Our Environment- Problems, Causes and Sustainability

1
Our Environment-Problems, Causes and
Sustainability

• Loss of Biodiversity Due to
• Human Growth
• Fossils Fuel Use and Deforestation

2
Ecology

• Basic tool of environmental scientists
• A field of biology that studies the interaction
  of living organisms and their environment

3
Natural Systems

• They all interact with one another

Land
Water
Life
Air
4
ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE
Human Culturesphere
Earth's Life-Support System
Water (hydrosphere)
Air (atmosphere)
Population Size
Worldviews and ethics
Soil and rocks (lithosphere)
Life (biosphere)
Politics
Economics
Fig. 1-2, p. 7
5
Environmental science
The study of the impact of humans on the
environment
The environment sum total of living and
non-living that affect living organisms
6
Human Exponential Growth

• In last 104 years 2 a year growth
• From 5 x 106 humans to over 6.6 x 109
• 53 earn under 2 a day
• 17 earn under 1 a day

7
Effect of Human Growth

• Habitats Destroyed
• Decrease of Biological Diversity (biodiversity)
• Species Extinction occurring at a rate of
  0.1-1.0 a year
• Growing evidence that clearing vegetation and
  burning fossil fuels plays a role in climate
  change.

8
Fig. 1-1, p. 6
9
Exponential Growth

• Rule of 70/72 Like investments, the rule of 72
  growth rate due to compound or exponential
  increase, if annual increase were 4 a year,
  72/4/year 18 years to double

10
Goal of Environmental Science

• Study natural phenomenon, environmental
  effects, humans effect on the environment and
  sustainable living without adverse affect on
  natural systems
• Understand and solve environmental problems
  understand how we use resources and how we alter
  the environment

11
Fig. 1-3, p. 8
12
Sustainability

• The condition in which human needs can be met
  that the population can survive indefinitely
• Requires the solving of environmental problems in
  the near future
• Protecting Natural Capital and Living off Its
  Income

13
Natural versus Human Caused Changes

• Natural changes to the environment, for the most
  part, have occurred slowly over thousands of
  years.
• Human caused changes have occurred rapidly over
  the last 100-150 years.

14
Solutions

• Environmental Science is about determining the
  problem, finding the cause and proposing
  solutions.
• Natural Capital, Degradation, Solutions,
  Trade-Offs and Individuals
• Solutions are about trade-offs

15
Natural Capital

• The sum of Natural Resources and Natural Services
• It is not fixed changes as environmental
  factors change
• Many human activities degrade natural capital

16
Fig. 1-4, p. 9
17
Sustainability

• Is about using renewable energy resources at a
  sustainable level and reusing and recycling
  materials/substances.
• Protect your capital live off the income.

18
Fig. 1-3, p. 8
19
Populations and Economics

• Population growth has slowed from 2.2 to
  approximately 1.2 per year still exponential.
• Economic growth, capacity to provide goods and
  services, varies from country and/or region.
• Economic development is improvement of living
  standards by economic growth.

20
Populations and Economics

• In order for economic growth to occur, population
  growth is necessary to provide more producers and
  consumers or more production and more consumption
  per person.
• Goal is environmentally sustainable economic
  development.

21
Fig. 1-5, p. 11
22
Fig. 1-7b, p. 13
23
Fig. 1-10, p. 17
24
Fig. 1-14, p. 20
25
Trade-Offs
Industrial-Medical Revolution
Advantages
DIsadvantages
Mass production of useful and affordable products
Increased air pollution
Increased water pollution
Higher standard of living for many
Increased waste pollution
Greatly increased agricultural production
Soil depletion and degradation
Lower infant mortality
Groundwater depletion
Longer life expectancy
Habitat destruction and degradation
Increased urbanization
Lower rate of population growth
Biodiversity depletion
Fig. 1-15, p. 23