International Economic and Environmental Security: Threats and Responses
SECTION C
4. Major Threats to International Economic and Environmental Security and Responses
This section explores significant threats to international economic and environmental security and how the international community typically responds to them, with a particular focus on the role of resource conflicts.
Resources and Environmental Security
1. Oil and the Global Energy Economy
Modern industrial capitalism heavily relies on two critical resources: money/credit and energy (oil/gas), which are interconnected.
Read MoreEnvironmental Health: Solid Waste, Water Quality, and Food Safety
Week 10: Solid and Hazardous Waste
What is Solid Waste vs. Hazardous Waste?
- Solid Waste: Any unwanted or discarded material we produce that is not a liquid or a gas, such as packaging, appliances, organic materials, food waste, paper, and electronics.
- Hazardous Waste: Poses a threat to human health or the environment due to its poisonous, chemically reactive, corrosive, or flammable nature. Examples include industrial solvents, hospital medical waste, car batteries, household pesticide products, dry-
Water and Ice Erosion Processes and Impacts
Water and Ice Erosion
Grand Canyon Time Lapse
Erosion and Sedimentation
- Erosion: the weathering and/or transport of solid materials (sediment, soil, rock and other particles)
- Weathering: breaking down rock into smaller rock or mineral fragments through mechanical or chemical processes (happens in one place)
- Sedimentation: tendency for particles to settle out of suspension and come to rest
Weathering Zone
- Rock is always cycling, weathering and eroding
- Erosion takes place in the weathering zone extending
Sustainable Energy Sources and Environmental Issues: A Comprehensive Guide
Renewable Energy Sources
1. Solar Energy
Solar power harnesses the sun’s energy using collector panels to create conditions that generate electricity. Solar panel fields are often located in deserts due to the abundance of sunlight. However, only specific regions receive enough direct sunlight to make solar power a viable option.
2. Wind Energy
Large turbines capture wind power to turn generators and produce electricity.
3. Geothermal Energy
Geothermal energy utilizes heat from beneath the earth’s surface.
Read MoreCanary Islands Ecosystems
Cave Fauna
The cave fauna exhibits varying degrees of adaptation to the cave environment. There are three main types:
- Troglobites: These are obligate cave dwellers with significant adaptations that prevent them from surviving outside the cave environment.
- Troglophiles: These species typically inhabit caves but can also venture outside occasionally.
- Trogloxenes: These are surface-dwelling species that may occasionally enter caves.
The primary threats to cave ecosystems include pollution from surface runoff,
Read MoreEcosystem Dynamics and Environmental Issues
Matter and Energy in Ecosystems
Matter is composed of atoms and molecules and has mass and volume. The Law of Conservation of Matter states that matter is neither created nor destroyed, it only transforms. Energy, such as light, chemical, and heat, is the ability to perform work. The Law of Conservation of Energy states the same principle for energy. The Second Law of Thermodynamics states that entropy (disorder) tends to increase in the universe.
Cycles of Matter and Energy Flows
Cycles of matter
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