Understanding our Environment

environment - can be defined as (1) the circumstances or conditions that surround an organism or group of organisms, or (2) the social and cultural conditions that affect an individual or community. - since humans inhabit the natural world as well as the built or technological, social, and cultural world, all constitute important parts of our environment Environmental science - the systematic study of our environment and our proper place in it. highly interdisciplinary, integrating natural sciences, social sciences, and humanities in a broad, holistic study of the world around us. mission-oriented. It seeks new, valid, contextual knowledge about the natural world and our impacts on it. The world's present conditions 1. We live on marvelous planet a. prolific and hospitable world - temperatures on earth are mild and relatively constant - plentiful supply of clean air, fresh water, and fertile soil b. rich diversity of life exists in this world 2. We face many serious environmental problems - 6.5 billion human population at present, 75 million more every year a. Clean Water - inadequate supply of safe drinking water - water pollution - lack of sanitation b. Food Supply - human population growth - degradation of agricultural lands - inequitable or unfair food distribution - millions of people are undernourished - food shortage due to natural disasters and conflicts c. Energy - diminishing supply of fossil fuels (oil, coal, and natural gas) - renewable energy resources (solar power, wind, geothermal, biomass) d. Climate Change greenhouse gases caused by burning fossil fuels, making cement, cultivating rice paddies, clearing forests, and other human activities that release carbon dioxide that trap heat in the atmosphere. e. Air Pollution 2 billion metric tons of air pollutants are emitted per year f. Biodiversity loss 3. There are also many signs of hope a. Health - Many cities in Europe and North America are cleaner and much more livable now than they were a century ago; decreased birth rate worldwide (from 6.1 to 2.7); reduced incidence of life-threatening infectious diseases b. Habitat Conservation deforestation has slowed down in Asia; increased nature preservation c. Renewable Energy d. Freedom of Information e. International Cooperation Extreme poverty it is an economic condition of people who live with an income of less than 1 US dollar per day. The World Bank estimates that more than 1.4 billion people almost one-fifth of the worlds population live in extreme poverty. These poorest of the poor often lack access to an adequate diet, decent housing, basic sanitation, clean water, education, medical care, and other essentials for a humane existence. Why should we be worried about China? A rapidly growing economy has brought increasing affluence to China that has improved standards of living for many Chinese people, but it also brings environmental and social problems associated with Western lifestyles. In 1985, there were essentially no private automobiles in China. Bicycles and public transportation were how nearly everyone got. Now, there are about 30 million automobiles in China, and by 2015, if current trends continue, there could be 150 million. Already, Chinese auto efficiency standards are higher than in the United States, but is there enough petroleum in the world to support all these vehicles? China is now the worlds largest source of CO2 (the United States is second) in the world. Both China and the United States depend on coal for about 75 percent of their electricity. Both have very large supplies of coal. There are many benefits of expanding Chinas electrical supply, but if they reach the same level of power consumptionwhich is now about one-tenth the amount per person as in the United Statesby burning coal, the effects on our global climate will be disastrous.

Sustainable development -- is the idea that we can improve peoples lives without reducing resources and opportunities for future generations. This goal may or may not be achievable, but it is an important ideal that can help us understand and identify appropriate and fair directions for improving peoples lives around the world. Ethics and faith-based perspectives often inspire people to work for resource conservation, because ethical frameworks and religions often promote ideas of fairness and or stewardship of the world we have received. One important ethical principle is the notion of moral extensionism. Stewardship, or taking care of our environment, has been a guiding principle for many faith-based groups. Often these groups have led the struggle for environmental justice for minority and low-income communities.

Matter, Energy, and Life

ecology the scientific study of relationships between organisms and their environment. Everything that takes up space and has mass is matter. Matter exists in three distinct statessolid, liquid, and gasdue to differences in the arrangement of its constitutive particles. Water, for example, can exist as ice (solid), as liquid water, or as water vapor (gas). Under ordinary circumstances, matter is neither created nor destroyed but rather is recycled over and over again. Matter consists of elements, which are substances that cannot be broken down into simpler forms by ordinary chemical reactions. Each of the 122 known elements (92 natural, plus 30 created under special conditions) has distinct chemical characteristics. Just four elementsoxygen, carbon, hydrogen, and nitrogenare responsible for more than 96 percent of the mass of most living organisms. All elements are composed of atoms, which are the smallest particles that exhibit the characteristics of the element. Atoms are composed of positively charged protons, negatively charged electrons, and electrically neutral neutrons. Protons and neutrons, which have approximately the same mass, are clustered in the nucleus in the center of the atom. Electrons, which are tiny in comparison to the other particles, orbit the nucleus at the speed of light. Atoms often join to form compounds, or substances composed of different kinds of atoms. A pair or group of atoms that can exist as a single unit is known as a molecule. Some elements commonly occur as molecules, such as molecular oxygen (O2) or molecular nitrogen (N2), and some compounds can exist as molecules, such as glucose (C 6H12O6). Atoms frequently gain or lose electrons, acquiring a negative or positive electrical charge. Charged atoms (or combinations of atoms) are called ions. Negatively charged ions (with one or more extra electrons) are anions. Positively charged ions are cations. Substances that readily give up hydrogen ions in water are known as acids. Hydrochloric acid, for example, dissociates in water to form H+ and Cl- ions. Acid rain (which has an abundance of H + ions) causes environmental damage because the H+ ions react readily with living tissues (such as your skin or tissues of fish larvae) and with nonliving substances (such as the limestone on buildings, which erodes under acid rain). Carbon is a particularly important element because chains and rings of carbon atoms form the skeletons of organic compounds, the material of which biomolecules, and therefore living organisms, are made. The four major categories of organic compounds in living things (bio-organic compounds) are lipids, carbohydrates, proteins, and nucleic acids or nucleotides. Lipids (including fats and oils) store energy for cells, and they provide the core of cell membranes and other structures. Carbohydrates (including sugars, starches, and cellulose) also store energy and provide structure to cells. Like lipids, carbohydrates have a basic structure of carbon atoms, but hydroxyl (OH) groups replace half the hydrogen atoms in their basic structure, and they usually consist of long chains of sugars. Glucoseis an example of a very simple sugar. Proteins are composed of chains of subunits called amino acids. Folded into complex three-dimensional shapes, proteins provide structure to cells and are used for countless cell functions. Most enzymes, such as those that release energy from lipids and carbohydrates, are proteins. Proteins also help identify disease-causing microbes, make muscles move, transport oxygen to cells, and regulate cell activity. Nucleotides are extremely important as signaling molecules (they carry information between cells, tissues, and organs) and as sources of intracellular energy. They also form long chains called ribonucleic acid (RNA) or deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) that are essential for storing and expressing genetic information. Cells are minute compartments within which the processes of life are carried out. A special class of proteins called enzymes, are molecular catalysts. They regulate chemical reactions without being used up or inactivated in the process.