Global Environmental Change

1. Introduction to the Ecosphere:

• Introduction to the “spheres”.
• Defining our environment. Introduction to various worldviews.
• Introduction to the concept of global change, timescales and rates of change.
• Environmental systems (cycling of energy and matter, biogeochemical cycles).  

2. Humans and our Environment:

• World population, development and resource consumption.
• Human health and the environment.
• History of environmental consciousness in North America.
• Environmental law and ethics.
• Environmental economics.  

3. The Changing Biosphere:

• Ecosystems (definition), community dynamics (species interactions, niche, disturbance, succession, trophic levels and food webs) and factors affecting ecosystem functions.
• Biomes/biogeoclimatic zones and factors affecting their distribution.
• Species diversity, evolution and adaptation, extinction rates, factors affecting biodiversity, etc.

4. The Changing Lithosphere:

• Land use changes (urbanization, agriculture, forestry, etc.) and related impacts.
• Natural resource exploitation (mining, energy, forestry, etc.) and related impacts.
• Pollution (contaminants, sources) and related impacts.
• Waste generation and disposal (solid, liquid and hazardous) and related impacts.  

5. The Changing Hydrosphere:

• Natural resource exploitation (fisheries, fresh water use, etc.) and related impacts.
• Pollution (contaminants, sources, effects on marine and freshwater aquatic ecosystems) and related impacts.  

6. The Changing Atmosphere:

• Atmospheric pollution and related impacts.
• Climate change and related impacts.
• Ozone depletion and related impacts.  

7. Achieving a Sustainable Future:

• Sustainability and strategies.
• Ecosystem management.
• Case studies.