Download The Evolution of Environmental Science in America

AP Environmental
Science
Theresa S. Price, Instructor
AP Environmental Science
• Advanced Placement Environmental
Science (APES) is a very challenging
subject that combines Earth Science,
Biology, and Chemistry as well as
economics, politics, statistics and public
policy.
• We will investigate the history of
environmental science and human
impact on environmental systems.
AP Environmental Science
Topics
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Earth Systems and Resources;
The Living World;
Biological and Chemical Cycles;
Population Dynamics;
Land and Water use;
Energy Resources and Consumption;
Pollution; and
Global Change.
APES Focus
1.The scientific processes involved & the
evolution of those specific theories over
time;
2.The flow of energy as it pertains to the
topic (Law of Conservation of Energy);
3.The connective relationships between
the Earth and it’s resources including
organic and inorganic systems and
processes;
APES Focus
4.The effect that human development and
expansion has had on the specific topic;
5.The social & cultural factors related to
each aspect of environmental regulation,
conservation, and management;
6.The overall survival of the species
(human species) and predictions of the
future of our planet.
Pace and Time Commitment
• The material and text covered will be
college and/or professional level and
the pace of the course will be very
rigorous.
• Students will be required to spend time
both in and out of the classroom
researching, investigating and studying
the concepts and theories of
environmental studies. (1 hour daily
College Credit
• APES is a weighted course and
students can earn up to 4 college credit
hours if they pass the AP exam with a
score of 3 or above (university
dependent)
– VASS Grant rewards scores of 3,4 and 5
– Prep Sessions on Saturdays (4)
– Afterschool sessions weekly (Thursdays)
Assignments
• All assignments are due on Friday of
the week assigned (unless otherwise
noted)
– All assignments are posted on my website
• Most quizzes, tests and other
assessments will be on Fridays
• Review sessions will be held each
Thursday afterschool (optional)
Chapter Questions
• Chapter Questions must be completed
in your marbled notebook for each
chapter assigned.
– Answer the questions in complete
sentences so that you may use them to
study.
– Due date is the Friday after we begin the
chapter
Vocabulary Terms
• There are vocabulary terms assigned
with each chapter.
– Definitions must be handwritten and
complete
– Due date is Friday with the chapter
questions
Notes
• You WILL be expected to take notes.
Powerpoints will be posted online.
– You are expected to print these notes out
AT HOME.
– During the lecture, I will not discuss each
slide; however, you are still responsible for
the information.
The Evolution of
Environmental Science in
America
In the beginning . . .
What is the Environment?
• How do you describe the environment?
• What do you feel is the role of the
environment?
• What do you feel is your role in the
environment?
The Lorax by Dr. Seuss
• Answer the accompanying questions in
your notebook.
Environmental Science
• To define what Environmental Science
is, first we need to define the
environment.
• Environment: the sum total of all living
and non-living things that affect any
living organism.
System and Surroundings
• A system is a collection of all the
variables they we are observing; set of
components that interact.
• The surroundings are all components
or variables outside of, but still possibly
affecting, the system.
Affect vs. Effect
• To affect is to influence a system.
• An effect is the result of an influence to
a system.
• The whole reason we are studying
APES today is because there has been
an adverse effect by the affective
population on our environment.
Interconnective Web
Discuss how at least 2 of the following are
connected and the effects:
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Energy consumption
Population explosion
Loss of biodiversity
Soil Erosion
Food Shortage
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Waste disposal
Deforestation
Water pollution
Global Warming
Politics
A Science of Others
• Environmental Science incorporates the
sciences of . . .
– biology (living organisms and their
systems)
– chemistry (matter and the changes they
undergo)
– geology (rocks and mineral formation and
make-up)
This is NOT Ecology
• Ecology is a biological science that
focuses on the relationships between
living organisms and their environment.
– Ecology is a very new science within the
last 100 years
Science is NON-Political
• Science is based on observation and
scientific law.
• The Environmental movement is a
scientific movement dedicated to the
study of the environment and the effects
of pollution.
• Environmentalism is a social
movement dedicated to the protection of
the environment.
Major Themes of
Environmental Science
1. Earth Systems and Resources;
2. The Living World including Biological
& Chemical Cycles;
3. Population Dynamics;
4. Land and Water use;
5. Energy Resources and Consumption;
6. Pollution; and
7. Global Change.
Focus on a Theme
1. the scientific processes involved and the evolution of those
specific theories over time;
2.the flow of energy as it pertains to the topic as well as the
Law of Conservation of Energy;
3.the connective relationships between the Earth and it’s
resources including organic and inorganic systems and
processes;
4.the effect that human development and expansion has had
on the specific topic;
5.the social and cultural factors related to each aspect of
environmental conservation, regulation and management;
6.and finally, the overall survival of the species (human
species) and predictions of the future of our planet.
Theme 1: Earth Systems and
Resources
• The systems and structure of the Earth
and how they are interrelated
• Our available resources and how we
use/abuse them
Resources
• A resource is anything from the
environment that meets a need
– Perpetual resource: one that is renewed
continuously (solar energy)
– Renewable resource: one that can be
replenished fairly easily and rapidly (trees)
– Non-renewable resource: one that exists
in a fixed amount
The Use of Resources
• The sustainable yield of a resources is
the highest rate that a renewable
resource can be used without reducing
the supply.
– Supply equals demand
• Environmental degradation occurs when
the use rate exceeds the replacement
rate.
Resources
Renewable
Non-Renewable
Potentially
Renewable
Direct solar
Fossil fuels
Fresh air
energy
Winds, tides, Metallic minerals (Fe, Cu, Fresh water
flowing water
Al)
Nonmetallic minerals
Fertile soil
(clay, sand, phosphates)
Plants &
animals
(biodiversity)
Nonrenewable Resources
• Nonrenewable/Exhaustible Resources
– Exist in a fixed quantity in the earth’s crust and
can be used up
• Mineral
– Any hard, usually crystalline material that is
formed naturally
• Reserves
– Known deposits from which a usable
mineral can be profitably extracted at
current prices
Who owns these resources?
• Property rights give ownership to all
resources on the property.
• Common property or free-access
resources are those resources that are
not owned and available for use by
everyone.
– For example: the air, the ocean
Tragedy of the Commons
• The over-use of a natural resource as a
result of unclear property rights. If
ownership of a resource is not
established, everyone has an incentive
to take as much of it as possible, quickly
depleting the resource.
– A typical example is the decline in the fish
population resulting from over-fishing of the
ocean.
Capital Expansion
• Natural capital is natural resources and
services that keep us alive
– plants give us O2; cows give us food
• Degradation of natural capital occurs
through activity and use
Theme 2: The Living World
• Sustainability
• Ecosystems and Community
• Biogeochemical Cycles
• Evolution and Biodiversity
Sustainable
• The term sustainability refers to the
ability of the Earth’s various systems to
survive and adapt to changing
environmental conditions, indefinitely.
• The survival of all species depends on
the ability of the Earth to continue to
provide resources.
Sustainability
•
ability of the earth’s
various natural systems
and human cultural
systems and economies
to survive and adapt to
changing environmental
conditions
INDEFINITELY
Principles of Sustainability
• The Earth’s ability to sustain is based
on these four interconnected principles
– reliance on solar energy
– biodiversity
– population control
– nutrient recycle
Application of the Principles
Plants and animals
use sunlight for
energy in the forms
of light and heat
Plants and animals
excrete waste, die and
decay
A different variety of
plants and animals
live in an
ecosystem
Predator - prey
relationships control
animal populations / plant
species invade others
Sustainable Resource Harvest
• Certain quantity of
that resource can
be harvested each
year and not be
depleted over a
specified period
• Sustainable supply
of fish or timber
Sustainable Earth
• Earth’s supplies of
resources
• Processes that
make up earth
capital are used
and maintained
over a specified
period
Sustainable Society
• Manages economy and
population size without
exceeding all or part of
the planet’s ability to
– Absorb environmental
insults
– Replenish resources
– Sustain human and other
forms of life over a
specified period (100’s1,000’s of years)
Environmentally Sustainable
Society
• An environmentally sustainable society
is one that meets current and future
needs in an equitable manner without
compromising future resources
– living off of a natural income without
degrading natural capital
Answers?
• Environmental systems can achieve a
sustainable society by:
– solutions: stop strip-mining for coal
– trade-offs: use alternative fuel for power
plants
– recognizing individual importance (You DO
matter!)
Theme 3: Population
Dynamics
• Population Growth and Impact
• Carrying Capacity
Growth
• What does it mean to grow?
– growth is the coming into being or
production by natural occurrences;
– the rate of growth is affected by a number
of different factors
• There is linear growth or exponential
growth
Linear Growth
• Linear growth follows the laws of simple
interest (interest is paid on the principle
sum without any accumulated interest).
– At 10% linear growth rate looks like this . .
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Original Population:
Population at Year 1:
Population at Year 2:
Population at Year 3:
Population at Year 4:
100
110
120
130
140
Exponential Growth
• Exponential growth refers to an
increase by a fixed rate over time.
– A 1% exponential growth rate looks like
this . . .
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Original Population:
Population at Year 1:
Population at Year 2:
Population at Year 3:
Population at Year 4:
100
110
121
133.1
146.4
Can you see the difference?
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Population Density (#)
Linear vs. Exponential Growth
300
250
200
Linear Growth
150
Exponential Growth
100
50
0
1
2
3
4
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Time (years)
8
9 10 11
Current Trends in Population
Growth
• The exponential growth rate in the world
is 1.23%.
– The Rule of 70 helps us calculate the time
it takes to double the population.
– 70 ÷ rate (%) = time (years)
– So, at the current rate of 1.23%, it will take
70  1.23 = 57 years.
Within your lifetime!!!!!!
Natural Capital
• Solar Capital
– Energy from the sun
– Provides 99% of the energy used on
earthion
• Natural resources
– useful materials and energy
• Natural services
– purifications of air and water which
support life and human economics.
– ecosystems provide these services at no
cost
Economic Growth
• The economic growth of a nation is
measured by the Gross Domestic
Product (GDP)
– the sum total of all goods and services
produced by a nation.
– High GDP indicates a developed country
– Low GDP indicates a developing country
Economic Growth - Key Terms
• Gross National Product
– Measures economic growth in a country
– Market value in current dollars of all goods
and services produced within and outside
of a country by the country’s businesses
during one year
• Gross Domestic Product
– Market value in current dollars of all goods
and services produced only within a
country during one year
Economic Growth - Key Terms
Per Capita GDP
– Changes in a county’s economic growth
per person
– the GDP divided by the total population at
midyear
Economics - Key Terms
• Economic Development
– has the goal of using economic growth to
improve living standards
Economic Growth - Key
Terms
• Developed Countries
• 1.2 billion people
– Highly industrialized
– High per capita GDP PPP
• Developing Countries
– Middle income , moderately developed –
China, India, Brazil, Thailand, Mexico
– Low income, least developed – Angola,
Congo, Belarus, Nigeria, Nicaragua
Wealth Gap
• The gap between
the per capita GNP
of the rich, middleincome and poor has
widened
• More than 1 billion
people survive on
less than one dollar
per day
• Situation has
Sustainable Development
• Assumes the right to use
the earth’s resources and
earth capital to meet
needs
• Obligation exists to pass
the earth’s resources and
services to future
generations in as good or
better shape than
condition when passed to
us
• Intergenerational equity or
fairness
Affluenza vs. Poverty
• Affluenza is a social addiction to over
consumption and materialism
– developed countries
– can sometimes lead to more educated
awareness and $ for programs
• Poverty is the inability to meet ones
basic economical needs
– lack of adequate sanitation, fuel, electricity,
potable water, health care and food
The Connections
• There is a connection between the
population, economics and resources
Developed Countries
•High resource use
•High Wealth
•High pollution
•Low population growth
•Low population
Developing Countries
•Low resource use
•Low Wealth
•Low pollution
•High population growth
•High population
Problems Lead to Causes
• The environmental impact of a
population can be calculated by:
population x consumption per capita x
technological impact per unit of
consumption
The Cause of it All
• The causes of environmental problems
are
– population growth
– unsustainable resource growth
– poverty
– ignoring environmental cost
– management of nature without knowledge
Ecological Footprint
• An ecological footprint is the amount of
biologically productive land and water
needed to supply an area with
resources and to accommodate waste
and pollution.
– How much land will a person or country
need to support life?
Factors Affecting our Footprint
• The three factors affecting our
ecological requirements are
– agriculture (food)
– transportation
– heating and cooling
• Human Footprint; National Geographic
video.
• http://channel.nationalgeographic.com/
channel/videos/player.html?category=1
8151&channel=1797
• Footprint activity
• http://www.myfootprint.org/en/
Theme 4: Land and Water Use
• Agriculture, Forestry, Urban, and Range
land use and water use
• Conservation
• Economics
Biodiversity Depletion
• Habitat destruction
• Habitat degradation
• Extinction
Theme 5: Energy Resources
and Consumption
• Production and Consumption
• Perpetual, Renewable and Nonrenewable Resources
• Alternative Energy Sources
Theme 6: Pollution
• Pollution of air, soil and water
• Legislation and enforcement
• Remediation and Prevention
• Economics
Pollution
• Any addition to air,
water, soil, or food
that threatens the
health, survival, or
activities of humans
or other living
organisms
• Solid, liquid, or
gaseous byproducts or wastes
Pollution
• Pollution is what started our journey.
• Pollution is the presence of chemicals
or biological organisms at high enough
levels to threaten human health or the
health of other organisms.
– Point source
– Non-point source
What can pollution do?
• The damage caused by pollution
includes
– degradation or destruction of life support
systems such as resources;
– damage to life or property;
– nuisance.
Point Source Pollutants
• From a single,
identifiable
sources
– Smokestack of a
power plant
– Drainpipe of a
meat-packing plant
– Exhaust pipe of an
automobile
Nonpoint Source Pollutants
• Dispersed and often difficult to identify
sources
– Runoff of fertilizers and pesticides
– Storm Drains (#1 source of oil spills in oceans)
Solutions: Pollution Prevention
• Input Pollution Control
or Throughput Solution
– Slows or eliminates
the production of
pollutants, often by
switching to less
harmful chemicals or
processes
Water Pollution
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Sediment
Nutrient overload
Toxic chemicals
Infectious agents
Oxygen depletion
Pesticides
Oil spills
Excess heat
Air Pollution
• Global climate
change
• Stratospheric ozone
depletion
• Urban air pollution
• Acid deposition
• Outdoor pollutants
• Indoor pollutants
• Noise
Solution: Four R’s of Resource
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Management
Refuse (don’t use)
Reduce
Reuse
Recycle
Solution: Pollution cleanup
• Output Pollution
Cleanup
– Involves
cleaning up
pollutants after
they have been
produced
– Most expensive
and time
consuming
Environmental Degradation
Common Property
Resources
• Tragedy of the Commons
• Resources owned by none, but
available to all users free of
charge
• May convert potentially
renewable resources into
nonrenewable resources
Model of Environmental Impact
• Number of People x Number of units of
resources used per person x
Environmental degradation and
pollution per unit of resource used =
Environmental impact of population
• PxAxT=I
Four Scientific Principles of
sustainability
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Reliance on solar energy
Biodiversity
Nutrient cycling
Population control
What can we do?
• There are two basic approaches to the
problem of pollution
– prevention through regulation and
enforcement; or
– clean-up the mess through remediation
efforts.
Theme 7: Global Change
• Global politics, economics and ethics
• Global Warming
• Ozone Depletion
• Survival and Extinction
Eras in Environmental
Awareness
Four (4) Environmental Eras in
America
1. Tribal America Era (the beginning 1607)
2. Frontier Era (1607 - 1890)
3. Early Conservation Era (1832 - 1870)
4. Federal / Privatized Resource
Conservation (1870 - present)
– Awareness (1950 - 1970)
– Legislation (1970 - 1980)
– Anti-Environmental (1980 - ?)
Tribal America
• Native Americans viewed the Earth as a
bounty to be cared for and worshiped.
• 1620 - William Bradford described Cape
Cod, Massachusetts as a “hideous
desolate wilderness...” that must be
tamed
Frontier America
• Developing a new frontier brought with it
new discoveries and new problems
• 1801-1809 Thomas Jefferson
recognized a problem with and sought
solutions to soil erosion from his
farmlands
Early Conservation
• 1817-1869 Henry David Thoreau,
respected author, noted the loss of
native species in his Massachusetts
home land
• 1864 George Marsh published Man &
Nature which highlighted the damage to
the environment from westward
expansion
The Federal & Privatized Era
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1785 Bureau of Land Management
1849 Department of the Interior
1862 Department of Agriculture
1871 Fishing Commission
1879 US Geological Survey
1881 Division of Forestry
1891 Forest Reserve Act created the
first National Forest
• 1903 1st Wildlife Refuge
The Federal & Privatized Era
• 1905 US Forestry Service
• 1906 Antiquities Act created areas for
National Monuments
• 1935 Soil Conservation Act passed to
prevent erosion
• 1937 Federal Aid in Wildlife Restoration
Act created the National Wildlife
Federation
• 1964 Wilderness Act to protect “primitive”
areas
Our Greatest Environmental
President is . . .
• President Theodore Roosevelt (1901 1909)
– promoted more conservation and
environmental awareness than any other
president in history
Executive Powers
Department of the
Interior
Department
of Agriculture
• Bureau of Land
• Soil Conservation
Management
• US Forestry Service
• Fish & Wildlife Services
• National Parks
Social Groups
• 1886 (1887) John Grinnell founded the
(National) Audubon Society
• 1892 John Muir founded the Sierra
Club to promote preservation /
conservation
And that brings us up to . .
Awareness
• Until the 1950’s - 1960’s, the role of the
government was largely conservation
and preservation of the environment
• Post-depression and post-war America
saw booms in industry and population
growth
Silent Spring, by Rachel
Carson
• Rachel Carson was a biologist, a
naturalist and an accomplished writer
• Her book took over 2 years to write
• Although industry touted it as the writings
of an hysterical woman, the country and
the government sat up, listened and
became “aware” of the damage being
caused and began to react
Individuals Do Matter
• Rachel Carson was the catalyst to the
environmental movement
– conservation to regulation
Love Canal
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Land around Niagara Falls, New York
was a disposal area for Hooker
Chemical Company since the early
1940’s
A developer built a community on the
property
Highly toxic materials began to leech into
the local water system and homes
Love Canal (continued)
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
President Carter declared the land a
Federal Disaster Area
Residents abandoned homes and
businesses and cleanup began
Federal Legislation
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1969: National Environmental Policy Act
1970: Clean Air Act
1970: Occupational Safety and Health Act
1972: Clean Water Act
1972: Federal Insecticide, Fungicide and
Rodenticide Act (FIFRA)
• 1974: Safe Drinking Water Act
Federal Legislation (continued)
• 1975: Hazardous Materials
Transportation Act
• 1976: Toxic Substances Control Act
(TSCA)
• 1976: Resource Conservation and
Recovery Act (RCRA)
Federal Legislation (continued)
• 1980: Comprehensive Environmental
Response, Compensation and Liability Act
(CERCLA)
• 1986: Superfund Amendments and
Reauthorization Act (SARA); Emergency
Planning & Community Right-to-Know
• 1990: Pollution Prevention Act
• 1990: Oil Pollution Prevention Act
Environmental Timeline
Assignment
• Construct a timeline to trace the
advancement of the environmental
movement. (timeline assignment is
posted)
– Handwritten, on paper (NOT
POSTERBOARD!)
– Write 2-3 complete sentences describing
the event or law
The Environmental Protection
Agency
• Created in 1970 by President Nixon
• Replaced the Environmental Health
Service
• Mission Statement is to Protect the
Environment for our generation and
future generations
How the EPA Works
Federal Government
Executive
Legislative
EPA
Congress initiates
legislation and
passes a law
EPA interprets the
law and writes the
rulebook
Committees review
the laws and amend
them as necessary
Certain laws are enforced
on a federal level
Judicial
Individual states take
the law and pass it on
the state level
State agencies take
the rules from the
EPA and enforce
the laws
Your Environmental Protection
Agency
• Here in Central Virginia, we are part of
Region V of the EPA
– Our enforcement office is in Atlanta, GA
– Good luck trying to get them on the
telephone!
• Our state agency is the Department of
Environmental Quality (DEQ)
– Regional office in Roanoke with satellite
offices in Lynchburg
Anti-Environmental Sentiment
• The Anti-Environmental sentiment is
largely fueled by industry
– It is costly to comply with regulations
– Non-compliance leads to heavy fines,
imprisonment or both
• The political atmosphere also shapes
legislation
– a candidate who runs on a weak
environmental platform brings that lack of
action to the office (federal and state)
World Views
• Planetary Management: the Earth is
here for our needs, we can manage and
control it.
• Stewardship: we are morally obligated
to manage the Earth’s resources
• Environmental wisdom: we are nature
and therefore need to work in concert
with nature