The Course - Content

1. The Course - Content • Science and environmental issues • Not an environmentalist activist perspective • Evaluation of environmental issues • Careers in environmental science

2. The Course - the “process” • First year college course • Content - The College Board AP Program • Lab and field study based learning • Less lecture - more independent responsibility • Emphasis on current events

3. Goals • Goals: • Prepare for APES AP test • Critical Thinking: Evaluating issues and “coming to judgement” • Demonstrate and apply sound science and scientific method • Understand environmental issues as interdiscinplinary: Science, Technology, Society (STS)

4. Environmental Science vs. Ecology • Ecology - branch of biology • Environmental science • Uses natural sciences and social sciences to: • assess how earth works • evaluate how were are affecting earth’s life-support systems • evaluate best ways to to deal with environmental problems, and hopefully reach sustainability

5. Unifying Themes • Sustainability and Sustainability Development • What is sustainability? • Are our current social/economic systems sustainable? • If not, can the global society become sustainable? • Ecological Principle: Everything is connected - there is no such thing as a free lunch

6. Four Dimensions to Sustainable Development • Environmental • Social • Political • Economic

7. Sustainability – text definition • “An environmental sustainable society satisfies the basic needs of it people for food, clean water clean air and shelter in the indefinite future without depleting or degrading the earth’s natural resources” (pare 4) • In addition to helping sustain the earth’s life support systems, sustainable development leads to greater economic security, healthier life-styles, and worldwide improvement in the human condition (15)

8. Sustainability – Protect your Capital • Can all of earth’s population live at or near the consumption levels of the developed countries? • Can technology solve the problems? • Can human societies: Living off of interest, thus not using up capital • What are some examples? • Read and analyze: “Natural Capital” by Paul Hawken (page 17)

9. Natural Capital – Hawkins (16-17) • I: “..cyclic industrial systems work better than linear ones.” • Relate to throughput page 60 • Contrast to natural ecosystems • II: Discuss- “Markets are not giving us correct information about how much our suburbs, cars, and plastic drinking water bottles truly cost based on the environmental harm they cause” • III. Discuss: A “more rational economic system “…” is based on the simple but powerful proposition that all capital must be valued .” In your discussion, be surely to clearly “define” and explain natural capital. • IV. Round 2: You are Gary Hardin. If you were in charge of the worlds economy, what are the three most important things you would do?

10. Ecological Footprint • Definition: amount of land needed to produce resources needed for a person(or average person) in a country • Compare: developed and developing • Compare: Netherlands and U.S. • Calculate your footprint

12. Can Exponential Growth Continue? • Constant Rate but not constant number • “A quantity increases by a fixed percentage of the whole in a given time” • Essentially, compound interest • Growth at a given rate • Doubling time is calculated if rate remains same • Number organisms added per unit time increases • Examples: • Folding paper • Bacteria in a bottle • Read: Current Exponential Growth of the Human Population (5)

13. Exponential Growth DO NOT POST TO INTERNET 16 15 ? 14 13 12 11 ? 10 9 Billions of people 8 ? 7 6 5 4 3 2 Black Death–the Plague 1 0 2-5 million years 8000 6000 4000 2000 2000 2100 Time B.C. A.D. Hunting and gathering Agricultural revolution Industrial revolution

14. Human Population Growth • Doubling time - rule of 70 • 70/ % growth rate = doubling time • Growth rate is decreasing • 1963: 2.1% • 2002: 1.28% • BUT, demands for resources growing exponentially • Pollution growing exponentially

15. World Population Reached 1 billion in 1804 2 billion in 1927 (123 years later) 3 billion in 1960 (33 years later) 4 billion in 1974 (14 years later) 5 billion in 1987 (13 years later) 6 billion in 1999 (12 years later) World Population May Reach 7 billion in 2013 (14 years later) 8 billion in 2028 (15 years later) 9 billion in 2050 (22 years later)

16. Figure 1-4Page 6 12 11 10 World total 9 8 Developing countries 7 Population (billions) 6 5 4 3 Developed countries 2 1 2050 2000 2100 1950 Year

17. Economic development • Improvement of living standards by economic growth • How to measure “living standards”? • Probably best measure: Per Capita GNI PPP • Page 4 • Developed countries • Developing countries • World Night Lights • NA night lights

18. Per capita GNI PPP, 2001 Low income (Under $2,700) Middle income ($2,701–$10,750) High income (Above $10,750)

19. Environmental Impact of Human Population • Simplified model (13) • population • consumption (measured by affluence) • technologic impact of unit of consumption

21. Resources • Definition • Perpetual resources • Renewable resources • Sustainable yield • How can renewable resources become non-sustainable? • Nonrenewable resources • economic depletion vs actual depletion

22. Extending “life” of non-renewables • Reduce • Reusing • Recycling • What non-renewables cannot be recycled or reused?

23. Pollution • Definition • Natural or anthropogenic • Point vs. nonpoint • Effects of pollutants (11) • Solutions: • Elimination of the waste • Prevent from reaching environment • Five R’s: refuse to use, replace, reduce, reuse. Recycle • Is dilution a solution to pollution? • Maybe sometimes? Maybe not??

24. Pollution Cleanup (output control) (11) • Cleanup after produced • Problems • Temporary bandage – as long as population continues to grow • Removes from one location, but puts pollutant into another (eg, scrubbers) • Dispersal – low concentrations, almost impossible to cleanup

25. Tragedy of the Commons Activity • Activity: In notebook, keep track of data after each round (everyone fishes) • Round 1: NO talking – fishing isolated from all team members • 10 seconds to fish • Fish replace 1 for every two remaining; less than four, population eliminated • Cup more than ½ full, fish exceed carrying capacity.

26. Tragedy of the Commons Activity • Round 2: NO talking – fishing isolated from all team members • SAME rules as round 1: better technology • Round 3: Discuss before beginning – may talk throughout activity • 10 seconds to fish • Fish replace 1 for every two remaining; less than four, population eliminated • Cup more than ½ full, fish exceed carrying capacity. • CHOOSE “technology”

27. Global Issues • Awareness began in 1980’s • Acid precipitation • Ozone depletion • Global climate change • Ocean pollution and depletion of fish resources

28. Global Atmospheric Changes

29. Globalization • World becoming more integrated • Economic • 1970-2002: 7,000 to 60,000 transnational corporations • Communication and information • Pollutants • Acid precipitation, climate change, ozone depletion, depletion of ocean resources

30. What are the key environmental problems? (12) • Diagram page 12

31. Causes of environmental problems (12) • Rapid population growth • Unsustainable resource use • Poverty • Cost of economic goods excludes costs of pollution • Not enough knowledge about complex natural systems • Think of the “Precautionary Principle”

32. Optimism or pessimism - • Experts disagree • Political viewpoint • Economics • World views • How serious is an environmental problem? • What can be done? • What is economic impact of reducing pollution or resource use? • Are technologies available? • Who gains and who losses?

33. Good news • Global food production outpaced global population growth since 1970 • Pollution growth rate is reduced worldwide • Infant mortality decreased worldwide • In developed countries: cleaner water and air • Much more interest and concern about environmental issues

34. Bad News • Pollution in developing countries increased – clean water a big problem • Exponential increase in use of most natural resources • Population still increasing in developing countries • Global climate change • Gulf between rich/poor widening • Global decrease in biodiversity • Economic systems do not incorporate pollution costs • Globalization

35. How can governments reduce pollution • Incentives: subsidies and tax write-offs • Regulations, fines, taxes • Require pollution cleanup • Research funds • Education • Developed world provide model for developing • Reduce or eliminate loans for developed countries

36. Interactions: nature and humans

37. Conventional vs. Ecological Economists ( 693-697) • Conventional • Economic systems independent of natural systems • Human technology/ingenuity will deal with shortages and destruction of biodiversity • Ecological economics – Hawkin’s ideas • Economic system subsystem of environment • Natural capital supplies and maintains economic systems • Environmentally sustainable economic development • Economic system “mimics” natural systems • Recycling • Not depleting earth’s net primary productivity • Living off ecological income, not the capital

38. An Alternative: Environmental Accounting • Subtract from GNI things that lead to a lower quality of life and resource depletion • Add things that enhance environmental quality and human well-being • Problem: how to determine the value of such environmental indicators • NOTE: today's GNI does not account for environmental/human externalities – only dollar costs and benefits (income)

39. External Costs (697-700) • Costs not incorporated in the final consumer cost of product • Thus, Hawkin’s “improper accounting” • Costs passed on to public and maybe future generations • Problem: Can they be quantified? • Some quantifiable, some difficult to quantify • Who in society “pays” more of these externalities?

40. Internalizing External Costs • Consumer pays FULL cost of production of a product. (Hawkin: all “information” incorporated into the cost of the product) • Preventing pollution more profitable than cleaning it up • Methods • Taxes for pollution • Example: proposed carbon taxes • Regulations requiring pollution controls and of mitigation damaged environments • Eliminate subsidies for resource extraction • Problem: direct cost of many services and products would rise • Problem: Law of diminishing returns (graph 26.10)

41. Environmental Worldviews • Based on person’s beliefs and values • “Facts” interpreted, conclusions reached based on worldview • Worldviews become a “window” through which “facts” interpreted and decisions made • Two basic worldviews: • Planetary management • Environmental wisdom worldview`

42. The next 50 years • What is each individuals role? • “Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed,it the only thing that ever has.” Margaret Mead

43. Chapter 2

44. Environmental philosophies • Conservationism • Preservationism • (Read: “How should …Conservationists” on 32) • Stewardship • “Modern” environmentalism • Globalism

45. Conservationism • Pragmatic or utilitarian resource conservation • George Perkins Marsh • Man and Nature, 1864 • Warned of the ecological and economic consequences of “frontier” mentality

46. Conservationism and forest preserves • Roosevelt and Pinchot • Forests should be saved “not because they are beautiful or because the shelter wild creatures of the wilderness, but only to provide homes and jobs for people” • Turning point: Forest Reserve Act of 1871

47. National Forest Service and Soil Conservation Service (in Dept. of Agr.) • Multiple use • Sustainable yield

48. Preservationism • John Muir • Fundamental right of other organisms to exist • “The world, we are told, was made for man…Nature’s object in making animals and plants might possibly be first of the happiness of each one of them…Why ought man to value himself as more than an infinitely small unit of one great unit of creation?”

49. Preservationism and National Parks • National Park Service 1916 (Dept of Interior) • Yellowstone National Park – 1872 – American Forestry Association • Protection of all organisms, with humans “onlookers” – no multiple use

50. Soil Conservation • Dust bowls and Grapes of Wrath • Soil Conservation Service - 1935