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Chapter 1
Our Changing
Environment
IMPORTANT DATES
Chapter 1
HOMEWORK ASSIGNMENTS
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By next class:
Study for Common Test
 Read p 4 (2002 World Summit)
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By Wednesday 9/7:
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Read p 7-17 and take notes
Monday 9/12:
CH 1 TEST
 CH 1 HW due
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GREEN ARCHETECTURE
Encompasses
environmental
considerations
such as energy
conservation,
improved indoor
air quality, water
conservation, and
recycled/reused
building materials.
Examples:
Ardrey Kell High
Mallard Creek High
Lewis Center, Oberlin College
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Earth-coupled
heat pump
Motion sensors
to shut off lights
Wastewater
recycled for
toilet use
Reused building
materials
Lewis Center, Cont.
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Photovoltaic (PV) Cells
Lewis Center, Cont.
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Triple-paned windows
Lewis Center, Cont.
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Landscape mimics the natural ecosystems that were
originally in the area
Environmental Science

Interdisciplinary study of humanity’s
relationship with other organisms and the
nonliving physical environment.
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Pollution
Any alteration of air, water,
or soil that harms the health,
survival, or activities of humans
and other living organisms.
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Pollution
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Affects the environment in 3 ways…
Chemical Nature
 Concentration
 Persistence
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Pollution Prevention
vs. Pollution Cleanup….
Which is
cheaper?
Goals of Environmental Science
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Establish principles about how the
natural world functions
Develop viable solutions to environmental
problems
Make recommendations to elected officials
Identify, understand, and solve environmental
problems that we have created
Ecology

Discipline of biology that
studies the interrelationships
between organisms and their
environment
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Use ecology to address human population
growth & consequences of that growth
ENVIRONMENTAL
SUSTAINABILITY
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Ability to meet humanity’s current needs
without compromising the ability of future
generations to meet their needs.
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Ecological Resource
Economic Resource
Renewable Resource
(perpetual resource)
Potentially Renewable
Resource
Environmental Sustainability
is based on…
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What are the effects of our actions on the
environment?
Resources are limited – can we live within
those limits?
Do we understand the costs to the
environment and society?
Can we all share the responsibility?
Solar Capital & Earth Capital…
Solar Capital & Earth Capital

We are all interdependent &
interconnected to nature
The sun provides the
energy for life.

Survival, health, and economies
depend on nature

We are depleting Earth’s
natural capital….what is that?
IBESS!!!
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RENEWABLE
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Living species, ecosystems, etc.
Self-producing and self-maintaining.
Uses solar energy & photosynthesis
Can yield marketable goods (wood fiber, food, etc)
Can provide unaccounted essential services when left in place
(climate regulation, air purification, etc)
REPLENISHABLE
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3 Types of Natural Capital
Groundwater, ozone layer, etc.
Nonliving, but also usually dependent on the solar “engine” for
renewal.
NONRENEWABLE
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Fossil fuels, minerals, metals, etc.
Analogous to inventories: any use implies liquidating part of the
stock.
Why aren’t we sustainable??
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Using nonrenewable resources as
if they are infinite
Using renewable resources faster
than they can be replenished
Polluting the environment with
toxins as if Earth can absorb
them infinitely
Population continues to grow
despite the limited resources &
ability to sustain us
Why can’t we stop
living “non-sustainably”?
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Interacting ecological, societal, economic factors
Inadequate scientific understanding of the
environment and
how we affect it
Our Challenge:
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Meet our immediate needs AND
Protect the environment in the long term
Two Views of Resource Use
From: Our Ecological Footprint, by Mathis Wackernagle & William E. Rees
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Sustainability must be a
BALANCE of quality
of life & carrying
capacity.
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Discuss this diagram.
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Where do we normally
exist?
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What’s the goal???
http://www.coloradocollege.edu/dept/ev/courses/footprint/Footprint.htm
EVOLUTION of PEOPLE
http://www.ezl.com/~fireball/evolution___of___man.htm
Evolution of People…
(1) Hunter Gatherers
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Until ~12,000 years ago
Nomadic
“Earth Wisdom”
3 energy sources:
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Sun, Fire, Muscle Power
More advanced h-g’s had greater impact on
their environment than earlier h-g’s
Attempted sustainability
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low resource use & working with nature
Evolution of People…
(2) Agricultural Revolution
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10,000 – 12,000 years ago
Gradually settled into
communities
Urbanization
 Larger families
 Farming (initially only
subsistence farming)
 Cultivate plants &
domesticated animals
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Evolution of People…
(2) Agricultural Revolution
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In what ways was the environment impacted?
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Use of domesticated animals required _____ energy
Birth Rates ____ due to more reliable food sources
Large areas were cleared & irrigation systems built
People began accumulating material goods
Farmers grew more than their families needed
Urbanization!
Survival of animals/plants once vital to humanity
became less important
Focused on taming/managing nature, rather than
working with nature.
Evolution of People…
(3) Industrial Revolution
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Began ~1870s
Production, commerce,
trade expanded rapidly
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Resource dependence shift
(renewable to nonrenewable)
New machines = large-scale
production
More food and supplies
available…
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What happens to population?
Evolution of People…
(3) Industrial Revolution
How do you think this affected the
environment???
Evolution of People…
(4) Technological Revolution
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Our current cultural shift
New technology allows
people to deal with more
information more rapidly
Environmental impact of
this revolution is not yet
clear…
Evolution of People…
(4) Technological Revolution
From an Environmental Perspective…
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How is the Techno-Revolution
POSITIVE?
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How is the Techno-Revolution
NEGATIVE?
MEETING THE CHALLENGE
2002 World Summit
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Background: 1992 UN Conference on
Environment and Development (Brazil)
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Focused on…
Pollution
 Deterioration of atmosphere and oceans
 Species diversity decline
 Deforestation
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Came up with Agenda 21 –
The Sustainable Development Plan
MEETING THE CHALLENGE
2002 World Summit
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Agenda 21 – The Sustainable Development
Plan
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Sustainable Development
Recommended >2500 actions
to deal with our most urgent
environmental, health, and
social problems
2002 World Summit on Sustainable
Development (South Africa)
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Assessed progress/failures of Agenda 21, finding…
2002 World Summit
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Not much changed between 1992 and 2002 –
most countries are focused on other issues
(terrorism, foreign policy, etc) rather than
the environment
Why didn’t Agenda 21 make more of a
difference?
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Agreements don’t help unless the world’s
nations enforce them!!
Few international changes, but many local
changes! 
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More stringent air pollution policy
>100 countries enacted sustainable
development plans
What is the importance of this
diagram?
Our Impact on the Environment
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Biggest human impact on the environment is due
to………
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POPULATION INCREASE!!
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Growing quickly!!
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1960 – 3 Billion
1975 – 4 Billion
1987 – 5 Billion
1999 – 6 Billion
Won’t slow down quickly – education is slow!
Poverty
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EXTREME POVERTY
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unable to meet basic needs (adequate food,
clothing, shelter, education, and health)
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World Bank estimate: 2.8 Million people
POVERTY
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<$1/day per capita
Low life expectancy, illiteracy, inadequate
access to healthcare, safe water, balanced
nutrition
World Bank estimate: 1.2 Billion people
828 Million people get <80% daily
recommended calories (UN Estimate)
Population Stabilization??
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World population may stabilize by 2100
Why?
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Drop in Fertility Rate (family planning)
(~3 children/family)
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Will continue to drop
World population should be ~7.9B – 10.9B by 2100
Think….
- Can Earth support us indefinitely?
- Population is just as important as
Consumption!!
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Developed vs. Developing
Population, Consumption, and
Environmental Impact
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Everything comes from somewhere, and must be
returned in some form.
Environmental Impact  I=PAT
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I = environmental impact
P = # people
A = affluence per person
(measure of consumption or amt of resources used)
T = environmental effects of technologies used to obtain
& consume resources (resources needed and wastes
produced)
Example: Question 9, Page 21 (R&B)
IPAT
Example
(page
21
R&B)
Use the IPAT equation to calculate the
environmental impact in terms of CO2 emissions
per year at the beginning of the 21st century, when
there were 6 billion people, an average of 0.1 motor
vehicles per person, and 5.4 tons of CO2 emitted by
each car per year.
Then make a similar calculation for the year 2050,
based on these projections: a population of 10
billion people, 0.4 cars per person, and CO2
emissions per vehicle similar to what we have
today (that is, no technological improvements).
ANSWERS ON NEXT SLIDE
How might we hold global CO2 emissions from
motor vehicles to 2000 levels in the year 2050?
Answers:
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2000:
I=
P
x
A
x
T
I = (6 billion people)(0.1 cars/person)(5.4 tons CO2/car/year)
I = 3.24 billion tons CO2/year
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2050:
I=
P
x
A
x
T
I = (10 billion people)(0.4 cars/person)(5.4 tons CO2/car/year)
I = 21.6 billion tons CO2/year
IPAT Equation
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Must use it with care – we don’t always fully
understand the environmental effects of our
technologies… it’s tough to measure.
Why is the IPAT equation so volatile?
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Each variable changes
Why is the IPAT equation so useful?
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Helps us identify what we don’t know about our
environmental impact
“As human numbers and consumption increase
worldwide, so does humanity’s impact on Earth,
posing new challenges to us all.”
What does this cartoon depict in terms of I=PAT?
What’s Your EQ?
(…your Environmental Quotient)
Answer the quiz questions as honestly
as possible. We’ll do it again at the
end of the course to see if/how your
values have changed! 
PUT YOUR EQ IN YOUR PORTFOLIO
AT THE END OF CLASS.
Calculate YOUR Footprint
Go to www.myfootprint.org/ and take the
online quiz to calculate your footprint.
Then recalculate, experimenting with the
settings to see how the footprint
changes… different country, different
diet, etc.
Write down your settings & results.
1.
2.
3.
4.
Discussion:
How are we different? Why?
What settings did you change? How did it impact your footprint?
What changes can we realistically make to minimize our
footprints?
What do our results mean for Earth in the long run?
HOMEWORK
Read pages 7- 17 in your text
and fill in the notes on the
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Endocrine Disrupters
Declining Commercial Fisheries
Declining Bird Populations
Re-introduction of Native Species
Invasive Species
Stratospheric Ozone Depletion
Global Warming
Deforestation
BE PREPARED FOR A QUIZ NEXT
CLASS ON THESE CASE STUDIES.
QUIZ TIME!
Chapter 1 Case Studies
Pages 7-17
NPR Clip
Shade-grown coffee
and
bird populations
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/
story.php?storyId=129800164
(~6minutes)
Case Study Extensions
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Get in eight teams.
Each team reads one of eight case studies related to
those in Chapter 1. Become experts!
When done, each team must teach the class about your
topic.
After each presentation, the class will discuss how this
topic relates to the case study in Chapter 1.
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Use these questions to guide your discussion:
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Why did Mrs. Toth choose this topic to supplement your book’s
reading?
How does this relate to environmental science?
How does this relate to the case study in the book?
HOMEWORK
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Write at least two quiz-type questions that
review today’s case studies (from the book and
the articles).
Format: open-ended, not multiple-choice
You’ll play “popcorn” next class with these
questions. Someone asks a question, then
throws the ball to another student for the
answer. The person who correctly answers the
question asks the next one.
EVERYONE participates!
Ethics, Values, and Worldviews:
Addressing Environmental Problems
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ETHICS
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branch of philosophy that is derived through the logical
application of human values.
VALUES
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Principles that an individual or society considers important
or worthwhile.
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Can change as society changes
ENVIRONMENTAL ETHICS
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Applied ethics considering the moral basis of environmental
responsibility and how far this responsibility extends.
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How should we relate to nature?
How do we balance short-term goals with long-term goals?
Ethics, Values, & Worldviews Cont.
2 Environmental
Worldviews…
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Western Worldview
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“Expansionist
Worldview”, “Frontier
Ethic/Attitude” or
“Atomistic”
Deep Ecology
Worldview
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“Sustainable
Development Ethic” or
“Holistic”
APES!!!
Western Worldview
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Conquer & exploit nature as
quickly as possible
Humans are superior to nature
Our success depends on how well we can
understand, control, and manage the
earth’s life-support systems for our benefit
All economic growth is good! (mo’ money!!)
Unrestricted resource use, increased
economic growth, expanding industry,
accumulation of wealth, unlimited
consumption of goods
APES!!!
Deep Ecology Worldview
Leaders of the
movement:
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John Muir
Theodore
Roosevelt
Aldo Leopold
Rachel Carson
APES!!!
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Deep Ecology Worldview
Principles:
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Life is intrinsically valuable (human and non-human)
AND nature exists for all of Earth’s species, not just us.
Biodiversity is valuable & humans have no right to
decrease biodiversity.
Some economic growth is environmentally beneficial and
some are environmentally harmful.
Present human interference with the natural world is
excessive and worsening.
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Flourishing of human culture & economics requires a decrease in
the human population.
Significant positive change of life conditions requires
policy change.
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Economics, technology, and ideological structures will change.
Worldviews
Deep Ecology : Humans are not separate from
nature – we must follow the rules of nature
instead of making it conform to our desires.
Keep in mind….
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Most people subscribe to
neither worldview…
Western = anthropocentric
 Deep Ecology = biocentric
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In order to be sustainable, we need to develop
and incorporate a longlasting, environmentally
sensitive worldview into our culture.
IBESS!!
Environmental Value Systems
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What is it?
A worldview that shapes the way an individual or group
of people perceive and evaluate environmental issues.
 Influenced by cultural (including religious), economic,
and socio-political context.
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How is it considered to be a SYSTEM ??
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Has Inputs… like what?
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Education, cultural influences, religious doctrine, media
Has Outputs (determined by processing the inputs)… like what?
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Decisions, perspectives, courses of action
IBESS!!!
Environmental Value Systems
From the IB standpoint, there’s a whole spectrum!
ENVIRONMENTAL
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ECOCENTRIC
ANTHROPOCENTRIC
TECHNOCENTRIC
(nature-centered)
(people-centered)
(technology-centered)
Holistic world view.
Minimum disturbance of
natural processes.
Integration of spiritual, social
and environmental
dimensions.
Sustainability for the whole
Earth.
Self-reliant communities within
a framework of global
citizenship.
Self-imposed restraint on
resource use.
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People as environmental
managers of sustainable
global systems.
Population control given
equal weight to resource
use.
Strong regulation by
independent authorities
required.
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Technology can keep pace with
and provide solutions to
environmental problems.
Resource replacement solves
resource depletion.
Need to understand natural
processes in order to control
them.
Strong emphasis on scientific
analysis and prediction prior to
policy-making.
Importance of market and
economic growth.
IBESS!!
Environmental Value Systems Spectrum
ENVIRONMENTAL
GROUP ACTIVITY!!
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Split into 8 groups. Choose 1 of the above regions of the Value
System Spectrum (each region should be represented twice). In your
group, study/discuss the characteristics of your assigned philosophy,
and brainstorm other characteristics that fit in.
Draw a mural of your philosophy. Be visual… use words sparingly.
Draw people, actions, and anything else illustrating your philosophy.
When we’re done, we’ll explain our murals to the class so we can learn
about the entire Environmental Philosophy Spectrum!
Cane
Toads
Video
A Catch-22 of
introducing a
predator
THE END!
ANOTHER WAY TO DIE
by: Disturbed
(click the picture for the video)
Affluence & Social Disparity
Click on Africa for
World on Fire
Video
Video: Human Footprint
Watch the video,
thinking of how resources are used.
Discussion to follow.
Captain Planet – he’s our hero!
Random Fact: Captain Planet has a PhD in Sustainable Yield
IB ESS!!
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Sustainable Yield
Sustainable Yield (SY) may be calculated as the
rate of increase in natural capital.
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“That which can be exploited without depleting the
original stock or its potential for replenishment.”
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Ex: the annual sustainable yield for a given crop may be
estimated simply as the annual gain in biomass or
energy through growth and recruitment.
IBESS!!!
Sustainable Yield
Practice Problems!
OLD IPAT ACTIVITY
IPAT Group Discussion
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Groups of 3-4
Choose a Less or Least Developed Country from the
list.
Estimate your country’s affluence (# cars/person),
keeping in mind that most developed countries have
0.2 cars/person.
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Use the 2002 World Population Data Sheets for reference.
Calculate the Environmental Impact of your country
based on this affluence.
Calculate again, assuming all of its population
achieves an affluence of 0.2 cars/person.
IPAT Group Discussion
CLASS DISCUSSION
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Now, think about IPAT from an American
perspective.
What is our impact?
 How does it compare to your developing country?
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Identify reasons why these estimations are
misleading.
HOT ISSUES IN
ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE
You’ll be making a WANTED POSTER for one of
the following topics:
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Endocrine Disrupters
Declining Commercial Fisheries
Declining Bird Populations
Re-introduction of Native Species
Invasive Species
Stratospheric Ozone Depletion
Global Warming
Deforestation
…Begins on page 7
HOT ISSUES
Wanted Poster Instructions
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What is it? (details, please! )
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Describe what they’re wanted for.
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Also explain their negative environmental
impact.
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What are the benefits for their “incarceration”?
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Give an example or case-study.
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Give a visual of some sort