env200 chap 1 introduction to environmental sciences

7/29/2019 Env200 Chap 1 Introduction to Environmental Sciences

1/161

CHAPTER 1

INTRODUCTION TOENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES

ENVIRONMENTALPROBLEMS,THEIR CAUSES AND

SUSTAINABILITY

CHAPTER OVERVIEW

I. What is Environmental ScienceA. Definitions

II. SustainabilityA. Definition

B. Environmentally Sustainable Societies

III. Population GrowthA. Economic Growth

B. Economic Development

IV. ResourcesA. Definition

B. The Tragedy of the Commons

C. Ecological Footprin t

V. Environmental Problems:A. Major Causes

B. Major Connections

VI. Environmental WorldviewsA. Planetary Management Worldview

B. Stewardship Worldview

C. Environmental Wisdom Worldview


2/162

I. What is Environmental Science?

A. Definitions:

Environment: ( from the French wordenvironner): to encircle or to surround.

Environmentis all circumstances or the conditionsthat surround an organism or a group oforganisms.

Environmentis the social, and culturalconditions that affect an individual or a community.

The natural world where humans live in, as well

as the built or technological, social, and culturalworld; all constitute important parts of ourenvironment.

I.What is Environmental Science?

A. Definitions: (contd)

Environmental Science: is a systematic study ofour environment and our place in it.

Environmental science is highly interdisciplinary.It integrates information from natural sciencessuch as biology, chemistry, agriculture, that studythe natural world; as well as the social sciencessuch as economics, politics, ethics that study how

humans and institutions interact with the naturalworld


3/163


4/164

II. Sustainability:

A. Definit ion Sustainability or durabilityis the ability of earths

various systems, including human cultural systemsand economies to survive and adapt to changingenvironmental conditions.

Our existence, lifestyles, and economies dependcompletely on the sun and earth. This is our solarand natural capital

Natural capitalconsists of all resources and

ecological services that support life on earth. Thispriceless gift that nature provides at no cost to ussustains life on our planet.


5/165

Fig. 1-4, p. 9

+=NATURAL RESOURCES NATURAL SERVICES

NATURAL CAPITAL NATURAL RESOURCES NATURAL SERVICES

Air Air puri ficat ionWater purification

Water storage

Soil renewal

Nutrient recycling

Food production

Conservation ofbiodiversity

Wildlife habitat

Grassland andforest renewal

Waste treatment

Climate controlPopulation control(species interactions

Pest Control

NATURAL CAPITAL = +

Water

Soil

Land

Nonrenewableminerals(iron, sand)

Life (Biodiversity)

Renewable energysun, wind, waterflows

Nonrenewableenergy (fossil fuels,nuclear power)

NATURAL RESOURCES NATURAL SERVICES

II. Sustainability:

A. Definit ion (contd) The path to sustainability comprises five essential

components: natural capital, natural capitaldegradation, solutions, trade-offs, andindividuals matter.

All components to sustainability must besupported by science.


6/166

II. Sustainability: (contd)

B. Environmentally Sustainable

Societies:

An environmentally sustainable society meets thecurrent needs of its people for food, clean water,clean air, shelter, and other basic resources withoutcompromising the ability of future generations tomeet their own needs

Living sustainably means living off natural incomereplenished by soils, plants, air, and water; without

depleting or degrading the earth natural capital thatsupplies this biological income

III. Population growth

The rate at which the world population is growinghas slowed but the population is still increasingrapidly and is unequally distributed between richand poor people.

The world population is still increasing at anexponential rate of 1.23% (2006), that is anincrease of about 81million people a year.

This increase has dangerous impact and mayreduce the time we have to find solutions toenvironmental problems and challenges we face.


7/167

Fig. 1-1, p. 6

Industrial

Revolution

?

Agr icul tural revo lutionHunting and

Gathering

Time

Black Deaththe Plague



A. Economic Growth:

Economic growth is an increase in the capacity ofa country to provide people with goods andservices.

Measured in gross domestic product (GDP), theannual market value of all goods and servicesproduced by all firms and organizations

operating within the country Usually GDP is combined with purchasing

power parity (PPP).


8/168


B. Economic Development:

Economic development uses economic growthto improve living standards. The United Nations (UN), classifies The worlds

countries economic status as developed vs.developing, based on their degree of industrializationand their per capita GDP-PPP.

The developed countries (1.2 billion people),USA, Canada, J apan, Australia, New-Zealandand most European countries

The developing countries (5.4 billion people),most of which are in Asia, Africa, and Latin

America. Some are middle income, moderately

developed, others are low income countries

Fig. 1-6, p. 11


9/169


IV. Resources:

A. Definition

From a human standpoint, a resource is anythingobtained from the environment to meet our needsand wants. Example: food, water, shelter

In our short human time scale, we classify the materialresources as:

Perpetual: On a human time scale arecontinuous. Ex: the sun

Renewable: On a human time scale can bereplenished rapidly (e.g. hours to several

decades). Ex: fresh water, air, forests,grasslands, Nonrenewable: On a human time scale are in

fixed supply. Ex: oil, natural gas, metallic and non-metallic mineral resources,


10/1610

IV. Resources:

B. The Tragedy of the Commons:It is the overuse of common property or free

access resources. Example: clean air, open

ocean and its fish, birds,

In 1968, biologist Garret Hardin called the

degradation of free-access resources the

tragedy of the commons.

It happens because each user thinks:

if I dont use this resource, someone else will. Thelittle bit I use or pollute is not enough to matter,and such resources are renewable.


11/1611

IV. Resources:

B. The Tragedy of the Commons:With only a few users, this logic works.

However the cumulative effects of many peopleexploiting a free access resource willultimately ruin it. Then no one will benefitfrom it; that is the tragedy of the commons.

Possible solutions can be to regulate access toshared free resources like forests andfisheries; or to convert free-access resourcesinto private ownership.

IV. Resources:

C. The Ecological Footprint

Called also as environmental impact, it is theamount of productive land and water needed tosupply an area with resources and to absorb thewastes and pollution produced by such resourceuse.

The per capita ecological footprint is the averageecological footprint of an individual in an area.

Humanitys ecological footprint exceeds by about39% the earths capacity to replenish itsrenewable resources and absorb the resultingwaste products and pollution produced.


12/1612

C. The Ecological Footprint

IV. Resources:

C. The Ecological Footprint(contd) When a countrys ecological footprint is larger

than its ecological capacity, it is using anddegrading its resources (forests, groundwater,)faster than the nature can replenish them.

The country will be then depleting its naturalcapital and must either suffer the harmfulenvironmental consequences, import food andother resources from a different country and

export its pollutants and wastes to theatmosphere, oceans.

USA, EU, China, India, and J apan collectivelyuse about 74% of the earth ecological capacityand leave about 26% for the rest of the world.


13/1613

V. Environmental Problems: Causes and

Connections:

A. Major causes:

Population Growth

Wasteful resource use

Poverty

Poor environmental accounting

Ecological ignorance


14/1614

Fig. 1-13, p. 18

2.6 billion (38%)

Number of people

(% of world's population)

Lack of

access to

Adequate

sanitation facilities

Enough fuel for

heating and cooking

Electricity

Clean drinki ng

water

Adequate

health care

Adequatehousing

Enough food

for good health 0.86 billion (13%)

1 bill ion (15%)

1.1 billion (16%)

1.1 billion (16%)

2 bill ion (29%)

2 bill ion (29%)

V. Environmental Problems: Causes and

Connections

B. Major Connections

The environmental impact of a population on agiven area depends on three factors:

1. The number of people

2. The average use of resources per person (affluence)

3. The beneficial and harmful environmental effects of

technologies used to provide and consumes eachresource and control and prevent the resultingpollution and environmental degradation.


15/1615

VI. Environmental World Views

Planetary Management Worldview

We are separate from nature.

Nature exists mainly to meet

Our needs.

We can use technology to

manage the earth life

support system o our

benefit.


16/16


Stewardship Worldview:

We can manage the earth to our benefit but wehave an ETHICAL responsibility as stewards soas to encourage beneficial

beneficial economic growth

and discourage environmentally

harmful economies.


Environmental Wisdom Worldview:

We are part of the environment.

We totally depend on nature.

Nature exist for all species

not only for us.

We encourage earth

Sustaining economic growth.

env200 chap 1 introduction to environmental sciences

Documents