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Introduction to Environmental Science
In every deliberation, we must consider our impact on the next seven generations.
- The Iroqouis Confederacy
What's next??
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Banff National Park (1885)
Banff National Park was
Canada’s 1st national park
(4th in the world) located in
the Rocky Mountains in
Alberta.
Bogd Khan Uul
National Park,
Mongolia (1783)
Yellowstone
National Park,
USA (1872)
Royal National Park,
Australia (1879)
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Yosemite National Park
• Yosemite National Park is a national park
directly east of San Francisco that was
created in 1890.
Images taken from
http://www.nps.gov
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San Francisco
• The city of San Francisco experienced a
tremendous population boom in the 19th
century due to the gold rush.
• A powerful earthquake struck the city in
1906, followed by a devastating fire.
• The city’s water pipes were so damaged by
the earthquake, that firefighters were not
able to tap fire hydrants.
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Earthquake of 1906
• The economic and structural damage to the city is
comparable to that of Hurricane Katrina and New
Orleans.
• As part of the rebuilding process, the city applied to
the federal government to construct a reservoir in
the Hetch Hetchy valley of Yosemite National Park. 5
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Hetch Hetchy Valley
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• San Francisco city officials wanted to dam the Tolumne river
for a clean and dependable long-term water source for a
growing city.
• An act of Congress and President Woodrow Wilson’s
approval were needed for the dam and reservoir to be
constructed.
Image taken from
http://www.sierranevada
photos.com
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Environmental Science
• Environmental science is defined as the
interaction of humans with the environment.
• The environment includes all conditions that
surround living organisms:
Climate
Air and water quality
Soil and landforms
Presence of other living organisms
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Environmental Science Cont’d
• Environmental science and
the issues that it studies
are complex and
interdisciplinary.
Includes concepts and
ideas from multiple fields
of study.
What fields are covered
by the Hetch Hetchy
debate?
Image taken from Principles of
Environmental Science,
Cunningham, 2005.
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• Humans have
impacted the Earth
since the very
beginning of
civilization.
• In 2400 B.C., the
agricultural fields of
Sumeria had grain
production similar to
modern agriculture –
about 30 bushels per
acre.
The Sumerians relied
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Environmental History
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The Sumerians relied on
irrigation, (i.e. artificial
application of water from
another source).
Tigris and Euphrates
rivers.
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Environmental History
All water contains small amounts of minerals
called salt, and that salt built up in the
Mesopotamian soil over time.
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Yields declined to half, then a fourth within
a few hundred years.
By the 7th century A.D., slave labor had to
be used to strip the upper salt layer from
the soil so it could still be farmed.
By the 16th century, the Fertile Crescent of
Mesopotamia was a salty wasteland.
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• This is an example of two important concepts in environmental science:
The Law of Unintended Consequences, which states that the actions of people and governments always have unexpected effects (often undesirable)
“…the law of unintended consequences has come to be used as an adage or idiomatic warning that an intervention in a complex system tends to create unanticipated and often undesirable outcomes.[ Akin to Murphy’s Law it is commonly used as a wry or humorous warning against the hubristic belief that humans can fully control the world around them.”
Unsustainability, a condition (or practice) that cannot continue at its current rate.
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Environmental Ethics
• Environmental ethics is the discipline that
studies the moral relationship of human
beings to the environment.
What is the value of the environment?
What moral responsibility do we have?
Which needs should be given the highest
priority in our decision making?
• Different types of ethics have emerged in
human culture in modern history.
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Types of Environmental Ethics
• There are five main historical stages of
environmental ethics.
Anthropocentrism
Conservationism
Ecocentrism
Modern Environmentalism
Global Environmental Citizenship
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Anthropocentrism
• Anthropocentrism literally means “human-
centered”.
This set of ethics protects and promotes
human interests or well-being at the
expense of all other factors.
Often places an emphasis on short-term
benefits while disregarding long-term
consequences.
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Pragmatic Resource Conservation
• Advocated by President
Theodore Roosevelt.
• Conservationists believe the
environment should be used
in a planned way to benefit
everyone.
• The correct policy will create
the greatest good for the
greatest number, for the
longest time.
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ECOCENTRISM
• Advocated by John
Muir, first president of
the Sierra Club.
• Ecocentric individuals
believe that nature
deserves to exist for its
own sake regardless
of degree of
usefulness to humans.
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The Hetch Hetchy Debate
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• The Hetch Hetchy decision was the most
famous debate between the conservationist
and preservationist philosophies.
• Eventually the law was passed that granted
the state of California permission to
construct a dam and reservoir in the Hetch
Hetchy valley.
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Before and After
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Modern Environmentalism
• Rachel Carson wrote a book
entitled Silent Spring about the
effects of pesticides on birds.
Awakened the public to
threats of pollution and toxic
chemicals to humans as well
as other species.
What were they THINKing??!!
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Global Environmentalism
Issues and problems are explored on a global scale
instead of a local one.
“One World” thinking.
Focus on the common
plight of humankind.
Ideas of sustainability and restraint entered global
discussions.
• Increased travel and modern
communication enables people to
know about daily events in places
unknown in previous generations.)
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Basic History of Humans and the Environment
• Hunter-Gatherers (10,000 B.C.)
Obtain food by collecting plants and
hunting wild animals.
Effects on the environment were limited.
- Hunting of some animal species.
- Picked up and spread plants/seeds to
new areas.
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Basic History of Humans and the Environment
• Agricultural Revolution (6000-7000 B.C.)
Humans first developed the process of
growing, and harvesting plants for food as
well as animal domestication and breeding.
Effects on the environment:
- Human population grew more quickly
- Natural habitats (grasslands, forests)
replaced by farmland and villages.
- New breeds of animals and plants were
created.
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Basic History of Humans and the Environment
• Industrial Revolution (1800s)
Shift in the source of energy to fossil fuels
Effects on the environment:
- More efficient farming
- Faster human population growth
- Increased burning of fossil fuels.
- Introduced synthetic plastics, fertilizers,
pesticides.
- Higher amounts of pollution.
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Spaceship Earth
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• The Earth is a closed system.
The only thing that enters or leaves the Earth in
large quantities is heat.
Resources are limited, but the population
continues to increase.
Wastes do not go away.
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Major Environmental Problems
• Resource Depletion
Resources can be renewable (water) or
nonrenewable (oil).
The supply of nonrenewable resources like
fossil fuels and minerals will eventually run
out.
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• Inexhaustible resources cannot be used up.
Sunlight.
• Renewable resources can be replaced, but
the process may take a long time.
Timber, soil.
• Nonrenewable resources cannot be replaced,
as their formation took millions of years.
Coal, oil, natural gas.
• Recyclable resources can be used more than
once.
Iron, aluminum, copper.
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Categories of Resources
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Major Environmental Problems
• Loss of Biodiversity
The number and variety of species is
decreasing.
Extinction, or the complete loss of a
species, is a natural event that can be
accelerated by human actions.
The Tasmanian tiger is the only known mammal to become
extinct in the past 200 years on the island of Tasmania.
During the same period of time, on nearby Australia,
23 birds, 4 amphibians, and 27 mammal species have become
extinct.
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Major Environmental Problems
• Pollution
Undesired change in air, water, or soil that
affects the health of living things.
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Tragedy of the Commons
• An ecologist named Garrett Hardin wrote an
essay describing the source of environmental
problems as a conflict:
Short-term interests of individuals (few)
versus…
Long-term interests of civilization and the
Earth itself (many)
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Tragedy of the Commons
• Each villager owns a small
herd of sheep.
• The only place for the sheep
to graze is a commons in the
center of the village.
• A commons is an area that
belongs to an entire village.
Likely outcome: Villagers
obtain as many sheep as
possible, allow to graze in
the commons.
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• What if the commons was instead divided into
sections that was owned by each villager?
Because the land is owned, individuals are much
more likely to plan and use it for the long-term.
“In the history of the world, no one has ever washed a rental car.” Larry Summers, Chief Economic Advisor to President Obama
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Today’s “Commons”??
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Economics and the Environment
• Supply and Demand – The
greater the demand for a
limited resource, the higher the
price.
Examples:
- Increasing price of
oil/gasoline
- Consistently low price of
corn in U.S.
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Economics and the Environment
• Cost/Benefit Analysis – Is the cost of doing
something worth the outcome?
Ex: Pollution cleanup of Waukegan Harbor
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Waukegan harbor
Annual fish samplingDredging
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Economics and the Environment
• Risk Analysis – The probability that something will
cause injury or death.
Ex: Nuclear power
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Bhopal and Dow Chemical
• In December of 1984, a pesticide factory
located near the town of Bhopal, India leaked
a large amount of toxic chemicals into the air.
• The chemicals resulted in an immediate
death toll of about 3,000 people, with 8,000
more dying of long-term health ailments.
A total of 558,125 injuries were reported to
the Indian government.
No legal settlement was reached with
Union Carbide, now owned by Dow
Chemical.38
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Ethics and Economics
• To properly compensate and treat all
individuals affected by this disaster, Dow
Chemical would have to pay several billion
dollars in settlements.
• Dow Chemical has a yearly profit of over $2
billion, with total assets worth nearly $70
billion.
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The Demographic Divide:
Developed and Developing Nations
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Developed and Developing Countries
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• Environmental issues faced by different
countries varies depending on their
economic status.
• Developed – Higher incomes, longer life
span, lower growth rate.
Ex: Canada, US, Japan, France, U.K.
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Developing and Developed Countries
• Developing – Have lower
incomes, shorter life span,
rapid population growth.
Ex: India, Afghanistan,
most of sub-Saharan
Africa
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Population and Consumption
• Developing countries tend to have severe
overpopulation. This leads to:
Deforestation
Bare soil
Native animals driven to extinction
Malnutrition, starvation, disease
• About 80% of the world’s population falls in
this category
Only use 25% of the world’s resources
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Population and Consumption
• Developed countries, while smaller in size
and growth, consume resources at a greater
rate.
• About 20% of the world’s population uses
75% of its resources.
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Developing and Developed Countries
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Source: Holt Environmental Science, Arms, 2007
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Ecological Footprint
• An ecological footprint is one
measurement of a person’s
resource use.
Includes the amount of
space needed to support
each person in a nation,
including forests, farms,
cities, etc.
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If the developing countries industrialized
and matched the resource consumption
rate of the United States, an estimated
three Earths would be needed.
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Ecological Footprint
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• There are three perspectives in how we should deal with issues of pollution, resource overconsumption, and loss of biodiversity.
• The planetary management worldview takes the perspective that humans should manage the Earth’s resources to achieve the maximum benefit.
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Environmental Worldviews
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• The stewardship worldview also believes
that humans should manage the Earth, but
in a more ethical and sustainable way.
Also anthropocentric, but with more of
an emphasis on living in such a way that
human needs can be met indefinitely.
This is called sustainability.
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• The environmental wisdom worldview believes that we are totally dependent on nature and should preserve nature as much as possible to maintain our own species.
An ecocentricworldview that emphasizes sustainability for all species.
Indigenous vs. Western?
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• Each of these worldviews acknowledges that the Earth is a closed system, meaning matter does not enter or leave it in large amounts.
Resources are finite.
Wastes do not “go away”.
• These understandings form the basis for understanding and solving each of the issues within environmental science. 51
Earthrise, taken by astronaut Frank
Borman in 1968, during the Apollo 8
mission.
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The Goal: A Sustainable World
• Sustainability
Human needs are met so that the
population can survive
indefinitely.
“Meeting the needs of the
present without
compromising the ability of
future generations to meet
their own needs.”
- Brundtland Commission, 1987 52