User:Wavelength/About Earth's environment/Selected topics

Basic topics

Carbon cycle ⦿⦿ Nitrogen cycle ⦿⦿ Oxygen cycle ⦿⦿ Water cycle
Flagship species ⦿⦿ Indicator species ⦿⦿ Keystone species ⦿⦿ Umbrella species
Available water capacity ⦿⦿ Field capacity ⦿⦿ Food chain ⦿⦿ Food web
Carrying capacity ⦿⦿ Deep ecology ⦿⦿ Ecosystem services ⦿⦿ Ecovillage
Full cost accounting ⦿⦿ Life-cycle assessment ⦿⦿ Precautionary principle ⦿⦿ Unintended consequences
Carbon footprint ⦿⦿ Climate footprint ⦿⦿ Ecological footprint ⦿⦿ Water footprint
Car-free movement ⦿⦿ Food miles ⦿⦿ Local food ⦿⦿ Walkability
Biosecurity ⦿⦿ Energy security ⦿⦿ Food security ⦿⦿ Water security
Peak coal ⦿⦿ Peak gas ⦿⦿ Peak oil ⦿⦿ Peak water
Peak copper ⦿⦿ Peak minerals ⦿⦿ Peak phosphorus ⦿⦿ Peak uranium

Ecosystem services

Environmental degradation

Environmental degradation from excessive extraction of geothermal power

(environmental degradation from excessive extraction of geothermal power)

Environmental degradation from excessive extraction of solar energy

(environmental degradation from excessive extraction of solar energy)

Environmental degradation from excessive extraction of tidal power

(environmental degradation from excessive extraction of tidal power)

Environmental degradation from excessive extraction of wind power

(environmental degradation from excessive extraction of wind power)

Perhaps the foregoing is not clear enough to all who may read it, so I am providing additional details.

These topics are not about environmental degradation caused by these methods of extraction per se (for example, bird endangerment from wind turbines), as discussed in the article on energy development. They do not deal with environmental degradation caused by human activities for which extraction is a prerequisite, such as the processing, distribution, and use of the energy.

Specifically, the topics are about environmental degradation caused by the quantity of extraction, when energy diverted from its natural course in large quantities reduces the supply available for contributing adequately to the normal operation of ecosystem services (for example, photosynthesis and wind pollination). The fourth topic includes damage to the natural balance between opposing wind forces in different areas, and wind energy extraction in one area causing an increase of wind energy in another area.

These types of energy are very abundant in nature, but let us not forget about the competition between natural supply and human desire.

Human limitations

External links

http://worldwildlife.org/pages/earth-overshoot-day-august-20 (A)
Why Environmental "Hypocrisy" Is Irrelevant and Inevitable (A)—TreeHugger (May 17, 2013)