GLCb2020
Environmental
threats and
security
Environmental security:
a sustainable future?
April 13, 2023
Miriam Matejova, PhD
Agenda
• Final exam
• Presentations
• Sustainable future: radical
solutions
Final exam
• Written (online)
• Four questions
• Short answers
• Concepts, theory, case
studies, examples
• Each answer for max. 10
points, together max. 40
points
• Required (not recommended)
literature, lectures,
presentations
Final exam: what (not) to do
• Answer the question.
• Explain your answer (don’t assume that I know what
you are talking about).
• Explain the logic of your argument.
• Define key terms.
• Correctly link the authors with their theories /
arguments.
• Use clear examples and explain how those are linked to
your theory.
• Do not copy and paste text from anywhere and add
references to your sources!
• Answer the question.
Rubric
• 9-10: Exceptional answer – includes
everything that a “7-8” answer has, but it
also has something extra (e.g., linking
themes/weeks/concepts, balance of
arguments, etc.)
• 7-8: Good answer – key concepts are
defined, question is clearly answered in a
structured way, emphasis on analytical
thinking, the use of examples is explained
Rubric
• 5-6: Answer is mostly descriptive. It contains
key terms but doesn’t include much analysis
or the analysis makes no sense.
• 3-4: No sensible answer and no analysis.
Student wrote down everything on the topic.
There may be gaps, mistakes.
• 1-2: No clear answer to the question. Many or
most concepts not well defined. Inaccuracies
in theories, authors, concepts, etc.
• 0: No answer
Presentations: logistics
• 15 minutes presentation, 10 minutes
discussion
• The group facilitates the discussion
• Don’t forget to upload your presentation
summary to the IS
before your presentation
Presentations: logistics
20.4.
Group#1
• Wright, Nathan; Hanzar, Iradukunda; Stompff, Ceder
• Wildfires in Canada
Group#2
• Cioflînc, George-Daniel; Honore, Dushime;
Malinowski, Enzo
• Deforestation in Romania
Group#3
• Kepic, Hana; van Meer, Lotte
• Street littering in Japan vs USA
Presentations: logistics
27.4.
Group#1
• Nomoto, Haruka; Moreno Mestre, Victor; Flores
Gutierrez, Patricia
• Deforestation in Indonesia
Group#2
• Bishop, Antoine; Constantinescu, Andreea-Cosmina;
Shahaghasy, Ahmad Mawloud
• The melting of permafrost
Group#3
• Corcinschi, Catalina; Diore, Marine
• Overconsumption in USA
Geoengineering: history
• 19. century: preventing drought through cloud
seeding
• 1983: Carl Sagan and “nuclear winter”
Geoengineering
• The use of technology to alter
global or regional climatic
systems
– carbon dioxide removal (CDR)
– solar radiation management
(SRM)
Carbon dioxide removal
• Traditional environmental policies – e.g.,
reforestation
• Lowering of the GHG emissions may not be
enough → CO2 that is already in the atmosphere
must be removed
– E.g., infusing the oceans with iron → seaweed
growth
• Risks are mostly local
Solar radiation management
• Goal is to use science for shifting global
climate systems back to early or preindustrial
era
– Reflexive surfaces
• Volcanic eruptions (Mount Pinatubo,
Tambora)
Geoengineering:
problems
• Side-effects
• Cost
• Lowering the urgency
• Geopolitics and intentional disasters
Population control?
• Good or bad idea?
• Realistic or not?
Sci-fi (?) solutions
Questions?