1. Intro to Environmental Science
Chapter 1

2. What is Environmental Science?
The study of how humans interact with their environment
Goals:
Solve environmental problems
Use of resources (ex: water and plants)
How our actions impact the environment
Related Fields
Ecology – how living and nonliving things interact
Chemistry – role of pollutants in the environment
Geology – how pollutants travel in underground
Botany & Zoology – preservation of plants and animals
Paleontology – study of Earth’s climate over eons
Social sciences – interactions between humans and their impacts

3. Your Role as an Environmental Scientist
Think you don’t make a difference?
Well, YOU DO!
Everyday citizens of communities are often the first to notice environmental problems
Middle school and high school students all over the country (Minnesota, Ohio, New York…everywhere!) Notice environmental problems everyday
On many occasions, these observations have lead to major changes in local legislation to clean up polluted environments or created stricter regulations for industry
What are some pollution or environmental problems in your town?

4. Homework Check Chapter 1-1 Q 4 & 5
4) What is the difference between environmental science and ecology?
5) Propose a solution to prevent the environmental problems of the seaport of Troy described in the Ecofact
The Fall of Troy: Environmental problems are nothing new. Nearly 3,000 years ago, the Greek poet Homer wrote about the ancient seaport of Troy, which was located beneath a wooded hillside. The Trojans cut down all the trees on the surrounding hills. Without trees to hold the soil in place, rain washed the soil into the harbor. So much silt accumulated in the harbor that large ships could not enter and Troy’s economy collapsed. Today, the ruins of Troy are several miles from sea.

5. Hunter-Gatherer Societies
Hunter-Gatherers are people who forage for food and hunt wild animals
These societies still exists all over the globe
Amazon rainforests, African plains
Generally small societies that move place to place when food runs out
Sometimes these societies follow migrations or move when food becomes more available somewhere due to the time of year
Impact on the environment:
Native American tribes set fire to prairies to keep the plains open for bison hunting
Spreading of plants by carrying seeds to new areas
Overhunting and climate changes may have lead to animal extinctions

6. Agricultural Revolution
Hunter-Gatherers eventually starting to save and plant seeds
Seeds lead to growing, breeding and domesticating plants and animals for various uses
Food
Clothing
Transportation
Housing
Etc.
Started about 10,000 years ago all over the world
Selective breeding was born when farmers saved and replanted seeds from the best plants they grew or bred animals with the best traits
Ex: mustard gave rise to broccoli, cauliflower, brussel sprouts and kale
Impact on the Environment
Forests were cut down to make room for fields
Slash and burn practices were adopted in rainforest areas
Habitats were destroyed
Soil loss and infertility of soil with overuse, flooding, water shortage, water pollution

7. Industrial Revolution
Began about 1700
Shifted energy source focus from animals, water and man power to fossil fuels such as coal and oil
Lead to development of steam engines and machinery
Large-scale production of goods and food became cheaper
Allowed more people to live in a smaller area
Cheap transport of goods began with use of fossil fuels and motorized vehicles
Improved quality of life
Sanitation, nutrition, medical care
Impact on the Environment:
Pollution, habitat loss increased, plastics, pesticides, fertilizers began to negatively impact the environment

8. The main issue: Population Growth
Sun enters Earth’s atmosphere, heat leaves it and THAT’S IT!
EVERYTHING else is stuck on this planet…good and bad alike
Earth is a closed ecosystem
As populations grow, the limited resources become more and more scarce
Pollution becomes a greater problem (more waste is produced than recycled)
Activities on one part of the globe can strongly impact another (pollution of a local lake can destroy a river’s ecosystem hundreds of miles away)
Human growth is out of control
Population QUADRUPLED over the last century
7 BILLION people by 2011 (it was 5 billion when I was in 5th grade and in 1950 it was only about 2.5 billion!)
Impact on the Environment:
Most of the environmental problems we face are a result of trying to feed our population via agriculture and industry

9. Other main problems Resource Depletion Pollution Loss of Biodiversity
Natural Resources are natural materials used by man
Renewable resources are replaced relatively quickly, for example, wood from trees
Nonrenewable resources cannot be replaced for millions of years, for example, fossil fuels like coal or oil
Depletion occurs when resources are either used up or used faster than they can be replaced
Pollution
Wastes are produced faster than they can be degraded
Creates an “undesired change in air, water or soil that adversely affects the health, survival or activities of humans or other organisms.”
Smog in L.A or Mexico City or barren lakes in the Adirondack Mountains from acid rain
Biodegradable pollutants do go away over time, non-biodegradable pollutants don’t such as some plastics and heavy metals
Loss of Biodiversity
Decreasing of the number of species that live in areas usually through extinction

10. Homework Check Chapter 1 section 1 End Review Q 1,2,5
1) Explain how hunter-gatherers affected the environment in which they lived
2)Describe the major environmental effects of the agricultural revolution and the Industrial Revolution
5) Analyzing Relationships: how did the Industrial Revolution affect human population growth?