HNTR 20 Human EcologyHNTR 20 Human Ecology

Fall 2005Fall 2005

environment: • sum total of our surroundings including both biotic and abiotic factors

environmental science: •the study of the environment including both natural and anthropogenic effects

-feminization of male alligators in Lake Apopka, FL-plant succession after forest fires-changes in the geographic distribution of migrating songbirds-concentrations of air particulate

environmental health science:•the study of the impact of the environment upon human health

ecology:• the relationship between all organisms and their biological and physical environments• the study of ecosystems (dynamic interactions between plants, animals, micro-organisms and the physical world)

human ecology:• relationship between humans and their biological, physical, and social environments

Global pressures affecting human ecology

Population: the current population is about 6.5 billion comparedto less than 3 billion in 1950

Inequitable distribution of wealth:

GDP-per capita

Luxembourg $58,900

United States $40,100

Guernsey $40,000

Norway $40,000

Russia $9,800

Sierra Leone $600

Malawi $600

East Timor $400

2003/4 estimatesSource: CIA: World Factbook http://www.cia.gov/cia/publications/factbook/rankorder/2004rank.html

Inequitable distribution of wealth:

GDP-per capita

Luxembourg $58,900

United States $40,100

Guernsey $40,000

Norway $40,000

Russia $9,800

Sierra Leone $600

Malawi $600

East Timor $400

2003/4 estimatesSource: Jane Z’s I hate the rich BLOG

Inequitable distribution of wealth:

Within the US:In 1979, the top 5% had incomes 11-times the bottom 20%In 2002, the top 5% had incomes 19-times the bottom 20%

Jared Bernstein-co-director Economic Policy Institute, Washington, DCformer deputy chief economist, US Dept. of Labor 1995-1996

Ecosystems are jeopardized:

“Pilot analysis of global ecosystems” 2000World Resources Institute/Institute for Food Policy Research

“Earth’s ecosystems and its peoples are bound together in a grand and complex symbiosis….. Ecosystems are the productive engines of the planet, providing us with everything from the water we drink to the food we eat and the fiber we use for clothing, paper or lumber. Yet, nearly every measure we use to assess the health of ecosystems tells us we are drawing on them more than ever and degrading them, in some cases at an accelerating pace.”

Ecosystems are jeopardized: WHY?

• destruction of forests, grasslands, coastlines• loss of biodiversity-development, overfishing etc.• local air pollution• global distribution of air pollutants• water pollution• waste storage and soil contamination• diversion of fresh water• bioaccumulation• global climate change due to energy use

Global climate change

“Global mean surface temperatures have increased 0.5-1.0°F since the late 19th century.”

“The 20th century's 10 warmest years all occurred in the last 15 years of the century. “

“Of these, 1998 was the warmest year on record.”

“The snow cover in the Northern Hemisphere and floating ice in the Arctic Ocean have decreased.”

“Globally, sea level has risen 4-8 inches over the past century.”

“Worldwide precipitation over land has increased by about one percent.”

“The frequency of extreme rainfall events has increased throughout much of the United States.”

http://yosemite.epa.gov/oar/globalwarming.nsf/content/climate.html

The US EPA observes:

Tamara S. Ledley, Eric T. Sundquist, Stephen E. Schwartz, Dorothy K. Hall, Jack D. Fellows, and Timothy L. Killeen .(1999)Climate change and Greenhouse gases Eos 80: 453

Greatest Oil Reserves by Country, 2005

Rank CountryProved reserves (billion barrels)

1. Saudi Arabia 261.9

2. Canada 178.81

3. Iran 125.8

4. Iraq 115.0

5. Kuwait 101.5

6. United Arab Emirates 97.8

7. Venezuela 77.2

8. Russia 60.0

9. Libya 39.0

10. Nigeria 35.3

NOTES: Proved reserves are estimated with reasonable certainty to be recoverable with present technology and prices.

Source: Oil & Gas Journal, Vol. 102, No. 47 (Dec. 10, 2004).

From: U.S. Energy Information Administration. http://www.eia.doe.gov/emeu/international/petroleu.html .

Department of Energy; retrieved August 30, 2005http://www.eia.doe.gov/oiaf/analysispaper/global/images/figure1.gif

http://www.eere.energy.gov/vehiclesandfuels/facts/2004/fcvt_fotw336.shtml

The Open University, UKhttp://www.open.ac.uk/T206/illustrations/figure1_11.htm

Summary-Global factors affecting human ecology

1.population2.disparities in wealth3.ecosystems in jeopardy4.global climate change

IMPORTANT—these factors are interdependent

poverty and damage to ecosystemspoverty and damage to ecosystems

NASA photo: Aerial view of the Haiti-Dominican Republic borderNASA photo: Aerial view of the Haiti-Dominican Republic border

New York Times, August 27, 2005 Miami-Dade County Florida after Katrina

1) Environmental science: Was Katrina a natural event?

2) Environmental health: why has a publichealth emergency been declared alongthe gulf coast?

2) The Human Ecology of Katrina: What factors are threatening survival of people in the gulf coast right now?

New York Times April 26, 2003

New York Times April 26, 2003