Environmental Science A Global Perspective

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Environmental ScienceA Global Perspective

• Understanding our Environment
• Section 1.1

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Environmental Science

• Environmental Science study of how humans
  interact with their environment
• Environment anything that surrounds us,
  including natural things as well as anything
  created by humans

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• Major Focus to solve environmental problems
  such as extinction or pollution
• -often involves looking at the bigger picture
  such as economics and jobs
• Age
• - with respect to the other sciences (biology,
  chemistry and physics) it is quite new
• - post WWII brought bigger cars and home
  appliances, farmland was used for homes, etc.
• - the result was polluted rivers and lakes, smog
  and many other problems and with it a greater
  concern for the environment and the desire for a
  way to possibly save it.

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• Importance
• -with respect to the other sciences it is quite
  possibly the most important.
• -At no time in our history has an understanding
  of our environment been more important

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Main Environmental Problems
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Resource Depletion

• Natural Resource any naturally occurring
  substance that can be used by living things
• - some examples are sunlight, air, water, soil,
  minerals, animals and fossil fuels
• - it is considered depleted when a large amount
  of it has been consumed

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Resource Depletion

• Nonrenewable resources any resource that cannot
  be replaced
• - some examples are earth minerals and fossil
  fuels (in recent years there has been a lot of
  importance put on alternate fuels to slow the use
  of fossil fuels

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Resource Depletion

• Renewable Resources any resource that is
  continually replaced
• - solar power is continually being replenished
• - trees are a renewable resource but are an
  example of a resource that must be taken care of
• - for example the rain forest is continually
  being cut down faster than new trees can grow

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Pollution

• Pollution introduction of chemicals or waste
  material into an environment that is at a harmful
  amount
• Pollutants some are by products of daily
  processes. For example nitrous oxides and heat
  energy are by products of fuel combustion
• - others such as pesticides are both helpful and
  harmful
• - some are just direct results of human
  ignorance such as the dumping of poisonous
  chemicals in rivers and lakes

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Extinction

• Extinction members of a species have died and
  the species is gone forever
• - scientists estimate that thousands of species
  are becoming extinct every year, some without
  even being named or studied
• - one response is an endangered species list
  which lists species that are at risk for
  extinction
• - scientists say that species are going extinct
  at a greater rate now than at any other time in
  Earths history
• - one possible cause is the loss of their
  habitat due to humans building into forests

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Global Perspective

• - Sulfur dioxide from power generating plants in
  the american mid-west result in acid rain in
  Canada and the northeastern US
• Pollution from automobiles in North America and
  Europe are putting more CO2 in the atmosphere
  which is believed to be one of the major causes
  of the worlds climate change
• Destruction of the tropical rain forest is also
  contributing to the increase in CO2 in the
  atmosphere
• All these issues effect the biosphere

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Biosphere

• -Extends 8km above and 8 km below the sea level
• - All living things exist in this area

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Developed and DevelopingCountries

• Developed country highly industrialized
  countries in which the citizens have high average
  incomes, health care and education systems
• - major countries are USA, Canada, Japan,
  Australia, New Zealand and the western European
  countries

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Developed and DevelopingCountries

• Developing country less industrialized and the
  citizens have a much lower average income
• - the economies in developing countries vary
  greatly depending on their ability to sustain
  industries

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Population and Consumption

• Many of the earths environmental problems can be
  linked to increase population growth or increased
  demand on human consumption
• Population crisis human population is growing
  faster than the region can support
• Consumption crisis when humans use up, waste or
  pollute the resources quicker than they can be
  replace or renewed

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Population and Consumption

• Population crisis - basically exists in
  developing countries. Even though there isnt
  enough resources the population continues to grow
  rapidly
• - because there isnt enough resources the
  people overuse the resources by driving animals
  to extinction, cutting down forests for farmland
  and farmland is overused.
• - Health issues are a great concern

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Population and Consumption

• Consumption crisis exists mostly in developed
  countries
• - population is growing slowly and the citizens
  have a disproportionate share of the earths
  resources
• - due to their disposable income they tend to
  overuse the resources or over pollute
• - developed countries comprise about 20 of the
  earths population and use about 75 of the
  earths resources

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Sustainable World

• Goal of environmental problem solvers is to
  achieve a sustainable earth.
• Sustainable world a world in which humans can
  continue to exist indefinitely with a high level
  of health and standard of living
• - habitats will be preserved and garbage will be
  turned into harmless substances
• - non renewable resources will be used sparingly
  and renewable resources will be used at a pace at
  which they can be replaced