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WHAT IS ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE?

WHAT IS ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE?. IS IT?. A stream flowing through a wilderness area? A rainforest canopy alive with blooming flowers? OR Your backyard?. ANSWER: ALL OF THE ABOVE. It is more than you see—it is a complex web of relationships that connects us with the world we live in

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WHAT IS ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE?

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  1. WHAT IS ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE?

  2. IS IT? • A stream flowing through a wilderness area? • A rainforest canopy alive with blooming flowers? OR • Your backyard?

  3. ANSWER: ALL OF THE ABOVE • It is more than you see—it is a complex web of relationships that connects us with the world we live in • It is the natural world + things produced by humans

  4. ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE: Study of how humans interact with the environment GOAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE: Understand & solve environmental problems ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE

  5. HOW IS THIS DONE? • Env. Scientists study 2 main types of interactions btwn humans & environment • How we use natural resources (water, plants, etc) • How our actions alter our environment

  6. Environmental Science is an interdisciplinary science (involves many fields of study) • Env Scientist investigates how the nesting behavior of bees is influenced by human activities such as the planting of suburban landscaping.

  7. Ecology: study of how living things interact with each other and with their nonliving environment • Ecologist studies the relationship btwn bees & the plants bees pollinate

  8. WHAT IS MEANT BY: SCIENTISTS AS CITIZENS, CITIZENS AS SCIENTISTS? ???

  9. ENVIRONMENT THROUGH HISTORY • A. HUNTER-GATHERERS • B. THE AGRICULTURAL REVOLUTION • C. THE INDUSTRIAL REVOLUTION

  10. HUNTER GATHERS • People who obtained food by collecting plants & by hunting wild animals or scavenging their remains • Small groups of people that migrated from place to place as different types of food became available • Affect Environment— • Spread plants to areas where plants did not originally grow • In N. Am. a combination of rapid climate change & over huntingmay have lead to disappearance of some larger mammal species ( giant sloth, giant bison, mastodon)

  11. AGRICULTURAL REVOLUTION • Eventually hunter-gather groups began to collect seeds of plants & domesticated some of the animals • This allowed human populations to grow @ unprecedentated rate • An area of land can support up to 500x as many people by farming as it can by hunting-gathering • As pop. grew conc. in smaller areaspressure on local env. • Changed food we eat (domesticated vs. wild species) • Farmland destroyed habitat • Slash-and-burn agriculture • Replacing forest with farmland on large scale soil loss, floods, water shortage

  12. INDUSTRIAL REVOLUTION • Mid 1700’s • Involved shift from energy sources (animal muscle to fossil fuels, oil, coal) • Changed society greatly: ↑ efficiency of agriculture, industry, & transportation • Introduced many + changes • Light bulb, ↑ sanitation & medical care • Also came new env. problems • Artificial substances (plastics, artificial pesticides & fertilizer) in place of raw animal & plant

  13. Most modern env. problems began during Industrial Revolution • This photograph was taken in 1968 by the crew of Apollo 8. • Photographs such as this helped people realize the uniqueness of the planet we share.

  14. E A R T H • Earth is essentially a closed system • Closed System: the only thing that enters Earth’s atmosphere in LARGE amts is ENERGYfrom the SUN & the only thing that leaves in LARGE amts. is HEAT

  15. PROBLEMS WITH A CLOSED SYSTEM • 1. Some resources are limited As pop grows ↓ Resources will be used more rapidly ↓ • 2. Chance that we will produce more waste more quickly than we can dispose of

  16. Most Environmental Issues Can Be Grouped Into 3 Categories • 1. RESOURCE DEPLETION • 2. POLLUTION • 3. LOSS OF BIODIVERSITY

  17. 1. RESOURCE DEPLETION • Natural Resource: any natural material used by humans • Renewable: • Non-renewable:

  18. Renewable & Nonrenewable Resources

  19. Renewable & Nonrenewable Resources

  20. 1. RESOURCE DEPLETION • Natural Resource: any natural material used by humans • Renewable: can be replaced relatively quickly by natural processes (fresh water, air, soil, trees, crops) • Non-renewable: sources that form at much slower rate than the rate consumed (minerals, fossil fuels) • Once used up- will take millions of yrs to replenish • Depletion: a large fraction of resources that have been used up Deforestation: trees harvested faster than they grow

  21. 2. POLLUTION • Pollution: an undesired change in air, water, or soil that adversely affects the health, survival, or activities of humans or other organisms • 2 TYPES of POLLUTANTS • 1. Biodegradable Pollutants: pollutants that can be broken down by natural processes. • Ex: human sewage, newspapers • Only a problem if they accumulate faster than they can be broken down • 2. Nondegradable Pollutants: pollutants that CAN’T be broken down by natural processes • Ex: Mercury, lead, some types of plastic • B/c don’t break down easily can build up to dangerous levels in env.

  22. 3. LOSS OF BIODIVERSITY • Biodiversity: number & variety of species that live in an area. • Extinction is a natural process • Only limited info about how modern extinction rates compare with those of other periods in Earth’s history • All species have economic, scientific, aesthetic, recreational value…so it is important to preserve them

  23. THE ENVIRONMENT & SOCIETY • How does a society use/share a common resource? • A neighborhood park? • Open ocean?--- not owned by any nation YET • People from many countries use the ocean for fishing & transportation

  24. “TRAGEDY OF THE COMMONS” • 1968- ecologist Garrett Hardin published essay “Tragedy of the Commons” Described the attitude with which people use resources & became the theoretical backbone of the environmental movement A common theme is the idea of bioethics

  25. “TRAGEDY OF THE COMMONS” • Hardin argued: Main difficulty in solving environmental problems is the conflict between short-terminterests of individuals AND long termwelfare of a society

  26. “TRAGEDY OF THE COMMONS” • To illustrate his point he used example of the commons • Commons: area of land that belonged to the whole village

  27. “TRAGEDY OF THE COMMONS” • It was in best short-term interest of an individual to put as many animals as possible “If I don’t use this resource, someone else will” HOWEVER If too many animals grazed on the commons animals destroy grass now everyone suffered EVENTUALLY • Commons were replaced by closed fields owned by individual who were careful to prevent overgrazing

  28. POINT OF HARDIN’S ESSAY? • Someone or some group has to take responsibility for maintaining a resource • If no one takes that responsibility the resource can be overused & become depleted

  29. WHAT HARDIN DID NOT CONSIDER • Social nature of humans- we live in groups & depend on one another • We can solve environmental problems by planning, organizing, considering scientific evidence, proposing a solution • The solution may override interests of indivual in short term BUT improves environment for everyone in long term

  30. Earth’s Natural Resources are our modern “COMMONS”

  31. ECONOMICS & THE ENVIRONMENT • In addition to social pressures—economic forces influence how we use resources A. Supply & Demand B. Cost & Benefits C. Risk Assessment

  32. SUPPLY & DEMAND • When the demand for a product increases while the supply remains fixed, the cost of the product will increase. • Ex.: if the supply of oil decreases: 1. Pay higher price 2. Use less oil 3. find new sources of energy

  33. COST & BENEFITS • Cost of environmental solutions can be high • Cost-benefit analysis: balances the cost of action against the benefits one expects from it. • To INDUSTRY: the cost of pollution control may outweigh the benefits BUT • To a nearby COMMUNITY: benefits may be worth the higher price

  34. RISK ASSESSMENT • Tool that helps us to create cost-effective ways to protect our health & environment • One of the costs of any action is the risk of an undesirable outcome

  35. DEVELOPED vs. DEVLOPING COUNTRIES

  36. DEVELOPED vs. DEVLOPING COUNTRIES • Environmental problems in developed countries tend to be related to consumption • In developing nations, the major environmental problems are related to population growth

  37. WHAT DO YOU THINK THE ENVIRONMENTAL PROBLEMS OF EACH COMSUMPTION PATTERN ARE?

  38. Consumption Trends • Ecological Footprint: shows the productive area of Earth needed to support one person in a particular country • For a person in a developed country –the ecological footprint is an avg. 4x as large as a person in a developing country • Developed nations use ~ 75% of the world’s population, even though they make up only ~ 20% of the world’s population.

  39. Critical Thinking • Environmental Problems are complex • Balance between rights of individuals/property owners and society as a whole • Be careful when reading about issues for “BIAS”

  40. Bias in Environmental Issues • Passion for cause may lead to distortion of facts • Political clout may oversimplify environmental impact • Media sensationalizes issues • Learn to think critically, consider the source, listen to many viewpoints

  41. SUSTAINABILITY

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