Copyright © 2006 Pearson Education, Inc., publishing as Benjamin Cummings PowerPoint ® Slides prepared by Jay Withgott and Heidi Marcum Ch 3 Chapter title Part title PowerPoint ® Slides prepared by Jay Withgott and Heidi Marcum Copyright © 2008 Pearson Education, Inc., publishing as Benjamin Cummings Lesson #3: An Introduction to Environmental Science The Nature of Science & Sustainability and the Future of Our World

Copyright © 2008 Pearson Education, Inc., publishing as Benjamin Cummings Objectives: Define the terms abiotic factors and biotic factors. Understand the scientific method and how science operates. Diagnose and illustrate some of the pressures on the global environment. Evaluate the concepts of sustainability and sustainable development. TED - Worldchanging.com founder Alex Steffen argues that reducing humanity’s ecological footprint is incredibly vital now, as the western consumer lifestyle spreads to developing countries.

Copyright © 2008 Pearson Education, Inc., publishing as Benjamin Cummings  Define Abiotic Factor and Biotic Factor Abiotic Factor - A non-living chemical or physical factor in the environment, such as soil, pH, forest fire, etc. Biotic Factor - A factor created by a living thing or any living component within an environment in which the action of the organism affects the life of another organism, for example a predator consuming its prey.

Copyright © 2008 Pearson Education, Inc., publishing as Benjamin Cummings The nature of science Science: -A systematic process for learning about the world and testing our understanding of it -A dynamic process of observation, testing, and discovery -The accumulated body of knowledge that results from this process Science is essential -To sort fact from fiction -Develop solutions to the problems we face

Copyright © 2008 Pearson Education, Inc., publishing as Benjamin Cummings Applications of science Restoration of forest ecosystems altered by human suppression of fire Policy decisions and management practices Energy-efficient methanol- powered fuel cell car from DaimlerChrysler Technology

Copyright © 2008 Pearson Education, Inc., publishing as Benjamin Cummings  The scientific method  A technique for testing ideas with observations Assumptions: -The universe works according to unchanging natural laws -Events arise from causes, and cause other events -We use our senses and reason to understand nature’s laws  Understand the scientific method and how science operates…

Copyright © 2008 Pearson Education, Inc., publishing as Benjamin Cummings  The scientific method  A scientist makes an observation and asks questions of some phenomenon  The scientist formulates a hypothesis, a statement that attempts to explain the scientific question.  The hypothesis is used to generate predictions, which are specific statements that can be directly and unequivocally tested.  The test results either support or reject the hypothesis  Understand the scientific method and how science operates…

Copyright © 2008 Pearson Education, Inc., publishing as Benjamin Cummings Experiments test the validity of a hypothesis  Manipulative experiments yield the strongest evidence But, lots of things can’t be manipulated  Natural or correlational tests show real-world complexity Results are not so neat and clean, so answers aren’t simply black and white  Understand the scientific method and how science operates…

Copyright © 2008 Pearson Education, Inc., publishing as Benjamin Cummings The scientific process is part of a larger process  The scientific process includes peer review, publication, and debate  A consistently supported hypothesis becomes a theory, a well- tested and widely accepted explanation  With enough data, a paradigm shift – a change in the dominant view – can occur  Understand the scientific method and how science operates…

Copyright © 2008 Pearson Education, Inc., publishing as Benjamin Cummings Population & consumption  Human population growth exacerbates all environmental problems -The growth rate has slowed, but we still add more than 200,000 people to the planet each day  Our consumption of resources has risen even faster than our population growth. -Life has become more pleasant for us so far -However, rising consumption amplifies the demands we make on our environment.  Diagnose and illustrate some of the pressures on the global environment…

Copyright © 2008 Pearson Education, Inc., publishing as Benjamin Cummings Ecological footprints are not all equal The ecological footprints of countries vary greatly -The U.S. footprint is almost 5 times greater than the world’s average -Developing countries have much smaller footprints than developed countries

Copyright © 2008 Pearson Education, Inc., publishing as Benjamin Cummings We face challenges in agriculture  Expanded food production led to increased population and consumption (i.e., industrial agriculture) It’s one of humanity’s greatest achievements, but at an enormous environmental cost Nearly half of the planet’s land surface is used for agriculture Chemical fertilizers Pesticides Erosion Changed natural systems  Diagnose and illustrate some of the pressures on the global environment…

Copyright © 2008 Pearson Education, Inc., publishing as Benjamin Cummings We face challenges in pollution  Waste products and artificial chemicals used in farms, industries, and households Each year, millions of people die from pollution  Diagnose and illustrate some of the pressures on the global environment…

Copyright © 2008 Pearson Education, Inc., publishing as Benjamin Cummings We face challenges in climate  Scientists have firmly concluded that humans are changing the composition of the atmosphere The Earth’s surface is warming Melting glaciers Rising sea levels Impacted wildlife and crops Increasingly destructive weather Since the Industrial Revolution, atmospheric carbon dioxide concentrations have risen by 37%, to the highest level in 650,000 years  Diagnose and illustrate some of the pressures on the global environment…

Copyright © 2008 Pearson Education, Inc., publishing as Benjamin Cummings We face challenges in biodiversity  Human actions have driven many species extinct, and biodiversity is declining dramatically We are at the onset of a mass extinction event Biodiversity loss may be our biggest environmental problem; once a species is extinct, it is gone forever  Diagnose and illustrate some of the pressures on the global environment…

Copyright © 2008 Pearson Education, Inc., publishing as Benjamin Cummings The Millennium Ecosystem Assessment The most comprehensive scientific assessment of the condition of the world’s ecological systems Major findings: Humans have drastically altered ecosystems These changes have contributed to human well- being and economic development, but at a cost Environmental degradation could get much worse Degradation can be reversed, but it requires work

Copyright © 2008 Pearson Education, Inc., publishing as Benjamin Cummings Our energy choices will affect our future The lives we live today are due to fossil fuels Machines Chemicals Transportation Products  Fossil fuels are a one-time bonanza; supplies will certainly decline We have used up ½ of the world’s oil supplies; how will we handle this imminent fossil fuel shortage?  Diagnose and illustrate some of the pressures on the global environment…

Copyright © 2008 Pearson Education, Inc., publishing as Benjamin Cummings Sustainable solutions exist We must develop solutions that protect both our quality of life and the environment Organic agriculture Technology -Reduces pollution Biodiversity -Protect species Waste disposal -Recycling Alternative fuels

Copyright © 2008 Pearson Education, Inc., publishing as Benjamin Cummings Are things getting better or worse? Many people think environmental conditions are better Cornucopians: Human ingenuity will solve any problem Some think things are much worse in the world Cassandras: predict doom and disaster How can you decide who is correct? Are the impacts limited to humans, or are other organisms or systems involved? Are the proponents thinking in the long or short term? Are they considering all costs and benefits?

Copyright © 2008 Pearson Education, Inc., publishing as Benjamin Cummings Sustainability: a goal for the future How can humans live within the planet’s means? -Humans cannot exist without functioning natural systems  Sustainability -Leaves future generations with a rich and full Earth -Conserves the Earth’s natural resources -Maintains fully functioning ecological systems  Sustainable development: the use of resources to satisfy current needs without compromising future availability of resources  Evaluate the concepts of sustainability and sustainable development…

Copyright © 2008 Pearson Education, Inc., publishing as Benjamin Cummings Will we develop in a sustainable way? The triple bottom line: sustainable solutions that meet -Environmental goals -Economic goals -Social goals Requires that humans apply knowledge from the sciences to -Limit environmental impacts -Maintain functioning ecological systems

Copyright © 2008 Pearson Education, Inc., publishing as Benjamin Cummings Due Next Class… Chapter 1 Multiple Choice Questions Due Chapter 1 Quiz Interpreting Graphs and Data Exercise Sheet

Copyright © 2008 Pearson Education, Inc., publishing as Benjamin Cummings TED Video Alex Steffen Sees A Sustainable Future (17:31) Alex Steffen is cofounder and executive editor of WorldChanging.com, an online clearinghouse of information and inspiration on the environment. “I think better things are on the way.”

Copyright © 2006 Pearson Education, Inc., publishing as Benjamin Cummings PowerPoint ® Slides prepared by Jay Withgott and Heidi Marcum Ch 3 Chapter title Part title PowerPoint ® Slides prepared by Jay Withgott and Heidi Marcum Copyright © 2008 Pearson Education, Inc., publishing as Benjamin Cummings Lesson #4: Interpreting Graphs and Data

Copyright © 2008 Pearson Education, Inc., publishing as Benjamin Cummings Objectives: Define the term sustainability. Review Chapter 1 Multiple Choice Questions In class exercise to help build quantitative and analytical skills in reading graphs and making sense of data.

Copyright © 2008 Pearson Education, Inc., publishing as Benjamin Cummings  Define Sustainability A guiding principle of environmental science that requires us to live in such a way as to maintain Earth’s systems and natural resources for the foreseeable future.

Copyright © 2008 Pearson Education, Inc., publishing as Benjamin Cummings Review Chapter 1 Multiple Choice Questions

Copyright © 2008 Pearson Education, Inc., publishing as Benjamin Cummings Interpreting Graphs and Data Environmental scientist study phenomena that range in size from individual molecules to the entire Earth and that occur over time periods lasting from fractions of a second to billions of years. To simultaneously and meaningfully represent data covering so many orders of magnitude, scientist have devised a variety of mathematical and graphical techniques, such as exponential notation and logarithmic scales. Below are two graphical representations of the same data, representing the growth of a hypothetical population from an initial size of 10 individuals at a rate of increase of approximately 2.3% per generation. The graph in part (a) uses a conventional linear scale for the population size; the graph in part (b) uses a logarithmic scale.

Copyright © 2008 Pearson Education, Inc., publishing as Benjamin Cummings Interpreting Graphs and Data 1) Using the graph in part (a), what would you say was the population size after 200 generations? After 600? After 800? After 900? Graph (a): 0; 0; 1 billion; 10 billion

Copyright © 2008 Pearson Education, Inc., publishing as Benjamin Cummings Interpreting Graphs and Data 1) How would you answer the same questions using the graph in part (b)? After 200 generations? After 600? After 800? After 900? Graph (b): 1,000; 10,000,000; 1 billion; 10 billion.

Copyright © 2008 Pearson Education, Inc., publishing as Benjamin Cummings Interpreting Graphs and Data 2) What impression does the graph in part (a) give about population change for the first 600 generations? Graph (a) gives the impression that the population does not grow at all during the first 600 generations,

Copyright © 2008 Pearson Education, Inc., publishing as Benjamin Cummings Interpreting Graphs and Data 2) What impression does the graph in part (b) give about population change for the first 600 generations? Graph (b) gives the impression that the population is growing at a constant rate.

Copyright © 2008 Pearson Education, Inc., publishing as Benjamin Cummings Interpreting Graphs and Data 2) What impression does the graph in part (a) give about population change for the last 100 generations? Graph (a) gives the impression that the population grows exceedingly quickly during the last 100 generations.

Copyright © 2008 Pearson Education, Inc., publishing as Benjamin Cummings Interpreting Graphs and Data 2) What impression does the graph in part (b) give about population change for the last 100 generations? Graph (b) gives the impression that the population grows at a constant rate.

Copyright © 2008 Pearson Education, Inc., publishing as Benjamin Cummings Interpreting Graphs and Data 3) What advantages and disadvantages might there be in using a linear graph like the one in part (a)? A linear graph like part (a) gives an accurate idea of the relative rate of change at one time versus another, when the rate of change is highly variable, or when it occurs at a large scale.

Copyright © 2008 Pearson Education, Inc., publishing as Benjamin Cummings Interpreting Graphs and Data 3) What advantages and disadvantages might there be in using a linear graph like the one in part (b)? A logarithmic graph like part (b) shows greater accuracy at small scales, but obscures the acceleration in amount of change.