Climate Change, Biodiversity, Zoonoses, & Pandemics

Lehtonen et al. 2019

This article details how reforming education around the subject of climate change can assist in creating solutions for a sustainable future. Lehtonen et al acknowledge that climate change is a wicked problem but argues that, with the rise of globalism and consumption, we are not presently equipped to address climate change unless society is unified around sustainability. A revamping of climate change education is encouraged to develop sustainable practices with the following programs being discussed:

• Implementing an eco-social approach to education, which would foster a greater appreciation of the global ecosystem and encourage preservation
• Art based learning is encouraged, as art facilitates reflection and offers trial and error learning which is needed to address wicked problems
• A greater focus on collaborative learning, which shifts away traditional tests and essays and lets students express what they’ve learned through other means like art or videos

The overall belief of this paper is that, to address a wicked problem like climate change, it’s vital to restructure the education system in a way that enhances future generations’ ability to do so. Our current education around climate change is individualistic, with everyone having a different perspective. If collaboration, creativity, and trial-and-error practices are implemented in education earlier on, it can create a unified view on how climate change may be addressed for future generations that will face the growing issues surrounding climate change. 

Anna Lehtonen is a Postdoctoral Researcher of the University of Helsinki. Hannele Cantell is a part of the University of Helsinki Arto O. Salonen is Faculty of Social Sciences and Business Studies, University of Eastern Finland. 

Lehtonen, A., Salonen, A. O., & Cantell, H. (2019). Climate change education: A new approach for a world of wicked problems. Sustainability, human well-being, and the future of education, 339-374.

THORNES, T

Anthropogenic climate change is the leading cause of habitat destruction and animal extinction. Since the industrial revolution, humans have exacerbated the climate crisis with mass carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gas emissions. The emissions pollute the environment and increase Earth’s natural temperature, which aids in animal extinction. As the Earth’s temperature rapidly increases, wildlife (both on land and in the ocean) cannot adapt to the change quickly enough to keep certain species’ replacement levels alive, which leads to extinction. Additionally, as the human population increases, the need for more land to accommodate the population increases. Human expansion has led to the destruction of animal habitats, which some species have adapted to. While animal habitats are destroyed, animal reproduction decreases as well. As the earth warms and the ice caps melt, trapped greenhouse gasses are further released into both the air and the oceans, which further increases temperatures. As the water absorbs the toxic gasses, the water becomes acidic and forces fish to migrate to safer and cooler waters, thus displacing the animals that previously inhabited the area. So, while animal habitats shrink and environmental conditions worsen, animals suffer and often eventually go extinct. While the temperatures rise, insects that carry diseases will not be able to handle the temperatures and will migrate, which may continue to spread diseases around the world.

Thornes argues that it is the responsibility of humans to work towards bettering the environment for animals by decreasing greenhouse gas emissions, traveling less, eating less meat, and investing in renewable technologies. While this may be feasible for people in more developed countries that can afford to make these changes, those in less developed countries have fewer options regarding cutting emissions and sustainably sourced food.  

Dr. Tobias Thornes is a Doctor of Philosophy at the University of Oxford, and continues to research the effect of human action on the environment and animals. 

Thornes, T. (2016). Animals and Climate Change. Journal of Animal Ethics, 6(1), 81–88. https://doi.org/10.5406/janimalethics.6.1.0081

Warren-Vega, W. M., Campos-Rodríguez, A., Zárate-Guzmán, A. I., & Romero-Cano, L. A.

Anthropogenic climate change is the leading cause of habitat destruction and animal extinction. Since the industrial revolution, humans have exacerbated the climate crisis with mass carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gas emissions. The emissions pollute the environment and increase Earth’s natural temperature, which aids in animal extinction. As the Earth’s temperature rapidly increases, wildlife (both on land and in the ocean) cannot adapt to the change quickly enough to keep certain species’ replacement levels alive, which leads to extinction. Additionally, as the human population increases, the need for more land to accommodate the population increases. Human expansion has led to the destruction of animal habitats, which some species have adapted to. While animal habitats are destroyed, animal reproduction decreases as well. As the earth warms and the ice caps melt, trapped greenhouse gasses are further released into both the air and the oceans, which further increases temperatures. As the water absorbs the toxic gasses, the water becomes acidic and forces fish to migrate to safer and cooler waters, thus displacing the animals that previously inhabited the area. So, while animal habitats shrink and environmental conditions worsen, animals suffer and often eventually go extinct. While the temperatures rise, insects that carry diseases will not be able to handle the temperatures and will migrate, which may continue to spread diseases around the world.

Thornes argues that it is the responsibility of humans to work towards bettering the environment for animals by decreasing greenhouse gas emissions, traveling less, eating less meat, and investing in renewable technologies. While this may be feasible for people in more developed countries that can afford to make these changes, those in less developed countries have fewer options regarding cutting emissions and sustainably sourced food.  

Dr. Tobias Thornes is a Doctor of Philosophy at the University of Oxford, and continues to research the effect of human action on the environment and animals. 

Thornes, T. (2016). Animals and Climate Change. Journal of Animal Ethics, 6(1), 81–88. https://doi.org/10.5406/janimalethics.6.1.0081

Johnson, A., White, N. D

Ocean acidification has been largely caused by atmospheric carbon dioxide, toxic runoff water, and soil erosion from coastal regions. The survival of the ocean’s wildlife is dependent on a delicate balance of trace metals, however, as humans continue to emit carbon dioxide, the ocean absorbs the gas and the amount of trace metals in the ocean increases. Ocean acidification increases the risk of invasive species, changes the predator-prey dynamic, and alters the nature of the marine ecosystem. As acidity depletes calcium carbonate (CaCO3), organisms that are dependent on it for skeletal and protective shell production are some of the most negatively impacted. Species that are noncalcareous experience impairment in development and abnormal physical changes. Coral reefs, an organism vital to marine ecosystems, are also dependent on CaCO3 and have experienced a weaker ability to provide habitat diversity, thus decreasing biodiversity. The changes in the ocean’s chemistry increase the bioavailability of toxic heavy metals, which affects both marine organisms and the human population, especially those residing in the coastal region. 

Dr. Ashanti Johnson is an American geochemist and chemical oceanographer who specializes in water quality and soil and water conservation.

Johnson, A., & White, N. D. (2014). Ocean Acidification: The Other Climate Change Issue. American Scientist, 102(1), 60–63. http://www.jstor.org/stable/43707749