It is in vain to dream of a wilderness distant from ourselves. - H. D. Thoreau -

Environmental Science is the study of the interactions between humans and the world around them, living and non-living.

Ecology – the study of living organisms and the web of relationships that binds us all together in nature – how organisms interact with one another and with the abiotic components of the environment.

Biosphere – the skin of life on the planet – from about 11,000 meters below sea level to about 9,000 meters above sea level.

Most life is 200 meters below the surface to 6000 meters above the surface.

THE BIOSPHERE IS A CLOSED SYSTEM. THINK OF EARTH AS A SMALL, ROCKY BALL FLOATING IN THE VACUUM OF SPACE WITH A THIN FILM OF ATMOSPHERE ABOUT 100 KM THICK.

IF YOU HAD A CAR THAT COULD GO STRAIGHT UP, YOU COULD BE IN SPACE IN 1 HOUR.

THE ONLY OUTSIDE CONTRIBUTION TO THIS CLOSED SYSTEM IS SUNLIGHT AND A LITTLE BIT OF SPACE DUST.

ALL MATERIALS NECESSARY FOR LIFE MUST BE RECYCLED.

WE ARE DEALING WITH LIMITED RESOURCES – SOME MORE SO THAN OTHERS.

KEY POINT #1 – EARTH IS A CLOSED SYSTEM

ECOSYSTEM – SHORT FOR ECOLOGICAL SYSTEM – THE COLLECTION OF ALL INTERACTING LIVING AND NON-LIVING THINGS IN A GIVEN AREA.

THE GLOBAL ECOSYSTEM IS THE BIOSPHERE.

FOR THE PURPOSES OF STUDY, WE CAN BREAK THE BIOSPHERE DOWN INTO SMALLER, REGIONAL ECOSYSTEMS THAT HAVE COMMON CHARACTERISTICS – BIOMES.

THE COMMON BIOMES ARE:- TUNDRA- TAIGA- TEMPERATE FORESTS- GRASSLANDS- DESERTS- RAIN FORESTS

IN ADDITION TO THESE, YOU ALSO HAVE THE AQUATIC ZONES.

IN AN ECOSYSTEM, WE ARE CONCERNED WITH THE BIOTIC AND THE ABIOTIC COMPONENTS.

THE ABIOTIC COMPONENTS ARE THE NONLIVING THINGS SUCH AS CLIMATE, SOIL TYPES, ROCKS, SUNLIGHT, NUTRIENTS, ETC.

THE BIOTIC COMPONENTS ARE THE LIVING ORGANISMS THAT OCCUPY THE ECOSYSTEM. THESE CAN BE CLASSIFIED A COUPLE OF DIFFERENT WAYS.

THE SIMPLEST DIVISION ARE THE SPECIES. SPECIES ARE THE DIFFERENT KINDS OF ORGANISMS.

A SPECIES IS A GROUP OF ORGANISMS THAT WOULD NORMALLY INTERBREED.

ALL BREEDS OF DOGS ARE BASICALLY THE SAME SPECIES, AS THEY COULD ALL INTERBREED.

ALL HOMO SAPIENS ARE THE SAME SPECIES.

RACOONS WOULD BE A SEPARATE SPECIES FROM SKUNKS.

SO, POPULATIONS CAN HAVE A CERTAIN AMOUNT OF GENETIC VARIATION.

ALL POPULATIONS THAT LIVE IN A GIVEN AREA AT A GIVEN TIME WOULD MAKE UP A COMMUNITY.

THE INTERACTIONS BETWEEN POPULATIONS CAN INVOLVE MAY KINDS OF INTERACTIONS. THESE CAN VARY FROM POSITION ON THE FOOD CHAIN TO REGULATION OF POPULATION SIZE.

GENERALLY, THE MORE DIVERSE THE POPULATIONS IN A COMMUNITY ARE, THE MORE STABLE THE COMMUNITY.

THE GREATER THE INTERCONNECTIVITY OF THE FOOD WEB, THE MORE RESISTENCE TO DISTURBANCE.

ECOSYSTEMS ARE DYNAMIC SYSTEMS COMPOSED OF THE COMMUNITY OF LIVING ORGANISMS AND THE ABIOTIC COMPONENTS OF THE ENVIRONMENT.

KEY POINT #2 - EVERYTHING IN NATURE IS LINKED.

AN UPSET TO ONE POPULATION OR ONE ABIOTIC COMPONENT CAN UPSET THE ENTIRE ECOSYSTEM.

LIMITING FACTOR – A FACTOR (ABIOTIC COMPONENT) THAT WOULD LIMIT GROWTH IF IN SHORT SUPPLY.

HABITAT – PLACE WHERE AN ORGANISM LIVES

NICHE – RELATIONSHIP TO ITS ENVIRONMENT OR THE ROLE IT PLAYS – HOW IT USES THE RESOURCES IN ITS ENVIRONMENT

SIMILAR SPECIES CAN OCCUPY THE SAME HABITAT AS LONG AS THEIR NICHES ARE DIFFERENT.

IF NICHES OVERLAP, COMPETITION RESULTS.

HUMANS ARE SO ADAPTABLE THAT THEY CAN SURVIVE (EVEN THRIVE) IN ANY BIOME. WE ARE OUTCOMPETING ALL OTHER SPECIES.

OTHER SPECIES DON’T HAVE BIG GAME RIFLES, CHAIN SAWS, BULLDOZERS, OR HIGH EXPLOSIVES.

40 TO 100 SPECIES PER DAY GO EXTINCT.

ORGANISMS CAN BE CLASSIFIED BY THE FUNCTION THEY PLAY IN THE ENVIRONMENT. FOR EXAMPLE:

-PRODUCERS – ORGANISMS THAT CAN PRODUCE THEIR OWN FOOD, E.G., GREEN PLANTS THAT CAN USE PHOTOSYNTHESIS TO TAKE CARBON DIOXIDE, WATER, AND SUNLIGHT TO PRODUCE CARBOHYDRATES-CONSUMERS – ORGANISMS THAT CONSUME (EAT) OTHER ORGANISMS, INCLUDING PRODUCERS. THESE CAN BE DIVIDED INTO:

-HERBIVORES – EAT ONLY PRODUCERS-OMNIVORES – EAT ALL KINDS OF ORGANISMS-CARNIVORES – DON’T EAT PRODUCERS, JUST CONSUMERS-SCAVENGERS – EAT LEFT OVER PARTS OF

CONSUMERS-DECOMPOSERS – DECOMPOSE REMAINS OF OTHER ORGANISMS

EVERYTHING WE MAKE, MODIFY, OR GROW USES A SYSTEM OR A PROCESS. SINCE WE ARE LIVING IN A CLOSED SYSTEM, WE WOULD HOPE THAT ALL OF OUR SYSTEMS/PROCESSES ARE SUSTAINABLE.

A SUSTAINABLE PROCESS – ONE THAT CAN BE CONTINUED AT THE SAME LEVEL FOR FUTURE GENERATIONS.

SUSTAINABLE – CAPABLE OF BEING CONTINUED

SUSTAINABILE PROCESS

PROCESSRAW MATERIALS

PRODUCTS

WASTE

GOODS AND SERVICES

RENEWABLE AND NON-RENEWABLE RESOURCES

MATERIALS RETURNED TO THE ENVIRONMENT

RENEWABLE RESOURCES – RESOURCES THAT CAN BE REGROWN OR REGENERATED

NONRENEWABLE RESOURCES – RESOURCES THAT ARE LIMITED – ONLY A FINITE AMOUNT EXISTS

CAN YOU GIVE EXAMPLES??

IS OUR CURRENT WAY OF LIFE SUSTAINABLE?

OR, YOU COULD ASK THE QUESTION “IS LIFE SUSTAINABLE?”

DOES ANYONE CARE?

SO, WHERE ARE WE NOW?

IN BIOLOGICAL SYSTEMS, THERE IS A PHENOMENON KNOWN AS CARRYING CAPACITY.

CARRYING CAPACITY REPRESENTS THE MAXIMUM POPULATION THAT AN ENVIRONMENT CAN MAINTAIN FOR A GIVEN SPECIES. WHEN AN ORGANISM’S POPULATION EXCEEDS THE CARRYING CAPACITY, THE ORGANISM’S POPULATION CAN NO LONGER BE MAINTAINED, AND POPULATION DIE-OFF OCCURS.

FACTORS IN NATURE THAT LIMIT CARRYING CAPACITY ARE USUALLY:

- FOOD SUPPLY- PREDATORS- DISEASE- CLIMATE

HUMANS HAVE HAD THE UNIQUE ABILITY TO DEAL WITH THESE LIMITATIONS, SO OUR POPULATION HAS GROWN.

ONE FACTOR WHICH MAY LIMIT GROWTH IN THE FUTURE IS THE RATE AT WHICH WE USE NATURAL RESOURCES.

IN A SENSE, IT IS A CRISIS OF UNSUSTAINABILITY.

THERE ARE TWO PLAYERS IN THE CURRENT CRISIS:

- POPULATION- CONSUMPTION

MANY ENVIRONMENTALISTS THINK THAT WE REACHED UNSUSTAINABLE USE OF NATURAL RESOURCES IN THE MID 1980’S – THAT WE ARE CURRENTLY USING NATURAL RESOURCES AS IF WE HAD 1.4 EARTHS.

HOWEVER, IF EVERYONE LIVED LIKE WE LIVE IN THE U.S., IT WOULD TAKE AT LEAST 2.5 EARTHS TO SUSTAIN OUR LIFE STYLES.

THE WORLD IS OBSESSED WITH ECONOMIC GROWTH.

PEOPLE WANT TO CONSUME.- NOVELTY- USEFULNESS- CONVENIENCE- COMPETITION – WHO CAN HAVE THE MOST

KEY POINT #3: ECONOMIC GROWTH = INCREASED RESOURCE USE

“As population grows, we need more jobs, and that requires growth that becomes more difficult as techlonogical efficiency and productivity improvements drive down the number of people needed to create the goods we produce.” From “The Great Disruption”

AFTER BASIC NEEDS ARE MET, GROWTH HAS NO POSITIVE IMPACT ON QUALITY OF LIFE.

NEW ETHICS:1)EARTH HAS A LIMITED SUPPLY OF RESOURCES.2)HUMANS ARE A PART OF NATURE, SUBJECT TO ITS LAWS.3)SUCCESS STEMS FROM EFFORTS TO COOPERATE WITH THE FORCES OF NATURE.

TRAGEDY OF THE COMMONS – EVEN ARISTOTLE RECOGNIZED THAT PROPERTY SHARED FREELY BY MANY PEOPLE OFTEN RECEIVED THE LEAST CARE.

ENVIRONMENTALISTS USE A TERM CALLED “HUMAN FOOTPRINT” TO TALK ABOUT HOW AN INDIVIDUAL’S LIFESTYLE IMPACTS THE ENVIRONMENT.

THIS CAN BE EXPRESSED TWO WAYS. FIRST, IF EVERYONE ON EARTH LIVED AS YOU LIVE, HOW MANY EARTHS WOULD IT TAKE TO SUPPORT THE POPULATION IN A SUSTAINABLE MANNER.

SECOND, HOW MUCH LAND WOULD IT TAKE TO SUPPLY THE RESOURCES TO SUPPORT YOUR LIFESTYLE IN A SUSTAINABLE MANNER.

THERE ARE SEVERAL SITES THAT HAVE HUMAN FOOTPRINT CALCULATORS. ONE OF THE BETTER ONES IS : http://www.footprintnetwork.org/en/index.php/GFN/

GO TO THIS SITE AND CLICK ON “FOOTPRINT FOR YOU” TO CALCULATE YOUR FOOTPRINT.