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) Key Players: Paul Watson, founder of Green Peace, Conservationist, Environmentalist Nan Howser, Marine Biologist, Environmental Scientist

Orphaned Elephants- Conservationist at Work

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 Resources

Renewable Resources

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 elsewhere 2. try to recycle or reuse existing supply 3. waste less 4. use less 5. try to develop a substitute 6. wait millions of years for more to be produced

Pollution Pollution is an undesirable change in the natural environment that is caused by the introduction of substances that are harmful to living organisms or by excessive wastes, heat, noise, or radiationPollution is an undesirable change in the natural environment that is caused by the introduction of substances that are harmful to living organisms or by excessive wastes, heat, noise, or radiation Biodegradable - can be broken down by natural processes (newspaper)Biodegradable - can be broken down by natural processes (newspaper) Nondegradable - cannot be broken down by natural processes (mercury)Nondegradable - cannot be broken down by natural processes (mercury)

Air Pollution in the U.S.

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 China’s Air Pollution quality-forces-beijing-residents-indoors http://abcnews.go.com/WNT/video/hazardous-air- quality-forces-beijing-residents-indoors forces-20-million-people-indoors http://abcnews.go.com/WNT/video/beijing-air-pollution- forces-20-million-people-indoors

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

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Loss of Biodiversity Biodiversity is the variety of organisms in a given area, the genetic variation within a population, the variety of species in a community, or the variety of communities in an ecosystem.Biodiversity is the variety of organisms in a given area, the genetic variation within a population, the variety of species in a community, or the variety of communities in an ecosystem. Scientists think if the current extinction rates continue, it may cause problems for the human population.Scientists think if the current extinction rates continue, it may cause problems for the human population. Many people also argue that all species have potential economic, scientific, & recreational value.Many people also argue that all species have potential economic, scientific, & recreational value.

Saving the Spoon Bill Sandpiper

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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 Major Environmental Problems

What are the two root causes of environmental problems? 1. Population Pressures - The human population is growing too quickly for the local environment to support.1. Population Pressures - The human population is growing too quickly for the local environment to support. 2. Consumption Trends - People are using up, wasting or polluting natural resources faster than they can be renewed, replaced or cleaned up.2. Consumption Trends - People are using up, wasting or polluting natural resources faster than they can be renewed, replaced or cleaned up.

World Population Billions of people ? ? ? million years Hunting and gathering Black Death–the Plague Time Industrial revolution Agricultural revolution B.C.A.D. Fig. 1.1, p. 2

Consumption Trends 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 Mean

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 Grid

Two views on Environmental Sustainability 1 st 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. 2 nd 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 not sustainableour current world is not sustainable Achieving a sustainable world requires everyone’s participation including individual citizens, industry, and the government.Achieving a sustainable world requires everyone’s participation including individual citizens, industry, and the government. xGridModulehttp:// xGridModule texans-livelihoods/?tag=showDoorFlexGridRight;flexGridModulehttp:// texans-livelihoods/?tag=showDoorFlexGridRight;flexGridModule as-drought-continues/?tag=showDoorFlexGridRight;flexGridModulehttp:// as-drought-continues/?tag=showDoorFlexGridRight;flexGridModule

Ecological Footprint An ecological footprint is one way to express the differences in consumption between nations.An ecological footprint is one way to express the differences in consumption between nations. Shows how much land is needed to support one person in that country.Shows how much land is needed to support one person in that country.

Ecological Footprint United States The Netherlands India Country Per Captia Ecological Footprint (Hectares of land per person) Country Total Ecological Footprint (Hectares) United States The Netherlands India 3 billion hectares 94 million hectares 1 billion hectares Fig. 1.10, p 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

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