Introducing Environmental Science and Sustainability

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Introducing Environmental Science and
Sustainability
Chapter 1
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Human Impacts on the Environment

• Increasing Human Numbers

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Human Impacts on the Environment

• Most populous countries
• 1) China 1,374,853,000
• 2) India 1,155,011,000
• 3) United States 309,163,000
• 4) Indonesia 258,825,000
• 5) Brazil 195,580,000

Source US Census Bureau, Global Population
Profile 2002
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Human Impacts on the Environment
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Human Impacts on the Environment

• Poverty
• per capita income of less than 1 a day
• 1.2 billion worldwide currently live at this
  level

Inadequate health care Unsanitary water Poor
nutrition Lower life expectancy
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Population, Resources, and the Environment

• The contrast between less developed and highly
  developed countries is great
• Are resources distributed evenly and equitably?

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Population, Resources, and the Environment

• Types of resources

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Population, Resources, and the Environment
Resource Consumption

• because of our greater consumption
  rates, 1 US child has the environmental impact
  of 12 children in less developed countries.

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Population, Resources, and the Environment

• People Overpopulation
• when excess of people cause environmental
  damage.

• Consumption Overpopulation
• when people consume enormous amounts of natural
  resources.

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Population, Resources, and the Environment

• Ecological footprint

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Population, Resources, and the Environment

• IPAT Model

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Environmental Sustainability

• Sustainability
• stewardship of natural resources leading to
  their perpetual availability for successive
  generations.

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Environmental Sustainability

• Sustainability and the Tragedy of the Commons

Garrett Hardin
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Environmental Science

• Interdisciplinary study of the interconnected
  problems associated with the environment.

• Heavily leans upon ecology.

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Environmental Science

• The Process of Science

Problem recognition or question
Make predictions
Hypothesis supported?
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Environmental Science
Controls and Variables in Experimental Design
Variable

• factors influencing processes being
  examined.
• hypothesis examines ONE variable, holding
  others constant.
• This is the experimental group.

• Control group
• examined variable is left unaltered

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Environmental Science

• Hypothesis Burning will increase frequency of
  prairie wildflowers.

Which is the control group?
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Environmental Science

• How does the view of a theory differ between
  scientists and the public?

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Environmental Science

• Inductive and Deductive Reasoning
• Inductive examines a series of facts for
  commonalities that can be concluded.
• Example
• Fact an ant has six legs
• Fact a wasp has six legs
• Fact a beetle has six legs
• Conclusion all insects have six legs

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Environmental Science

• Deductive examines for relationships among data
  moving from generalities to specifics.
• Example
• General rule all insects have six legs
• Specific example a grasshopper is an insect
• Therefore a grasshopper has six legs

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Addressing Environmental Problems
Scientific Assessment
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Addressing Environmental Problems

• Case in Point Lake Washington

• Scientific assessment
• Public education and involvement
• Political action

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Addressing Environmental Problems

• Case in Point Lake Washington

Evaluation
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Addressing Environmental Problems

• Case in Point Lake Washington

Evaluation
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