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Chapter 1 Lecture Notes
Science and the
Environment
Chapter 1: Section 1 Targets
Define
environmental science with
and compare
.
List and Define the
that contribute to environmental science.
Describe the major environmental effects of
, the
revolution, and the
Revolution.
Distinguish between
newable and
newable resources.
Classify environmental
categories.
into three major
What is Environmental Science?
• Environmental Science: Study of how
humans affect their
and
surroundings
Goals of Environmental Science
• Major goal of environmental science is to
and
environmental
problems.
• Environmental scientists study 2 main types of
between humans and the
environment:
1. How our actions
the environment.
2. Our
of natural resources.
Environmental Science vs.
Ecology
• Environmental science involves many fields of
study, including ecology.
• Ecology: study of interactions of living organisms
with one another and their environment.
• Major Levels Studied by Ecologists?
5 Fields of Study Used by
Environmental Scientists
Scientists as Citizens, Citizens as Scientists
• Who is usually the first person to recognize an
environmental problem?
• The
of
the first steps toward addressing an
environmental problem.
are
Our Environment
Through Time
Wherever
have hunted, grown
food, or settled, they have
the
environment.
Hunter-Gatherers
• Hunter-gatherers: people who get food by
plants and
wild animals or
scavenging their remains.
• Hunter-gatherers
their environment in
many ways:
1) They hunted animals,
their
populations
2) The tribes also
to burn
prairies and prevent the grow of trees. This
left the prairie as an open grassland ideal for
hunting bison.
Hunter-Gatherers
• In North America, a combination of rapid
and
by
hunter-gatherers may have led to disappearance
of large mammal species, including:
1) giant sloths
2) giant bison
3) mastodons
4) cave bears
5) saber-toothed cats
The Agricultural Revolution
• Agriculture: raising crops and livestock for food or
other products useful to humans.
– Practice of agriculture began over 10,000 years ago.
– Often called the
Revolution.
– Allowed human populations to grow at
rate. WHY?
– Many
were
and
replaced with farmland.
• Replacing forest with farmland caused soil loss,
floods, and water shortages.
The Industrial Revolution
• Industrial Revolution:
from energy sources such
as animals/running water to fossil fuels such as coal/oil.
–
use of fossil fuels greatly
increased efficiency of agriculture, industry, and
transportation.
• For example, motorized vehicles allowed food to
be transported cheaply across greater distances.
– On farms, machinery
amount of land
and human labor needed to produce food.
• With fewer people producing their own food,
populations in urban areas steadily
.
Improving the Quality of Life
• Industrial Revolution introduced many
changes such as the light bulb.
• Agricultural productivity
nutrition, and medical care
, and sanitation,
.
• The Industrial Revolution also introduced new
environmental
such as pollution
and habitat loss.
– We now have materials such as plastics, artificial
pesticides, and fertilizers.
– Much of environmental science is concerned with
associated with the Industrial Revolution.
Spaceship Earth
• Earth is a
system.
– Some resources are
and as populations grow,
they are used more rapidly.
– We may also
wastes faster than they can
be
.
• Environmental problems on different scales: local, regional,
or global.
• A
example would be your community
discussing where to build a new landfill.
• A
example would be a polluted river 1000
miles away affecting the region’s water.
• A
example would be the depletion of the
ozone layer.
Comprehension Check
1. Name a global environmental problem.
2. Name a local environmental problem.
3. Could the local problem be a part of the global
problem? If so, how?
What are our Main
Environmental Problems?
• Environmental problems can generally be
grouped into three categories:
1)
2)
3) Loss of
Depletion
Resource Depletion
• Natural Resources: any natural
materials used by humans, such
as, water, petroleum, minerals,
forests, and animals.
– Classified as either a
renewable or nonrenewable.
• Renewable resources can be
replaced relatively quickly
by natural process.
• Nonrenewable resources
form at a much slower rate
than they are consumed.
Recyclable vs. Renewable
Pollution
• Pollution:
change in natural
environment caused by
of
substances harmful to living organisms or by
excessive wastes, heat, noise, or radiation
Pollution
• Two main types of pollutants:
•
degradable pollutants
•
be broken down by natural processes
and include materials such as newspaper
• Are a problem only when they accumulate
than they can be broken down
•
degradable pollutants
•
be broken down by natural processes
and include materials such as mercury
• They can build up to
levels in
the environment
Loss of Biodiversity
• Biodiversity:
of organisms in a given
area or the genetic variation within a population
– These organisms can be considered
resources.
– Can you think of 3 reasons why biodiversity
would be important to our survival?
•
•
•
Comprehension Check
1. How do scientists define a nonrenewable
resource?
A. a resource that is used by humans
B. a resource that can never be replaced
C. a resource that can be replaced relatively
quickly
D. a resource that takes more time to
replace than to deplete
Comprehension Check
2. Which of the following is an important field
for environmental science?
A. ecology
B. economics
C. meteorology
D. political science
Comprehension Check
3. Which of the following phrases describes the term
biodiversity?
A. species that have become extinct
B. the animals that live in an area
C. species that look different from one another
D. the number and variety of species that live in an
area
Comprehension Check
4. Energy from the sun, water, air, wood, and
soil are all examples of what kind of energy?
A. ecological energy
B. organic energy
C. renewable energy
D. solar energy
Chapter 1: Section 2 Targets
Describe “The Tragedy of the
”.
Explain the Law of
.
and
List three differences between develop
develop
countries.
and
Explain what
is, and describe
why it is a goal of environmental science.
“The Tragedy of the Commons”
• Ecologist Garrett Hardin argued there is a
conflict between the
of
the individual and the
of
society.
• The example he used was the
, or
the areas of land that belonged to the whole
village.
“The Tragedy of the Commons”
•
want as many animals in the commons as possible.
– If too many animals graze on commons, they destroy the
grass.
– Once grass was destroyed, everyone suffered because no
one could raise animals on the commons.
• Hardin’s realized someone must take
maintaining a resource or it will become depleted.
• This can be applied to our
resources.
for
Supply and Demand
• Law of Supply and
Demand: as
for a
good or service
increases,
of the food or service
also increases.
– Example: oil production.
Developed and Developing Countries
countries have:
•higher incomes
•slower population growth
•diverse industrial economies
•stronger social support.
•
•
countries have:
•lower average incomes
•simple agriculture-based communities
•rapid population growth.
Population and Consumption
• Almost all environmental problems are traced
back to 2 main causes:
• The human population in some areas is
for the local
environment to support.
• People
many natural resources
than they
can be renewed, replaced, or cleaned up.
Consumption Trends
•To support higher
, developed countries use much
more of Earth’s resources.
•Developed nations use
of world’s resources, although they make
up only
of world’s population.
•This rate of consumption creates more waste and pollution per
person than in developing countries.
Ecological Footprints
•Ecological footprints:
calculations that show
in a particular country.
•estimates
used
for crops, grazing, forests
products, and housing. It also
includes
area used to
harvest seafood and
needed to absorb air pollution
caused by fossil fuels.
•one way to express the
differences in
between nations.
A Sustainable World
• Sustainability: condition in which human needs are
met in a way that a human population can
indefinitely.
• Examples:
•
science.
is a key goal of environmental
Comprehension Check
5. Population growth can result in what ethical
environmental problem, addressed by ecologist
Garrett Hardin in “The Tragedy of the Commons?
A. the conflict between water resources and
industrial growth
B. the conflict between forest resources and the
lumber companies
C. the conflict between political interests and
international energy use
D. the conflict between individual interests and
the welfare of society
Comprehension Check
Use this graph to answer questions 6 and 7
6. What was the total population
increase between the years 1600 and
1900?
A.
0.6 billion
B.
0.9 billion
C.
1.0 billion
D.
1.5 billion
7. If the rate of growth from
1900-1950 had been the same
as the rate of growth from
1950-2000, what would the
world population have been at
the end of the century?
A. more than 7 billion
B. more than 10 billion
C. more than 15 billion
D. more than 20 billion
Comprehension Check
8. Which of the following characterizes the
environmental consequences of the current
population trend?
A. More people mean more housing construction.
B. The need for food and resources is growing
rapidly.
C. The standard of living has risen around the
world.
D. There is no connection between population
growth and environment.