Transcript CH01_SU04

PART I: HUMANS AND
SUSTAINABILITY
CHAPTER 1: ENVIRONMENTAL PROBLEMS,
THEIR CAUSES, AND SUSTAINABILITY
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THE WORLD IS IN AN EXPONENTIAL AGE
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Black Death–the Plague
2-5 million 8000
years
Hunting and
gathering
6000
4000
2000
Time
Agricultural revolution
1
2000
B.C.
0
2100
A.D.
Industrial
revolution
Billions of people
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THIS CENTURY POPULATION GROWTH WILL
OCCUR IN DEVELOPING COUNTRIES
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Population (billions)
10
World total
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Developing
countries
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3
Developed
countries
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2000
2050
1950
Year
2100
Solar Energy is perpetual
RESOURCES OR NATURAL CAPITAL
Water
Air
Energy
Soil
Minerals
SERVICES
Nutrient
Recycling
Population
Control
Climate
Control
Pollution
Control
Biodiversity
Waste
Treatment
Pest &
Disease
Control
Resources
Perpetual
Direct
solar
energy
RESOURCES ARE:
1. PERPETUAL;
2. RENEWABLE; OR,
3. NON-RENEWABLE
Nonrenewable
Winds,
tides,
flowing
water
Fossil
fuels
Metallic
minerals
Nonmetallic
minerals
(iron,
copper,
aluminum)
(clay,
sand,
phosphates)
Renewable
Fresh
air
Fresh
water
Fertile
soil
Plants and
animals
(biodiversity)
WAYS TO MEASURE (CURRENT $) ECONOMIC GROWTH,
DEVELOPMENT, POVERTY AND GLOBALIZATION
• GROSS NATIONAL INCOME (PRODUCT) (GNI) is the market
value in of all goods and services produced in and outside of a
country during a year (contrast with Gross Domestic Product).
• GROSS WORLD PRODUCT (GWP) is the market value of all
goods and services produced in the world during a year.
• GNI IN PURCHASING POWER PARITY (GNI PPP) is the
market value of a country's GNI in terms of goods and services
it would buy in U.S. This is a good way to compare living
standards among countries.
• GENUINE PROGRESS INDICATOR (GPI) evaluates economic
output by subtracting expenses that do not improve the
environment from the GDP and adding services that improve
the environment not currently in the GDP.
Per Capita Ecological Footprint
(Hectares of land per person)
Country
10.9
United States
5.9
The Netherlands
India
1.0
Country
Total Ecological Footprint
(Hectares)
3 billion
hectares
United States
The Netherlands
India
94 million hectares
1 billion
hectares
Resource production
NON-RENEWABLE RESOURCE USE AND DEPLETION
FOLLOWS A PREDICTABLE PATTERN
Area under curve
equals the total
amount of the
resource.
Economic depletion
(80% used up)
Time
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Air Pollution
Global climate change
Stratospheric ozone
depletion
Urban air pollution
Acid deposition
Outdoor pollutants
Indoor pollutants
Noise
Biodiversity Depletion
• Habitat destruction
• Habitat degradation
• Extinction
Major
Environmental
Problems
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Water Pollution
Sediment
Nutrient overload
Toxic chemicals
Infectious agents
Oxygen depletion
Pesticides
Oil spills
Excess heat
Waste Production
• Solid waste
• Hazardous waste
Food Supply Problems
• Overgrazing
• Farmland loss
and degradation
• Wetlands loss
and degradation
• Overfishing
• Coastal pollution
• Soil erosion
• Soil salinization
• Soil waterlogging
• Water shortages
• Groundwater depletion
• Loss of biodiversity
• Poor nutrition
• Rapid population growth
• Unsustainable resource use
• Poverty
• Not including the environmental
costs of economic goods and
services in their market prices
• Trying to manage and simplify
nature with too little knowledge
about how it works
FIVE BASIC
CAUSES OF
ENVIRONMENTAL
PROBLEMS
MILLER IGNORES
NO EDUCATION,
GENDER/RACE
DISCRIMINATION
AND WAR AS
CAUSES
ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE INVOLVES THE INTERACTION OF NATURAL
RESOURCES AND SERVICES WITH HUMAN SOCIETIES. THIS SEPARATES IT
FROM ECOLOGY
Earth’s Life-Support System
Human Culturesphere
Air
(atmosphere)
Water
(hydrosphere)
Population
Technology
Soil and rocks
(lithosphere)
Life
(biosphere)
Economics
Politics
1
Clearing
and burning
vegetation
2
Allowing
to revegetate
10 to 30 years
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Planting
Harvesting for
2 to 5 years
SLASH/BURN PRACTICES IN TROPICAL FORESTS INVOLVE A CONTEMPORARY
TYPE OF NOMADIC/AGRICULTURAL LIFE STYLE THAT FORMERLY WAS
HARMLESS, BUT TODAY IS ENVIRONMENTALLY DESTRUCTIVE
Agricultural Revolution
Good News
More Food
Supported a
larger
population
Longer life
expectancy
Higher standard
of living for many
people
Formation of
villages, towns,
and cities
Towns and cities
served as centers
for trade,
government,
and religion
Figure 1-14
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Bad News
Destruction of
wildlife habitats from
clearing forests and
grasslands
Killing of wild
animals feeding on
grass or crops
Fertile land turned
into desert by
livestock
overgrazing
Soil eroded into
streams and lakes
Towns and cities
concentrated
wasted and pollution
and increased
spread of diseases
Increase in armed
conflict and slavery
over ownership of
land and water
resources
THIS IS A HIGH ENERGY &
RESOURCE INDUSTRY
THAT IS PRODUCTIVE BUT
NOT SUSTAINABLE
Industrial Revolution
Good News
Mass production
useful and
affordable products
Figure 1-15
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Bad News
Increased air
pollution
Higher standard of
living For many
Increased water
pollution
Greatly increased
agricultural
production
Increased waste
production
Lower infant
mortality
Longer life
expectancy
Increased
Urbanization
Lower rate of
population growth
Soil depletion and
degradation
Groundwater
depletion
Habitat destruction
and degradation
Biodiversity
depletion
STARTED 200 YEARS
AGO SUPPORTS THE
AGRICULTURAL GREEN
REVOLUTION
Information Revolution
Good News
Computergenerated models
and maps of the
earth’s
environmental
systems
Figure 1-16
Bad News
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Information overload
can cause confusion
and sense of
hopelessness
Remote sensing
satellite surveys
the world’s
environmental
systems
Globalized economy
can increase
environmental
degradation by
homogenizing the
the earth’s surface
Ability to respond
to environmental
problems more
effectively and
rapidly
Globalized economy
can decrease
cultural diversity
Current
Emphasis
Pollution cleanup
Waste disposal
(bury or burn)
Sustainability
Emphasis
Figure 1-17
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Pollution prevention
(cleaner production)
THE METHODS AND
TECHNOLOGY FOR
ACHIEVING
SUSTAINABILITY EXIST
Waste prevention
and reduction
Protecting species
Environmental
degradation
Protecting where species
live (habitat protection)
Environmental restoration
Increased resource
use
Population growth
Depleting and
degrading natural
capital
Less wasteful
(more efficient)
resource use
Population stabilization
by decreasing birth rates
Protecting natural capital
and living off the
biological interest it
provides