Download Name: ____________ Pd.______ Ch 1: Science and the

Name: ____________________________________________
Ch 1: Science and the Environment
Pd.____________
Section 1: Understanding Our Environment
Objectives: Students will
• Define environmental science and compare environmental science with
ecology.
• List the five major fields of study that contribute to environmental science.
• Describe the major environmental effects of hunter-gatherers, the
agricultural revolution, and the Industrial Revolution.
• Distinguish between renewable and nonrenewable resources.
• Classify environmental problems into three major categories.
What is Environmental Science?
Environmental Science is the study of the ________, ____________, and _________
surrounding an organism or a community, which ranges from a small area to
Earth’s entire biosphere. It includes the study of the impact of ________________ on
the environment.
A major goal of environmental science is to _________________________ and _________
environmental problems. To accomplish this goal, environmental scientists study
two main types of interactions between humans and their environment:
1) ___________________________________________________
2) _____________________________________________________________
Environmental science is an ________________________ science, which means that is
involves many fields of study. Important to the foundation of environmental
science is ecology. Ecology is they study of interactions of living organisms with
one another and with their environment.
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Scientists as Citizens, Citizens as Scientists
Governments, businesses, and cities recognize that studying our environment is
vital to maintaining a ________________ and __________________ society. Thus,
environmental scientists are often asked to share their research with the world.
However the observations of _______________________ are the first steps toward
addressing an environmental problem.
Our Environment Through Time
Wherever humans have __________________, _____________ food, or _____________, they
have changed the environment. For example, the environmental change that
occurred on Manhattan Island over the last 300 years was immense, yet that
period of time was just a “blink” in human history.
For most of human history, people were ____________-______________, or people who
obtain food by ___________________ plants and by ________________ wild animals or
scavenging their remains.Hunter-gatherers affect their environment in many
ways:
• Native American tribes _____________ buffalo.
• The tribes also set fires to burn prairies and prevent the growth of
trees. This left the prairie as open grassland ideal for hunting bison.
In North America, a combination of __________ climate changes and overhunting by
hunter-gathers may have led to the disappearance of some large mammal species.
As time went on, hunter gathers began to collect the seeds of plants they
gathered and domesticated animals in their environment. ______________________ is
the raising of crops and livestock for food, or for other products that are useful to
humans, such as clothing, housing, and transportation. The change had such a
dramatic impact on human societies and their ____________ that it is often called the
___________________ _________________________—this allowed human populations to grow
at un unprecedented rate. As populations grew, they began to concentrate in
smaller areas, placing ______________ pressure on the local environments. The
agricultural revolution changed the food we eat---the plants we grow and eat
today are descended from wild plants. During harvest season, farmers collected
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_________ from plants that exhibited the qualities they desires, such as large kernels.
These seeds were then planted and harvested again. Overtime, the domesticated
plants became very different from their wild ancestors.
As grasslands, ____________, and wetlands were replaced with _____________,
habitats were destroyed. To convert land into farmland, the slash-and-burn
method was used. Replacing forests with farmland on a large scale can cause soil
loss, floods, and water shortages. Much of the land was ___________ farmed and no
longer fertile.
The ___________________ _____________________ involved a shift from energy sources
such as ________________ and running water to fossil fuels such as __________ and
_______. This increased use of fossil fuels changed society and greatly increased the
efficiency of _____________________, ________________, and transportation. For example,
motorized vehicles allowed food to be transported cheaply across greater
distances. In factories, the large-scale production of goods became ________
expensive than local production of ________________ goods. On the farm, machinery
____________ the amount of land and human labor needed to produce food. With
fewer people producing their own food, the populations in urban areas steadily
grew.
The Industrial Revolution introduced many positive changes such as the light
bulb. Agricultural productivity increased, and _____________________, ______________, and
______________ _________ vastly improved. However, the Industrial Revolution also
introduced many new environmental problems such as __________________ and
_____________ _______. In the 1900s, modern societies began to use artificial
substances in place of raw animal and plant products. As a result, we now have
materials such as ______________, artificial pesticides, and __________________. Many of
these products make life ___________, but we are now beginning to understand some
of the environmental problems they present. In fact, much of environmental
science is concerned with the problems associated with the _________________
_______________.
Earth can be compared to a spaceship travelling through space as it cannot
dispose of its waste or take on new supplies. Earth is essentially called a __________
___________. This means that the only thing that enters Earth’s atmosphere is large
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amounts of energy from the sun, and the only thing that leaves is large amounts of
heat. This type of closed system has some potential problems. Some resources are
____________ and as the population _________, the resources will be used more rapidly.
There is also the possibility that we will produce __________ more quickly than we
can dispose of them. Environmental problems can occur on different scales:
___________, ________________, or ____________.
• A ___________ example would be your community discussing where to
build a new landfill.
• A _____________ example would be a polluted river 1000 miles away
affecting the region’s water.
• A _______________ example would be the depletion of the ozone layer.
The Industrial revolution, modern medicine, and sanitation all allowed the
human to grow faster than it ever had before.
In the past ______ years, nations have used vast
amounts of _____________ to meet the world’s
need for food. Producing enough food for large
populations has environmental consequences
such as _________________ _________________ and
________________ __________________.
What are Our Main Environmental Problems?
Environmental problems can generally be grouped into three categories:
1. ____________________________________________
2. _____________________________________
3. _______________________
_______________ ______________ are any natural materials that are used by humans,
such as, water, minerals, forests, and animals. Natural
resources are classified as either a _________________
resource or a ______________ resources. _______________
resources can be replaced relatively quickly by natural
processes. ________________ resources form at a much slower
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rate than they are consumed. Resources are said to be
_______________ when a large fraction of the resource has
been used up. Once the supply of a nonrenewable resource has been used up, it
may take millions of years to replenish it. Renewable resources, such as tress, may
also be depleted, causing _______________________ in some areas.
_________________ is an undesirable change in the natural environment that is
caused by the introduction of substances that are harmful to living organism or by
excessive _____________, ____________, ___________, or __________________. Much of the
pollution that troubles us today is produced by human activities and the
accumulation of wastes. There are two main types of pollutants:
1. ___________________ pollutants, which can be broken down by natural processes
and include materials such as newspaper.
2. ________________________ pollutants, which cannot be broken down by natural
processes and include materials such as mercury.
______________ pollutants are a problem only when they accumulate faster than they
can be broken down. However, because _____________________ pollutants do not break
down easily, they can build up to dangerous levels in the environment.
___________________ is the variety of organisms in a given area, the genetic
variation within a population, the variety of species in a community, or the variety
of communities in an ecosystem. The organisms that share the world with us can
be considered natural resources. We depend on them for ____________, the oxygen
we breathe, and for many other things. Yet, only a fraction of all the species that
once roamed the Earth are alive today, and many are extinct. Scientists think that
if the current extinction rates continue, I may cause problems for the human
population. Many people also argue that all species have potential _______________,
________________, _______________, and ______________________ value, so it is important to
preserve them.
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Section 2: The Environment and Society
Objectives: Students will:
• Describe “The Tragedy of the Commons.”
• Explain the law of supply and demand.
• List three differences between developed and developing countries.
• Explain what sustainability is, and describe why it is a goal of environmental
science.
“Tragedy of the Commons”
In this essay, ecologist Garret Hardin argued that the main difficulty in
solving environmental problems is the conflict between the __________- ____________
_________________ of society. The example
he used was the commons, or the
areas of land that belonged to the
whole village. It was in the best
interest the _________________ to
put as many animals in the
commons as possible. However, if
too many animals grazed on the commons, they destroyed the grass. Once the
grass was destroyed, everyone suffered because no one could raise animals on the
commons. The commons wee eventually replaced by ____________ ____________ owned
by individuals. Owners were now careful not to put but too many animals on their
land, because ______________ wouldn’t allow them to raise as many animals next year.
Hardin’s point being that someone or some group must take responsibility for
maintaining a resource or it will become depleted.
Economics and the Environment
In addition to social pressures, economics forces
influence how we use resources. _________________________
_________________ is a law of economics that states as the
demand for a good or service increases, the value for
the good or service also increases. AN example is the
world oil production.
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The cost of environmental solutions can be high. A cost-benefit analysis
balances the cost of the action against the benefits one expects from it. The results
depend on who is doing the analysis. For example, pollution control may be too
costly to an industry, but to a nearby community, the price may be well worth it.
Often, environmental regulations are passed on to the consumer or _________________.
One of the costs of any action is the _________ of an undesirable outcome. Risk
assessment is a tool that helps us create cost effective ways to protect our __________
and ______________________. To come up with an effective solution to an environmental
problem, the public must perceive the risk accurately.
Developed and Developing Countries
The decisions and action of all people in the world affect our environment.
The ___________ distribution of wealth and resources around the world influence the
environmental problems and solutions a society can make. Developed countries
have __________ incomes, ________ population growth, diverse industrial economies,
and __________ social support. Examples of developed countries include the U.S.,
Canada, Japan, and countries of Western Europe. Developing countries have _______
average incomes, ____________ agriculture-based communities, and __________
population growth.
Population and Consumption
Almost all environmental problems can be raced back to two root causes:
1. The human population in some areas is growing too ______________ for the
local environment to support.
2. People are ______________, ______________, or ______________ many natural
resources faster than they can be _______________, ______________, or
___________ up.
When the population in an area grows rapidly, there may not be enough
natural resources for everyone to live a healthy, productive life. In severely
_____________________ regions, forests are stripped bare, _____________ is exhausted, and
animals are driven to _______________. In these areas, ____________________,
________________, and _____________ can be constant threats. In ________________ countries,
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millions of people are starving. Yet these human populations tend to __________ the
fastest. Food production, _________________, and ________ ________________ cannot keep
pace with the population growth, so each person gets fewer resources as time goes
by.
To support the higher quality of life, _______________ countries are using much
_________ of Earth’s resources. _______________ nations use about _____ percent of the
world’s resources although they make up only ____ percent of the world’s
population. This rate of consumption creates more __________ and ___________________
per person than in ___________________ countries.
_______________ ___________________ are calculation that show the productive area
of Earth needed to support one person in a particular country. An ecological
footprint estimates the land used for _________, ______________, ____________ ____________,
and ______________. It also includes the ocean area used to harvest seafood and the
forest area needed to absorb the ______ _______________ caused by fossil fuels. An
ecological footprint is one way to express the differences in consumption between
nations.
Environmental Science in Context
Environmental problems are complex—simple solutions are rare, and
sometimes cause more damage than the original problem did. For example, how
do you balance the rights of individuals and property owners with the needs of a
society as whole?
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People on either side of an environmental issue may feel passionately about
their cause and distort information to mislead people about the issue. Research
done by scientists is often used to make a _____________ ___________ or is
misinterpreted to _____________ controversial data. Also, the economic dimension of
an environmental issue may be ________________________. And to complicate matters
still, the media often sensationalizes environmental issues. For these reasons and
others you must use your ___________ ___________________ skills when making decisions
about environmental issues. Remember a few things as you explore environmental
science further:
1. First, be prepared to ____________ to many viewpoints over a particular issue.
2. Second, _________________ the source of the information you encounter.
3. Third, ___________ all the information you can before drawing a conclusion.
A Sustainable World
__________________ is the condition in which human needs are met in such a way
that a human population can survive indefinitely. _________________ is a key goal of
environmental science. A sustainable world is not __________________ as technological
advances and human civilizations continue to be productive. However, our current
world is not sustainable as the _______________ countries are using resources faster
than they can be ______________. Achieving a sustainable world requires everyone’s
participation including individual _______________, _______________, and the
__________________.
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