Defining The Issues

Environmental issues are complex and diverse. I believe that we vote daily with our money for the products and services we choose to support or not support. I also believe that what we talk about and how we talk about it has an influence on the people around us. By positioning environmental impacts as an important factor in our daily weighing of decisions we can all have a significant impact on our personal ecological footprint, help steer economies and industry toward sustainability, and indirectly influence politics. This requires some knowledge about the potential environmental impacts of the things we buy, use and do.

Below are some of my favourite resources to help introduce you to what I currently believe are our most pressing environmental issues. Part of my reasoning in selecting these resources is that they each highlight large scale issues and also suggest straightforward actions we can take that enhance the quality of our lives while simultaneously better serving nature.

Food and Agriculture

A truly important read

Where does your food come from?

Answering this question and finding better places can be one of the simplest and most profound ways to vote often with your money for sustainability.

What's Eating America?

By Michael Pollan

Human Populations, Carrying Capacity & Social Justice

Will human populations remain below earth's carrying capacity?

Over-consumption of resources in the developed countries and population growth in developing countries threatens to overstretch the world's natural resources.

Reaching a sustainable population will require the acceleration of the spread of social justice. In particular this means the empowerment of women, access to quality education, basic health care, and fair employment opportunities.

PowerPoint on Human Ecology

Mr. Kleiman - 12U BiologyI have provided a brief narration to my slideshow in the comments on each slide.

TED Talk: Hans Rosling

Population Growth Box by Box

Climate Change

How quickly will we reduce GHG emissions and adjust to irreversible effects?

The rate of change of the current anthropogenic warming threatens the stability of ecosystems, and economies. Inaction or slow action on this issue may have significant consequences for nature and for our future.

TED-Ed: Earth's giant game of Tetris

Joss Fong

NASA: Global Climate Change

A comprehensive resource introducing the key ideas and evidence for climate change
An excellent documentary series by Sir David Attenborough explaining the environmental, social, and political issues surrounding human interactions with nature.

Reports, Studies, and Articles

UN report on biodiversity

NY Times - Insect Apocalypse - An outstanding article witnessing the loss of biodiversity

Videos

The Effects of Losing Biodiversity

This video highlights the importance of biodiversity by showing the cascading ecological benefits of the reintroduction of Wolves to Yellowstone National Park in the US.

Click here to read more about it.