environmental science chapter 1. what is environmental science? the study of the air, water, and...
TRANSCRIPT
What is Environmental Science?
• the study of the air, water, and land surrounding an organism or a community, which ranges from a small area to Earth’s entire biosphere.
• It includes the study of the impact of humans on the environment.
Goals of Environmental Science
• Understand and solve environmental problems.• To accomplish this goal, environmental scientists
study two main types of interactions between humans and their environment:1)How our actions alter our
environment.
1)The use of natural
resources.
Fields of Study Involved in ES
• Physics– Engineering
• Chemistry– Geochemistry– Biochemistry
• Social Sciences– Geography– Anthropology– Sociology
• Biology– Zoology– Botany– Ecology
• Earth science– Climatology– Geology– Paleontology– Hydrology
Environment Through Time
• Hunter-gatherers– Up to 10,000 years ago
• Agricultural (Neolithic) Revolution– 8,000 – 3,000 BC
• Industrial Revolution– 18th – 19th centuries
• Improving the quality of life
Population Growth
• Medicine and sanitation has allowed the population to grow
• Causes resource depletion, pollution, habitat destruction
“The Tragedy of the Commons”• the main difficulty in solving environmental problems is the
conflict between the short-term interests of the individual and the long-term welfare of society (Garrett Hardin)
• Animals grazing in commons areas– Eventually divided into sections
• Modern commons = Natural Resources
Environmental Economics
• Supply and Demand– Oil production
• Cost and Benefits– Cost of environmental solutions
• Risk Assessment– Possible negative outcome
Developed vs. Developing Countries
• Developed countries have higher incomes, slower population growth, diverse industrial economies, and stronger social support
• Developing countries have lower average incomes, simple agriculture-based communities, and rapid population growth
Population and Consumption
• Almost all environmental problems can be traced back to two root causes:• The human population in some areas is
growing too quickly for the local environment to support.
• People are using up, wasting, or polluting many natural resources faster than they can be renewed, replaced, or cleaned up.