Introductions
BIOL1040 Environmental Science
BIOL1040 Environmental Science
http://people.nnu.edu/jocossel/BIOL1040/BIOL1040_index_2012.htm
Environmental Problems, Their Causes, and
Sustainability
Chapter 1
WHAT IS ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE?
Environmental science is a study of connections in nature
• Environment…
• Science…
• Ecology…
• Environmentalism…
WHAT ARE THREE PRINCIPLES OF SUSTAINABILITY?
Three principles of sustainability
Sustainability has certain key components
• Life depends on ________________, ________________and ______________.
• Many human activities can degrade natural capital.
• Solutions are being found and implemented.
• Sustainability begins at personal and local levels.
Key natural resources and services
Fig. 1-3, p. 9
Natural CapitalSolar
energy
Air
Air purification
Climate control
UV protection (ozone layer)
Life (biodiversity)
Water Population control
Pest control
Waste treatment
Nonrenewable minerals
(iron, sand)
Soil Land
Soil renewal Food production
Natural gas Nutrient recycling
Nonrenewable energy
(fossil fuels)
Coal seam
Natural resources
Natural services
Oil
Natural Capital = Natural Resources + Natural Services
Renewable energy (sun, wind, water
flows)
Water purification
Nutrient cycling
Fig. 1-4, p. 10
Organic matter in animals
Dead organic matter
Organicmatter
in plantsDecomposition
Inorganic matter in soil
Some resources are renewable and some are not
• Humans depend on resources to meet our needs.• A perpetual resource is …
• A renewable resource is …
• Sustainable yield is …
Some resources are renewable and some are not
• Some resources are not renewable.– Nonrenewable resources exist in fixed
quantities.– – –
• Sustainable solutions: 3Rs
Rich and poor countries have different environmental impacts
• Developed countries include the high income ones– e.g.
• Developing countries include the low income ones– e.g.
HOW ARE OUR ECOLOGICAL FOOTPRINTS AFFECTING THE
EARTH?
We are living unsustainably
• Environmental, or natural capital, degradation is occurring.
• We have solutions to these problems that can be implemented.
Degradation of normally renewable natural resources
Fig. 1-5, p. 11
Natural Capital Degradation
Degradation of Normally Renewable Natural Resources
Climate change
Shrinkingforests
Air pollutionDecreased wildlifehabitats
Species extinction
Soil erosion
Water pollution
Declining ocean fisheriesAquifer
depletion
Pollution comes from a number of sources
• Point sources are …
• Nonpoint sources are …
• We can ____________ or ____________.
• Which is “better”? Why?
The tragedy of the commons: overexploiting shared renewable resources
• In 1968, the biologist Garrett Hardin called the degradation of openly shared resources the tragedy of the commons.
• Reducing degradation.– Reduce use by government regulations.– Shift to private ownership.
Ecological footprints: our environmental impacts
• Ecological footprint is …
• Per capita ecological footprint is …
Ecological footprints: our environmental impacts
• Ecological deficit means the ecological footprint is ________ than the biological capacity to replenish resources and absorb wastes and pollution.
• Humanity is living ________________.
• Footprints can also be expressed as …
Fig. 1-8, p. 14
Total Ecological Footprint (million hectares) and Share of Global Biological Capacity (%)
Per Capita Ecological Footprint (hectares per person)
United States 2,810 (25%) United States 9.7
European Union 2,160 (19%) European Union 4.7
China 2,050 (18%) China 1.6
India 780 (7%) India 0.8
Japan 540 (5%) Japan 4.8
2.5Unsustainable living
2.0
1.5Projected footprint
1.0
Nu
mb
er o
f E
arth
s
0.5
Ecological footprint Sustainable living
1961 1970 1980 1990 2000 2010 2020 2030 2040 2050
Year
0
I = P x A x T
WHY DO WE HAVE ENVIRONMENTAL PROBLEMS?
Fig. 1-10, p. 16
Causes of Environmental Problems
Population growth
Unsustainable resource use
Poverty Excluding environmental costs from market prices
The human population is growing exponentially at a rapid rate
• Human population is increasing at a fixed percentage so that we are experiencing doubling of larger and larger populations.
• Human population in 2009 was about ____ billion.
• Based on the current increase rate there will be ____ billion people by 2050.
• We can slow population growth.
?
Industrial revolution
Black Death—the Plague
2–5 million years
4000
B. C. A. D.
8000 6000 2000 2000 2100
Hunting and gathering
Agricultural revolution Industrial revolution
Time
Billio
ns o
f peo
ple
0
13
1211
10
9
8
7
6
5
4
3
2
1
Fig. 1-11, p. 16
Affluence has harmful and beneficial environmental effects
• Wealth results in high levels of …
• Average American consumes _____ times as much as the average consumer in India.
• “Shop-until-you-drop” affluent consumers are afflicted with a disorder called ___________.
• Affluence has provided what positives?
Poverty has harmful environmental and health effects
• How do you know if you are “poor”?
• One in every five people live in extreme poverty (<$ ), and more are susceptible.
Poverty has harmful environmental and health effects
• Poverty causes harmful environmental and health effects.–
– –
– –
Fig. 1-13, p. 18
Lack of access to
Number of people (% of world's population)
Adequate sanitation facilities
2.6 billion (37%)
Enough fuel for heating and cooking 2 billion (29%)
Electricity 2 billion (29%)
Clean drinking water
1.1 billion (16%)Adequate health care
1 billion (14%)Adequate housing
Enough food for good health
900 million (13%)
1 billion (14%)
Malnutrition
Prices of goods and services due not include harmful environmental and health costs
• •
• ________________ may increase environmental degradation.
• There are ways to include harmful costs of goods and services.– –
People have different views about environmental problems and their solutions
• Each individual has their own environmental worldview—
• Environmental ethics are …
• ______________________________ holds that we are separate from and in charge of nature.
People have different views about environmental problems and their solutions
• _____________________ holds that we can and should manage the earth for our benefit, but that we have an ethical responsibility to be caring and responsible managers.
• ______________________ holds that we are part of, and dependent on, nature and that nature exists for all species, not just for us.
WHAT IS AN ENVIRONMENTALLY SUSTAINABLE SOCIETY?
What is an environmentally sustainable society?
• Environmentally sustainable societies protect natural capital and live off its income.– –
• We can work together to solve environmental problems.–
–
Three Big Ideas
1.
2.
3.
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