Download Intro to Environmental Science

Intro to Environmental Science
Chapter 1
What is Environmental Science?
• The study of how humans interact with their environment
• Goals:
– Solve environmental problems
– Use of resources (ex: water and plants)
– How our actions impact the environment
• Related Fields
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Ecology – how living and nonliving things interact
Chemistry – role of pollutants in the environment
Geology – how pollutants travel in underground
Botany & Zoology – preservation of plants and animals
Paleontology – study of Earth’s climate over eons
Social sciences – interactions between humans and their
impacts
Your Role as an Environmental
Scientist
• Think you don’t make a different?
– Well, YOU DO!
• Everyday citizens of communities are often the
first to notice environmental problems
– Middle school and high school students all over the
country (Minnesota, Ohio, New York…everywhere!)
Notice environmental problems everyday
– On many occasions, these observations have lead to
major changes in local legislation to clean up polluted
environments or created stricter regulations for
industry
– What are some pollution or environmental problems
in your town?
Homework Check
• Chapter 1-1 Q 4 & 5
– 4) What is the difference between environmental
science and ecology?
– 5) Propose a solution to prevent the
environmental problems of the seaport of Troy
described in the Ecofact
The Fall of Troy: Environmental problems are nothing new. Nearly
3,000 years ago, the Greek poet Homer wrote about the ancient
seaport of Troy, which was located beneath a wooded hillside.
The Trojans cut down all the trees on the surrounding hills.
Without trees to hold the soil in place, rain washed the soil into
the harbor. So much silt accumulated in the harbor that large
ships could not enter and Troy’s economy collapsed. Today, the
ruins of Troy are several miles from sea.
Hunter-Gatherer Societies
• Hunter-Gatherers are people who forage for food
and hunt wild animals
• These societies still exists all over the globe
– Amazon rainforests, African plains
• Generally small societies that move place to place
when food runs out
– Sometimes these societies follow migrations or move
when food becomes more available somewhere due to
the time of year
• Impact on the environment:
– Native American tribes set fire to prairies to keep the
plains open for bison hunting
– Spreading of plants by carrying seeds to new areas
– Overhunting and climate changes may have lead to
animal extinctions
Agricultural Revolution
• Hunter-Gatherers eventually starting to save and plant seeds
• Seeds lead to growing, breeding and domesticating plants and
animals for various uses
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Food
Clothing
Transportation
Housing
Etc.
• Started about 10,000 years ago all over the world
• Selective breeding was born when farmers saved and replanted
seeds from the best plants they grew or bred animals with the
best traits
– Ex: mustard gave rise to broccoli, cauliflower, brussel sprouts and kale
• Impact on the Environment
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Forests were cut down to make room for fields
Slash and burn practices were adopted in rainforest areas
Habitats were destroyed
Soil loss and infertility of soil with overuse, flooding, water shortage,
water pollution
Industrial Revolution
• Began about 1700
• Shifted energy source focus from animals, water and
man power to fossil fuels such as coal and oil
• Lead to development of steam engines and machinery
• Large-scale production of goods and food became
cheaper
– Allowed more people to live in a smaller area
• Cheap transport of goods began with use of fossil fuels
and motorized vehicles
• Improved quality of life
– Sanitation, nutrition, medical care
• Impact on the Environment:
– Pollution, habitat loss increased, plastics, pesticides,
fertilizers began to negatively impact the environment
The main issue: Population Growth
• Sun enters Earth’s atmosphere, heat leaves it and THAT’S IT!
– EVERYTHING else is stuck on this planet…good and bad alike
• Earth is a closed ecosystem
– As populations grow, the limited resources become more and more
scarce
– Pollution becomes a greater problem (more waste is produced than
recycled)
– Activities in on one part of the globe can strongly impact another
(pollution of a local lake can destroy a river’s ecosystem hundreds of
miles away)
• Human growth is out of control
– Population QUADRUPLED over the last century
– 7 BILLION people by 2011 (it was 5 billion when I was in 5th grade and
it 1950 it was only about 2.5 billion!)
• Impact on the Environment:
– Most of the environmental problems we face are a result of trying to
feed our population via agriculture and industry
Other main problems
• Resource Depletion
– Natural Resources are natural materials used by man
• Renewable resources are replaced relatively quickly, for example, wood from
trees
• Nonrenewable resources cannot be replaced for millions of years, for example,
fossil fuels like coal or oil
– Depletion occurs when resources are either used up or used faster than
they can be replaced
• Pollution
– Wastes are produced faster than they can be degraded
– Creates an “undesired change in air, water or soil that adversely affects
the health, survival or activities of humans or other organisms.”
– Smog in L.A or Mexico City or barren lakes in the Adirondack Mountains
from acid rain
– Biodegradable pollutants do go away over time, nonbiodegradable
pollutants don’t such as some plastics and heavy metals
• Loss of Biodiversity
– Decreasing of the number of species that live in areas usually through
extinction
Homework Check
• Chapter 1 section 1 End Review Q 1,2,5
• 1) Explain how hunter-gatherers affected the
environment in which they lived
• 2)Describe the major environmental effects of
the agricultural revolution and the Industrial
Revolution
• 5) Analyzing Relationships: how did the
Industrial Revolution affect human population
growth?