1. Environmental Problems, Their Causes, and Sustainability
Chapter 1 : APES
Ms. Miller

2. Key Concepts Growth and Sustainability Resources and Resource Use
Pollution
Causes of Environmental Problems

3. Living More Sustainably
Ecology—biological science that studies the
relationships between living organisms and their
environment

4. Environmental Science—interdisciplinary study that uses information from both physical sciences and social sciences to learn how the earth works

5. Sustainable Society—society that meets the basic resource needs of its people indefinitely without degrading or depleting the natural capital that supplies these resources

6. What Keeps Us Alive? Capital
Solar
Natural
Fig. 1-2, p. 7

7. Population Growth Exponential Growth Doubling Time/ Rule of 70:
70/ %growth rate=doubling time
Fig. 1-4, p. 8

8. World Population
Fig. 1-1 p. 5

9. Economic Growth
Economic Growth—increase in the capacity of a country to provide people with goods and services
Gross Domestic Product (GDP)—annual market value of all goods and services produced in a country
Per Capita GNP—GDP divided by total population at midyear

10. Economic Development
Developed Countries—high average per capita GDP and highly industrialized (United States, Canada, Japan, Australia New Zealand and countries of Europe)
Developing Countries—low average per capita GDP and/or not highly industrialized (most in Africa, Asia, and Latin America)

11. Globalization Globalization—process of social, economic,
and environmental global changes that lead to an increasingly interconnected world
Social—increasing exchange of people and modern communications and human mobility
Economic—increases in international trade
Environmental Effects—decentralized network allows for sustainability on a global scale

12. Resources Perpetual Renewable Non-renewable (continuously renewed)
(replenished rapidly;
Hoursseveral decades)
Non-renewable
(exist in a fixed quantity)
Fig. 1-6 p. 9

13. Renewable Resources
Sustainable Yield—highest rate a renewable resource can be used indefinitely without reducing supply
Environmental Degradation—exceeding a renewable resource’s natural replacement rate
Tragedy of the Commons—(Garett Hardin)—explanation of environmental degradation that if “I” do not use the resource, “Someone else will”

14. Ecological Footprint
Per capita ecological footprint is the amount of biologically productive land and water needed to supply each person with renewable resources to use and to absorb or dispose of wastes
Fig. 1-7 p. 10

15. Non-Renewable Resources
Energy Resources (coal, oil, natural gas)
Metallic Resources (iron, copper, aluminum)
Non-Metallic Resources
(salt, clay, sand)
Economic Depletion
Fig. 1-8 p. 11
Reuse (use again
in the same form)
Recycle (process of turning waste into new product

16. Dealing With Pollution
Prevention (Input Control)—reduces or eliminates production of pollutants
Cleanup (Output Control)—cleaning up or diluting pollutants after they have been produced

17. Environmental and Resource Problems
Major Problems (See Fig p. 13)
Five Root Causes

18. Environmental Impact
Fig p. 15

19. Environmental Interactions
Fig p. 15

20. Environmental Worldviews
PlanetaryManagement/Cornucopianism/
Resourcism (some consumer’s belief)
We are most important species and thus in charge of nature
We will not run out of resources because of our ability to develop and find new ones
Potential for global economic growth is essentially unlimited
Success depends upon how we manage earth (mainly for our benefit)

22. Stewardship Worldview (another perspective)
We are the most important species and must care for other species
We will probably not run out of resources but do not waste them
We should encourage environmentally beneficial forms of economic growth and discourage harmful forms
Our success depends on how well we can manage earth’s life support for our benefit as well as for the rest of nature

23. Environmental Wisdom Worldview
1) Nature exists for all species, not just for us and we are not in charge of the earth
2) Earth’s resources are limited, should not be wasted, and are not all for us
3) We should encourage earth-sustaining forms of economic growth

24. What is Our Greatest Environmental Problem?
Disease
Overpopulation
Water Shortages
Climate Changes
Biodiversity Loss
Poverty
Malnutrition

25. Solutions Current Emphasis (Reactive)
Sustainability Emphasis (Proactive)
Fig. 1-16, p. 18