Biodiversity, Climate Change and Sustain

Biodiversity, a term popularized in the 1980s, refers to the variety of life at the genetic, species, and ecosystem levels. It is crucial for sustainability, as it supports ecosystems that underpin human life, economic activities, and ecological stability. The loss of biodiversity threatens essential ecosystem services like clean air, water filtration, climate regulation, and food security. This course explores how climate change, both current and projected, impacts biodiversity and how natural ecosystems influence greenhouse gas concentrations. Human survival depends on these ecosystems, yet there is uncertainty about how much biodiversity loss can be tolerated. Climate change now poses as serious a threat to biodiversity as direct development activities. Understanding the science behind these threats is essential for sustainability students, and this course aims to provide that knowledge.

Simultaneously, tropical deforestation across the globe produces CO2 emissions equal to the total current emissions of the United States.  Forest fires in Canada have produced emissions equal to the total fossil fuel based emissions of that country.  Thawing of permafrost in the arctic north is one of the positive feedback loops, warming leading to more warming that has catastrophic potential. In studying biodiversity, we will examine ecosystems and species such as muskoxen, whales, penguins, primates, tree frogs, and monarch butterflies. We will also explore human practices like agriculture, forest management, hunting, and fishing, which affect both carbon and biodiversity and rely on climate stability. Students will learn how climate and natural ecosystems interact, a crucial first step toward actions needed to sustain life on Earth. While some readings may be challenging for those without an ecology background, support will be available. Students with prior ecology knowledge should find the course particularly informative.