Chapter 1: Environmental Problems, Causes and Sustainability
Chapter 1: Environmental Problems, Causes and Sustainability
Key ConceptsKey Concepts
Growth and SustainabilityGrowth and Sustainability
Resources and Resource UseResources and Resource Use
PollutionPollution
What are the root Causes of Environmental Problems
What are the root Causes of Environmental Problems
What is Environmental Science?
*Environment:
• Everything that surrounds and affects an organism
• The natural world as well as the things produced
I. ENVIRONMENTAL STUDIES: Interdisciplinary Science that…1.) Help us understand how the earth works
2.) Learn how we are affecting the earth’s life support systems
3.) Propose and evaluate solutions to the environmental problems we face.
MAJOR GROUPS CONCERNED WITH ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES
(see page 3 in textbook)
1.) ECOLOGIST2.) ENVIRONMENTAL
SCIENTIST3.) CONSERVATION BIOLOGIST4.) ENVIRONMENTALIST5.) PRESERVATIONIST6.) CONSERVATIONIST7.) RESTORAIONIST
Consensus Science
• Suggests that issues such as global climate change, deforestation, and species loss SHOULD be taken as a serious problem.
II. ENVIRONMENTAL PROBLEMS
A. Three categories:
1) NATURAL RESOURCE DEPLETION
3) EXTINCTION
2) POLLUTION
1. RESOURCE DEPLETION- DEPLETION:- A large part of these resources
has been used.- Natural resources:(sunlight, air ,water, soil, plants,
minerals, animals, fossil fuels, etc)
- Two categories: RENEWABLE and NON-
RENEWABLE
NON-RENEWABLE –
resources that cannot be replaced
RENEWABLE –
resources that can be continually replaced
ENVIRONMENTALLY SUSTAINABLE SOCIETY
Satisfies the basic needs for…
food, water, air, and shelter
• Resources that can be used in the indefinite future without being depleted
• Does not prevent future generations from meeting these needs
Pollution Sources
• Point Sources- where pollutants come from single identifiable sources. Ex: exhaust pipe of an automobile.
• Nonpoint sources- come from dispersed sources often hard to identify. Ex: runoff of fertilizer from farmlands, golf courses, and lawns.
3. EXTINCTIONCondition where a species
completely disappears from the earth
*Most species are becoming extinct due to habitat loss
Giant Ground Sloth
Do Do Bird
Mammoth
Passenger Pigeon
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
III. ROOT OF ENVIRONMENTAL PROBLEMS
Almost all environmental problems can be traced back to…
1) POPULATION CRISIS- Number of people grows too quickly for the earth to support.
2) CONSUMPTION CRISIS- People are using up, polluting, wasting things faster than can be replaced.
Population Growth
Linear GrowthLinear Growth
ExponentialGrowth-starts slow
then becomes very rapid
ExponentialGrowth-starts slow
then becomes very rapid
Doubling Time/Rule of 70
Doubling Time/Rule of 70
Fig. 1-2 p. 4Fig. 1-2 p. 4
Fig. 1-3 p. 5Fig. 1-3 p. 5
* The current world population for mid-year 2007 is estimated at 6,602,224,175
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
ACTUAL WORD POPULATION TREND
1 200,000,0001000 275,000,0001500 450,000,0001650 500,000,0001750 700,000,0001804 1,000,000,0001850 1,200,000,0001900 1,600,000,0001927 2,000,000,0001950 2,550,000,0001955 2,800,000,0001960 3,000,000,0001965 3,300,000,0001970 3,700,000,0001975 4,000,000,0001980 4,500,000,0001985 4,850,000,0001990 5,300,000,0001995 5,700,000,0001999 6,000,000,0002000 6,100,000,0002005 6,450,000,0002006 6,500,000,0002010 6,800,000,0002020 7,600,000,0002030 8,200,000,0002040 8,800,000,0002050 9,200,000,000
0
1000000000
2000000000
3000000000
4000000000
5000000000
6000000000
7000000000
8000000000
9000000000
10000000000
1 4 7 10 13 16 19 22 25 28
Series1
Series2
http://www.otherwise.com/population/exponent.html
United States Birth rate: 14.14 births/1,000 population (2003 est.) 2.07 children born/woman (2003 est.)
A Global Perspective:• Many environmental
problems affect the entire world...
• Examples:• Pollution in the American
Midwest falls on Canada as acid rain
• Destruction of tropical rainforests increases CO2 worldwide
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
ECOLOGICAL FOOTPRINT LINKS
ENVIRONMENTALLY SUSTAINABLE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT
-Use of economic rewards and incentives
-Increased economic penalties
-Shift to prevention vs. excess