AP Environmental Science
Chapter 1
Environmental Problems, Causes, and Sustainability
Exponential vs. Linear
• Exponential growth is currently occurring with our population– doubles quickly, “sneaky”– 6.2 billion– another billion in 12 - 15 years (from 2000)
• Linear growth is obvious– straight line
Types of growth
J-curve, exponential growth
Linear growth
Slide 2
Fig. 1.2, p. 4
0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70
10
750
1,000
1,250
$70,000
$1,024,000
Linear growth(saving $1,000
Per year)
Exponential growth($1,000 invested at 10%
Per year interest)
Th
ou
sa
nd
s o
f d
olla
rs
Years
Solar and Earth Capital
• Solar - energy 99%• Earth - resources, support systems
– climate control– air and water purification– recycling matter (iron, sulfur, nitrogen, etc.)– renewable energy– renewable matter resources– Pest and disease control– and more.
Sustainability
• Are we living sustainably?
• A sustainable society manages its economy and population size without exceeding all or part of the planet’s ability to absorb environmental insults, replenish its resources, and sustain human and other forms of life over a specific period (usually a human lifetime of 100 years)
Carrying Capacity
• The maximum size of a population an area can support and maintain over a period of time
• Carrying capacity of the Earth for people is around 12 billion. What may affect that number?
Fig. 1.1, p. 2
16
15
14
13
12
11 Billio
ns o
f peo
ple
?
?
?
10
9
8
7
6
5
4
3
2
1
02-5 million
years8000 6000 4000 2000 2000 2100
Hunting and gathering
Black Death–the Plague
Time
Industrialrevolution
Agricultural revolution
B.C. A.D.
World Population reached
1 billion in 1804
2 billion in 1927 (123 years later)
3 billion in 1960 (33 years later)
4 billion in 1974 (14 years later)
5 billion in 1987 (13 years later)
6 billion in 1999 (12 years later)
World Population May Reach
7 billion in 2013 (14 years later)
8 billion in 2028 (15 years later)
9 billion in 2054 (26 years later)Fig. 1.3, p. 5
Doubling Time
• Rule of 70
• divide 70 by the percent growth rate and you will find how long it takes the population to double.
• 70/1.43(current growth rate approx.) = 49 years (we started counting in 2000)
Populations and Economy
• Developed - highly industrialized– 20% population, 85% wealth, 88% resources,
75% pollution and waste, high GNP per capita
• Developing - low to moderate industrialization – 80% population, 15% wealth, 12% resources,
15% pollution and waste, low GNP per capita
Resources
• Renewable - can be replenished in a lifetime (wind)
• Potentially renewable - can be renewable if we change our current habits (soil)
• Nonrenewable - only a fixed amount on Earth (minerals)
Fig. 1.11, p. 11
Resources
Perpetual Nonrenewable
Renewable
Freshair
Freshwater
Fertilesoil
Plants andanimals
(biodiversity)
Directsolar
energy
Winds, tides,
flowing water
Fossilfuels
Metallic minerals
Non- metallic
minerals
(iron, copper,
aluminum)
(clay, sand,
phosphates)
United States
The Netherlands
India
CountryPer Captia Ecological Footprint(Hectares of land per person)
10.9
5.9
1.0
Fig. 1.10a, p. 11
Country
Total Ecological Footprint(Hectares)
United States
The Netherlands
India
3 billion hectares
94 million hectares
1 billion hectares
Fig. 1.10b, p. 11
Major Environmental Degradation to Potentially Renewable Resources
• Urbanization• Salinization of soil• Wetland destruction• Groundwater depletion• Livestock overgrazing• Poor soil management• Deforestation• Pollution• Reduction of biodiversity
Time
Pro
du
ctio
n r
ate
of
reso
urc
e
Area under curveequals the totalamount of the
resource. Economic depletion(80% used up)
Fig. 1.12, p. 13
Pollutants
• Point source vs. nonpoint source
• concentration - ppm, ppb, ppt
• persistence - degradable, slowly degradable (DDT) or nondegradable
$ Always less expensive to prevent, instead of trying to clean up.
Causes of Environmental Problems
• Rapid population growth
• wasteful use of resources
• degradation of earth’s life support systems
• poverty
• failure to encourage environmentally and economically sustainable growth
• lack of full cost pricing
• human urge to “conquer” mother nature
Air Pollution
• Global climate change• Stratospheric ozone
depletion• Urban air pollution• Acid deposition• Outdoor pollutants• Indoor pollutants• Noise
Biodiversity Depletion
• Habitat destruction• Habitat degradation• Extinction
Water Pollution
• Sediment• Nutrient overload• Toxic chemicals• Infectious agents• Oxygen depletion• Pesticides• Oil spills• Excess heat
Waste Production
• Solid waste• Hazardous waste
Food Supply Problems
• Overgrazing• Farmland loss
and degradation• Wetlands loss
and degradation• Overfishing• Coastal pollution• Soil erosion• Soil salinization• Soil waterlogging• Water shortages• Groundwater depletion• Loss of biodiversity• Poor nutrition
MajorEnvironmental
Problems
Fig. 1.13, p. 14
Major Environmental Problems
• Air Pollution
• Water Pollution
• Biodiversity Depletion
• Food Supply Problems
• Waste Production
• Rapid population growth
• Unsustainable resource use
• Poverty
• Not including the environmental costs of economic goods and services in their market prices
• Trying to manage and simplify nature with too little knowledge about how it works
Fig. 1.14, p. 15
Developing Countries
Population (P)Consumptionper person
(affluence, A)
Technological impact perunit of consumption (T)
Environmentalimpact of population (I)
Developed Countries
X
XX
XX
X =
=
=
Fig. 1.15, p. 15
What needs to happen to be sustainable
• Switch to pollution prevention, not cleanup
• switch to waste prevention and recycling
• protecting habitats instead of species
• environmental restoration of degraded areas
• lower resource use (less wasteful)
• ZPG - stabilized population
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