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AP Environmental Science Intro
Sustainability and Ethics
Introduction
•
Environment
– External conditions that affect
living organisms
•
Ecology
– Study of relationships between
living organisms and their
environment
•
Environmental Science
–
–
–
–
how nature works.
how the environment effects us.
how we effect the environment.
how we can live more sustainably
without degrading our life-support
system.
Tragedy of the Commons
• Degradation of the renewable resources
• Reasoned by “If I don’t use this resource,
someone else will.”
• Problem: too many people resource get
depleted and no one benefits.
Environmental Ethics
Worldviews
• Planetary management- separate from
nature
• Stewardship worldview- earth for our
benefit but we have ethical responsibility to
be caring sewards
• Environmental Wisdom- our success
depends sustainable practices
Earth-Wisdom Worldview
• Nature exists for all of the
earth’s species, not just for
us
• There is not always more
• Not all forms of economic
growth is beneficial to the
environment
• Our success depends on
learning to cooperate with
one another and with the
earth
Planetary Management Worldview
• There is always more
• All economic growth is
good
• Potential for economic
growth is limitless
• Our success depends on
how well we manage
earth’s system for our
benefit
Sustainability: The Integrative Theme
• Sustainability, is the ability of earth’s various
systems to survive and adapt to environmental
conditions indefinitely.
• The steps to sustainability must be supported by
sound science.
Figure 1-3
Four Scientific Principles of
Sustainability: Copy Nature
• Reliance on Solar
Energy
• Biodiversity
• Population Control
• Nutrient Recycling
Figure 1-16
Sun
Natural Capital
Air, water, land, soil,
biodiversity,
minerals, raw
materials, energy
resources; dilution,
decomposition, &
recycling services
EARTH
Economic
Systems
Heat
Production
Depletion of nonrenewable
resources
Degradation & depletion
of renewable resources used
faster than replenished
Consumption
Pollution, waste from
overloading nature’s waste
disposal & recycling systems
Recycling
and reuse
Fig. 24-4, p. 573
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 by-products
or wastes
Nonpoint Source Pollutants
• Dispersed and often difficult to identify sources
– Runoff of fertilizers and pesticides
– Storm Drains (#1 source of oil spills in oceans)
Point Source Pollutants
• From a single,
identifiable sources
– Smokestack of a
power plant
– Drainpipe of a meatpacking plant
– Exhaust pipe of an
automobile
Negativity of Pollutant
• Chemical Nature
– How active and harmful
it is to living organisms
• Concentration
– Amount per unit
volume or weight of air,
water, soil or body
weight
• Persistence
– Time it stays in the air,
water, soil or body
Water Pollution
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
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
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
• Four R’s
– Reduce, reuse, refuse,
recycle
STUFF
• http://www.storyofstuff.org