Spaceship Earth

Spaceship Earth User Manual What does any planet need in order to sustain a large diversity of organisms? What makes Earth so special in the Cosmos? With a partner, write down as many planetary features as you can that support and sustains life.

What does life need? Clean Air (with oxygen a plus) Clean Water (both fresh and salt) Sunlight for photosynthesis and water cycle Organic molecules Ambient temperatures (not too hot or cold) Cycling of nutrients

The Story of Homo sapiens Hunter - Gatherer Agriculture 100,000 Y.A. - PRESENT10,000 YA - PRESENT ~10,000 YA QUESTIONS: 1)How did both lifestyles interact with their environments? 2)What benefits could agriculture bring that hunting/gathering couldn’t?

H/G- – Killed wild game – Foraged for wild plants – Made shelters from natural materials Agri- – Cut down forests to create farm fields – Stored extra Farming can produce more food than that population needed Didn’t have to scramble for food on a daily basis Convenience! What benefits could agriculture bring that hunting/gathering couldn’t? How did both lifestyles interact with their environments?

The Story of Homo sapiens Agriculture 10,000 YA - PRESENT ~250 YA QUESTIONS: 3)What benefits could industry bring that agriculture couldn’t? Industrial 250 YA - PRESENT

What benefits could industry bring that agriculture couldn’t? Wealth $$$ More stuff- technology, goods, services Longer lifespan Better transportation MORE CONVENIENCE!!!

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But I love my modern life! Modern day, industrialized living uses a tremendous amount of NATURAL RESOURCES Agricultural societies use less Hunter-gatherers tread even more lightly

Ecological Footprint The total land area required for you to live the way you do Represented in acres or hectares

What is a natural resource? With a partner…. – Create a list of natural resources Americans need to survive in the 21 st century – Put a (*) next to any resources that can be regenerated naturally (renewable) – Put a (^) next to any resources that can only be used once and do not regenerate naturally (nonrenewable)

Developed vs Developing Developed Wealthier Slower population growth Industrialized Social Support Systems in place Higher ecological footprint Developing Not as wealthy Higher population growth Agricultural No social support systems, government instability Lower ecological footprint

The Environment and Society

So what is the goal?

Don’t break the spaceship!

Sustainability Using resources in such a way that human populations can survive indefinitely. Now, our modern society is NOT sustainable – Environmental Science advocates for WISE USE of resources – Learning about how Earth operates will prove how reckless we are being as a species

Good Terms to Know Natural Resource Renewable resource Nonrenewable resource Sustainability Law of Supply and Demand

Exit Question The fundamental environmental issue is A.Air Pollution B.Water Pollution C.Loss of habitat D.Non-renewable resources E.Human population growth

The Answer is… E. Human population growth ecology2011tamara2011sp.wordpress.com