1. Philosophy and Fundamental Concepts
Part 2: Culture and Environmental Awareness

2. Culture and Environmental Awareness
What is this? What is its significance?
Present conditions and the way we perceive and respond to our physical environment are developed from cultural and social institutions
Political
Economic
Ethical
Religious
Aesthetic
Solution to environmental issues/problems require change in how society works (e.g, similar to industrial revolution)

3. Environmental Ethics What does this mean?
Environmental “consciousness”
Existence of relationships between the physical environment and civilization
Motivation for concept? e.g., “The Quiet Crisis”
Land Ethic: Responsibility to the total environment as well as society
Meaning / scope?
Limits?
Perspective

4. Environmental Crisis Meaning? Factors
Increasing demands on diminishing resources
Demands accelerate as the population grows
Increasing production of wastes
Factors
Overpopulation
Urbanization
Industrialization
Low regard for environmental/land ethics
Inadequacy of institutions to cope with environmental stresses

5. Environmental Crisis: Examples
Deforestation
Mining of resources (e.g., metals, coal, petroleum)
Development/damage to groundwater and surface water resources

6. Eight Fundamental Concepts
1. Overpopulation = #1 environmental problem
2. Environmental objective = sustainability
3a The earth is (essentially) a closed system with respect to materials
3b Solutions to environmental problems require understanding of feedback and rates of change in systems
4a. The earth is the only sustainable habitat we have
4b. It’s resources are limited
5. Today’s physical processes are modifying our landscape (and environment), and have operated throughout geologic time; but magnitude and frequency are subject to natural and man-induced changes
Earth processes that are hazardous to people have always existed
An understanding of our environment requires an understanding of the earth sciences (and related disciplines)
The effects of land use tend to be cumulative. Thus, we have an obligation to those who follow us.

7. Fundamental Concepts Population Growth Sustainability Systems
Limitation of Resources
Uniformitarianism
Hazardous Earth Processes
Geology as a Basic Environmental Science
Obligation to the Future

8. Population Growth
Greatest environmental problem
Exponential growth

9. Exponential Growth

10. Growth Rate Calculations
As a percentage (e.g., 2% per year)
E.G. for a population of 100,000 (105)
After yr-1, increase = 0.02 x 105 = 2,000
Total population now =102,000
After yr-2, increase = 0.02 x (102,000)= 2,040
Population now = 104,040
Doubling Time
Roughly = 70 ÷ growth rate
E.G. for a growth rate of 2%
Doubling time  70 ÷ 2 = 35 years
Standard growth equation: N=Noekt
see pg. 16

11. Fundamental Concepts Population Growth Sustainability Systems
Limitation of Resources
Uniformitarianism
Hazardous Earth Processes
Geology as a Basic Environmental Science
Obligation to the Future

12. Sustainability Concept of “sustainability” = ?
Sustain environmental resources so they can continue to provide benefits to people and the environment
Ensuring equal opportunity to resources for future generations
Types of development that:
Are economically viable
Do not “harm” the environment
Socially just
Sustainable global economy (of planet & its resources)

13. Fundamental Concepts Population Growth Sustainability Systems
Limitation of Resources
Uniformitarianism
Hazardous Earth Processes
Geology as a Basic Environmental Science
Obligation to the Future

14. Systems System: Any part of the universe selected for study
Concept of “systems”
Earth as “a system” (w/ component systems):
Atmosphere (air)
Hydrosphere (water)
Lithosphere (rock, soil)
Biosphere (life)
Interactions of these parts = conditions of the environment
Changes in magnitude or frequency of processes in one part causes changes in other parts, e.g., ?

15. Earth “Cycles””

16. Systems: Principle of Environmental Unity
Everything affects everything else, e.g.:
Mountain building affects atmosphere, weather, which affects hydrosphere, which affects biosphere, which affects environment, and eventually the lithosphere (e.g., erosion)
Gaia Hypothesis (later; also see pg. 18)

17. System Factors/Components
Type of system (open, closed, etc.)
Stock (reservoir): quantity of stuff there
Fluxes (e.g., flow rate)
Input
Output

18. Types of Systems
Open: Allows matter and energy in and out (e.g., environment)
Closed: Allows only energy in and out
Isolated: Allows neither matter or energy to enter or leave

19. Input-Output Analysis
Dynamic systems have inputs & outputs
System parameters:
Stock/pool
Rates (fluxes)
Input
Output
Others

20. Main ways stocks can change

21. Residence Time
Measure of time required for the total stock or supply of material to be cycled through a system
Calculation of average residence time (ARD)
Assumming constant size, rates, etc.
ARD = (size of stock) ÷ avg. rate of transfer
e.g., For a 100-million m3 reservoir with equal input & output rates of 1 m3/sec
ARD = 100x106 m3/(1 m3/sec) = 1.0 x 108 sec = 3.2 yrs

22. Significance? Recognition of earth systems, cycles, processes
Magnitude of cycle times
Rates of natural processes

25. Features of Systems
Most earth systems would appear to be open, and dynamic
BUT, natural cycles more closely represent combinations of “closed” systems, because materials are continuously recycled (water, gases, chemicals, etc.)
Most dynamic systems tend toward steady state (“balanced” dynamics; pseudo equilibrium)
What are some examples of systems in, or that influence, the environment?

26. System Feedback
Negative: System adjusts to changed conditions to reestablish “steady state”, e.g., river
Positive: Changes in a system that cause significant modifications of a system, and result in amplification of the changes

27. Feedback Examples

28. Off-road vehicle erosion = what type of feedback?

29. Slope modification, erosion, stability = what type of feedback?

30. Earth “System” Science
Typically involves complex systems
Systems interact with one another
Interactions generally result in a “balance of nature” (steady state)
Types of “changes”
Disturbances (flood, earthquake)
Threshold (resistance of a river bank)
Complex response (flood erosion)
Examples of complex systems, feedback, etc.?

31. Gaia Hypothesis
Life significantly affects the planetary environment, i.e., has dynamic vs. passive effects (feedback)
Life affects the environment for the betterment of life (regulation processes, e.g., plankton controls of atmospheric O2 and CO2)
Life controls the global environment (e.g., regulation via + and - feedback)

32. Fundamental Concepts Population Growth Sustainability Systems
Limitation of Resources
Uniformitarianism
Hazardous Earth Processes
Geology as a Basic Environmental Science
Obligation to the Future

33. Resource Limitations?
The earth is the only place we can live that is now available/accessible to us
The earth’s resources are limited
Some are renewable others aren’t
Two Views:
Issue of resources is mainly one of our ability to figure out how to optimize our utilization of them
We are in a resource crisis because finite resources cannot sustain an exponential population growth
Logical extrapolations?

34. Fundamental Concepts Population Growth Sustainability Systems
Limitation of Resources
Uniformitarianism
Hazardous Earth Processes
Geology as a Basic Environmental Science
Obligation to the Future

35. Uniformitarianism
There is uniformity in the physical and chemical principles of geology (though not necessarily in the rates of processes)
“The present is the key to the past”
We can gain understanding of geologic processes, systems, etc. in the past by understanding how they work today
Examples:
Mountain building/topography/landscape
Erosion
Water cycles
Climate
Relationships between life & environment

36. Uniformitarianism con’t
Key concept in interpreting geologic observations, e.g.,
Glacial processes
Marine fossils on mountain tops
Volcanism elsewhere in the solar system
Ore, petroleum deposits
Key for using geologic knowledge to understand natural earth processes in historical and predictive modes

37. Fundamental Concepts Population Growth Sustainability Systems
Limitation of Resources
Uniformitarianism
Hazardous Earth Processes
Geology as a Basic Environmental Science
Obligation to the Future

38. Hazardous Earth Processes
Examples:
Flooding
Earthquakes
Volcanism
Landslides / mudslides
Dealing with natural hazards requires an understanding of the processes, factors, and their relationships to other earth systems

39. Fundamental Concepts Population Growth Sustainability Systems
Limitation of Resources
Uniformitarianism
Hazardous Earth Processes
Geology as a Basic Environmental Science
Obligation to the Future

40. Geology as a Basic Environmental Science
All geology can be considered environmental
The environment and our understanding of it, is rooted in geology (together with biology,etc.)
Understanding our environment requires a broad-based comprehension and appreciation of the earth sciences
Main factors in interdisciplinary environmental science:
Physical
Biological
(Chemical)
Human use and interest

41. Fundamental Concepts Population Growth Sustainability Systems
Limitation of Resources
Uniformitarianism
Hazardous Earth Processes
Geology as a Basic Environmental Science
Obligation to the Future

42. Obligation to the Future
Effects of land use tend to be cumulative
This use, and what mankind continues do, have important implications for those who follow us
Example: Ducktown, Tenn.

43. Ducktown, TN

44. Chapter Summary Environmental Geology = ?
Consideration of time in geologic sciences
Cultural basis for environmental degradation (explain)
Ethical
Economic
Political
Religious
Environmental problems not confined to any one political or social system
Land ethic = ?
Immediate cause of environmental crisis:
Overpopulation
Urbanization
Industrialization
(what do these mean; what’s the relationship?)

45. Chapter Summary con’t Environmental “Problems” mean what?
Solutions to environmental problems require what?
Scientific understanding (of what?)
Fostering social, economic, and ethical behavior to allow implementation (Explain)

46. Eight Fundamental Concepts
1. Overpopulation = #1 environmental problem
2. Environmental objective = sustainability
3a The earth is (essentially) a closed system with respect to materials
3b Solutions to environmental problems include understanding of feedback and rates of change in systems
4a. The earth is the only sustainable habitat we have
4b. It’s resources are limited
5. Today’s physical processes are modifying our landscape (and environment), and have operated throughout geologic time; but magnitude and frequency are subject to natural and man-induced changes
6. Earth processes that are hazardous to people have always existed
7. An understanding of our environment requires an understanding of the earth sciences (and related disciplines)
8. The effects of land use tend to be cumulative. Thus, we have an obligation to those who follow us.

47. Learning Objectives Meaning of “Environmental Geology”
Scientific Method
Cultural/Environmental Awareness
Environmental Ethics
Environmental Crisis?
Sustainability
Systems; Environmental Unity
Uniformitarianism