Download Ecological Perspective BIOL 346/Ellen Ch1 Lecture

Chapter 1
Living in an exponential age
Fig. 1-1, p. 5
The Exponential Age
• Exponential--doubling.
• Example of chessboard and
kings wager.
• Example of folding paper-fold the paper in half,
continue folding in half
another 42 times--the stack
of paper will reach from
earth to moon. How many
times can you fold the paper
anyway?
• Between 1950 and 2005
world population increased
from 2.5 billion to 6.5
billion--what is a guestimate
of the doubling time?
• 1950-2005 an 8 fold
increase in economic
growth--great but most live
in poverty--almost one out
of two live on less that $2
per day.
Industrial revolution
Black Death—the Plague
Hunting
and gathering
Agricultural revolution
Industrial
revolution
Fig.Fig.
1-1,
1-1,p.
p. 15
Environmental Science
Environment--everything that
affects a living organism.
Ecology--biological science
that studies the relationship
between living organisms
and their environment.
Environmentalism--social
movement dedicated to
protecting earth’s life
support system for us and
other species.
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Environmental Science-interdisciplinary study that
uses information from
physical sciences and social
sciences to learn how the
earth works and how
humans interact with the
earth, and how to deal with
environmental problems we
face.
Sustainability
Sustainability--ability of
earth’s various systems
(including cultural systems
and economies) to adapt to
changing environmental
conditions.
First step--sustain earth’s
natural capital.
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Natural Capital--the natural
resources and natural
services that keep us and
other species alive and
support our economies.
Capital--is essentially
wealth used to sustain
business and generate more
wealth.
Capital

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Capital of $100,000
Invest entire capital and get
10% return (that was really
what happened in the 90’s
boom, sadly not today!), net
worth is now $110,000.
Wealth is increased.
Protect your capital and live
off the income it generates.
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Win the Lottery! One
million dollars! How will
you manage this? Invest the
money and earn 10% return.
Have 100,000 to live off
every year and capital is not
touched.
Spend $200,000 per year,
and fortune gone in 7 years.
Spend $110,000 per year,
fortune gone in 18 years.
Fig. 1-3, 12th ed
Natural Capital
• Natural Capital is sum of
natural resources and natural
services.
• Natural resources--air, water
soil, land, life, nonrenewable minerals,
renewable energy, nonrenewable energy.
• Natural services, air
purification, water
purification, soil renewal,
nutrient recycling, food
production, pollination,
grassland and forest
renewal, waste treatment,
climate control, population
control and pest control.
Fig. 1-6-12th ed
Path to Sustainability
• Major themes-– 1. Natural Capital
– 2. Natural Capital
Degradation
– 3. Solutions
– 4. Trade-offs
– 5. Individuals matter
• First understand
components and importance
of natural capital.
• Next recognize that human
activity degrades natural
capital.
• Identify solutions--conflicts
often involved.
• Trade-offs often required.
• Individuals matter in search
for solutions or bringing
about change.
Global Outlook--comparison of developed
and undeveloped countries, 2005
Fig. 1-4
Growth and Development
• Current population growth
is 1.2% per year.
• Economic growth--increase
in capacity of a country to
provide people with goods
and services.
• GDP--Gross Domestic
Product--annual market
value of all goods and
services.
• Per capita GDP--GDP
divided by total population.
• Economic development-improvement of human
living standards by
enconomic growth.
• Developed countries--highly
industrialized with high
average per capity GDP.
• Developing countries--well,
developing industrialization
and per capita GDP.
Natural Capital Use and Degradation
• Per capita ecological
footprint--amount of
biologically productive land
and water needed to supply
each person with resources
and absorb wastes.
• Total ecological footprint-per capita times total
population of country.
• Humanity’s ecological
footprint currently exceeds
earth’s ecological ability to
replenish renewable
resources by 21%.
• Footprint of developed
countries is large because of
huge consumption of
renewable resources.
Total Ecological Footprint (million hectares)
and share of Global Ecological Capacity (%)
Per Capita Ecological Footprint
(hectares per person)
Projected footprint
Earth’s
ecological
capacity
Ecological footprint
Stepped Art
Fig. 1-7
Natural Capital Degradation
Fig. 8
Natural Capital depletion and degradation
cause most of the environmental problems
Causes of Environmental Problems
Population
growth
Unsustainable
resource use
Poverty
Excluding
environmental
costs from
market prices
Trying to manage
nature without
knowing enough
about it
Stepped Art
Fig. 1-10
Ha
rm
ful
res
ult
s
of
po
ver
ty
Lack of
access to
Number of people
(% of world's population)
Adequate
sanitation facilities
2.6 billion (39%)
Enough fuel for
heating and cooking
2 billion (30%)
Electricity
2 billion (30%)
Clean drinking
water
1.1 billion (16%)
Adequate
health care
1.1 billion (16%)
Adequate
housing
Enough food
for good health
1 billion (15%)
0.84 billion (13%)
Fig. 1-11
One in every 3
children under
age 5 suffers
from sever
malnutrition.
It is estimated
that at least
13,700 children
under the age of
5 die from
malnutrition,
infectious
diseases and
drinking
contaminated
water each day.
Fig. 1-12
Affluenza
• Affluenza--unsustainable
addiction to
overconsumption and
materialism exhibited in
lifestyles of affluent
consumers in US and other
developed countries.
• Shop till you drop.
• Use it up…..
• Environmental impact of
population (I) depends on
three key facors:
– P--number of people
– A--average resource use
per person (affluence)
– T--harmful effects of
technologies used to
provide and consume
each unit of resource.
– See figure 1.13
Fig. 1-14