Introducing Environmental Science and Sustainability Chapter 1 What are these? How do they relate to...

Introducing Environmental Science and

Sustainability

Chapter 1

What are these? How do they relate to issues of globalization

and sustainability?

Human Impacts on the Environment

Increasing Human Numbers

What does this picture show?

Human Impacts on the Environment

Most populous countries:

1) China 1,374,853,000

2) India 1,155,011,000

3) United States 309,163,000

4) Indonesia 258,825,000

5) Brazil 195,580,000

Source: US Census Bureau, Global Population Profile: 2002

What is a Highly Developed Country? A Moderately Developed Country?

A Less Developed Country?

In what types of

countries is most of the growth occurring?

Of the 400 cities with a population

of at least 1 million, 234 are in

developing

countries.

Human Impacts on the Environment

At what type of

rate is the population growing?

How Fast Is the Human Population Growing?

At an exponential rate! Human death rates have dropped because of an increase in

food supplies and better health and sanitation. Doubling Time - A measure of population growth where the

number of years it takes for a population growing at a specified rate to double its size.

To calculate “Doubling Time,” use the Rule of 70.

€

DoublingTime =70

%GrowthRate

Human Impacts on the Environment

Poverty :

• per capita income of less than $1 a day

• 1.2 billion worldwide currently live at this level

Leads to . . . Inadequate health care

Unsanitary water

Poor nutrition

Lower life expectancy

Relationship Betwen Population Growth, Use of Natural Resources, and Environmental Degradation

1) The resources essential to survival are small, but individuals in developing countries deplete these resources because of their increasing population.

2) In developed nations, resource demands are large (extravagent consumers), and resources are exhausted.

What is a Resource?Resource -- Anything obtained from the environment to

meet human needs and wants.Renewable Resource - Can be replenished rapidly

through natural processes as long as it is not used up faster than it is replaced– Examples?– What is a resources sustainable yield?– When does “Environmental Degradation” occur?

Nonrenewable Resource - resources that exist in a fixed quantity or stock in the earth’s crust– Examples?

Population, Resources, and the Environment

Types of resources:

Renewable, but only when managed in a sustainable way

•What does sustainable mean?

•What is the sustainable yield of a resource?

Population, Resources, and the Environment

Resource Consumption:

• Because of our greater consumption rates, 1 US child has the environmental impact of 12+ children in less developed countries.

Population, Resources, and the Environment

•People Overpopulation: when excess # of people cause environmental damage.

•Consumption Overpopulation: when people consume enormous amounts of natural resources.

What is the difference between people overpopulation and consumption

overpopulation?

Population, Resources, and the Environment

Ecological footprint Ecological Footprint -- the amount of land

needed to produce the resources needed by an

average person in a country.

Population, Resources, and the Environment

IPAT Model

I = P A T

Environmental Impact

Number of people

Affluence per person

Environmental effect of

technologies

Why is this a good model? Why is this NOT a good

model?

Environmental Sustainability

Sustainability and the Tragedy of the

Commons

Garrett Hardin What is the Tragedy of the Commons?

Environmental Science

The Process of ScienceProblem recognition or

question

Hypothesis development

Experimentation

Analysis

Share knowledge

Make predictions

Hypothesis supported? YESNO

Other scientistsNew knowledge

Environmental Science

Controls and Variables in Experimental Design

Variable:

Control group :• examined variable is left unaltered

•factors influencing processes being examined.•hypothesis examines ONE variable, holding others constant. This one variable is called the independent variable. What this change affects is the dependent variable.

Environmental Science

Inductive and Deductive Reasoning• Inductive - examines a series of facts for

commonalities that can be concluded.• Example:

– Fact: an ant has six legs– Fact: a wasp has six legs– Fact: a beetle has six legs– Conclusion: all insects have six legs

• Deductive - examines for relationships among data moving from generalities to specifics.

• Example:– General rule: all insects have six legs– Specific example: a grasshopper is an insect– Therefore: a grasshopper has six legs

Addressing Environmental Problems

Scientific Assessment

Risk Analysis

Public education and involvement

Political action

Evaluation

Addressing Environmental Problems

Case in Point: Lake Washington

•Scientific assessment

•Public education and involvement

•Political action

Addressing Environmental Problems

Case in Point: Lake Washington

Evaluation

Addressing Environmental Problems

Case in Point: Lake Washington

Evaluation