indefinitely.
What does the Ecological Footprint model, and specifically the global ecofootprint, indicate about how sustainably we are living? (Please note that your personal footprint is not a good “fact” to use here; however, you may want to compare the footprints of a highly developed country such as the U.S. and as lesser developed country.)
Take a stand and state your opinion clearly. Support your opinion with facts from the text, lectures or other resources. Cite the source of the facts in your answer and provide a full reference at the end of your essays.
2. Review the Root Causes of our environmental dilemmas proposed by Daniel Chiras in the text and discussed in lecture. State which two of the causes covered by Chiras you believe are the important and explain why you think so using facts and data provided in the text, or lecture to support your opinion. How would you use these as leverage points to create a more sustainable world?
Section 2: Short answer questions: Select three of the following questions to answer. You may answer these with bullet points or sentences.
3. Describe the Tragedy of the Commons; using the world’s oceans as an example, discuss how they have been subject to the tragedy.
4. What is the triple bottom line? With what important concept is it associated? Be sure to describe each of the three parts. .
5. Using one of the cycles of matter covered in class (nutrient, nitrogen, or carbon), describe how matter cycles and why these cycles are important.
6. List the 3 stages of human cultural evolution and describe the general environmental impact that has occurred in each.
Define each of these three key population descriptors: total fertility rate (TFR), Replacement-level Fertility and Zero Population growth (ZPG). Explain how each is used to address human population growth.