PART I: HUMANS AND SUSTAINABILITY

CHAPTER 1: ENVIRONMENTAL PROBLEMS, THEIR CAUSES, AND SUSTAINABILITY

16

15

14

13

12

11 Billio

ns o

f peo

ple

?

?

?

10

9

8

7

6

5

4

3

2

1

02-5 million

years8000 6000 4000 2000 2000 2100

Hunting and gathering

Black Death–the Plague

Time

Industrialrevolution

Agricultural revolution

B.C. A.D.

THE WORLD IS IN AN EXPONENTIAL AGE

World total

Developingcountries

Developedcountries

Po

pu

lati

on

(b

illi

on

s)

12

11

10

9

8

7

6

5

4

3

2

1

1950

2000 2050 2100

Year

THIS CENTURY POPULATION GROWTH WILL OCCUR IN DEVELOPING COUNTRIES

Solar Energy is perpetual

Air

Water

Soil

Energy

Minerals

RESOURCES OR NATURAL CAPITAL

PopulationControl

NutrientRecycling

ClimateControl

PollutionControl

WasteTreatment

Biodiversity

Pest &DiseaseControl

SERVICES

Resources

Perpetual Nonrenewable

Renewable

Freshair

Freshwater

Fertilesoil

Plants andanimals

(biodiversity)

Directsolar

energy

Winds, tides,

flowing water

Fossilfuels

Metallic minerals

Non- metallic

minerals

(iron, copper,

aluminum)

(clay, sand,

phosphates)

RESOURCES ARE:1. PERPETUAL;2. RENEWABLE; OR,3. NON-RENEWABLE

WAYS TO MEASURE (CURRENT $) ECONOMIC GROWTH, DEVELOPMENT, POVERTY AND GLOBALIZATION

• GROSS NATIONAL INCOME (PRODUCT) (GNI) is the market value in of all goods and services produced in and outside of a country during a year (contrast with Gross Domestic Product).

• GROSS WORLD PRODUCT (GWP) is the market value of all goods and services produced in the world during a year.

• GNI IN PURCHASING POWER PARITY (GNI PPP) is the market value of a country's GNI in terms of goods and services it would buy in U.S. This is a good way to compare living standards among countries.

• GENUINE PROGRESS INDICATOR (GPI) evaluates economic output by subtracting expenses that do not improve the environment from the GDP and adding services that improve the environment not currently in the GDP.

United States

The Netherlands

India

CountryPer Capita Ecological Footprint(Hectares of land per person)

10.9

5.9

1.0

CountryTotal Ecological Footprint

(Hectares)

United States

The Netherlands

India

3 billion hectares

94 million hectares

1 billion hectares

Time

Res

ou

rce

pro

du

ctio

n Area under curveequals the totalamount of the

resource. Economic depletion(80% used up)

NON-RENEWABLE RESOURCE USE AND DEPLETION FOLLOWS A PREDICTABLE PATTERN

Air Pollution

• Global climate change• Stratospheric ozone

depletion• Urban air pollution• Acid deposition• Outdoor pollutants• Indoor pollutants• Noise

Biodiversity Depletion

• Habitat destruction• Habitat degradation• Extinction

Water Pollution

• Sediment• Nutrient overload• Toxic chemicals• Infectious agents• Oxygen depletion• Pesticides• Oil spills• Excess heat

Waste Production

• Solid waste• Hazardous waste

Food Supply Problems

• Overgrazing• Farmland loss

and degradation• Wetlands loss

and degradation• Overfishing• Coastal pollution• Soil erosion• Soil salinization• Soil waterlogging• Water shortages• Groundwater depletion• Loss of biodiversity• Poor nutrition

MajorEnvironmental

Problems

• Rapid population growth

• Unsustainable resource use

• Poverty

• Not including the environmental costs of economic goods and services in their market prices

• Trying to manage and simplify nature with too little knowledge about how it works

FIVE BASIC CAUSES OF ENVIRONMENTAL PROBLEMS

MILLER IGNORES NO EDUCATION, GENDER/RACE DISCRIMINATION AND WAR AS CAUSES

Earth’s Life-Support System Human Culturesphere

Air(atmosphere)

Water(hydrosphere)

Soil and rocks(lithosphere)

Life(biosphere)

Population Technology

Economics Politics

ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE INVOLVES THE INTERACTION OF NATURAL RESOURCES AND SERVICES WITH HUMAN SOCIETIES. THIS SEPARATES IT

FROM ECOLOGY

3

Harvesting for2 to 5 years

1 Clearingand burningvegetation

2

Planting

4Allowingto revegetate10 to 30 years

SLASH/BURN PRACTICES IN TROPICAL FORESTS INVOLVE A CONTEMPORARY TYPE OF NOMADIC/AGRICULTURAL LIFE STYLE THAT FORMERLY WAS

HARMLESS, BUT TODAY IS ENVIRONMENTALLY DESTRUCTIVE

Figure 1-14Page 14

Agricultural Revolution

Bad NewsGood News

More Food

Supported a larger population

Higher standardof living for manypeople

Longer lifeexpectancy

Formation ofvillages, towns,and cities

Towns and citiesserved as centersfor trade,government,and religion

Destruction ofwildlife habitats fromclearing forests andgrasslands

Killing of wildanimals feeding ongrass or crops

Fertile land turnedinto desert bylivestockovergrazing

Soil eroded intostreams and lakes

Towns and citiesconcentratedwasted and pollutionand increasedspread of diseases

Increase in armedconflict and slaveryover ownership ofland and waterresources

THIS IS A HIGH ENERGY & RESOURCE INDUSTRY THAT IS PRODUCTIVE

BUT NOT SUSTAINABLE

Figure 1-15Page 14

Industrial Revolution

Bad NewsGood News

Mass productionuseful and affordable products

Higher standard ofliving For many

Greatly increasedagriculturalproduction

Lower infantmortality

Longer lifeexpectancy

IncreasedUrbanization

Lower rate ofpopulation growth

Increased waterpollution

Increased airpollution

Increased wasteproduction

Soil depletion anddegradation

Groundwaterdepletion

Habitat destructionand degradation

Biodiversitydepletion

STARTED 200 YEARS AGO SUPPORTS THE AGRICULTURAL GREEN REVOLUTION

Figure 1-16Page 15

Information Revolution

Bad NewsGood News

Computer-generated modelsand maps of theearth’senvironmentalsystems

Remote sensingsatellite surveysthe world’s environmentalsystems

Ability to respondto environmentalproblems moreeffectively andrapidly

Information overloadcan cause confusionand sense ofhopelessness

Globalized economycan increaseenvironmentaldegradation byhomogenizing thethe earth’s surface

Globalized economycan decreasecultural diversity

Figure 1-17Page 16Pollution cleanup

Waste disposal(bury or burn)

Protecting species

Environmentaldegradation

Increased resourceuse

Population growth

Depleting anddegrading naturalcapital

SustainabilityEmphasisCurrent

Emphasis

Pollution prevention (cleaner production)

Waste prevention and reduction

Protecting where species live (habitat protection)

Environmental restoration

Less wasteful (more efficient) resource use

Population stabilization by decreasing birth rates

Protecting natural capital and living off the biological interest it provides

THE METHODS AND TECHNOLOGY FOR ACHIEVING SUSTAINABILITY EXIST