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AP Environmental Science
Lecture 1: Intro to Env. Sci.
© 2011 Pearson Education, Inc.
© 2011 Pearson Education, Inc.
This lecture will help you understand:
• The meaning of the term “Environment”
• The field and interdisciplinary nature of environmental science
• The importance of natural resources and ecosystem services
• The scientific method and the process of science
• Some pressures on the global environment
• Concepts of sustainability and sustainable development
© 2011 Pearson Education, Inc.
Our island: Earth
• Earth may seem enormous, but…
- It and its systems are finite and limited (scarcity)
- We can change the Earth and damage its systems
- The fate of organisms is interconnected
- Humans must allow for circumstances to allow
for continued survival
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Our island: Earth
• Environment: all the living and non-living things
around us
Animals, plants, forests, farms, etc.
Continents, oceans, clouds, ice caps
Structures, urban centers, living spaces
Social relationships and institutions
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Humans are part of nature
• Humans depend on a healthy, functioning planet
• The fundamental insight of environmental science:
- We are part of the natural world, but we can also change
it
- Our interactions with its other parts matter a great deal
to our continued survival
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Humans are part of nature
• We depend completely on the environment for survival
- Food, water, shelter, health, longer lives, wealth, mobility,
leisure, joy
• Natural systems have been, and can be, degraded by
pollution, soil erosion, species extinction, and overuse
• Environmental changes threaten long-term health and survival
of human and non-human life on Earth
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Environmental science
• Environmental science is the study of:
- How the natural world works
- How the environment affects humans and human actions
impact the environment
• We need to understand our interactions with the environment
- To identify environmental problems that could impact our
survival or way of life
- Ensure long term survival and standards of living
- Implement creative solutions for environmental problems
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We rely on natural resources
• Natural resources = substances and energy sources needed
for survival, obtained from the natural environment
- Food
- Water
- Energy
- Building materials
- Shelter for flora and fauna
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We rely on natural resources
• Renewable natural resources: can be replenished, though at
differing rates
- Perpetually renewed:
Sunlight
Wind
Geothermal
- Renew themselves over short periods, but can be destroyed
if over consumed
Timber
Water
Soil
• Nonrenewable natural resources: unavailable after depletion
Oil
Coal
Minerals
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We rely on natural resources
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We rely on natural resources
• What makes a resource renewable or non-renewable?
• Whether a resource is renewable or not is really in terms of
human time frames
- Lumber
- Oil
- Solar
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We rely on ecosystem services
• Natural resources are “goods” produced by nature
- Earth’s natural resources provide “services” to us
• Ecosystem services: arise from the normal functioning of
natural services
- Purify air and water, cycle nutrients, regulate climate
- Pollinate plants, receive and recycle wastes
• We can degrade ecosystem services
- By depleting resources, destroying habitat, generating
pollution
- Increased human affluence has intensified degradation
through overuse and surpassing the capacity of the
natural environment
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Human population growth amplifies impacts
• There are over 7.1 billion humans worldwide in 2013
• Agricultural revolution
- Crops, livestock
- Stable food supplies
- Slash and Burn techniques
• Industrial revolution
- Urbanized society powered by fossil fuels (oil, gas,
coal)
- Sanitation and medicines
- Pesticides and fertilizers
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Human population growth amplifies impacts
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Resource consumption exerts pressures
• Exploitation and consumption of resources is also a problem:
• Garret Hardin’s tragedy of the commons:
Unregulated exploitation of public resources leads to
depletion and damage of common resource(s).
This leads to damage of the group’s long-term interest in
favor of individual short-term benefits
– Soil, air, water
• Resource users are motivated by self interest
– They increase use until the resource is gone
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Resource consumption exerts pressures
• Solutions to the tragedy of the commons?
– Private ownership?
– Voluntary organization to enforce responsible use?
– Governmental regulations?
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QUESTION: Weighing the Issues
Which do you think is the best way to protect commonly
owned resources (e.g., air, water, fisheries)?
a) Sell the resource to a private entity.
b) Have the users form voluntary organizations to
enforce responsible use.
c) Governmental regulations
d) Do nothing and see what happens.
© 2011 Pearson Education, Inc.
QUESTION: Weighing the Issues
Which do you think is the best way to protect commonly
owned resources (e.g., air, water, fisheries)?
a) Sell the resource to a private entity.
b) Have the users form voluntary organizations to
enforce responsible use.
c) Governmental regulations
d) Do nothing and see what happens.
© 2011 Pearson Education, Inc.
Our “ecological footprint”
• Affluence increases consumption
- Why?
• Ecological footprint: the
environmental impact of a person
or population
- The area of biologically
productive land + water
- To supply raw resources and
dispose/recycle waste
• People in rich nations have much
larger ecological footprints
If everyone consumed the amount of resources the U.S.
does, we would need 5 Earths!
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Ecological Footprint
• Measure of the biologically productive land and sea area
necessary to supply the resources a population consumes
(Biocapacity) & to deal with associated waste
• Thus, Ecological Footprint = Biocapacity + Land
necessary to deal with waste
• 2007- Ecological footprint of humanity is approx. 1.5
Earths (Sustainable?)
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Overshoot
Overshoot: When a population exceeds the long-term
carrying capacity its environment.
Humans
have
surpassed
the Earth’s
capacity to
support us:
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Ecological footprints are not all equal
• The ecological footprints of
countries vary greatly
- The U.S. footprint is much
greater than the world’s
average, but not greatest
- Arab Gulf States have
highest
- Europe and Australia also
high
• The world avg. biocapacity
of the Earth is 1.8 ha
- Deficit of 0.9 ha on avg.
© 2011 Pearson Education, Inc.
Environmental science
• How will resource consumption and population growth
impact today’s global society?
• Civilizations can succeed or fail according to how they
interact with the environment
- Along with how they respond to problems
• Environmental science can help build a better world
© 2011 Pearson Education, Inc.
QUESTION: Review
What is the definition of “sustainable development”?
a) Using resources to benefit future generations, even
if it means lower availability now.
b) Letting future generations figure out their own
problems.
c) Using resources to satisfy current needs without
compromising future availability.
d) Letting each country decide how to use their
resources to best meet their unique, immediate
needs.
© 2011 Pearson Education, Inc.
QUESTION: Review
What is the definition of “sustainable development”?
a) Using resources to benefit future generations, even
if it means lower availability now.
b) Letting future generations figure out their own
problems.
c) Using resources to satisfy current needs without
compromising future availability.
d) Letting each country decide how to use their
resources to best meet their unique, immediate
needs.
© 2011 Pearson Education, Inc.
Sustainability and the future of our world
• Sustainability: we must live within our planet’s means
- So the Earth and its resources can sustain us and all life
for the future
• Sustainability involves conserving resources
- Developing long-term solutions
- Keeping fully functioning ecosystems
• Natural capital: Earth’s total wealth of resources
- We are withdrawing it faster that it’s being replenished
- We must live off Earth’s natural interest (replenishable
resources), not its natural capital
© 2011 Pearson Education, Inc.
Population & consumption
• Population growth amplifies all human impacts
- The growth rate has slowed, but we still add more than
200,000 people to the planet each day
• Resource consumption has risen faster than population
- Life has become more pleasant
- Healthier and Wealthier people
- Rising consumption also amplifies our demands on the
environment
© 2011 Pearson Education, Inc.
The nature of environmental science
Environment  impacts  Humans
• Its applied goal: solving environmental
problems
• Solutions are applications of science
• An interdisciplinary field
- Natural sciences: examines the
natural world
- Environmental science programs
- Social sciences: examines values and
human behavior
- Environmental studies programs
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What is an “environmental problem”?
• Whether an environmental
condition is seen as a problem
- Depends on the individual and
situation
• Ex.: the pesticide DDT
- In malaria-infested Africa:
welcome because it kills
malaria-carrying mosquitoes
- In America: not welcome, due
to health risks
People also differ in their awareness of problems,
depending on who they are, where they live, what they do
© 2011 Pearson Education, Inc.
Environmental science is not environmentalism
• Environmental science
– Pursues knowledge about
the environment and our
interactions with it
– Scientists try to remain
objective and free from bias
• Environmentalism
– A social movement
– Tries to protect the natural world
from human-caused changes
© 2011 Pearson Education, Inc.
QUESTION: Review
Which of the following is correct about the term
“environmentalism”?
a) It is very science-oriented.
b) It is a social movement to protect the
environment.
c) It usually does not include advocacy for the
environment.
d) It involves scientists trying to solve
environmental problems.
© 2011 Pearson Education, Inc.
QUESTION: Review
Which of the following is correct about the term
“environmentalism”?
a) It is very science-oriented.
b) It is a social movement to protect the
environment.
c) It usually does not include advocacy for the
environment.
d) It involves scientists trying to solve
environmental problems.
© 2011 Pearson Education, Inc.
Summary
Environment: All living and non-living things around
us:
Natural Environment (Animals, Plants, Bacteria,
Rivers, Mountains, Lakes, etc.)
 Built environment (Buildings, roads, sewers, etc.)
Environmental Science is the study of:
How the natural world works
How the environment affects humans and vice versa
© 2011 Pearson Education, Inc.
Summary
Earth is capable of sustaining a large and diverse
population
 Earth’s resources are finite
Limited Biocapacity leads to limits on Ecological
Footprints
Humans currently consume more ecological good
and services than the Earth can replace
Deficit of natural resources, meaning a reduction in
Earth’s “Natural Capital”
Unsustainable long-term if current conditions hold
© 2011 Pearson Education, Inc.
Questions???
© 2011 Pearson Education, Inc.