PART I: HUMANS AND SUSTAINABILITY CHAPTER 1: ENVIRONMENTAL PROBLEMS, THEIR CAUSES, AND SUSTAINABILITY

Billions of people ? ? ? million years Hunting and gathering Black Death–the Plague Time Industrial revolution Agricultural revolution B.C.A.D. THE WORLD IS IN AN EXPONENTIAL AGE

World total Developing countries Developed countries Population (billions) Year THIS CENTURY POPULATION GROWTH WILL OCCUR IN DEVELOPING COUNTRIES

Solar Energy is perpetual Air Water Soil Energy Minerals RESOURCES OR NATURAL CAPITAL Population Control Nutrient Recycling Climate Control Pollution Control Waste Treatment Biodiversity Pest & Disease Control SERVICES

Resources PerpetualNonrenewable Renewable Fresh air Fresh water Fertile soil Plants and animals (biodiversity) Direct solar energy Winds, tides, flowing water Fossil fuels Metallic minerals Non- metallic minerals (iron, copper, aluminum) (clay, sand, phosphates) RESOURCES ARE: 1.PERPETUAL; 2.RENEWABLE; OR, 3. NON-RENEWABLE

WAYS TO MEASURE (CURRENT $) ECONOMIC GROWTH, DEVELOPMENT, POVERTY AND GLOBALIZATION GROSS NATIONAL INCOME (PRODUCT) (GNI) is the market value in of all goods and services produced in and outside of a country during a year (contrast with Gross Domestic Product). GROSS WORLD PRODUCT (GWP) is the market value of all goods and services produced in the world during a year. GNI IN PURCHASING POWER PARITY (GNI PPP) is the market value of a country's GNI in terms of goods and services it would buy in U.S. This is a good way to compare living standards among countries. GENUINE PROGRESS INDICATOR (GPI) evaluates economic output by subtracting expenses that do not improve the environment from the GDP and adding services that improve the environment not currently in the GDP.

United States The Netherlands India Country Per Capita 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

Time Resource production Area under curve equals the total amount of the resource. Economic depletion (80% used up) NON-RENEWABLE RESOURCE USE AND DEPLETION FOLLOWS A PREDICTABLE PATTERN

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

Rapid population growth Unsustainable resource use Poverty Not including the environmental costs of economic goods and services in their market prices Trying to manage and simplify nature with too little knowledge about how it works FIVE BASIC CAUSES OF ENVIRONMENTAL PROBLEMS MILLER IGNORES NO EDUCATION, GENDER/RACE DISCRIMINATION AND WAR AS CAUSES

Earth’s Life-Support SystemHuman Culturesphere Air (atmosphere) Water (hydrosphere) Soil and rocks (lithosphere) Life (biosphere) PopulationTechnology EconomicsPolitics ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE INVOLVES THE INTERACTION OF NATURAL RESOURCES AND SERVICES WITH HUMAN SOCIETIES. THIS SEPARATES IT FROM ECOLOGY

3 Harvesting for 2 to 5 years 1 Clearing and burning vegetation 2 Planting 4 Allowing to revegetate 10 to 30 years SLASH/BURN PRACTICES IN TROPICAL FORESTS INVOLVE A CONTEMPORARY TYPE OF NOMADIC/AGRICULTURAL LIFE STYLE THAT FORMERLY WAS HARMLESS, BUT TODAY IS ENVIRONMENTALLY DESTRUCTIVE

Figure 1-14 Page 14 Agricultural Revolution Bad NewsGood News More Food Supported a larger population Higher standard of living for many people Longer life expectancy Formation of villages, towns, and cities Towns and cities served as centers for trade, government, and religion Destruction of wildlife habitats from clearing forests and grasslands Killing of wild animals feeding on grass or crops Fertile land turned into desert by livestock overgrazing Soil eroded into streams and lakes Towns and cities concentrated wasted and pollution and increased spread of diseases Increase in armed conflict and slavery over ownership of land and water resources THIS IS A HIGH ENERGY & RESOURCE INDUSTRY THAT IS PRODUCTIVE BUT NOT SUSTAINABLE

Figure 1-15 Page 14 Industrial Revolution Bad NewsGood News Mass production useful and affordable products Higher standard of living For many Greatly increased agricultural production Lower infant mortality Longer life expectancy Increased Urbanization Lower rate of population growth Increased water pollution Increased air pollution Increased waste production Soil depletion and degradation Groundwater depletion Habitat destruction and degradation Biodiversity depletion STARTED 200 YEARS AGO SUPPORTS THE AGRICULTURAL GREEN REVOLUTION

Figure 1-16 Page 15 Information Revolution Bad NewsGood News Computer- generated models and maps of the earth’s environmental systems Remote sensing satellite surveys the world’s environmental systems Ability to respond to environmental problems more effectively and rapidly Information overload can cause confusion and sense of hopelessness Globalized economy can increase environmental degradation by homogenizing the the earth’s surface Globalized economy can decrease cultural diversity

Figure 1-17 Page 16 Pollution cleanup Waste disposal (bury or burn) Protecting species Environmental degradation Increased resource use Population growth Depleting and degrading natural capital Sustainability Emphasis Current Emphasis Pollution prevention (cleaner production) Waste prevention and reduction Protecting where species live (habitat protection) Environmental restoration Less wasteful (more efficient) resource use Population stabilization by decreasing birth rates Protecting natural capital and living off the biological interest it provides THE METHODS AND TECHNOLOGY FOR ACHIEVING SUSTAINABILITY EXIST