An Introduction to An Introduction to Environmental ScienceEnvironmental Science 1

Environmental Environmental Science Chapter 1Science Chapter 1

An IntroductionAn Introduction

Section 1 Goals:•Discuss the importance of environmental science.•Analyze the importance of environmental science from a social and economic context.•Investigate how humans impact on the environment has changed over the course of history.

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GoalsGoals

Define environmental scienceDefine environmental science List the five major fields that List the five major fields that

contribute to environmental sciencecontribute to environmental science Discuss how human’s impact on the Discuss how human’s impact on the

environment has changed over environment has changed over historyhistory

Classify environmental problemsClassify environmental problems

Environmental ScienceEnvironmental Science

Devoted to Devoted to studying the studying the impacts impacts humans have humans have on the on the environmentenvironment

NYC Today and 400 yrs ago

Goal of environment scienceGoal of environment scienceTo understand and To understand and

solve solve environmental environmental problemsproblems

Ecosystem functions Air Pollution Water Pollution Toxic Chemicals Climate Change Resource usage

Newer field of study

Environmentalism Environmentalism

Is a social Is a social movement movement dedicated to dedicated to protecting the protecting the natural world. natural world.

What are the environmental consequences of choosing these types of energy sources?

What are the benefits and costs of these energy sources?

Why does 50% of our current electricity come from coal?

Foundation of Environmental Foundation of Environmental ScienceScience

Ecology: the study Ecology: the study of how living of how living organisms organisms interact with interact with each other and each other and the nonliving the nonliving environment.environment.

Ecology wants to study how all of these living and nonliving things interact

Fields of Study that Contribute Fields of Study that Contribute to Environmental Scienceto Environmental Science

Biology:Biology: the study of living organisms the study of living organisms Chemistry: Chemistry: the study chemicals and the study chemicals and

their interactionstheir interactions Physics:Physics: the study of matter and the study of matter and

energyenergy Earth Science:Earth Science: the study of earth’s the study of earth’s

nonliving systemsnonliving systems Social Sciences:Social Sciences: the study of human the study of human

populationspopulations

BiologyBiology

ChemistryChemistry

PhysicsPhysics

Earth ScienceEarth Science

Social SciencesSocial Sciences

Human’s Impact Over Human’s Impact Over HistoryHistory

Wherever Wherever humans have humans have hunted, grown hunted, grown food, or settled food, or settled we have we have changed the changed the environment. environment.

How have How have those changes those changes impacted the impacted the environment environment over human over human history?history?

Hunter-GatherersHunter-Gatherers

Most of human historyMost of human history People who obtain People who obtain

food by moving around food by moving around collecting plants and collecting plants and hunting wild animals. hunting wild animals.

What are ways you think they had an impact on the environment?

Why didn’t they have a large impact on the environment?

What kind of life did they lead?

Agricultural RevolutionAgricultural Revolution

Plants and animals Plants and animals were domesticated were domesticated and population grew.and population grew.

10,000 years ago10,000 years ago Life got easierLife got easier Population grewPopulation grew Towns began formingTowns began forming Impact on Impact on

environment grewenvironment grew More land usedMore land used

Industrial RevolutionIndustrial Revolution Caused a shift to fossil Caused a shift to fossil

fuels as an energy fuels as an energy source.source.

1800s1800s Life got easierLife got easier Advances in technologyAdvances in technology People lived longerPeople lived longer People moved to cities People moved to cities

away from farmsaway from farms Increased Increased

environmental impactenvironmental impact WHY???WHY???

Spaceship EarthSpaceship Earth

Earth is essentially a Earth is essentially a “closed system”“closed system”

Island EarthIsland Earth Energy from sun Energy from sun

comes in and leaves comes in and leaves as heatas heat

What we have IS IT… What we have IS IT… no more… One Earth, no more… One Earth, One ChanceOne Chance

Became evident Became evident during missions to during missions to moon 1969moon 1969

What are our main What are our main environmental problems?environmental problems?

Tragedy of CommonsTragedy of Commons

Conflicts arise Conflicts arise when people when people share resourcesshare resources

If no one takes If no one takes responsibility for responsibility for the resource it the resource it will get overused will get overused and become and become degraded.degraded.

Examples?Examples?

What are Our Main What are Our Main Environmental Problems: Environmental Problems:

Resource DepletionResource Depletion Resource depletion: Resource depletion:

using up resources using up resources before they can be before they can be replenishedreplenished

Example: Renewable Example: Renewable resources like trees cut resources like trees cut faster than they formedfaster than they formed

What are some other What are some other example of renewable example of renewable resources?resources?

Can theoretically last Can theoretically last foreverforever

What are Our Main What are Our Main Environmental Problems: Environmental Problems:

Resource DepletionResource Depletion Nonrenewable Nonrenewable

resource forms resource forms more slowly than it more slowly than it is used upis used up

Examples: minerals Examples: minerals like aluminum and like aluminum and fossil fuels like coal, fossil fuels like coal, oil and natural gas.oil and natural gas.

Resource is said to Resource is said to be be depleted depleted when when almost used upalmost used up

Who uses most resources?Who uses most resources?

Developed Countries like Developed Countries like the U.S. (high personal the U.S. (high personal wealth) have high wealth) have high consumption ratesconsumption rates

What are the “developed” What are the “developed” countries of the world?countries of the world?

Developing Countries: Developing Countries: have high population have high population growth, poverty and growth, poverty and lower resource lower resource consumptionconsumption

List severalList several

Ecological FootprintEcological Footprint The productive area of The productive area of

land needed to support a land needed to support a persons lifepersons life

Food, cloths, coal, oil, Food, cloths, coal, oil, plastics, forest, etc. all plastics, forest, etc. all needed to support your needed to support your lifestylelifestyle

Compare countriesCompare countries http://www.myfootprint.o

rg/

What are our main What are our main environmental problems: environmental problems:

PollutionPollution Pollution: an Pollution: an

undesirable change undesirable change in the air, water or in the air, water or soil that affects soil that affects humans or other humans or other organisms.organisms.

BiodegradableBiodegradable Air pollutionAir pollution Water pollutionWater pollution Land pollutionLand pollution Can you give Can you give

examples?examples?

What are our main What are our main environmental problems: Loss environmental problems: Loss

of Biodiversityof Biodiversity Biodiversity: the Biodiversity: the

number and variety number and variety of species that live in of species that live in an area.an area.

Earth has been home Earth has been home to 100s of millions of to 100s of millions of speciesspecies

Only a few exist Only a few exist todaytoday

Mass ExtinctionsMass Extinctions

SustainabilitySustainability

Condition in which Condition in which human needs are human needs are met without met without harming future harming future generations. generations.

Are we living Are we living sustainable today?sustainable today?

What would need What would need to change?to change?

End of Section 1

•Define Define environmental environmental sciencescience•List the five List the five major fields major fields that contribute that contribute to to environmental environmental sciencescience•Discuss how Discuss how human’s human’s impact on the impact on the environment environment has changed has changed over historyover history•Classify Classify environmental environmental problemsproblems

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