Week #1: Introduction to Global Environmental Issues

• Discover and develop your interests.

• Develop your skills (language, computer, specialized…).
• Critical thinking.

GRADES 7-12 MOMS AT HOME

COLLEGE STUDENTS

GRADES 2-6

GRADES K-1
 GEOG1003
Instructor: Dr. Li, Jinbao
Office: Rm 1029, 10/F, The Jockey Club Tower
Phone: 3917-7101
Email: jinbao@hku.hk
Office hours: Thursday 3:00-5:00 PM
or upon appointment

Research interests:
Climate Change, Paleoclimate,
El Niño, Drought, Tree-rings

TA: Ms. Tang, Wing Yee Chloe

Phone: 3917-7115
Email: wychloe@hku.hk
 GEOG1003
Students: BA&BEd(LangEd) Year 1&2 (70%)
BA(601) Year 3&4 (30%)
BBA(Acc&Fin)(13)
BBA(Acc&Fin)(681)
~260 in total!
BBA(IBGM)(696)
BBA(Law)(609)
BEcon&Fin(676)
BSW(18)
BSW(631)
BSc(603)
BSc(ActuarSc)(629)
BSocSc(602)
BSc(Sp&HearSc)(621)
LLB(611)
…….
The Earth,
Our only home

“We came all this way to explore the Moon,

and the most important thing is that we
discovered the Earth.” ---Bill Anders
The Earth,
Our only home
Exoplanets (extrasolar planets):
• Earth-like planets orbiting other stars.
• More than three thousand such planets have been discovered
by Kepler mission space telescope.
OUT OF AFRICA
Hunting and fishing Deforestation Industrialization
 United Nations List of Global Issues

“climate change is the single biggest threat to

human welfare in the 21st century”

http://www.un.org/en/globalissues/
 What have you heard?

Flooding

Climate Change
 What have you heard?
Global warming causing new evolutionary patterns
EXAGGERATED SCIENCE

How Global Warming Research is Creating a Climate of Fear

Global warming could burn insurers

Activists call on industry to act Seattle mayors' meeting a cozy
climate for business
In a Shift, White House Cites Global Warming as a Problem
Research Links Global Warming to Wildfires
We Don’t Deny Harvey, So Why Deny Climate Change?

Rise in wild fires a result Is Global Warming Fueling Katrina?

of climate change

Seattle reports milestone in

cutting emissions Jellyfish creature the answer to global
warming? www.Scienceblog.com

How one number touched off big climate-change fight at UW

 Global Climate
Change

• Identifiable change in the climate of

Earth as a whole that lasts for an
extended period of time (decades or
longer)
– When due to natural processes, it is usually
referred to as climate variability or natural
climate change.
– Nowadays often refers to changes forced
by human activities.
 What Causes Earth’s Climate To
Change?

Variations in the
Changes in Solar Radiation Volcanic eruptions
Earth's Orbit
 What is a greenhouse gas?
• Any gas that causes the “greenhouse effect”.
• Any gas in the atmosphere that absorbs and emits
radiation within the thermal infrared range (i.e.,
longwave radiation).
Imagine… a car on a cool but sunny day…
World Greenhouse Gas Emissions
 U.S.
186.1
European Total CO2 emissions
Union
127.8 Between 1950-2001 in billions of tons
Russia
68.4
Ukraine
21.7 China
Poland
Canada 14.4 Kazakhstan 57.6
14.9 Japan
10.1
31.2
India
Mexico 15.5
7.8
Kuwait
Trinidad and
Tobago Australia
United
Arab 7.6
South Africa Emirat
8.5 es

US: 4% of world’s total population

25% of the world’s greenhouse gases
China: 25% of the world’s population
TIME magazine, 2001
8.5% of the world’s greenhouse gases
 Observed
Changes and Effects
Where To Setup A Station To Measure CO2?
Nature Archive for CO2: Antarctic Ice Sheets
 415ppm
■
Atmospheric CO2 (ppm)

Antarctica Temperature Changes

Consequences of Global Warming
• A heat wave is a prolonged period of excessively hot weather,
which may be accompanied by high humidity, especially in oceanic
climate countries.

Heat waves (Europe 2003)

Consequences of Global Warming
• A heat wave is a prolonged period of excessively hot weather,
which may be accompanied by high humidity, especially in oceanic
climate countries.

2020
2019

www.washingtonpost.com Nature, 11 July, 2019

Heat waves (Europe 2019-20)

Heat waves (China 2013)
2017
2018

Heat waves (HK 2014)

 Greenland Seasonal Ice Melt

Aug 2020
1992 2002 2005 2012

Source: © 2005 ACIA

 Loss of Arctic Sea Ice

PCC slide no. 038 Source: Arctic Council 2004

 Portage Glacier

Alaska

1914 2004

https://m.whitehouse.gov/2015-alaska-trip

Photos: NOAA Photo Collection and Gary Braasch – WorldViewOfGlobalWarming.org

Glacier Melting on the Tibetan Plateau

Kyetrak Glacier
Sea Level Rise
Regions Vulnerable To Sea Level Rise
Increased
Drought

IPCC Fourth Assessment Key Findings

California Drought 2011-17
California Fires 2018
JUNE 29, 2017
What have you seen?

Drought 2012
(China)
Increased
Flood
Flood 2012
(Pakistan)
Pakistan floods 'kill more than 400' over past
fortnight (BBC News, 28 Sep 2012)
Flood 2020 Flood 2017
S. Asia (S. Asia)
Flood 2020 (China) Guardian, 20/8/2020
Increased Storm
Frequency and Intensity

IPCC Fourth Assessment Key Findings

 Typhoon Haiyan
• One of the most powerful typhoons ever recorded
The strongest tropical cyclone recorded at landfall, with wind speeds up to
315 km/h (195 mph)
• Storm surge as high as 19 feet.
• The death toll is at least 6,300.

November 2013
 Hurricane Sandy
The biggest Atlantic storm in history

October, 2012
 Impacts of Global Warming
on Species and Ecosystems
• Shifts in ranges
and migration
• Timing shifts
• Habitat impacts
• Species extinction
At Risk
At Risk
Could Climate Change Drive Giant Pandas to Extinction?
• Warming will spur a “substantial reduction” in the region’s three
dominant species of bamboo.
• Will cause 80%-100% of the area’s panda habitat to disappear by
the end of the 21st century.

Tuanmu et al., 2013

 Climate Change ‘May Shrink Fish'

• Warmer waters could decrease ocean oxygen levels

and significantly reduce fish body weight

Cheung et al., 2013 Nature Climate Change

Global Warming Connections
 Other environmental issues
Air Pollution

Beijing, 15/1/2013 New Delhi, 17/12/2012

London, 12/5/2009 Hong Kong, 14/10/2010

Other environmental issues
Water Pollution

Philippines
Vietnam

Bangladesh
China India
Other environmental issues

Gulf oil spill, 2010

Other environmental issues

Tsunami, Japan, March 2011

 Other environmental issues

“the biggest crisis for Japan since

World War II”
-Japan Prime Minister Naoto Kan

Nuclear Leakage after Tsunami,

Japan, March 2011
Other environmental issues

Mudslide, Zhouqu, 2010

Other environmental issues

Landslide, Hong Kong, 1972

Components of Ecosphere
Atmosphere • A gaseous envelope surrounding the Earth
• A very shallow layer compared to geosphere
• Divided into four layers
Atmosphere
• Nitrogen and oxygen: 99%, important to life, but of
little or no importance in affecting weather.
• Trace gases: only 1%, but are very important when
considering weather, climate, and all sorts of
environmental issues.
All lives on earth: 8.7 million
6.5 million on land, 2.2 million in the oceans

Mora et al., 2011 PLOS Biology

 GEOG1003
Objectives
This course introduces a number of major
global environmental issues and links them to
contemporary socio-economic and political
considerations while maintaining a geographical
perspective.
 GEOG1003

Lecture Topics
 Climate change: Evidence, causes, and consequences
 Water resources and pollution
 Human impacts on the Earth’s surface and oceans
(deforestation, land pollution, ocean acidification, etc)
 Natural hazards (earthquake, tsunami, hurricane,
thunderstorm and tornado, etc)
 Other contemporary global environmental issues
(overpopulation, urbanization, energy, etc)
 GEOG1003
Recommended Reading List
1. Harris, F. (2012) Global Environmental Issues, 2nd edition.
Hoboken, NJ: Wiley-Blackwell. (Free to HKU users online)
2. Middleton, N. (2018) The Global Casino: An Introduction to
Environmental Issues, 6nd edition. London: Rutledge.
3. Pickering, K. & L. Owen (1997) An Introduction to Global
Environmental Issues, 2nd edition. London and New York:
Rutledge.
4. Houghton, J. (2009) Global Warming: The complete Briefing,
4th edition. Edinburgh: Cambridge.

• No purchase necessary (books are reserved in the library)

• Photocopy of individual chapters is acceptable
(<5% of the book)
• For final exam, course slides + required reading
 GEOG1003

• No purchase necessary (books are reserved in the library)

• Photocopy of individual chapters is acceptable
(<5% of the book)
• For final exam, course slides + required reading
 GEOG1003

Learning Outcomes
Knowledge:
 General knowledge about a number of major global
environmental issues
 An understanding of the linkages among them and to
contemporary socio-economic and political considerations
 A geographical perspective on these issues
Skills:
 Critical reading and writing skills
 Ability to think critically about global environmental issues
and their context
 Ability to work independently toward discovering and
finalizing a research project
 GEOG1003
Coursework
 Individual essays: All students are required to complete
two 500-word essays on the assigned topics related to
contemporary global environmental issues.
 Individual project: By the end of the semester, all
students are required to submit a 1,000-word report on
climate change and their major. The students are strongly
encouraged to submit a progress report on their project by
the midterm.

Course Evaluation
Coursework 50% (essay 20%; project 30%)
Examination (two hours) 50%
 GEOG1003
Week Date Coursework Topics Lectures

1 01-Sep Introduction Introduction to global environmental issues

#1 released
2 08-Sep Climate Change Introduction to climate change
(Due 22-Sep)

3 15-Sep Climate Change Causes of climate change

4 22-Sep Climate Change Climates of the past

5 29-Sep Climate Change Global atmospheric change
Progress Report
6 06-Oct Climate Change Consequences of climate change
(Due 20-Oct)
7 13-Oct NO CLASS! Reading Week
#2 released
8 20-Oct Water resources crisis Water resources and pollution
(Due 3-Nov)
9 27-Oct Overpopulation Overpopulation and urbanization

10 03-Nov Air/land pollution Air pollution, acid deposition, land pollution

Earthquake, Tsunami, Thunderstorm and

11 10-Nov Natural hazards
Tornado
12 17-Nov Energy crisis Energy sources and crisis
Final Project
13 24-Nov Course review Course review
(Due 3-Dec)
14 01-Dec NO CLASS! Revision Period
Notes:
1. Details for coursework submission:
• Submit soft copy on course Moodle.
• Penalty for late submission: 5% per day.
• Any assignment submitted ten calendar days after the deadline will
not be accepted for assessment and will therefore be awarded a zero
mark.

2. Plagiarism and copyright: Please DO NOT copy materials from internet or

any other sources.
• Penalty for plagiarism : Fail grade.
Notes:
3. Guidelines on the use of reference materials in course assignments:
https://www.geog.hku.hk/intro-to-undergraduate-curriculum

Book
Qu, Geping and Li, Jinchang (1994) Population and the Environment in China. Lynne Rienner, Boulder, CO, 217 pp.

Book chapter
McGee, T.G. (1991) The emergence of desakota regions in Asia: expanding a hypothesis. In: N. Ginsberg, B. Koppel and T.G. McGee
(eds.) The Extended Metropolis: Settlement Transition in Asia. University of Hawaii Press, Honolulu, pp. 3-25.

Conference or Symposium proceedings

Kuentzel, W.F. (1996) (ed.) Proceedings of the 1996 Northeastern Recreation Research Symposium. 31 March to 2 April 1996,
Bolton Landing, New York. General Technical Report NE-232. US Department of Agriculture Forest Service, Northeastern Forest
Experiment Station, Radnor, PA, 309 pp.

Journal article
Marton, A.M. and McGee, T.G. (1996) New patterns of mega-urban development in China: the experience of Kunsha. Asian
Geographer 15 (1/2): 49-70.

Website materials
Planning Department. Study on Sustainable Development for the 21st Century: Final Report
http://www.info.gov.hk/planning/p_study/comp_s/susdev/final_hp/final.htm
Accessed on September 7, 2001.
Project: Climate Change and My Major
“Climate change is the single biggest
threat to human welfare in the 21st century”

Climate change is affecting, more or less,

every human being, every field.

A few examples…..
 Example #1: Climate Change and Politics

All countries AGREE that climate change is threating our welfare.

All countries DISAGREE that they should bear more responsibility
in cutting carbon emission.
Example #1: Climate Change and Politics
 Hurricane Sandy
The biggest Atlantic storm in history

October, 2012
 Michael Bloomberg (NYC mayor)

“Our climate is changing. And while the increase in

extreme weather we have experienced in New York City
and around the world may or may not be the result of it,
the risk that it may be — given the devastation it is
wreaking — should be enough to compel all elected
leaders to take immediate action…. One [candidate]
sees climate change as an urgent problem that threatens
our planet; one does not. I want our president to place
scientific evidence and risk management above electoral
politics.”
Example #2: Climate Change and Media
Example 2: Climate Change and Media
Global warming stopped since 1997?

13 October 2012
2014
Climate Change and
Economy:
How will CC affect economy growth?
How to do better financial risk management related to CC?
Medical:
How will CC affect the spread of epidemic diseases?
How to plan for threats to human health caused by CC?
Law:
How to regulate human behaviors to adapt/mitigate CC?
How to solve CC-related crisis with legal means?
Engineering:
How to make engineering solutions to CC?
Education:
How to improve the awareness of CC through education?
Statistics from 2013-2019 classes:

• 90% took this project seriously

• 80% did extensive research on their chosen topic
• 70% wrote up a good project report
• 3% are even publishable in peer-reviewed journals
Homework this week: None
But……….
• Critical Thinking
• The Value of Higher Education

What is the most important reason

people should go to college?

A. To gain skills and knowledge for a career

B. To gain a well-rounded general education

C. To increase one’s earning power

D. To become an informed citizen in a global
society
E. To learn to think critically
F. To formulate goals and values for life
 What is Critical Thinking?

It means not taking what you hear or

read at face value, but using your
critical faculties to weigh up the
evidence, and considering the
implications and conclusions of what
the writer is saying.
How to Develop Critical Thinking?
Debate: arguing different points of view.
Scholarship: awareness of what else has been written, and citing it
correctly.
Argument: developing points in a logical sequence which leads to a
conclusion.
Criticism: looking at strengths and weaknesses.
Analysis: taking the argument apart, as described above.
Evidence: ensuring that the argument is backed by valid evidence.
Objectivity: the writing should be detached and unemotional and
without direct appeal to the reader.
Precision: anything that does not assist the argument should be
omitted.

Northedge (2005)