Transcript Intro Power Point

Introduction to
Environmental
Science
What is Environmental
Science?
• When you see the term environment what do you think of?
• Our environment is what is around us in the natural world, but
also what we produce.
• Environmental science is the study of how humans interact
with the environment.
An Introduction…
• Environmental science involves many fields of study – one
important one being ecology
• Ecology is the study of how living things interact with each other
and with their nonliving environment.
• Some other fields involved are…
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Biology
Earth science (geology, climatology, etc)
Physics (engineering)
Chemistry
Social studies
5 Major Themes
• Human population increase is a large reason the environment
is changing.
• Industrial development and urbanization also have serious
environmental consequences.
• Sustainability – having enough resources as we grow for us all
to live comfortably
• Small changes have huge effects
• Environmental issues involve values and attitudes as well as
science and understanding.
Revolution
• Agricultural Revolution – a boom in growing, breeding and
caring for plants and animals that are used for food, clothing,
housing and transportation.
• Human population grew during this time
• What were some negative effects of this revolution?
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Burning down trees
Flooding
Water shortages
Soil loss
Revolution
• Industrial Revolution – a boom in the use of machinery
instead of human and animal powered tools
• Major use of fossil fuels like coal and oil
• Quality of life improved…why?
• What were some negative effects of this revolution?
• POLLUTION
Human Population Growth
• During the AR and IR the human population grew faster than it
ever had before…along with modern medicine and sanitation
(people were healthier and cleaner)
• Increase in population means less…
• RESOURCES
Human Population Growth
Think about it…
• Is it right for humans, knowingly, to cause the extinction of a
species for their own convenience?
Quick Review
• Scientific Method
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Observation
Hypothesis
Prediction
Experiment
• Variable - the factor of interest
• Control and experimental group
• Collect data and analyze
• Draw conclusions
• Repeat experiment
Major Environmental Issues
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Air Pollution
Global climate change
Stratospheric ozone
depletion
Urban air pollution
Acid rain
Outdoor pollutants
Indoor pollutants
Noise
Biodiversity Depletion
• Habitat destruction
• Habitat degradation
• Extinction
Major
Environmental
Problems
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Water Pollution
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
“The Tragedy of the Commons”
People thought if no one used the land
it would go to waste, and their animals
wouldn’t cause a lot of harm anyway.
They all shared the commons; eventually
there was nothing left for
anyone.
Eventually the commons was closed
off in sections for individual
ownership. Overgrazing didn’t happen
because they knew there would be less
food for animals the following year.
“The Tragedy of the Commons”
• The idea that someone or some group needs to take
responsibility for maintaining a resource because if NO ONE
takes the responsibility it will run out or become depleted.
• Our natural resources are the “commons”
Resource Depletion
• Natural resources are any natural material used by humans
• Natural resources are classified into two categories:
• Renewable – can be replaced relatively quickly by natural
processes
• Nonrenewable – forms at a slower rate that the rate it is used
• With the person sitting next to you, or someone close to you,
brainstorm about what you think is renewable and
nonrenewable
Renewable vs Nonrenewable
• Renewable – water, soil, wood, air, sunlight
• Nonrenewable – metals like aluminum, iron and copper, salt, sand,
clay, fossil fuels
Write this down…
• “Which is more important, the survival of people alive
today or the conservation of the environment on which
future food production and human life depend?”
• WHY?
What you said…
• People today need to survive, people in the future will have the
technology to fix what goes wrong
• If we don’t use it now we will die
• Conserve the environment because every species deserves life and
we are all connected so we need to conserve our resources
• How will the people of the future survive?
• If there is no environment for the food to grow in then we cant
survive at all
• Equally important, they depend on each other
• I don’t care about the future, I will be dead
Economics and the
Environment
• The law of supply and demand says that the more we need
something, the more it is worth.
• Example – the more we need oil (when the production goes
down) the more it costs.
• We have to do 1 of three things…
• Pay the higher price
• Use less oil
• Find an alternative
Developed vs. Developing
Countries
• Developed countries
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Higher incomes
Slower population growth
Diverse industrial economy
Stronger social support systems
U.S., Japan, Canada
• Developing countries
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Lower income
Rapid population growth
Simple agricultural based economy
Weak social support system
Mexico, Brazil, Malaysia
People in developed countries are living a better life than ever before, but
in order to maintain this lifestyle they are using way more resources than
people in developing countries
Developed countries use 75%
of the worlds resources, creating
more waste and pollution
Developing countries use only 20%
of the worlds resources
Ecological Footprint
• An Ecological footprint shows the amount of resources one
person in a particular country uses.
Ethics and the Environment
• Ethics are moral principles that influence/govern a persons
behavior
• Environmental ethics are morals that influence a persons
decision and behavior toward the environment.
• What right does man have to controlling the non-human
world?
• What makes it difficult is that not everyone has the same
values.
• Joe Schmo in a developing country might not see a big deal
cutting down trees to build a farm to make money, but Jim Bob in
the US might see the consequences related to carbon dioxide
increases into the atmosphere.
• Can our environmental problems really be solved?
• Write down one of your most important environmental values
and how you can put it into action.