BCO 118 Miami University Environmental Sustainability in 2050 Research Paper Attached is the file which includes the information needed to complete the ass

BCO 118 Miami University Environmental Sustainability in 2050 Research Paper Attached is the file which includes the information needed to complete the assignment. 1000-1500 words. Should use the “Living Planet Report” as a reference point. Must prepare a exploratory scenario for 2050. For anything else I have attached the files. Undergraduate Program
Assessment Brief
Academic Year 2019-2020
BCO118 ENVIRONMENTAL SUSTAINABILITY
FINAL ASSIGNMENT SUMMER 2020
For this Final Assignment, worth 60% of the final mark, the student must carry out the following work:
Task Scenario for 2050
Your task is to prepare an exploratory scenario for 2050 (cf: Living Planet Report 2018 pp 124125), taking into account the topics and issues covered during the course. Your Exploratory
Scenario 2050 should:
1. outline the current critical issues which will impact on human life and health in the
decade beginning 2050
2. be based on realistic expectations of goals and results arising from governmental,
organizational and individual actions
3. describe the potential outcomes of specific environmental strategies that are currently
under consideration
4. analyse the current and potential challenges that might hinder the implementation of
such strategies
5. summarise and conclude what new initiatives need to be taken at the three levels
(governmental, organizational and individual)
You may decide on a minimum of two core issues/topics of your choice to cover in your scenario.
Whilst your scenario can include any topics covered in the course, a good starting point is the
Living Planet Report 2018.
For your answer, you must provide a logical analysis by drawing on cases and/or theories covered
during this course and/or which you learned about through your independent study. Your answers
must illustrate flow and progression of ideas through critical and independent thought. Any answer
given by you that is identical / similar to an answer given by another student will lead to a downgrade of the answer in question.
REQUIREMENTS
Formalities:
•
•
•
Wordcount: 1,000 –to 1,500 words; Cover page, Table of Contents, Bibliography and
Annexes are excluded of the total wordcount.
Font: Arial 12 pts.
The in-text references and the bibliography have to be in the Harvard citation style
Submission: 23:55 Sunday July 19th – Via Moodle (Turnitin).
Weight: This task counts for 60% of your total grade for this subject.
Page | 1
Undergraduate Program
Assessment Brief
Academic Year 2019-2020
SUBMISSION INSTRUCTIONS
The work must be on one single Word.docx document and must be uploaded to the appropriate
Turnitin folder on Moodle.
The title page of the file should contain the following information:
– Name of this course
– Name of the Faculty Member / Teacher
– Student’s full Name
– Student ID number
– Title of this assignment (Final Assignment – Exploratory Scenario 2050)
GRADING CRITERIA
(To be supplied with the grade rubric)
____________________________________________________________________________
Page | 2
REPORT
IN T
2018
Living Planet
Report
2018: Aiming higher
Institute of Zoology (Zoological Society of London)
Founded in 1826, the Zoological Society of London (ZSL) is an
international scientific, conservation and educational organization. Its
mission is to achieve and promote the worldwide conservation of animals
and their habitats. ZSL runs ZSL London Zoo and ZSL Whipsnade Zoo;
carries out scientific research in the Institute of Zoology; and is actively
involved in field conservation worldwide. ZSL manages the Living Planet
Index® in a collaborative partnership with WWF.
WWF
WWF is one of the world’s largest and most experienced independent
conservation organizations, with over 5 million supporters and a global
network active in more than 100 countries. WWF’s mission is to stop
the degradation of the planet’s natural environment and to build a
future in which humans live in harmony with nature, by conserving the
world’s biological diversity, ensuring that the use of renewable natural
resources is sustainable, and promoting the reduction of pollution and
wasteful consumption.
Citation
WWF. 2018. Living Planet Report – 2018: Aiming Higher.
Grooten, M. and Almond, R.E.A.(Eds). WWF, Gland, Switzerland.
Design and infographics by: peer&dedigitalesupermarkt
Cover photograph: © Global Warming Images / WWF
Children dive into the sea at sunset, Funafuti, Tuvalu
ISBN 978-2-940529-90-2
Living Planet Report®
and Living Planet Index®
are registered trademarks
of WWF International.
CONTENTS
Foreword by Marco Lambertini
4
Executive summary
6
Setting the scene
10
Chapter 1: Why biodiversity matters
12
Chapter 2: The threats and pressures wiping out our world
26
Chapter 3: Biodiversity in a changing world
88
Chapter 4: Aiming higher, what future do we want?
108
The path ahead
124
References
130
Editors-in-Chief:
Monique Grooten and Rosamunde Almond (WWF-NL)
Editorial and Production Team: Lead Editor: Tanya Petersen Teams: Michael
Alexander (WWF International), Stefanie Deinet (Zoological Society of London),
Savriël Dilingh, Robin Freeman (Zoological Society of London), Barney Jeffries,
Evan Jeffries, Natasja Oerlemans (WWF-NL), Isabelle Oostendorp (WWF International),
Mark Wright (WWF-UK), Lucy Young (WWF-UK) and Holly Strand
Steering Group:
Winnie De’Ath (WWF International), Mike Barrett, (WWF-UK), Monique Grooten
(WWF-NL), Margaret Kinnaird (WWF Kenya) Lin Li (WWF International), Deon Nel
and Rebecca Shaw (WWF-US)
Authors:
Mike Barrett (WWF-UK), Alan Belward (European Commission Joint Research Centre),
Sarah Bladen (Global Fishing Watch), Tom Breeze (University of Reading), Neil Burgess
(UN Environment World Conservation Monitoring Centre – UNEP-WCMC), Stuart Butchart
(BirdLife International), Harriet Clewlow (British Antarctic Survey and the University
of Exeter), Sarah Cornell (Stockholm Resilience Centre), Andrew Cottam (European
Commission Joint Research Centre), Simon Croft (Stockholm Environment Institute),
Guiseppe de Carlo (WWF International), Luca de Felice (European Commission Joint
Research Centre), Adriana De Palma (Natural History Museum, London), Stefanie Deinet
(Zoological Society of London), Rod Downie (WWF-UK), Carel Drijver (WWF-NL),
Bernadette Fischler (WWF-UK), Robin Freeman (Zoological Society of London), Owen
Gaffney (Stockholm Resilience Centre), Alessandro Galli (Global Footprint Network), Paul
Gamblin (WWF International), Michael Garratt (University of Reading), Noel Gorelick
(Google Earth Engine), Jonathan Green (Stockholm Environment Institute), Monique
Grooten (WWF-NL), Laurel Hanscom (Global Footprint Network), Samantha Hill (UN
Environment World Conservation Monitoring Centre – UNEP-WCMC), Craig HiltonTaylor (IUCN), Arwyn Jones (European Commission Joint Research Centre), Tony Juniper
(WWF-UK), Huma Khan (WWF International), David Kroodsma (Global Fishing Watch),
David Leclère (International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis), Ghislaine Llewellyn
(WWF-Australia), Georgina Mace (University College London), Louise McRae (Zoological
Living Planet
Report
Society of London), Karen Mo (WWF-US), Jeff Opperman (WWF International), Alberto
Orgiazzi (European Commission Joint Research Centre), Stuart Orr (WWF International),
Pablo Pacheco (WWF International), Deng Palomares and Daniel Pauly (Sea Around Us,
Institute for the Oceans and Fisheries, University of British Columbia), Jean-Francois
Pekel (European Commission Joint Research Centre), Linwood Pendleton (WWF-US),
Andy Purvis (Natural History Museum, London), Norman Radcliffe (British Antarctic
Survey), Toby Roxburgh (WWF-UK), Bob Scholes (University of the Wittswatersrand, South
Africa and IPBES Chair), Deepa Senapathi (University of Reading), John Tanzer (WWF
International), Michele Thieme (WWF-US), Dave Tickner (WWF-UK), Pablo Tittonell
(Natural Resources and Environment Program of INTA, Argentina), Phil Trathan (British
Antarctic Survey), Piero Visconti (University College London and Zoological Society
of London), Mathis Wackernagel (Global Footprint Network) Chris West (Stockholm
Environment Institute) and Natascha Zwaal (WWF-NL)
Special thanks:
Catharine Blanchard (WWF-US), Marieke Harteveld (WWF-NL), Cornelia Ludwig
(Stockholm Resilience Centre), Valentina Marconi (ZSL), Alistair Monument (WWF
International), Rucha Naware (WWF International), Michael Obersteiner (International
Institute for Applied Systems Analysis), Holly Pringle (ZSL), Kirsten Schuijt (WWF-NL),
Nora Sticzay (WWF-NL) and Isabel Thomas (ZSL). We would also like to thank everyone
who kindly added data to the Living Planet Database (www.livingplanetindex.org)
2018: Aiming higher
A NEW GLOBAL DEAL FOR NATURE
AND PEOPLE URGENTLY NEEDED
On one hand, we have known for many, many years that we are
driving the planet to the very brink. This is not a doom and gloom
story; it is reality. The astonishing decline in wildlife populations
shown by the latest Living Planet Index – a 60% fall in just over
40 years – is a grim reminder and perhaps the ultimate indicator
of the pressure we exert on the planet.
On the other hand, science has never been clearer about the
consequences of our impact. There has never been more awareness
– nor such rapidly increasing investment in finding solutions.
Today, we have the knowledge and means to redefine our
relationship with the planet. There is no excuse for inaction. We can
no longer ignore the warning signs; doing so would be at our own
peril. What we need now is the will to act – and act quickly.
The nature conservation agenda is not only about securing the
future of tigers, pandas, whales and all the amazing diversity of life
we love and cherish on Earth. It’s bigger than that. Our day-to-day
life, health and livelihoods depend on a healthy planet. There cannot
be a healthy, happy and prosperous future for people on a planet
with a destabilized climate, depleted oceans and rivers, degraded
land and empty forests, all stripped of biodiversity, the web of life
that sustains us all.
In the next years, we need to urgently transition to a net carbonneutral society and halt and reverse nature loss – through green
finance and shifting to clean energy and environmentally friendly
food production. In addition, we must preserve and restore enough
land and ocean in a natural state to sustain all life.
WWF Living Planet Report 2018 page 4
© WWF
Few people have had the chance to find themselves on the cusp of
a truly historic transformation. I passionately believe that this is
where we stand today. Our planet is at a crossroads and we have
the opportunity to decide the path ahead.
But we have two main problems. First, and perhaps the greatest,
is the cultural challenge. For too long we have taken nature for
granted, and this needs to stop. The second is economic. We can
no longer ignore the impact of current unsustainable production
models and wasteful lifestyles. These must be accounted for and
addressed.
This is today’s – and our generation’s – greatest challenge and
opportunity: for the first time, we can fully grasp how protecting
nature is also about protecting people. The environmental and
human development agendas are rapidly converging.
Few people have the chance to be a part of truly historic
transformations. This is ours. We have before us a rapidly closing
window for action and an unparalleled opportunity as we head into
the year 2020. This is when the world will review its progress on
sustainable development by means of the Sustainable Development
Goals, the Paris Agreement and the Convention on Biological
Diversity. And this is when the world should embrace a new global
deal for nature and people, as we did for climate in Paris, and truly
demonstrate the path we are choosing for people and the planet.
Today, we still have a choice. We can be the founders of a global
movement that changed our relationship with the planet, that saw
us secure a future for all life on Earth, including our own. Or we can
be the generation that had its chance and failed to act; that let Earth
slip away. The choice is ours. Together we can make it happen for
nature and for people.
Marco Lambertini,
Director General
WWF International
Foreword page 5
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
Everything that has built modern human society
is provided by nature and, increasingly, research
demonstrates the natural world’s incalculable importance
to our health, wealth, food and security.
All economic activity ultimately depends on services provided by
nature, estimated to be worth around US$125 trillion a year. As we
better understand our reliance on natural systems it’s clear that
nature is not just a ‘nice to have’. Business and the finance industry
are starting to question how global environmental risks will affect
the macroeconomic performance of countries, sectors and financial
markets, and policy-makers wonder how we will meet climate
and sustainable development targets with declining nature and
biodiversity.
AS WE BETTER
UNDERSTAND OUR
RELIANCE ON NATURAL
SYSTEMS IT’S CLEAR
THAT NATURE IS NOT
JUST A ‘NICE TO HAVE’
Exploding human consumption is the driving force behind the
unprecedented planetary change we are witnessing, through
the increased demand for energy, land and water. Consumption
indicators – such as the Ecological Footprint – provide a picture of
overall resource use. The products we consume, the supply chains
behind them, the materials they use and how these are extracted
and manufactured have myriad impacts on the world around us.
CONSUMPTION IS THE
DRIVING FORCE BEHIND
THE UNPRECEDENTED
PLANETARY CHANGE
WE ARE WITNESSING,
THROUGH THE
INCREASED DEMAND
FOR ENERGY, LAND AND
WATER
While climate change is a growing threat, the main drivers of
biodiversity decline continue to be the overexploitation of species,
agriculture and land conversion. Indeed, a recent assessment found
that only a quarter of land on Earth is substantively free of the
impacts of human activities. This is projected to decline to just onetenth by 2050. Land degradation includes forest loss; while globally
this loss has slowed due to reforestation and plantations it has
accelerated in tropical forests that contain some of the highest levels
of biodiversity on Earth. Ongoing degradation has many impacts on
species, the quality of habitats and the functioning of ecosystems.
Two recent studies have focused on the dramatic reductions in bee
and other pollinator numbers and on the risks to soil biodiversity,
critical to sustain food production and other ecosystem services.
WWF Living Planet Report 2018 page 6
CURRENT RATES OF
SPECIES EXTINCTION
ARE 100 TO 1,000
TIMES HIGHER THAN
THE BACKGROUND
RATE, THE STANDARD
RATE OF EXTINCTION
IN EARTH’S HISTORY
BEFORE HUMAN
PRESSURE BECAME A
PROMINENT FACTOR 1
Marine and freshwater ecosystems are also facing huge pressures.
Almost 6 billion tonnes of fish and invertebrates have been taken
from the world’s oceans since 1950. Plastic pollution has been
detected in all major marine environments worldwide, from
shorelines and surface waters down to the deepest parts of the
ocean, including the bottom of the Mariana Trench. Freshwater
habitats, such as lakes, rivers and wetlands, are the source of life for
all humans yet they are also the most threatened, strongly affected
by a range of factors including habitat modification, fragmentation
and destruction; invasive species; overfishing; pollution; disease;
and climate change.
Using big data, sophisticated imaging methods and a wave of
other new tracking and analytical tools, researchers are matching
commodities and their supply chains to specific impacts on
biodiversity. Increasing the transparency around these complex
relationships may help to stop biodiversity loss.
This global overview is useful but it’s also important to understand
whether there are differences in threats between different
geographic regions and whether similar species are affected by them
in different ways. The Living Planet Index, a rich source of this
information, can tell us about threats at the species population level.
This more granular level of data has already highlighted different
responses in different species of penguins in western Antarctica.
BIODIVERSITY HAS
BEEN DESCRIBED AS
THE ‘INFRASTRUCTURE’
THAT SUPPORTS
ALL LIFE ON EARTH.
IT IS, SIMPLY, A
PREREQUISITE FOR OUR
MODERN, PROSPEROUS
HUMAN SOCIETY
TO EXIST, AND TO
CONTINUE TO THRIVE
The Living Planet Index also tracks the state of global biodiversity
by measuring the population abundance of thousands of vertebrate
species around the world. The latest index shows an overall
decline of 60% in population sizes between 1970 and 2014. Species
population declines are especially pronounced in the tropics, with
South and Central America suffering the most dramatic decline, an
89% loss compared to 1970. Freshwater species numbers have also
declined dramatically, with the Freshwater Index showing an 83%
decline since 1970. But measuring biodiversity – all the varieties of
life that can be found on Earth and their relationships to each other
– is complex, so this report also explores three other indicators
measuring changes in species distribution, extinction risk and
changes in community composition. All these paint the same picture
– showing severe declines or changes.
Executive summary page 7
WE ARE CALLING FOR
THE MOST AMBITIOUS
GLOBAL AGREEMENT
YET – A NEW GLOBAL
DEAL FOR NATURE AND
PEOPLE
© naturepl.com – Tim Laman – WWF
What is clear is that without a dramatic move beyond ‘business as
usual’ the current severe decline of the natural systems that support
modern societies will continue. With two key global policy processes
underway – the setting of new post-2020 targets for the Convention
on Biological Diversity and the Sustainable Development Goals –
there is currently a unique window of opportunity to reverse the
trend. Lessons can be learned from progress towards addressing
other critical global issues, like climate change, and everyone
– governments, business, finance, research, civil society and
individuals – has a part to play.
That’s why we, along with conservation and science colleagues
around the world, are calling for the most ambitious global
agreement yet – a new global deal for nature and people. Decisionmakers at every level need to make the right political, financial and
consumer choices to achieve the vision that humanity and nature
thrive in harmony on our only planet. This vision is possible with
strong leadership from us all.
In our contribution to this ambitious pathway, WWF is collaborating
with a consortium of almost 40 universities and conservation and
intergovernmental organizations to launch the research initiative
Bending the Curve of Biodiversity Loss. This critical work will
explicitly include biodiversity in future systems modelling, helping
us to determine the best integrated and collective solutions and
to understand the trade-offs we may need to accept to find the
best path ahead. These models and systems analyses will form the
cornerstone of a future edition of the Living Planet Report.
WE ARE THE FIRST GENERATION THAT HAS
A CLEAR PICTURE OF THE VALUE OF NATURE
AND OUR IMPACT ON IT. WE MAY BE THE LAST
THAT CAN TAKE ACTION TO REVERSE THIS
TREND. FROM NOW UNTIL 2020 WILL BE A
DECISIVE MOMENT IN HISTORY.
A mangrove crab on the root of a red mangrove tree (Rhizophora mangle), just below the water line
on Kostrae Island, Federated States of Micronesia.
WWF Living Planet Report 2018 page 8
Executive summary page 9
This growing collective voice is crucial if we are to reverse the trend of biodiversity loss.
The extinction of a multitude of species on Earth seems not to have captured the imagination,
or attention, of the world’s leaders enough to catalyse the change necessary. Together, we are
advocating the need for a new global deal for nature and people that addresses the crucial
questions of how to feed a growing global population, limit warming to 1.5°C, and
restore nature.
We are the first generation that has a clear picture of the value of nature and the grave
situation we are facing. We may also be the last generation that can do something about it.
We all have …
Purchase answer to see full
attachment