CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION TO ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES

ENVIRONMENTAL PROBLEMS,THEIR CAUSES AND SUSTAINABILITY

CHAPTER OVERVIEW
I.
A.

What is Environmental Science

Definitions

II.
A. B.

Sustainability
Definition Environmentally Sustainable Societies

III.
A. B.

Population Growth
Economic Growth Economic Development

IV.
A. B. C.

Resources
Definition The Tragedy of the Commons Ecological Footprint

V.
A. B.

Environmental Problems:
Major Causes Major Connections

VI.
A. B. C.

Environmental Worldviews
Planetary Management Worldview Stewardship Worldview Environmental Wisdom Worldview

I.

What is Environmental Science? A. Definitions: Environment: ( from the French word environner): to encircle or to surround. Environment is all circumstances or the conditions that surround an organism or a group of organisms. Environment is the social, and cultural conditions that affect an individual or a community. The natural world where humans live in, as well as the built or technological, social, and cultural world; all constitute important parts of our environment.

I.
A.

What is Environmental Science? Definitions: (contd) Environmental Science: is a systematic study of our environment and our place in it. Environmental science is highly interdisciplinary. It integrates information from natural sciences such as biology, chemistry, agriculture, that study the natural world; as well as the social sciences such as economics, politics, ethics that study how humans and institutions interact with the natural world

II.

Sustainability: A. Definition Sustainability or durability is the ability of earths various systems, including human cultural systems and economies to survive and adapt to changing environmental conditions. Our existence, lifestyles, and economies depend completely on the sun and earth. This is our solar and natural capital Natural capital consists of all resources and ecological services that support life on earth. This priceless gift that nature provides at no cost to us sustains life on our planet.

NATURAL CAPITAL

NATURAL RESOURCES
NATURAL RESOURCES NATURAL RESOURCES

NATURAL SERVICES
NATURAL SERVICES NATURAL SERVICES

Air Water Soil Land NATURAL CAPITAL = Life (Biodiversity) Nonrenewable minerals (iron, sand) Renewable energy sun, wind, water flows Nonrenewable energy (fossil fuels, nuclear power) +

Air purification Water purification Water storage Soil renewal Nutrient recycling Food production Conservation of biodiversity Wildlife habitat Grassland and forest renewal Waste treatment Climate control Population control (species interactions Pest Control
Fig. 1-4, p. 9

II.

Sustainability: A. Definition (contd) The path to sustainability comprises five essential components: natural capital, natural capital degradation, solutions, trade-offs, and individuals matter. All components to sustainability must be supported by science.

II.

Sustainability: (contd) B. Environmentally Sustainable Societies: An environmentally sustainable society meets the current needs of its people for food, clean water, clean air, shelter, and other basic resources without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs Living sustainably means living off natural income replenished by soils, plants, air, and water; without depleting or degrading the earth natural capital that supplies this biological income

III.

Population growth The rate at which the world population is growing has slowed but the population is still increasing rapidly and is unequally distributed between rich and poor people. The world population is still increasing at an exponential rate of 1.23% (2006), that is an increase of about 81million people a year. This increase has dangerous impact and may reduce the time we have to find solutions to environmental problems and challenges we face.

III. Population growth

Black Deaththe Plague

Time Hunting and Gathering Agricultural revolution Industrial Revolution

Fig. 1-1, p. 6

III.
A.

Population growth Economic Growth: Economic growth is an increase in the capacity of a country to provide people with goods and services. Measured in gross domestic product (GDP), the annual market value of all goods and services produced by all firms and organizations operating within the country Usually GDP is combined with purchasing power parity (PPP).

III.
B.

Population growth Economic Development: Economic development uses economic growth to improve living standards.
The United Nations (UN), classifies The worlds countries economic status as developed vs. developing, based on their degree of industrialization and their per capita GDP-PPP.

The developed countries (1.2 billion people), USA, Canada, Japan, Australia, New-Zealand and 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

III. Population growth

IV.
A.

Resources: Definition From a human standpoint, a resource is anything obtained from the environment to meet our needs and wants. Example: food, water, shelter

In our short human time scale, we classify the material resources as: Perpetual: On a human time scale are continuous. Ex: the sun Renewable: On a human time scale can be replenished 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 nonmetallic mineral resources,

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. The little bit I use or pollute is not enough to matter, and such resources are renewable.

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IV.

Resources: B. The Tragedy of the Commons: With only a few users, this logic works. However the cumulative effects of many people exploiting a free access resource will ultimately ruin it. Then no one will benefit from it; that is the tragedy of the commons. Possible solutions can be to regulate access to shared free resources like forests and fisheries; or to convert free-access resources into private ownership.

IV.
C.

Resources: The Ecological Footprint Called also as environmental impact, it is the amount of productive land and water needed to supply an area with resources and to absorb the wastes and pollution produced by such resource use. The per capita ecological footprint is the average ecological footprint of an individual in an area. Humanitys ecological footprint exceeds by about 39% the earths capacity to replenish its renewable resources and absorb the resulting waste products and pollution produced.

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C. The Ecological Footprint

IV.
C.

Resources: The Ecological Footprint (contd) When a countrys ecological footprint is larger than its ecological capacity, it is using and degrading its resources (forests, groundwater,) faster than the nature can replenish them. The country will be then depleting its natural capital and must either suffer the harmful environmental consequences, import food and other resources from a different country and export its pollutants and wastes to the atmosphere, oceans. USA, EU, China, India, and Japan collectively use about 74% of the earth ecological capacity and leave about 26% for the rest of the world.

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V.

Environmental Problems: Causes and Connections: A. Major causes:

Population Growth Wasteful resource use Poverty Poor environmental accounting Ecological ignorance

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Lack of access to Adequate sanitation facilities Enough fuel for heating and cooking Electricity Clean drinking water Adequate health care Adequate housing Enough food for good health

Number of people (% of world's population) 2.6 billion (38%)

2 billion (29%)

2 billion (29%)

1.1 billion (16%)

1.1 billion (16%)

1 billion (15%)

0.86 billion (13%)

Fig. 1-13, p. 18

V.
B.

Environmental Problems: Causes and Connections Major Connections The environmental impact of a population on a given area depends on three factors:
1. 2. 3. The number of people The average use of resources per person (affluence) The beneficial and harmful environmental effects of technologies used to provide and consumes each resource and control and prevent the resulting pollution and environmental degradation.

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VI. Environmental World Views

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.

Planetary

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VI. Environmental World Views Worldview: We can manage the earth to our benefit but we have an ETHICAL responsibility as stewards so as to encourage beneficial beneficial economic growth and discourage environmentally harmful economies.
Stewardship

VI. Environmental World Views

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.

Environmental

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