Environmental Problems, Their Causes, and Sustainability

1
Environmental Problems, Their Causes, and
Sustainability
2
Key Concepts

• Growth and Sustainability

• Resources and Resource Use

• Pollution

• Causes of Environmental Problems

3
Living More Sustainably

• The First Law of Ecology Everything is connected
• The Second Law of Ecology There is no away

4
What Keeps Us Alive? Capital

• Solar
• Natural

Fig. 1-2, p. 7
5
Population Growth

• ExponentialGrowth

• Doubling Time/Rule of 70

Fig. 1-4, p. 8
6
World Population
Fig. 1-1 p. 5
7
Economic Development

• Developed Countries

• Developing Countries

• Gross National Product (GNP)
• Per Capita GNP
• Gross Domestic Product (GDP)

• Positive Aspects
• Negative Aspects

8
Globalization

• Social Effects

• Economic Effects

• Environmental Effects

9
Resources

• Perpetual

• Renewable

• Non-renewable

Fig. 1-6 p. 9
10
Ecological Footprint
Fig. 1-7 p. 10
11
Non-Renewable Resources

• Energy Resources

• Metallic Resources

• Non-MetallicResources

• Options
• Reuse

• Recycle

12
Pollution

• What is pollution?

• Effects of pollution
• Dealing with pollution
• Prevention (input control)
• Clean up (output control)
• Sources of pollution

• Point

• Nonpoint

13
Environmental Problems
14
Environmental Impact
Fig. 1-13 p. 15
15
Environmental Interactions
Fig. 1-14 p. 15
16
What Are Our Greatest Environmental Problems?

• Disease
• Overpopulation
• Water Shortages
• Climate Changes
• Biodiversity Loss
• Poverty
• Malnutrition

17
Solutions

• Current Emphasis (Reactive)
• Sustainability Emphasis (Proactive)

Fig. 1-16, p. 18