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

 * Ecosystem services from geothermal power (ecosystem services from geothermal power)
 * Ecosystem services from solar energy (ecosystem services from solar energy)
 * Ecosystem services from tidal power (ecosystem services from tidal power)
 * Ecosystem services from wind power (ecosystem services from wind power)

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

 * Green Illusions: The Dirty Secrets of Clean Energy and the Future of Environmentalism (2012 book; http://www.greenillusions.org, archived at https://web.archive.org/web/*/http://www.greenillusions.org), by Ozzie Zehner (http://ozziezehner.com, archived at https://web.archive.org/web/*/http://ozziezehner.com)
 * Reference desk/Archives/Science/2011 December 5
 * Reference desk/Archives/Miscellaneous/2014 February 2
 * Reference desk/Archives/Miscellaneous/2014 November 9