Introducing Environmental Science and Sustainability

1. Introducing Environmental Science and Sustainability 1

2. Overview of Chapter 1 • Human Impacts on The Environment • Population, Resources and the Environment • Sustainability • Environmental Science • Addressing Environmental Problems

3. The Environment (Earth) • Life has existed on earth for 3.8 billion yrs • Earth well suited for life • Water over ¾ of planet • Habitable temperature, moderate sunlight • Atmosphere provides oxygen and carbon dioxide • Soil with essential minerals for plants

4. Human Impacts on Environment- Population • Earth’s Human Population is at 6.9 billion • Growing exponentially • Expected to add several billion more people in 21st century

5. Extreme Poverty • 1 in 4 people in the world live in extreme poverty • Cannot meet basic need for • Food • Safe drinking water • Clothing • Shelter • Health • Sanitation & Education

6. Extreme Poverty • Extreme poverty was defined in 1996 by Joseph Wresinski • Defined as : the absence of one or more factors enabling individuals and families to assume basic responsibilities and to enjoy fundamental rights.  • The World Bank defined the new international poverty line as $1.25 a day for 2005

7. Less vs. Highly Developed • 81% of the world’s population live in poor countries • Development Ranges of Countries • Less developed (LDC’s – Bangladesh, Ethiopia & Laos) • Moderately developed (MDC’s - Mexico, South Africa & Thailand) • Highly developed (HDC’s – Canada, Japan, USA & most of Europe)

8. Gap Between Rich and Poor • Less Developed Countries (LDC) • Low level of industrialization • very high fertility rate • high infant mortality rate • low per capita income

9. Gap Between Rich and Poor • Highly Developed Countries (HDC) • Complex industrialized bases • low population growth • high per capita incomes • Ex: US, Canada, Japan

10. Population/Resources&Environment • Nonrenewable resources • Present in limited supplies and are depleted by use • Aluminum, tin, copper, fossil fuels • Renewable resources • Replaced by nature fairly rapidly and can be used forever as long as they are not overexploited in the short term • Trees, animals, soils, fresh water

11. Types of Natural Resources

12. Consumption • Consumption • Human use of materials and energy • People in HDCs are big consumers • Children born in HDC’s cause a greater impact on the environment and on resource depletion then 12 or more born in developing countries. • Unsustainable Consumption • Occurs when the level of demand on a country’s resources damages or depletes the resource enough to reduce the quality of life for future generations • Caused by overpopulation and/or overconsumption

13. Ecological Footprint • The average amount of land, water and ocean required to provide that person with all the resources they consume A Hectare = 10,000 square meters (100 m x 100 m)Primarily used in the measurement of land (A football field is 0.54 hectares)

14. Ecological Footprint • Humans have an ecological overshoot

15. Environmental Impact Affluence per person I = P A T Environmental effect of technologies Number of people IPAT Model • Measures 3 factors that affect environmental impact (I)

16. IPAT Model • P = Population • The number of people • A = Affluence (wealth) • represents the average consumption of each person in the population • T = Technology •  represents how resource intensive the production of affluence is; how much environmental impact is involved in creating, transporting and disposing of the goods, services and amenities used.

17. Environmental Sustainability • The ability to meet current human need for natural resources without compromising the needs of future generations • Requires understanding: • The effects of our actions on the earth • An understanding that earth’s resources are not infinite

18. Tragedy of the Commons (1968 Paper) • Garrett Hardin (1915–2003) •  an American ecologist who warned of the dangers of overpopulation • called attention to • “the damage that innocent actions by individuals can inflict on the environment” • He is also known for Hardin's First Law of Human Ecology: • "You cannot do only one thing", which expresses the interconnectedness of every action

19. Sustainable Development • Economic development that meets the needs of the present generation without compromising future generations

20. Environmental Science • An interdisciplinary study of human relationship with other organisms and the earth • Biology • Ecology • Geography • Chemistry • Geology • Physics • Economics • Sociology • Demography • Politics

21. Earth System and Environmental Science • System • A set of components that interact & function as a whole • Model • Used to describe interactions of environmental systems • Global Earth Systems • Climate, atmosphere, land, coastal zones, ocean • Ecosystem • A natural system consisting of a community of organisms and its physical environment

22. Earth Systems and Environmental Science • Negative feedback • Change triggers a response that counteracts the changed condition

23. Positive Feedback • Positive feedback • Change triggers a response that intensifies the changing condition

24. Scientific Method

25. Controls and Variables in Experiment • Variable • A factor that influences a process • The variable may be altered in an experiment to see its effect on the outcome • Control • The variable is not altered • Allows for comparison between the altered variable test and the unaltered variable test

26. Five Steps to Addressing Environmental Problem • Case Study: Lake Washington • Five steps are idealistic • Scientific Assessment • Risk analysis • Public Education & Involvement • Political Action • Long-term Evaluation

27. Assessing Environmental ProblemCase Study: Lake Washington • Large, freshwater pond • Suburban sprawl in 1940’s • 10 new sewage treatment plants dumped effluent into lake • Effect = excessive cyanobacteria growth that killed off fish and aquatic life

28. Assessing Environmental ProblemCase Study: Lake Washington • Scientific Assessment • Aquatic wildlife assessment done in 1933 was compared to the 1950 assessment • Hypothesized treated sewage was introducing high nutrients causing growth of cyanobacteria • Risk Analysis • After analyzing many choices, chose new location (freshwater) and greater treatment for sewage to decrease nutrients in effluent

29. Assessing Environmental ProblemCase Study: Lake Washington • Public Education/Involvement • Educated public on why changes were necessary • Political Action • Difficult to organize sewage disposal in so many municipalities • Changes were not made until 1963! • Evaluation • Cyanobacteria slowly decreased until 1975 (gone)

30. Assessing Environmental ProblemCase Study: Lake Washington • Results

31. To discuss: • Come up with 10 reasons why • Children born in HDC’s cause a greater impact on the environment and on resource depletion then 12 or more born in developing countries. • Ted talks – Building a toaster from scratch • http://www.ted.com/talks/thomas_thwaites_how_i_built_a_toaster_from_scratch.html