Environmental Problems, Their Causes, and Sustainability

1. Environmental Problems, Their Causes, and Sustainability G. Tyler Miller’s Living in the Environment 13th Edition Chapter 1 Allison Peake; JL Mann

2. Key Concepts • What are natural resources and why are they important? • How fast is the human population growing? • What is the difference between economic growth and development? Environmental effects of poverty? • What are the Earth’s main types of resources? • What are the principal types of pollution? • What are basic causes of today’s environmental problems?

3. Environment, Ecology, and Environmental Science • Environment is everything that affects a living organism • Ecology is a biological science that studies the relationships between living organisms and their environ. • Environmental Science is an interdisciplinary science that Uses concepts from both natural (biology, chemistry, Geology, etc.) and social sciences (ethics, politics, and Economics)…help us understand: • How the Earth works • How we are affecting the Earth • How to deal with environmental problems we face

4. Our Natural Resources • Our capital is unlike that of economics in that it is not money used to sustain a business, but it is like that of economics in that it is used to sustain: • Solar capital: energy from the sun • Natural capital: planet’s air, water, soil, minerals… • An environmentally sustainable society satisfies the basic needs of its people without depleting or degrading Earth’s natural resources – not depleting the natural endowment of Earth’s capital • There is a definite economic – environmental link  invest back in your capital in order to maintain or even Improve your wealth (in this case, natural wealth) … The lesson is an old one: Protect your capital

5. Population Growth, Development, and Globalization • World population growth is growing exponentially • Reason for such rapid growth?... Decreasing death rates, technology, Increased birth rates.. Others? • One measure of population growth is the use of DOUBLING TIME  to calculate, use the RULE of 70: 70 divided by the growth rate • of an area will give you the • amount of time, in years, it • will take for that population to double in size • Do the math – A country with a 2% growth rate…

6. Economic Growth and Development • GNI – formerly GNP – a country’s absolute wealth (also, per capita GNI) • GDP – market value of goods produced within the country • GWP – total goods worldwide • GNI PPP – The Purchasing Power Parity of a country – compares standards amongst countries • Economic development is the improvement of living standards by economic growth – developed v. developing countries

7. Economic Development: the Good, the Bad, and the Ugly The Good 1900-2002  life expectancy rates doubled: 33 -67 1955-2002 infant mortality dropped – 60% in developed, 40% in developing Global food production outpaced growth since 1978 How to produce more goods with less raw materials Since 1970 most levels of major air and water pollution has been reduced The Bad and the Ugly Life expectancy in developing countries 11 years less than developed Infant mortality in developing 8 times higher than developed Increased pop. Growth means nat. resources are being used unsustainably 73% of habitable land surface has been partially or heavily disturbed Widened gap b/w rich and poor

8. Globalization • Since 1950, and especially 1970, there has been a trend toward globalization: the process of global, social, economic, and environmental change that leads to an integrated world Examples: 1950-2002: global economy grew from 7 trillion to 47 trillion…int’l. trade from 5% to 16%...operating in 3 more countries 7,000 to 60,000…. Species and microbes transported across borders increased sig. 2002 – roughly 550 million had internet access

9. Resources • Anything obtained from the environment to meet human needs • Can be direct (soil, air) or indirect (oil, crops) • Are classified as PERPEUTAL, RENEWABLE, or NONRENEWABLE Perpetual v. renewable …. Renewable resources CAN be depleted! …leads to environmental degradation … *Sustainable yield – the highest rate at which a resource can be used infinitely without depletion ↑ Resources in a fixed quantity (energy, metallic, nonmetallic) – when out…have to make choices…

10. Ecological Footprint • When resources are exhausted… (1) use less, (2) try to find more, (3) recycle or reuse, (4) waste less, (5) develop a substitute OR (6) wait millions of years to get more  • Recycling v. Reusing – collecting and reprocessing a material into something new…using a resource over and over again…saves money AND resources • An ecological footprintis the amount of land needed to produces the resources needed by an average person in a country • Developed v. Developing countries… which do you think is greater?

11. Pollution • = any addition to air, water, soil or food that threatens the health survival, or activities of humans and other living organisms • Pollutants enter the environment naturally or anthropogenically (through humans) • Input pollution control v. Output pollution control – which is more effective? • Two main types: • Point sources – where pollutants come form a single, identifiable source • Non point sources – where pollutants come from dispersed and often difficult to identify sources

12. Environmental Problems: Causes and Connections • We face a number of interconnected environmental challenges – we must first identify their underlying causes • Also, see Figure 1-9, page 12 • Perspective: The poor parents in a developing country would need 70-200 children to have the same resource consumption as 2 children in a typical American family …population, resources technology affect env. change

13. Is our present Course sustainable? • Are things getting better or worse? …. • 1992 – 70 – 102 of 196 – page 13 • Technological optimists and Environmental pessimists

14. Worldviews • Shaped by: • How people think the world works • What they think their role in the world should be • what they believe is right and wrong environmental behavior Environmentally Sustainable Economic Development – economic rewards and Penalties to work towards sustainability … …what will you think?

15. Chap 1 vocab quiz “What someone believes is right or wrong environmental behavior” IS: “Where pollutants come form a single, identifiable source” IS: “Collecting and reprocessing a resource into new products” IS: Definition of “Sustainable yield” Definition of “Acute poverty”