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Introduction to Environmental Science

Instructor Resources

• Fillable student notes outline:http://www.aurumscience.com/environmental/1_introduction/notes_outline.html

• Study guide:http://www.aurumscience.com/environmental/1_introduction/studyguide.html

• Other worksheets and assignments:http://www.aurumscience.com/environmental/1_introduction/index.html

Next Unit: Principles of Sciencehttp://www.aurumscience.com/environmental/2_science/index.html

Written by James Dauray

Written by James Dauray2

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Environmental Science

• What is Environmental Science? How humans interact with nature

• What is the Environment? Conditions that surround living organisms

including climate, soil, and other organisms.

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Environmental Science Cont’d

• Environmental Science is an interdisciplinary field. Includes concepts and

ideas from several different branches of science

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Basic History of Humans and the Environment

• Hunter-Gatherers (10,000 B.C.) Obtain food by collecting plants and

hunting wild animals. • How did they affect the environment?

Hunted and killed animals Picked up and spread plants/seeds to new

areas.

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Basic History of Humans and the Environment

• Agricultural Revolution (6000-7000 B.C.) Humans first developed the process of

breeding, growing, and harvesting plants for food.

• How did this affect the environment? Human population grew quickly Natural habitats (grasslands, rainforests)

replaced by farmland and villages. New breeds of animals and plants were

created.

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Basic History of Humans and the Environment

• Industrial Revolution (1800s) Shift in the source of energy to fossil fuels

• How did this affect the environment? Increased the efficiency of farming Increased the size of cities Introduced plastics, pesticides, fertilizers

and air pollution.

Spaceship Earth

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Spaceship Earth

• Earth is a Closed System The only thing that enters or leaves the

Earth in large quantities is…?• Problems with Closed Systems

Resources are limited, but the population continues to increase

Wastes do not go away

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Major Environmental Problems

• Resource Depletion Resources can be renewable (water) or

nonrenewable (oil) The supply of fossil fuels and metals will

eventually run out.• Pollution

Undesired change in air, water, or soil that affects the health of living things.

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Major Environmental Problems

• Loss of Biodiversity The number and variety of species is

decreasing. Extinction – Natural or man-made?

The Tasmanian tigermay be the only mammal to becomeextinct in the past 200 years on theisland of Tasmania. During the sameperiod of time, on nearby Australia,as much as 50 percent of all mammalsbecame extinct.

Environmental Ethics

• Environmental ethics is the discipline that studies the moral relationship of human beings to, and also the value and moral status of, the environment.

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Types of Environmental Ethics

• Five Distinct Stages: Anthropocentric Pragmatic Resource Conservation Moral and Aesthetic Nature Preservation Modern Environmentalism Global Environmental Citizenship

Hetch Hetchy Valley

• San Francisco in 1903 is experiencing severe water shortages due to a rapidly increasing population.

• The Tolumne river runs through nearby Hetch Hetchy valley.

• Proposal: Dam the river, create a reservoir for water supplies and hydroelectric power. Problem: The valley lies within Yosemite

National Park; public land.

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Hetch Hetchy Valley

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Tolumne River, California

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Build the Dam!

• The nearby people need water, and there are no other practical sources.

• The dam will produce pollution-free renewable electricity.

• The valley will be even more beautiful with a lake.

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Preserve the Valley!

• Hetch Hetchy is on a national park.• The natural ecosystem will be flooded and

destroyed.• The picturesque beauty of the valley will be

ruined.

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Anthropocentrism

• Literally means “human-centered” The protection or promotion of human

interests or well-being at the expense of all other factors.

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Pragmatic Resource Conservation

• Advocated by President Theodore Roosevelt. The environment should

be used in a planned way to benefit everyone.

- Should be used for “the greatest good for the greatest number, for the longest time.”

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Moral and Aesthetic Nature Preservation

• Advocated by John Muir, first president of the Sierra Club.

- Nature deserves to exist for its own sake regardless of degree of usefulness to humans.

So…What Happened?

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Modern Environmentalism

• Rachel Carson wrote a book entitled Silent Spring about the effects of pesticides on birds. Awakened the public to

threats of pollution and toxic chemicals to humans as well as other species.

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Global Environmentalism

• Increased travel and communication enables people to know about daily events in places unknown in previous generations. Issues and problems are explored on a

global scale instead of a local one.

Tragedy of the Commons

• According to an ecologist named Garrett Hardin, the main difficulty behind environmental problems is: Short-term interests of individuals

versus…

Long-term interests of the society

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“Tragedy of the Commons”

• A commons is an area that belongs to an entire village. Short-term individual

thinking: Put as many animals in as possible

- Grass becomes depleted!

• Long-term solution: Divide into fields owned by individuals. Because the land is owned, individuals are much more

likely to care for it in the long-term.

“In the history of the world, no one has ever washed a rental car.” Larry Summers, Chief Economic Advisor to President Obama

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Economics and the Environment

• Supply and Demand – The greater the demand for a limited resource, the higher the price. Examples:

- Increasing price of oil/gasoline

- Consistently low price of corn in U.S.

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Economics and the Environment

• Cost/Benefit Analysis – Is the cost of doing something worth the price? Ex: Pollution cleanup of Waukegan Harbor

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Waukegan harbor

Annual fish samplingDredging

Economics and the Environment

• Risk Analysis – The probability that something will cause injury or death. Ex: Nuclear power

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The Demographic Divide:Developed and Developing Nations

Developed and Developing Countries

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• Developed – Higher incomes, industrial economies, slower population growth. Ex: United States, Japan, Europe

Developing and Developed Countries

• Developing – Have lower incomes, agriculture-based economies, and rapid population growth. Ex: India, Afghanistan,

most of sub-Saharan Africa

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Developing and Developed Countries

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Population and Consumption

• Developing countries tend to have severe overpopulation. This leads to: Deforestation Bare soil Native animals driven to extinction Malnutrition, starvation, disease

• About 80% of the world’s population falls in this category Only use 25% of the world’s resources

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Ecological Footprint

• Amount of space needed to support each person in a nation, including forests, farms, cities, etc.

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The Goal: A Sustainable World

• Sustainability Human needs are met so that the

population can survive

indefinitely. “Meeting the needs of the

present without

compromising the ability of

future generations to meet

their own needs.”- Brundtland Commission, 1987 38