1. Science and the Environment
Chapter 1

2. UNDERSTANDING OUR ENVIRONMENT
Section one:
UNDERSTANDING OUR ENVIRONMENT

3. Understanding the Environment
The environment is everything around us.
Nature
Man made things
Complex relationships that connect the world and us.

4. Understanding the Environment cont.
Environmental Science is multidisciplinary.
Involves many fields of study.
Ecology
Chemistry
Geology
Zoology/botany
Paleontology
Social sciences (economics, law, politics, etc).

6. Scientists and Citizens
Many times, the science studied by professionals are the findings of everyday citizens.
Three legged frogs of lakes in Minnesota were first discovered by middle school students.

7. Our Environment through time
Environmental change is not a modern concept.
Wherever humans hunt, grow food, settle, environmental change occurs.
This is a painting of what Manhattan probably looked like 300 hundred years ago (A ‘blink’ in human history)

8. Our Environment through time
For most of human history, people were hunter-gatherers.
Small groups, migrated. Even today, they still exist in remote parts of the world.
Modern hunter-gatherer
group in New Guinea,
island off the coast of
Australia

9. Hunter-gatherers
What are some ways that hunter- gatherers have impacted their environment?
Hunting bison and other grazers
May have lead to the disappearance of larger mammals.
Helped to spread plants to areas where the plants didn’t exist.
Set fires to prevent tree growth.

10. Agricultural Revolution
Following the hunter-gatherer period.
Collected seeds, domesticated animals.
People stopped migrating and built farms.
Population started to grow at an unprecedented rate.
Grasslands, forests, and wetlands were replaced with farmland.
Destroyed natural habitats.

11. Industrial Revolution
Mid 1700’s the use of human and animal muscle and water power changed over to use of fossil fuels (coal, oil and natural gas).
Greatly increased the efficiency of agriculture, industry, and transportation.
Increased sanitation, nutrition and medical care.
Populations grew
Pollution increased
Habitat loss increased
In the 1900’s modern societies increased their use of artificial substances (plastics, fertilizers, pesticides)

12. Earth is a closed system
Earth has a limited amount of resources.
The only things that enter Earth’s atmosphere in large amounts are energy and the only thing to leave in large amounts is heat.
Environmental problems
can occur on different
scales.
Local, regional, or global.

13. The Agricultural and Industrial Revolutions
Both allowed the human population to grow at a much faster rate then ever before.
Development of modern medicine and sanitation systems perpetuated the problem of population growth.
Before 1700 population stayed relatively constant. After 1700 human population grew at an exponential rate.

14. Human Population Growth

15. What are our main Environmental Problems?
Resource depletion
Renewable vs. nonrenewable resources.
When does a resource switch from being renewable to non?
Pollution
What types are there?
Biodegradable Pollutants- can be
broken down by natural processes.
Ex: Sewage and newspaper
Nondegradable Pollutants- such
as mercury, lead, some plastics
Loss of biodiversity
Number and variety of species.
Where is the most/least
biodiversity found on Earth?

16. THE ENVIRONMENT AND SOCIETY
Section two:
THE ENVIRONMENT AND SOCIETY

17. Tragedy of the Commons Discovered by Hardin
He found that when animals were left to graze on common land, people tended to graze as many as possible which degraded land.
He also found the opposite to be true: When common land was fenced off to individual owners, they only grazed as many animals as the land could support.

19. How do we share common goods?
Hardin did not consider the point that humans are social beings.
Together, we can plan, organize, consider scientific evidence, and propose solutions.
What ever the solution, may override the needs of the individual, but will improve the environment for everyone in the long term.

20. Economics Supply and demand: Cost-benefits analysis: Risk assessment:
The greater the demand for a limited supply of something the more that something is worth.
What are some examples of supply and demand in today’s society?
Cost-benefits analysis:
Balances the cost of an action against the benefits one expects from it.
Risk assessment:
Depending upon who is evaluating the risk, the results may be different.
Public views risk of nuclear power differently than the scientific communiy.

21. Developed vs. Developing
Higher average incomes
Slower population growth
Diverse industrial economies
Stronger social support systems
US, Japan, countries of Western Europe…
Lower average incomes
Simple and agriculturally based incomes
Rapid population growth
Parts of Africa, India, middle East…

22. Population and Consumption
Two root problems:
Human population in some areas is growing too quickly for the local environment to support it.
People are using up, wasting, or polluting many natural resources faster than they can be renewed.
One way to express the differences in consumption between nations is an Ecological Footprint.
Calculation of the amount of land and resources needed to support one person from a particular country.

23. Sustainability and Stewardship
Sustainability: human needs are met in such a way that a human population can survive indefinitely.
Stewardship: The careful and responsible management of something entrusted to one’s care (usually not at their own benefit).