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ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE

13e. ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE. CHAPTER 1: Environmental Problems, Their Causes, and Sustainability. Environmental Problems, Their Causes, and Sustainability. Problems with the Environment Causes: Over population Tragedy of the Commons Depletion of resources Poverty / Affluence

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ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE

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  1. 13e ENVIRONMENTALSCIENCE CHAPTER 1:Environmental Problems, Their Causes, and Sustainability

  2. Environmental Problems, Their Causes, and Sustainability • Problems with the Environment • Causes: • Over population • Tragedy of the Commons • Depletion of resources • Poverty / Affluence • Sustainability – Resource availability as population demand grows • What happens if we use more than produce?

  3. Core Case Study: It’s All About Sustainability (1) • “The ability of the earth’s various natural systems and human cultural systems and economies to survive and adapt to changing environmental conditions indefinitely." • United Nations Millennium Ecosystem Assessment: • Human actions of put long-term sustainability in doubt • Life on earth for 3.5 billion years • Survived many catastrophes • Humans have caused major changes in the last 500 years • Humans are smart, but are they wise?

  4. Core Case Study: It’s All About Sustainability (2) • Sustainability depends on three key principles • 1. Solar energy • Warms earth • Provides energy for plants to make food for other organisms • Powers winds • Powers the hydrologic cycle – which includes flowing water • Provides energy: wind and moving water can be turned into electricity

  5. Core Case Study: It’s All About Sustainability (3) • 2. Biodiversity(biological diversity) • Large variety of species • Many ecosystems • Deserts • Forests • Oceans • Grasslands • Species and systems renew soil and purify air and water.

  6. Core Case Study: It’s All About Sustainability (4) • 3. Chemical Cycling • Natural processes recycle nutrients • Recycling is necessary because there is a fixed supply of these nutrients on earth • Nutrients cycle from living organisms to the nonliving environment and back • Chemical cycles are necessary to sustain life

  7. Fig. 1-1, p. 5

  8. Solar Energy Chemical Cycling Biodiversity Fig. 1-1, p. 5

  9. Solutions • Understand our environment • Practice sustainability

  10. 1-1 What Is an Environmentally Sustainable Society? • Concept 1-1A Our lives and economies depend on energy from the sun and natural resources and natural services (natural capital) provided by the earth. • Concept 1-1B Living sustainably means living off earth’s natural income without depleting or degrading the natural capital that supplies it.

  11. Studying Connections in Nature • Environment • Environmental Science • Ecology • Organisms • Species • Ecosystem • Environmentalism

  12. Biosphere Universe Galaxies ? Solar systems Supermacro or cosmic world (the very large) Ecosystems Planets Earth Realm of ecology Communities Life Organ systems Macro world (the ordinary) Organs Tissues Populations Cells Protoplasm Borderline Micro world (the very small) Molecules Organisms Nonlife Atoms Subatomic particles

  13. Living More Sustainably • Sustainability– central theme • Natural capital • Natural resources • Natural services • Photosynthesis • Powered by solar energy • Human activities degrade natural capital

  14. Natural Resources • Materials • Renewable • Air, water, soil, plants • Nonrenewable • Minerals, oil, coal

  15. Natural Services • Functions of nature • Purification of air, water • Nutrient cycling • From the environment to organisms and back to the environment

  16. Fig. 1-2, p. 7

  17. Fig. 1-2, p. 7

  18. NATURAL CAPITAL = NATURAL RESOURCES + NATURAL SERVICES NATURAL RESOURCE SERVICES NATURAL RESOURCES NATURAL SERVICES NATURAL SERVICES NATURAL RESOURCES Air purification Air Water purification Water Water storage Soil renewal Soil Nutrient recycling Land Food production Conservation of biodiversity Life (Biodiversity) NATURAL CAPITAL = + Wildlife habitat Nonrenewable minerals (iron, sand) Grassland and forest renewal Waste treatment Renewable energy sun, wind, water flows Climate control Population control (species interactions Nonrenewable energy (fossil fuels, nuclear power) Pest Control Fig. 1-4, p. 9

  19. Fig. 1-3, p. 8

  20. Organic matter in animals Dead organic matter Organic matter in plants Decomposition Inorganic matter in soil Fig. 1-3, p. 8

  21. Environmental Sustainability • Trade-offs (compromises) • Sound science • Individuals matter • Ideas • Technology • Political pressure • Economic pressure

  22. Sustainable Living from Natural Capital • Environmentally sustainable society • Financial capital and financial income • Natural capital and natural income • Living sustainably: living on natural income only

  23. 1-2 How Are Our Ecological Footprints Affecting the Earth? • Concept 1-2 As our ecological footprints grow, we deplete and degrade more of the earth’s natural capital.

  24. Natural Resources (1) • Perpetual– renewed continuously • Solar energy • Renewable – days to centuries • Water • Air • Grasslands • Forest • Soils • Fish populations

  25. Natural Resources (2) • Sustainable yield • Highest use while maintaining supply • Environmental degradation • Use exceeds natural replacement rate

  26. Natural capital degradation • The exponential increasing flow of material resources through the world’s economic systems depletes, degrades and pollutes the environment. Figure 1-11

  27. Fig. 1-4, p. 10

  28. Shrinking forests Climate change Decreased wildlife habitats Air pollution Species extinction Soil erosion Water pollution Declining ocean fisheries Aquifer depletion Fig. 1-4, p. 10

  29. Tragedy of the Commons • Environmental degradation of openly shared renewable resources • Users focus on their own selfish, short-term gain • Works when only a small number of users • Big part of why humans now live unsustainably

  30. Ecological Footprint (1) • Ecological footprint • The amount of biologically productive land and water needed to indefinitely supply the people in a given area with renewable resources • Also includes the land and water necessary to absorb and recycle wastes and pollution • Per capita ecological footprint • Average ecological footprint of an individual in a given area

  31. Ecological Footprint (2) • Ecological deficit • Total ecological footprint greater than biological capacity for resource renewal and absorption of wastes and pollution • 2008 study: at least 30% global excess • 88% for high-income countries • Humans currently need 1.3 earths

  32. Fig. 1-5, p. 11

  33. Stepped Art Fig. 1-5, p. 11

  34. Our Ecological Footprint • Humanity’s ecological footprint has exceeded earths ecological capacity. Figure 1-7

  35. Nonrenewable Resources • Nonrenewable – fixed quantities • Energy (fossil fuels) • Metallic minerals • Nonmetallic minerals • Recycling • Reuse

  36. Nonrenewable Resources • Exist as fixed quantity • Becomes economically depleted. • Recycling and reusing extends supply • Recycling processes waste material into new material. • Reuse is using a resource over again in the same form. Figure 1-8

  37. Developed Countries Have Higher Impacts • Developed countries • United States, Japan, New Zealand, most of Europe, some others • 19% world population • Use 88% of world’s resources • Create 75% of world’s pollution

  38. Supplement 3, Fig. 5, p. S9

  39. Fig. 1-7, p. 13

  40. Developing Countries Consumption per person (affluence, A) Technological impact per unit of consumption (T) Environmental impact of population (I) Population (P) Developed Countries Fig. 1-7, p. 13

  41. Developing Countries • 81% world population • Middle income: Brazil, China, India • Least developed: Haiti, Nigeria, Nicaragua • Use far fewer resources per capita than developed countries • Smaller per capita ecological footprint

  42. 1-3 What Is Pollution and What Can We Do about It? • Concept 1-3 Preventing pollution is more effective and less costly than cleaning up pollution.

  43. POLLUTION • Found at high enough levels in the environment to cause harm to organisms. • Point source • Nonpoint source Figure 1-9

  44. Solutions to Pollution • Pollution prevention • Prevent pollutants from entering the environment • Pollution cleanup • After pollutants released into environment • Temporary fix only • Often results in different pollution: burning garbage • Dispersed pollutants usually too costly to clean up effectively

  45. 1-4 Why Do We Have Environmental Problems? • Major causes of environmental problems are population growth, wasteful and unsustainable resource use, and exclusion of harmful environmental costs from the market prices of goods and services.

  46. Causes of Environmental Problems • Exponential population growth • Wasteful and unsustainable resource use • Poverty • Failure to include environmental costs of goods and services in market prices

  47. Fig. 1-9, p. 15

  48. Causes of Environmental Problems Population growth Unsustainable resource use Poverty Excluding environmental costs from market prices Fig. 1-9, p. 15

  49. Causes of Environmental Problems Population growth Unsustainable resource use Poverty Excluding environmental costs from market prices Stepped Art Fig. 1-9, p. 15

  50. Fig. 1-10, p. 16

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