Chapter 1- Environmental Problems, Their causes and, Sustainability

Mrs. Cook

Environmental Science

Living more Sustainable

• Environmental Science- is everything that affects a living organism.

• Ecology- is a biological science that studies the relationships between living organisms and their environment.

• We are going to study Environmental science with a touch of Ecology thrown in.

How do we study Environmental Science?

•We are going to take concepts from -Biology -Chemistry-Ecology-Geology and -Social sciences

-economics-politics and -ethics

to understand: How the earth works, how we are affecting the earth’s life-support system, and how to deal with the environmental problems we face.

Key Players in Environmentalism

• Ecologists- study relationships b/w living things• Environmental Scientist- study human interactions

w/ the earth• Conservation biologists- develop plans to preserve

diversity of life on Earth• Environmentalists- Take scientific information,

social and ethical beliefs to asses human impact on the environment

• Preservationists- set aside or protecting undisturbed natural areas from harmful human activities.

• Conservationists- use natural areas & wildlife in ways that sustain them for future generations to use

• Restorationists- restore natural areas that have been degraded by human activities.

Return of the Hump Back Whales (12min)

• http://www.cbsnews.com/videos/return-of-the-humpback

• Key Players:• Paul Watson, founder of Green Peace,

Conservationist, Environmentalist

• Nan Howser, Marine Biologist, Environmental Scientist

Orphaned Elephants- Conservationist at Work• http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/3032619/#48696124

 • http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/3032619/#48696150

What are our 3 main Environmental Problems?

1) Resource Depletion

2) Pollution

3) Loss of Biodiversity

Resources depletion

• Perpetual Resource- a resource that is renewed continuously. Solar energy, wind, tides

• Renewable Resource- can be replenished fairly quickly (hours to several decades)

-can not be used up faster than it is replaced

- forests

- grasslands

- wild life

- fresh water

- fresh air

- fertile soil

Renewable Resourceshttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mz6bGY7ylWk

Renewable Resourceshttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oTyWeW5MEio

Resource Depletion cont• Nonrenewable resources-

resources that exist in a fixed quantity or stock in the earth’s crust.

- takes millions to billions of years to replenish these

resources. - will be depleted much faster than they can be formed.-coal, oil & natural gas

(cannot be recycled)- metallic minerals- iron,

copper,aluminum (can be recycled)- nonmetallic minerals-

sand, clay, salt (too costly to recycle)

Resource depletion cont.

• We have never depleted a non-renewable resource yet, but a resource can become economically depleted when the costs of extracting and using what is left exceed its economic value.

-It costs more to mine it than what you can sell it for

How to keep costs low:1. find more elsewhere2. try to recycle or reuse existing supply3. waste less4. use less5. try to develop a substitute6. wait millions of years for more to be produced

Pollution

• Pollution Pollution is an is an undesirableundesirable change in the natural change in the natural environment that is caused by the environment that is caused by the introduction of introduction of substancessubstances that are that are harmfulharmful to living organisms or by to living organisms or by excessive wastes, heat, noise, or radiationexcessive wastes, heat, noise, or radiation

• BiodegradableBiodegradable - can be - can be broken downbroken down by natural by natural processes (newspaper)processes (newspaper)

• NondegradableNondegradable - - cannotcannot be broken down by natural be broken down by natural processes (mercury)processes (mercury)

Air Pollution in the U.S.

http://www.algebralab.org/practice/practice.aspx?file=Reading_PrimaryAirPollutants.xml

Graph Interpretation• Carbon monoxide makes up about what percentage of air pollution

in the United States? • 38%

• Which source emits the majority of volatile organic compounds? • Industrial processes

• Which three primary air pollutants are emitted in a large amount from transportation?

• Nitrogen oxides, volatile organic compounds, and carbon monoxide

• Sulfur oxides, nitrogen oxides, and volatile organic compounds make up what percent of total primary air pollution?

• 26%

Tsunami Debree

• http://www.cbsnews.com/video/watch/?id=7422680n

• China’s Air Pollution

• http://abcnews.go.com/WNT/video/hazardous-air-quality-forces-beijing-residents-indoors-18215234

• http://abcnews.go.com/WNT/video/beijing-air-pollution-forces-20-million-people-indoors-18204753

Solution for Pollution

1. Prevent it from reaching the environment

2. Pollution prevention or input pollution controls reduces or eliminates the production of pollutants.

- Refuse to use

- Replace with a less harmful product

- Reduce (use less)

- Reuse

- Recycle

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HhSoDWs_cYk&feature=youtu.be

Loss of Biodiversity

• BiodiversityBiodiversity is the is the variety of organismsvariety of organisms in a given area, in a given area, the the genetic variationgenetic variation within a population, the within a population, the variety of variety of speciesspecies in a community, or the in a community, or the variety of communitiesvariety of communities in in an ecosystem.an ecosystem.

• Scientists think if the Scientists think if the current extinction ratescurrent extinction rates continue, continue, it may cause problems for the it may cause problems for the humanhuman population. population.

• Many people also argue that all species have Many people also argue that all species have potential economic, scientific, & recreationalpotential economic, scientific, & recreational value. value.

Saving the Spoon Bill Sandpiperhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a-ohpqYzBCU&feature=youtu.be

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YKDliMz5e-M&feature=youtu.be

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

What are the two root causes of environmental problems?

• 1. 1. Population Population PressuresPressures - The human population - The human population is is growing too quicklygrowing too quickly for the local environment to for the local environment to support.support.

• 2. 2. Consumption Consumption TrendsTrends - People are - People are using up, using up, wasting or pollutingwasting or polluting natural resources faster than natural resources faster than they can be they can be renewed, replaced or cleaned up.renewed, replaced or cleaned up.

World Population16

15

14

13

12

11 Billio

ns

of p

eo

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.

Fig. 1.1, p. 2

Consumption Trends

http://www.nationmaster.com/graph/ene_oil_con-energy-oil-consumption

What is an Environmentally Sustainable society?

• An Environmentally Sustainable society satisfies the needs of its people for food, clean water, clean air, and shelter.

- Do you think the U.S. does this? Why or Why not?

• To be Environmentally sustainable it has to do this without: 1. depleting or degrading the earth’s natural resources

2. preventing current and future generations of humans and other species from meeting their basic needs.

- Again, Do you think the U.S. does this? How about as a Global Nation?

What does living Sustainability Really Meanhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B5NiTN0chj0

Care Instructions for Living Sustainably(add to your notes):

1. Reduce dependence on Fossil Fuels

2. Reduce dependence on Synthetic Chemicals

3. Reduce Destruction of Nature

4. Ensure we are not stopping people from meeting their needs.

Living off the Gridhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4gx4mmZX2uU

Two views on Environmental Sustainability

• 1st view: Environmentalists & many leading scientists believe we are living unsustainably by depleting the earth’s natural resources faster that they can be replenished.

- as Earth’s population grows, demands for resources and life-sustaining processes increases exponentially.

• 2nd view: Most politicians and others analysts believe that we are living sustainably and that environmentalist are exaggerating the problems.

- believe that any population, resource, & environmental problems we face can be overcome with technology.

So, is our planet environmentally sustainable?

• our current world is our current world is notnot sustainable sustainable• Achieving a sustainable world requires everyone’s Achieving a sustainable world requires everyone’s

participationparticipation including individual including individual citizens, industry, and citizens, industry, and the governmentthe government..

• http://www.cbsnews.com/video/watch/?id=7418384n&tag=showDoorFlexGridRight;flexGridModule

•  • http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-18563_162-57491574/drought-threatens-some-

texans-livelihoods/?tag=showDoorFlexGridRight;flexGridModule•  • http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-18563_162-57491370/food-prices-expected-to-rise-

as-drought-continues/?tag=showDoorFlexGridRight;flexGridModule

Ecological Footprint

• An An ecological ecological footprintfootprint is one way to is one way to express the differences in express the differences in consumptionconsumption between between nations.nations.

• Shows Shows how much landhow much land is is needed to support one needed to support one person in that country. person in that country.

Ecological Footprint

United States

The Netherlands

India

CountryPer Captia 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

Fig. 1.10, p. 111 Hectare = 2.5 Acres

Environmentally Sustainable Economic Development.

• Analysts have called for a shift from an emphasis on traditional economic development fueled by economic growth to an emphasis on environmentally sustainable economic development.

1) economic rewards and incentives to encourage environmentally responsible economic development

2) Economic penalties to discourage environmentally harmful & unsustainable forms of economic growth.

Next 50 years

What needs to happen for our planet to become sustainable:

1. Pollution prevention

2. Waste prevention and reduction

3. Protecting species and the place they live

4. Environmental restoration

5. Use less resources

6. Population Stabilization by decreasing birth rate

The Story of Stuffhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gLBE5QAYXp8&feature=youtu.be