Define:

What is the Environment?

The study of how humans interact with the environment

Invasive species???Species that are introduced from another

location and then thrive in the absence of predatorsZebra mussels 1989Give some examples of invasive species

What is environmental science?

Kudzu

Invasive SpeciesHydrilla

To understand and solve environmental problems

Environmental Scientist study two main types of interactions between humans and their environmentHow we use our natural resourcesHow our actions alter our environment

Goals of Environmental Science

The study of how living things interact with each other and with their nonliving environment

Ex: Ecologist may study the relationship between bees and the plants they pollinate

Ex: An environmental scientist may study how the nesting behavior of bees is influenced by human activities such as the planting of suburban landscaping

Ecology

Biology Zoology Botany Microbiology Ecology

Earth Science Geology Paleontology Climatology Hydrology

Physics Engineering

Chemistry Biochemistry Geochemistry

Social Sciences Geography Anthropology Sociology

Major Fields of Study that contribute to Environmental Science

Significant Global environmental problemsCreate a list of local environmental problems

within the realm of global issuesPropose ways to solve local problems

Hold a press conferenceStudents will research a global environmental

issue and hold a press conference

Create an Environmental Problems List

Hunter-Gatherers- people who obtain food by collecting plants and by hunting wild animals or scavenging their remains

Agriculture- the practice of growing, breeding, and caring for plants and animals that are used for food, clothing, housing, transportation and other purposesStarted over 10,000 years ago

Industrial Revolution-

Our environment through time

Allowed human populations to grow at an unprecedented rateAn area of land can support up to 500 times as many people

by farming as by hunting-gatheringPut pressure on local environments

Changed the food we eatFarmers collected seeds that exhibited the qualities they

desiredDomesticated plants became very different from their wild

ancestorsChanged the land

Habitat was destroyedSlash-and-burned agriculture

Soil loss, floods, water shortagesLand farmed poorly-no longer fertile

Agricultural Revolution

1700’s involved a shift from energy sources such as animal muscle and running water to fossil fuels and machines

Changed society and greatly increased the efficiency of agriculture, industry, and transportation

Large scale production became less expensive than locally handmade goods

Transportation of goods across great distancesUrban areas steadily grew

Industrial Revolution

PlasticsFertilizersPesticidesDeforestation

Did this improve the quality of life?

Resource depletionNatural resource- any natural material that is

used by humansRenewable- a resource that can be replaced

relatively quickly by natural processesNonrenewable- a resource that forms at a

much slower rate than the rate that it is consumed

What are our main environmental problems?

Pollution- an undesired change in air, water, or soil that adversely affects the health, survival, or activities of humans or other organisms.Biodegradable pollutants- pollutants that can

be broken down by natural processesHuman sewage, stack of newspapers

Nondegradable pollutants- pollutants that cannot be broken down by natural processesMercury, lead, plastics

…main environmental problems

Loss of biodiversityBiodiversity- the number and variety of species

that live in an areaOrganisms are considered nonrenewable

resources

…main environmental problems

TreesCopperOilEnergy from the sunSoilSaltSandAirCoalWater

What type of resource is this?

Explain how hunter-gatherers affected the environment in which they lived.

Describe the major environmental effects of the agricultural revolution and the Industrial Revolution.

Explain how environmental problems can be local, regional, or global. Give one example of each

Identify an example of a natural source of pollutionHow did the Industrial Revolution affect Human

population growth?Fossil fuels are said to be nonrenewable resources, yet

they are produced by the Earth over millions of years. By what time frame are they considered nonrenewable? Write a paragraph that explains your answer.