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Environment

Environment . Everything living and nonliving. Humans are part of the environment…we are not separate from nature. . Environmental Science. The interdisciplinary study of how the natural world works, how our environment affects us, and how we affect our environment. .

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Environment

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  1. Environment Everything living and nonliving. Humans are part of the environment…we are not separate from nature.

  2. Environmental Science The interdisciplinary study of how the natural world works, how our environment affects us, and how we affect our environment.

  3. Renewable Natural Resource Anything that man can use that comes from the earth…that is replenished over relatively short periods of time. Examples: Sunlight and wind – constantly replenished Examples: Water, soil, trees…. can take months to decades to renew

  4. Nonrenewable Natural Resource Are in finite supply, and are formed much more slowly. Once they are depleted, they are no longer available. Examples: Fossil fuels: Oil, natural gas, coal and mineral ores

  5. “Renewability” Even “renewable” resources can be depleted if they are used up faster than they are replenished. Ex: Groundwater, Populations of animals and plants

  6. Human Population

  7. Human Population Growth Agricultural Revolution approx 10,000 years ago Industrial Revolution approx 300 years ago

  8. Agricultural Revolution • Switch from hunters & gathers to farmers • More Food • Death rate dropped • Life expectancy increased • Population increased…..to about 5-10 million

  9. Industrial Revolution • Advancements in technology lead to… • Improved Food production and distribution • Improved healthcare….antibiotics and vaccines • Improved sanitation • Death rates dropped • Life expectancy increased • Population growth increased

  10. Tragedy of the Commons Term coined by scientist Garrett Hardin 1968 A common resource “owned” by everyone (common pasture, air, oceans) and the potential “tragedy” that can result from unregulated harvesting and use for personal gain…ultimately causing the resources to be depleted. Can you think of any current global “tragedy of the commons” scenarios?

  11. Case of Easter Island

  12. Case of Easter Island • 1722 found barren landscape with population of less 2000 living in caves • Gigantic carved stone statues evidence of sophisticated former civilization • Research of sediment cores…pollen analysis, study of wood/charcoal….indicates a landscape once lushly forested • Overuse of the island’s finite resources….especially trees which provided fuelwood, building material for homes and canoes, fruit to eat, fiber for clothing, and logs to move the statues. • Lose of trees would have lead to decreased biodiversity (fewer bird species), less food, no building materials for canoes, soil erosion, fast runoff of water….less groundwater for drinking, smaller crop yields…leading to starvation and population decline. • What were the social effects of these events?

  13. Easter Island vs Earth? SIMILARITIES?

  14. Sustainability ….Is guiding principle of Environmental science…which means leaving our children and grandchildren a world as rich and full as the world we live in now. Sustainable Development… is use of resources in a manner that satisfies our current needs but does not compromise the future availability of resources. Solutions that foster economic advancement, while protecting the environment and promoting social equity… “triple bottom line”

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