Download Understanding Our Environment

Understanding Our
Environment
What is Environmental Science?
•Environmental Science is the study of the
air, water, and land surrounding an organism
or a community
Goals of Environmental Science
• Understand and solve environmental problems
• To do this scientist must study
• How our actions alter our environment
• The use of natural resources
Many Fields of Study
• Environmental science is an interdisciplinary science, which means it
involves many fields of study
• Ecology, the study of interactions of living organisms with one
another and their environment, is important to the foundation of
environmental science
Hunter-Gatherers
• Humans have changed the environment by hunting, growing food,
and settling
• Hunter gathers are people that obtain food by collecting plants and
hunting wild animals or scavenging the remains.
• Hunter gathers have affected their environment by:
• Native American tribes hunted bison
• Native Americans set fires to burn the prairies and prevent growth of trees
Agricultural Revolution
• Agriculture is the raising of crops and livestock for food or other
products.
• Started in many areas over 10,000 years ago
• Allowed populations to grow at unprecedented rate
• Changed the food we eat
• Many habitats were destroyed as grasslands, forest, and wetlands
were replaced with farmland
• Caused soil loss, floods, and water shortages
Industrial Revolution
• Involved a shift from energy sources such as animals and running
water to fossil fuels such as coal and oil
• Increased efficiency of agriculture, industry, and transportation
• Quality of life was improved
• Increased sanitation, nutrition, and medical care
• Introduced new environmental problems
• Pollution and habitat loss
• 1900s, societies began using artificial substances
• We now have plastics, artificial pesticides, and fertilizers
• Many of these made life easier, but caused environmental problems
Population
Growth
• The industrial revolution, modern
medicine, and sanitation all
allowed the human population to
grow faster than it ever had before
• Producing enough food for large
populations has environmental
consequences
• Habitat destruction
• Pesticide pollution
• Scientist think the population will
double in the 21st century
What are the Main Environmental Problems?
•Resource Depletion
•Pollution
•Loss of Biodiversity
Supply and Demand
• The Law of Supply and Demand is a law of economics that states as
the demand for a good or service increases, the value of the food or
service also increases.
Ecological Footprints
• Ecological footprints are calculations that show the productive area of
Earth needed to support one person in a particular country.
• Estimates:
• Land used for crops, grazing, forest products, and housing
• Ocean area used to harvest seafood
• Forest area needed to absorb the air pollution by fossil fuels
Ecological Footprint