Unit 1 - Chapter 1

1. Environmental ScienceA Study of Interrelationships Unit 1 - Chapter 1 Environmental Interrelationships David Rude

2. Environmental Interrelationships

3. 1.1 The Nature of Environmental Science • Environmental science is interdisciplinary, and includes scientific and social aspects of human impact on the world. • Mixture of traditional science, individual and societal values, and political awareness. • Environment: everything that affects an organism during its lifetime

4. 1.1 The Nature of Environmental Science • Science: an approach to studying the natural world that involves • Formulating hypotheses • Testing to see if the hypotheses are supported or refuted.

5. 1.1 The Nature of Environmental Science • Environmental Science – a mixture of • Traditional Science • Individual and societal values • Economic factors • Political awareness

6. Interrelatedness Is a Core Concept “Tug on anything at all and you’ll find it connected to everything else in the universe.” John Muir • Example 1 • Charles Darwin: seed production in red clover related to number of cats

7. Interrelatedness Is a Core Concept • Cats • Hunt and kill meadow mice. • Bumblebees • Build their nests in the ground • Meadow mice • Eat honeycomb & larvae of bumble bees

8. Interrelatedness Is a Core Concept • Bumblebees • Long tongues allow them to pollinate clover • Other bees find difficult • Cats eat mice • More bumblebees survive to pollinate the clover

9. Interrelatedness Is a Core Concept • Example 2 • 31 wolves introduced into Yellowstone in 1995. • In 1996 there were about 320 wolves. • Changes • Regeneration of willow and aspen • More beavers

10. Interrelatedness Is a Core Concept • Increases the recharge of groundwater • Willows cool water so more fish • More willows, more songbirds • Wolves kill coyotes (half) • More voles, mice and other rodents • Caused increase in foxes, hawks, and owls

11. Interrelatedness Is a Core Concept • Yellowstone wolves connected to social, economic, and political problems • Environmentalists and biologists wanted to restore the former habitat • Ranchers lose money when wolves kill livestock

12. Interrelatedness Is a Core Concept • The farm lobby fought to prevent the reintroduction • Fund was developed to pay for cattle killed by wolves

13. An Ecosystem Approach • Ecosystem • A region in which the organisms and the physical environment form an interacting unit. • Examples of easy to identify boundaries • Lakes • Islands • Floodplains

14. An Ecosystem Approach • Example of difficult to identify boundary • Transition from grassland to desert • Grassland gradually becomes desert

15. Political and Economic Issues • Most social and political decisions are made with respect to political jurisdictions • Political jurisdiction • An area that a particular government has authority over • Examples: county, city, state, or nation

16. Political and Economic Issues • Environmental problems do not necessarily coincide with artificial political boundaries • Air pollution in China affects air quality in • Western coastal U.S. • British Columbia, Canada. • Air pollution in Mexico affects air quality in Texas.

17. Emerging Global Issues • Issues related to environment and development that are now discussed • Trade • Economic development • Good governance • Transfer of technology • Science and education policy

18. Emerging Global Issues • Sustainable development • Development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs

19. Emerging Global Issues • Governments treat as single issues policies dealing with • Environmental • Economic • Social matters • Ignore ecosystem needs on which long-term development goals depend

20. 1.2 Emerging Global Issues • Example: • Difficult to protect salmon stock • Due to multiple jurisdictions

21. 1.2 Emerging Global Issues • 5 federal cabinet level departments • 2 federal agencies • 5 federal laws, numerous tribal treaties, commissions and court decisions • Many state-level departments, commissions and rulings • U.N and international treaties

22. Environmental Governance • Great Lakes • 8 U.S. states • 2 Canadian provinces • Hundreds of local county and city governments

23. 1.3 Human Well-Being and the Environment • The end point of development is human well-being. • Human well-being and the quality of the environment are strongly interrelated. • Environmental changes have impacts on human wellbeing.

24. Defining Human Well-Being • Three views of human well-being: • Resources people have, such as money and other assets. • Environment only seen as a means to promote economic growth • How people feel about their lives (subjective views) • What people are able to be and do • Environment provides proper nourishment, longevity, security, etc.

25. Defining Human Well-Being • Four services provided by Ecosystems: • Provisioning services: food, water • Regulating services: flood control, disease control • Cultural services: spiritual, recreational, and cultural benefits • Supporting services: nutrient cycling

26. Environment and Health • Six problems identified by World Health Organization due to environmental problems • Cancer • Malaria • Coronary Heart Disease • Diarrhea • Pollution • Emerging Diseases

27. Environment and Globalization • Globalization • Increasing connectivity and interdependence of the world's markets and businesses

28. Environment and Globalization • Link between the environment and globalization • Spread of exotic species • Environmental decisions often dependent on • Corporate management and outcomes • Rather than political or scientific factors

29. A Garden in Your Apartment Britta Riley wanted to grow her own food (in her tiny apartment). So she and her friends developed a system for growing plants in discarded plastic bottles -- researching, testing and tweaking the system using social media, trying many variations at once and quickly arriving at the optimal system.

30. Small Space Gardening • Check out ALL of the possibilities

31. Grow Your Own Urban Gardening Help The Vegetable Garden