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Chapter 1: Environmental Science A Global Perspective “ All the flowers of all the tomorrows are in the seeds of today.” Chinese Proverbs Section 1.1: Understanding Our Environment • Environmental Science is a relatively new field • It is the study of how humans interact with the environment • Major focus is solving environmental problems • The term ‘environment’ refers to everything that surrounds us • Our environment includes natural world as well as things produced by humans Solving Environmental Problems • 40 years ago, people did not think much about the environment • After WWII, people moved out of the crowded cities to the suburbs; rapidly expanding industries made jobs plentiful; bigger cars and household electric appliances made life more comfortable • Have we paid the price over the years for that comfortable lifestyle? Rivers/lakes are too polluted to enjoy; air pollution hangs over cities; increased health risks from chemicals in the water, soil and food; no place to put our trash • Environmental problems can be complicated; preventing pollution can be expensive; cleaning it up can be even more expensive Continued….. • Environmental problems can be solved • Our environmental problems are huge and require careful attention and action • The 21st century is a crucial time in human history; a time to find solutions that will allow people all over our planet to live in clean, healthy environments and have all the resources they need for a good life What are our main Environmental Problems? • There are unlimited numbers of environmental problems facing us today: whether to ban septic tanks, where to build landfills, ozone advisories, making decisions based on rare birds or insects, etc. • Almost all environmental problems fall into one of three categories: resource depletion, pollution and extinction Resource Depletion • A resource is depleted when a large part of it has been used up • Natural resource – any natural substance that living things use (sunlight, air, water, soil, minerals, plants, animals, forests, fossil fuels • Nonrenewable resources – resources that cannot be replaced (fossil fuels like oil, natural gas); when they are used up, they are gone • Renewable resources – resources that are continually replaced (solar, trees, fish, wind); can be depleted if used up faster than it can be replaced, ex: trees Pollution • Introduction of harmful levels of chemicals or waste material into the environment • Heat energy and nitrous oxide are by-products of fuel combustion • Pesticides are intentionally created for practical reasons but cause a great deal of harm to water, air and soil • Pollutants also are dangerous to humans, ex: Mercury (in water) can cause nerve damage in humans when they eat contaminated fish Extinction • Extinction means that the last of a species has died and will never be seen again • Thousands of species are becoming extinct every year—some have never been identified, named or studied; more today than any other time in history • Extinction is one of the most significant challenges we face today; most species are dying as a result of the loss of habitat A Global Perspective • Most environmental problems are global • Sulfur dioxide released by coal-fired electric generators in midwest come back as acid rain in Canada; cars release carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, causing changes in the atmosphere; rainforest destruction also increases CO2 in the atmosphere; CFC’s produced all over the world harm the ozone • Biosphere (extends 8 km or 5 miles) above and below the surface of Earth; all living things exist in this space with the non living things necessary for survival Developed and Developing Countries • Even though all humans live in biosphere; different countries have different needs and priorities • Countries can be categorized into two groups: 1. Developed – highly industrialized, high average incomes; ex: USA, Canada, Japan, Australia, New Zealand, western Europe 2. Developing – less industrialized, low average incomes, for instance, average farmer in India makes only $2700/yr., Kenya $450/yr.; not all are this poor, come countries like Malaysia, Mexico and Thailand are rapidly growing Population and Consumption • Many of our environmental issues are linked to increasing human populations and increase needs of our natural resources • Population crisis – some regions of Earth have human population increasing more rapidly than the natural resources can support; most severe in developing countries where they already don’t have enough resources; too many people and there are not enough natural resources for people to live healthy and productive lives: malnutrition, starvation and disease are constant threats • Consumption crisis - when resources are polluted, used up or wasted, the resources are used faster than they can be replaced, renewed or cleaned up; most severe in developed countries where population is stable or growing slowly, but citizens use more than their share of the resources (USA); developed countries used up 75% of resources but make up only 20% of world’s population A Sustainable World • Goal of environmental problem solving is to achieve a sustainable world – a place where humans can exist indefinitely with high standards of living and health, habitats preserved and garbage turned into harmless substances • Nonrenewable resources would be used sparingly • Renewable would be used only as fast as it could be replaced 1.2 Using Science to Solve Environmental Problems • In order to solve our environmental problems, we must first understand our environment • Two types of science: • 1. Pure Science (answers questions about how the natural world works, ex: physics, biology; Why do insects and birds have different kinds of wings?) • 2. Applied Science (uses information from pure science to solve problems, ex: engineering, medicine; Using pure science to design cars to get better gas mileage) • Environmental Science is an applied science; one of the most important foundations of environmental science is ecology (how living things interact with each other and their nonliving environment What is Science? • Science is really is two things: Something you know (gathered throughout human history; passed down from generation to generation) and Something you do (scientists at work “doing science”; finding answers to questions about natural world) • Scientists use the Scientific Method to find these answers. Observing • All science begins with observing • Use of our senses (sight, taste, feel, sound, smell) • Scientists use equipment to help their senses (microphones, x-rays) • Science begins with and rests on observation; accurate and detailed descriptions; must be recorded so it can be shared • Scientists have been able to answer many important and fundamental scientific questions through observations Hypothesizing and Predicting • Observing may give answers to some questions, but when one question is answered, new ones appear; when scientists want to find the answer to a specific question, they form a hypothesis (testable explanation) to find the best answer • To test the hypothesis, they make a prediction. Experimenting • When the answer to a question cannot be answered conclusively, scientists may have to do experiments to find the answers • In an experiment a hypothesis is tested under controlled conditions; two groups are studied; they must be identical in every respect except for one (must have a control group and a group with only one variable) Organizing and Interpreting Data • One of the most important parts of science is to share what has been learned with others • This begins with careful and accurate records; evaluating the data and deciding if the hypothesis is supported • Mathematics is used to determine whether observations or experimental results are meaningful or if it is a result of chance or coincidence; statistics is used to determine if the difference between results in the control group and the experimental group is significant Using Graphics and Sharing Information • Organizing data into graphic illustrations helps scientists analyze the data and explain it clearly to others • Tables (summarize data); Graphs (convey comparisons or trends); Line Graph (shows change in numbers); Bar graphs (shows change in numbers, especially effective in showing several comparisons at once); Pie Charts (percentages – one shows relative % of different factors, two can be used to compare and convey more information) Communicating Results • Scientific articles must include the question to be answered, why it is important or relevant, background information, a precise description of how the work was done, the data that were collected, and the scientist’s evaluation of what the data means 1.3 Making Environmental Decisions • Scientific research is an essential first step In solving environmental problems • Steps: • 1. Gather information • 2. Consider Values • 3. Explore consequences • 4. Make a Decision Values That Affect Environmental Decision Making Value Definition Aesthetic What is beautiful or pleasing Economic Gain or loss of money or jobs Environmental Protection of natural resources Educational Accumulation and use of knowledge Ethical/Moral What is right or wrong Health Maintenance of human health and prevention of sickness of disability Recreational Providing for human leisure activities Scientific Knowledge gained by scientific research Social/Cultural Maintaining human communities and respecting their values and traditions