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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
