OUR PLANETOUR PLANET

Section 1-1Section 1-1

What is What is Environmental Environmental

Science?Science?

How Do You Affect The World?

Environmental Science – Studies the impact of human activities on the environment; It includes…

• Biology – The study of living organisms

• Chemistry – Studies chemical interactions

• Physics – Studies matter and energy

• Earth Science – Studies our planet’s non-living systems

• Social Sciences – The study of human populations

The goal of environmental science is to improve society by understanding how we interact with

the environment.

What types of environmental problemshave you recently heard about?

Prehistoric Homo Sapiens

Our modern society had a very humble beginning…

Hunter-Gatherers – Early people collected plants and hunted animals for almost 200,000 years, driving somespecies to extinction

It was a difficult, nomadic lifesince people had to follow herdsand search for crops until thedevelopment of…

Agriculture – The ability to grow and breed plants which allowed for the creation of settlements & domestication of animals over 10,000 years ago; Since then we learned…

Poor farming practices will eventually ruin the land!

When Did Environmental Science Begin?

Agriculture sustained society until about 200 years ago, when people used fossil fuel energy instead of human and animal power. This began the…

Industrial Revolution – Usingfossil fuels and machinery to producegoods & services that improve ourquality of life (but at a cost)

All three stages in society’sdevelopment have created seriousenvironmental problems leading tothe need for environmental science.

What actions are being taken now to ensureour planet is healthy for future generations?

Current Threats to Our World

Resource Depletion – Non-renewable natural resources are being used up. Ex: metals, minerals, fossil fuels

Some renewable resourcess are being used up faster than they can replaced. Ex: fresh water

Pollution – Undesirable changesin our environment

Ex: Ozone, Sewage & Styrofoam

Loss of Biodiversity – The numberand variety of species across theglobe are decreasing

If life is so simple to maintain on Earth, then why was the two-year experiment in Biosphere 2 such

a failure!

How Long Can The Earth Last?

With over 6 billion people living on Earth…

Environmental scientists are working everydayto discover new ways to improve society

while ensuring the environment is protected!

Some people think of our planet as a spaceship, traveling through space with a limited amountof supplies and an increasing amountof waste.

Others think ofour planet as a

lifeboat that can only support a

limited number of people before its

overburdenedand sinks.

Close Your Notebooks… What have you learned in this unit?

1. Describe the five major fieldsthat make up environmental science.

2. What is the primary goal ofenvironmental scientists?

3. Describe the life of a personliving in a hunter-gatherer society.

4. What elements of society weremade possible by the developmentof agriculture?

5. What are some benefits anddrawbacks to the industrial revolution.

OUR PLANETOUR PLANET

Section 1-2Section 1-2

The EnvironmentThe Environmentand Societyand Society

How Do We Protect The Environment?

Because most of what is consider to be “the environment”

is not privately owned, we create…

Tragedy of the Commons – People will take advantage of public resources for short-term gain

Ex: In a public field, farmers lettheir sheep overgraze because“If I don’t use the resources,then someone else would”.

Once property became private,farmers used their land better.

What would happen to a set of I-Pods if the school

provided them for classes to share during gym?

Who Owns the Environment?

In our world, the distribution of resources is not equal, creating regions of the haves and haves-

nots.

Developed Countries – Those that have resources and industry to support social programs and personal wealthEx: United States, Japan, England & Australia

Developing Countries – Have less resources & low incomesEx: Most of South America, Africa & Eastern Asia

Countries build their wealth &economies based upon the…

Law of Supply and Demand –The greater the demand fora limited supply of something, the more it is worth

At What Cost?

The problem now is developed countries are using the

world’s resources to support an extravagant quality of life!

Its evident in…

• Sweatshops

• Imported oil

• E-waste in Asia

Ecological Footprint – Shows the area of Earth needed to support one person’s lifestyle in a particular country

The average person in the U.S. needs about twiceas much land & sea compared with a person from

Japan, Germany, France or the Netherlands.

The Answer Is…

Sustainability – The condition in which human needs are met so that the human population can survive indefinitely

We are a long way off from sustainability sowhat ideas do you have for…

• Conserving non-renewable resources, such as metals and oil

• Reducing pollution

• Improving the environment for all living things on Earth

Throughout this course you willlearn how you affect the worldand how your environment affects you!

Close Your Notebooks… What have you learned in this unit?

1. What does the “tragedy of the commons” explain?

2. List four characteristics for a developed country.

3. Where are most developing countries found in the world?

4. Explain why developed countries might be unable to maintain their current quality of life.

5. How does sustainability relate to a hotel built upon the moon?