McGill Podcasts » Mini-Enviro

A Billion Vehicles and Counting: The Transport Energy Challenge

Cody Rei-Anderson — Mon, 15 Mar 2010 19:49:59 +0000

Motor vehicle numbers have been increasing more rapidly than the human population globally, with profound resource use, environmental, and health and welfare impacts at the local, regional and global scales. The global motor vehicle fleet now stands at nearly one billion, with growth occurring most rapidly in the low-income countries. This talk by Prof. Madhav Badami discusses the serious energy security and related environmental implications of this phenomenon.

Emerging Infectious Diseases: What Can We Learn from Primates?

Cody Rei-Anderson — Fri, 12 Mar 2010 21:43:44 +0000

The sudden appearance and devastating human and environmental effects of diseases like SARS, Ebola, and AIDS underscore our need to understand the ecology of infectious diseases. Given that monkeys and apes often share parasites with humans, understanding the ecology of infectious diseases in non-human primates is of paramount importance. In this mini-Enviro lecture, Prof. Chapman outlines how anthropogenic habitat change which forces humans and primates into closer and more frequent contact can increase the risks of inter-specific disease transmission.

The Future Balance of Nature

Cody Rei-Anderson — Mon, 01 Mar 2010 20:26:26 +0000

Prof. Andrew Gonzalez presents examples of how ecosystems can become imbalanced and the resultant effects this can have on their structure and function.

Global Warming: Caused by Humans? What Can We Do About It?

Cody Rei-Anderson — Mon, 01 Mar 2010 20:13:53 +0000

Prof. Nigel Roulet discusses ways to alter the current prognosis for Earth’s climate by examining the relationships among greenhouse concentrations, population, consumption, energy, the economy, and human well-being.

Feeding the World: Ecosystem Services, Food Production and Sustainability

Cody Rei-Anderson — Thu, 18 Feb 2010 18:57:04 +0000

People depend on the services provided by ecosystems, including food, freshwater, biodiversity, places for recreation and climate regulation. Dr. Elena Bennett’s talk focuses on how we can sustainably feed the growing global population without undermining ecosystems’ ability to provide other ecosystem services that we also want.

Global Swarming: How Invasive Species Are Changing the World

Cody Rei-Anderson — Thu, 18 Feb 2010 18:15:50 +0000

Driven by expanding human travel and trade, thousands of species of plants, animals and microbes are spreading into new regions faster and farther than at any other time in earth’s history, often wreaking havoc on the local ecosystem. In this lecture, Prof. Anthony Ricciardi gives an overview of what we know and don’t know about this phenomenon.