1

Unit 1: Unit 1: APESAPES

J.R. Arnold High SchoolLiving in the Environment by Miller, 14th Edition

2

Chapter 1Chapter 1

Environmental Problems, Their Causes, and Sustainability

3

IntroductionIntroduction Environment

External conditions that affect living organisms

Ecology Study of relationships between

living organisms and their environment

Environmental Science Interdisciplinary study that

examines the role of humans on the Earth

Environmentalism A social movement dedicated to

protect the earth’s life support systems for us and other species.

4

Environmental scienceEnvironmental science

… is an interdisciplinary field, drawing on many diverse disciplines.

5

Environmental scienceEnvironmental science

… is NOT the same as environmentalism.

It is science, NOT advocacy.

6

The nature of scienceThe nature of science A systematic process for learning about the world and

testing our understanding of it

A dynamic process of observation, testing, and discovery

And the accumulated body of knowledge that results from this process

7

Applications of scienceApplications of science

Policy decisions and management practices are applications of science.

Prescribed burning, used to restore forest ecosystems altered by human suppression of fire.

8

Applications of scienceApplications of science

Technology is another application of science.

Energy-efficient methanol-powered fuel cell car from DaimlerChrysler

9

Solar Capital and Natural CapitalSolar Capital and Natural Capital Solar Capital

Energy from the sun Provides 99% of the energy used

on earth Natural Capital

Natural Resources and Economic Services

10

11

SustainabilitySustainability The ability of a

specified system to survive and function over time

$1,000,000 10% interest Live on up to

$100,000 per year

12

Sustainable Resource HarvestSustainable Resource Harvest Certain quantity of

that resource can be harvested each year and not be depleted over a specified period

Sustainable supply of fish or timber

13

Easter IslandEaster Island

•A unsustainable societyA unsustainable society

•Used up the trees resourcesUsed up the trees resources

•A lesson to us to use theA lesson to us to use the

worlds resources sustainablyworlds resources sustainably

14

Sustainable EarthSustainable Earth Earth’s supplies of

resources Processes that make

up earth capital are used and maintained over a specified period

15

Sustainable SocietySustainable Society Manages economy and

population size without exceeding all or part of the planet’s ability to Absorb environmental

insults Replenish resources Sustain human and other

forms of life over a specified period (100’s-1,000’s of years)

16

Linear GrowthLinear Growth Quantity increases by

a constant amount per unit of time

1,2,3,4,5, … 1,3,5,7,9, … When plotted on a

graph, growth of money yields a fairly straight line sloping upward

0

20

40

60

80

100

120

1960 1980 2000 2020

17

Exponential GrowthExponential Growth Starts off slowly, doubles

a few times, then grows to enormous numbers

Quantity increases by a fixed percentage of the whole in a given time as each increase is applied to the base for further growth

18

Exponential GrowthExponential Growth Growth yields a

J-shaped curve Describes the

human population problem that disturbs the environment today

0

500

1000

1500

2000

2500

3000

1970 1980 1990 2000 2010 2020

Population Growth

19

Rule of 70Rule of 70 How long does it take to double?

Resource use Population size Money in a savings account

Rule of 70 70 divided by the percentage growth rate =

doubling time in years 70 / 7% means it takes ten years to double

Homework: YouTube- rule of 70- Albert Bartlett Homework: YouTube- rule of 70- Albert Bartlett ““Most important video you will ever see” 9 min.Most important video you will ever see” 9 min.

20

0

500

1000

1500

2000

2500

3000

Population Growth

PopulationGrowth

100 197 387 761 1497 2753

1970 1980 1990 2000 2010 2020

21

22

Global human population growthGlobal human population growth Our population has

skyrocketed to over 6 billion.

The agricultural and industrial revolutions drove population growth.

The industrial revolution entailed a shift to an urban society powered by fossil fuels.

The world’s population is growing exponentially at a rate of about 1.25% a year

23

Thomas Malthus Thomas Malthus (1766-1834)(1766-1834)• Population growth will

lead to starvation, war, disease.

• Death rates check population unless birth rates are lowered.

• Today, Paul Ehrlich (The Population Bomb, 1968) is called “neo-Malthusian.”

24

25

Developed Countries Developed Countries (1.2 billion people)(1.2 billion people)

They include the US, Canada, Japan, the former Soviet Union, and European countries.

They have high average GNPs per person. They are highly industrialized. They make up about 19% of the world's

population. They use about 88% of the world's

resources. higher average life expectancy

26

Developing CountriesDeveloping Countries (5.2 billion people) (5.2 billion people)

They are primarily in Africa, Asia, and Latin America

They tend to be highly agricultural They makeup about 81% of the worlds

population They use about 12% of the world's

resources. higher percentage of the population under

age 15

27

Wealth GapWealth Gap The gap between the

per capita GNP of the rich, middle-income and poor has widened

More than 1 billion people survive on less than one dollar per day

Situation has worsened since 1980

28

Natural resourcesNatural resources

Renewable resources like sunlight cannot be depleted. Nonrenewable resources like oil CAN be depleted.

Resources like timber and clean water are renewable

only if we do not overuse them.

29

30

Nonrenewable ResourcesNonrenewable Resources Nonrenewable/Exhaustible Resources

Exist in a fixed quantity in the earth’s crust and can be used up

Mineral Any hard, usually crystalline material that is formed

naturally

Reserves Known deposits from which a usable mineral

can be profitably extracted at current prices

31

BiodiversityBiodiversity Genetic Diversity

Variety in a genetic makeup among individuals within a single species

Species Diversity Variety among the species or distinct types of

living organisms found in different habitats of the planet

Ecological Diversity Variety of forests, deserts, grasslands, streams,

lakes, oceans, wetlands, and other communities

32

The tragedyThe tragedyof the commonsof the commons

Garrett Hardin, 1968:

In a “commons” open to all, unregulated use will deplete limited resources.

33

Environmental DegradationEnvironmental DegradationCommon Property Resources Tragedy of the Commons Resources owned by none, but

available to all users free of charge

May convert potentially renewable resources into nonrenewable resources

34

The “ecological footprint”The “ecological footprint”

The “ecological footprint” is the area of land and water needed to produce the resources a person or population uses, plus the amount needed to dispose of their waste.

35

Ecological Footprint Ecological Footprint

What is your ecological footprint? www.ecofoot.org/ How many Earth’s does it take to support

you lifestyle? Complete quiz and print results bring in

tomorrow.

37

PollutionPollution Any addition to air,

water, soil, or food that threatens the health, survival, or activities of humans or other living organisms

Solid, liquid, or gaseous by-products or wastes

38

Point Source PollutantsPoint Source Pollutants From a single,

identifiable sources Smokestack of a

power plant Drainpipe of a meat-

packing plant Exhaust pipe of an

automobile

39

Nonpoint Source PollutantsNonpoint Source Pollutants Dispersed and often difficult to identify sources

Runoff of fertilizers and pesticides Storm Drains (#1 source of oil spills in oceans)

40

Negativity of PollutantNegativity of Pollutant Chemical Nature

How active and harmful it is to living organisms

Concentration Amount per unit

volume or weight of air, water, soil or body weight

Persistence Time it stays in the air,

water, soil or body

41

Solutions: Solutions: Pollution PreventionPollution Prevention Input Pollution Control

or Throughput Solution Slows or eliminates the

production of pollutants, often by switching to less harmful chemicals or processes

42

SolutionSolution: : Four R’s of Resource Four R’s of Resource ManagementManagement

Refuse (don’t use) Reduce (limit use) Reuse

Using a resource over and over in the same form

Recycle Collecting and reprocessing a

resource into new products

43

Solution: Solution: Pollution cleanupPollution cleanup Output Pollution

Cleanup Involves cleaning

up pollutants after they have been produced

Most expensive and time consuming

44

Air PollutionAir Pollution Global climate

change Stratospheric ozone

depletion Urban air pollution Acid deposition Outdoor pollutants Indoor pollutants Noise

45

Water PollutionWater Pollution Sediment Nutrient overload Toxic chemicals Infectious agents Oxygen depletion Pesticides Oil spills Excess heat

46

Biodiversity DepletionBiodiversity Depletion Habitat destruction Habitat degradation Invasion of nonnative

species Extinction

Biodiversity loss is perhaps our biggest environmental problem, because we cannot correct our mistakes later: Once a species is extinct, it is gone forever.

47

ClimateClimate• Global climate change may be our most pressing

pollution challenge.

• It likely contributes to glacial melting, sea-level rise, impacts on wildlife and crops, and increased destructive weather.

• Since the industrial revolution, atmospheric carbon dioxide concentrations have risen by 31% to a level not seen in over 400,000 years.

48

Food Supply ProblemsFood Supply Problems Overgrazing Farmland loss and

degradation Wetlands loss and

degradation Overfishing Coastal pollution Soil erosion

49

Food Supply ProblemsFood Supply Problems Soil salinization Soil waterlogging Water shortages Groundwater

depletion Loss of biodiversity Poor nutrition

50

Waste ProductionWaste Production Solid Waste Hazardous waste

51

Environmental TragediesEnvironmental Tragedies Bhopal, India-1984 Union Carbide pesticide plant

exploded caused lots of problems largest industrial accident of all time, resulted in 20,000 deaths.

Love Canal, NY- 1978 chemicals buried in old canal and school & homes built over it causing birth defects & cancer

Chernobyl, Ukraine- 1986 Nuclear power plant explosion worst ever

Three mile Island, PA-1979 nuclear power plant melt down

Lake Erie- Declared dead in 1970

52

Major Causes to Environmental ProblemsMajor Causes to Environmental Problems Population growth Poverty Unsustainable resource use Poor environmental accounting Ecological ignorance

53

Environmental WorldviewsEnvironmental Worldviews How people think the

world works What they think their

role in the world should be

What they see as right and wrong environmental behavior (environmental ethics)

54

Planetary Management WorldviewPlanetary Management WorldviewIncreasingly common

during the past 50 years.We are the planet’s most

important speciesWe are in charge of the rest

of nature

55

Planetary Management WorldviewPlanetary Management WorldviewThere is always moreAll economic growth is

goodPotential for economic

growth is limitlessOur success depends on

how well we manage earth’s system for our benefit

                                                                                   

56

Earth-Wisdom WorldviewEarth-Wisdom Worldview Nature exists for all of the

earth’s species, not just for us

There is not always more Not all forms of economic

growth is beneficial to the environment

Our success depends on learning to cooperate with one another and with the earth

57

Working with the EarthWorking with the EarthEarth Wisdom

Learning as much as we can about how the earth sustains itself

Adapt to ever-changing environmental conditions

Integrating such lessons from nature into the ways we think and act

58

UtilitarianismUtilitarianism Is the belief that something is right if it produces

the greatest good for the greatest number of people for the longest time.

Is the management of a resource to make certain to produces the greatest benefit to humans in the future.

Is the concept that the land should be kept in its natural state-never touched or developed

ConservationConservation

PreservationPreservation

59

Environmentally-Sustainable Economic Environmentally-Sustainable Economic DevelopmentDevelopmentEnvironmentally-Sustainable Economic Environmentally-Sustainable Economic DevelopmentDevelopment

Fig. 1-13 p. 17Fig. 1-13 p. 17Decision making in asustainable society

Decision making in asustainable society

Social Economic

Environmental

SustainableSolutions

Traditionaldecision making

Traditionaldecision making

Environmental

Social Economic