Download Chapter 1 Lecture Notes

Environmental Science
Chapter 1 Lecture Notes
Science and the
Environment
Chapter 1: Section 1Targets
What Is Environmental Science?
• Environmental Science
• Abiotic vs. biotic environmental
factors
Goals of Environmental Science
•
Major goal of environmental science?
•
2 main types of interactions between humans and the
environment?
Environmental Science vs. Ecology
• -Environmental science involves many fields of study,
including ecology.
• -Environmental Science vs. Ecology
• -Major Levels Studied by Ecologists?
Fields of Study Used by
Environmental Scientists
Scientists as Citizens, Citizens as Scientists
• Who is usually the first person to
recognize an environmental problem?
Our Environment Through Time
Hunter-Gatherers
-Who were hunter-gatherers?
-Hunter-gatherers affected their
environment in many ways.
Hunter-Gatherers
• In North America, a combination of rapid
climate changes and overhunting by huntergatherers 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
-What is agriculture?
-What was the Agricultural Revolution?
-Consequences of Agricultural Revolution
The Industrial Revolution
-What was the Industrial Revolution?
-Consequences of Industrial Revolution
Improving the Quality of Life
• Industrial Revolution introduced many
positive changes such as the light
bulb.
• Agricultural productivity increased,
and sanitation, nutrition, and medical
care improved.
• The Industrial Revolution also
introduced new environmental
problems such as pollution and habitat
loss.
Spaceship Earth
-Earth is a closed system. What does this
mean?
-Environmental problems on different
scales: local, regional, or global.
•
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:
Resource Depletion
-What are Natural Resources?
-Renewable vs. Nonrenewable Resources
Pollution
-Definition of Pollution
Pollution
-Two main types of pollutants:
Loss of Biodiversity
-Biodiversity Definition:
-Why is biodiversity important?
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?
F. ecological energy
G. organic energy
H. renewable energy
I. solar energy
Chapter 1: Section 2 Targets
“The Tragedy of the Commons”
-Ecologist Garrett Hardin
“The Tragedy of the Commons”
• -Definition:
Supply and Demand
• -Law of Supply
and Demand:
Developed and Developing Countries
Population and Consumption
-Almost all environmental problems are
traced back to 2 main causes:
Consumption Trends
Ecological Footprints
A Sustainable World
-What does Sustainability mean?
-EXAMPLES??
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 19001950 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.