Do Now:

Earth has existed for over 6 billion years, maintaining a natural balance within itself until the last 200 years. How was the Earth able to do this and why can it not anymore?

Unit 1Aim: What are Environmental Problems, their Causes, and

sustainability?

Environmental Science

The study of how the Earth works, how we interact with the Earth, and how to deal with

environmental problems.

I. Environmental Science

considers everything that affects a living organism– How earth/nature works– How the environment affects us– How we affect the environment– How to deal with environ. problems– How to live more sustainably

This makes it an interdisciplinary science

What is Environmental Science?

The study of everything!!!

Environmental Science is Interdisciplinary

Environmental AxiomsWords of Wisdom

There is no such thing as a free

lunch.

All thing are interconnected.

More is not always better.

There is no AWAY.

Dilution is NOT the solution.

Think Globally, Act Locally.

Environmental Science vs.

EnvironmentalismEnvironmental Science - use of scientific method to study processes and systems in the environment

Environmentalism - working to influence attitudes and policies that affect our environment

A. Environmentalism

a social movement dedicated to protecting life support systems for all species.

B. Environmental Worldviews and Ethics

People often disagree about the seriousness of environmental problems and what we should do about them.

This leads them to have a certain view about the world and how these problems should be solved

1. Types of Environmental Worldviews

The planetary management worldview holds that nature exists to meet our needs.The stewardship worldview holds that we manage the earth, but we have an ethical responsibility to be stewards of the earth.The environmental worldview holds that we are connected to nature and that nature exists for all species equally.

II. Environmental Problems

A. Environmental problems are caused by:– Population growth.

– Wasteful/Unsustainable resource use.

– Poverty.

– Poor environmental accounting.

– Ecological ignorance.

B. Solving an environmental

problem

Do Now:

Earth has existed for over 6 billion years, maintaining a natural balance within itself until the last 200 years. How was the Earth able to do this and why can it not anymore?

Aim: How can we become an environmentally sustainable

society?

II. Being an environmentally sustainable society

Living off earth’s natural income without degrading or depleting the natural capital that supplies it.

Our lives and economies depend on:– solar capital: energy from the sun– natural capital: natural resources and natural

services provided by the earth.

A. Nature’s Sustainability

Nature has sustained itself for billions of years by using solar energy, biodiversity, population control, and nutrient cycling

We can use these lessons from nature and apply them to our lifestyles and economies.

A path toward sustainability … what’s involved?

1. Natural capital—natural resources (ex. air) and natural services (ex. water cycle) that keep us and other species alive.

2. Natural capital degradation—when human activities cause resources to become degraded or depleted due to unsustainable practices.

3. Solutions—a plan to end degradation of natural resources or any problem affecting the Earth.

4. Trade-offs— compromises made to resolve conflicts when every one does not agree on the same solution.

5. Individual efforts—people search for solutions to environmental problems and bring these ideas to light.

Natural Capital Picture

Environmental degradation

occurs when resource use exceeds rate of replacement

leaves the resource depleted and nutrient deprived if nutrient/growth cycle is not allowed to complete

Ecological Footprint based on resource use

B. What are four scientific principles of sustainability?

1. Nutrient Cycling Replenishes Resources

2. Solar Energy Increases Productivity

When there is more sunlight, plants are able to grow more, more animals can feed off of them, and more higher level animals can feed off of those animals, and the circle continues

3. Biodiversity Ensures Survival

The greater the number of species in a population, the greater the chance of survival due to larger gene pools that can adapt to a changing environment

4. Population Control Maintains Food Chains

Predator-prey interactions impact populations by attempting to stabilize population sizes– Increasing predator pop’n size, decrease prey

pop’n size– Decreasing predator pop’n size, increase pre

pop’n size– When this goes to the extreme, certain species

whose sizes drop too low, and their only options are to leave or to go extinct which disrupts food webs and chains

C. Sustainable Yield

is the highest rate of use of a resource using an indefinite scale without degradation or depletion.

the point where resource consumption needs to slow down and level off or else it will start to become degraded then depleted

Question:

If we are living beyond the earth’s biological capacity, why do you think the human population and per capita resource consumption are still growing exponentially?

Take out a piece of paper:

1. Rank what you perceive to be the three greatest environmental crises facing your generation and why they are important issues:

– 1.

– 2.

– 3.

2. Get in small groups of 3 students

Compare your lists

Make a master list of 3 crises you all agree on.

Determine 2 potential solutions to your 3 crises

Which issue is most pressing? Why?

developed countries (p. 10) nonrenewable resources (p. 13)developing countries (p. 11) output pollution control (p. 17)ecological footprint (p. 14) per capita ecological footprint (p. 14)ecology (p. 7) per capita GDP (p. 10)economic development (p. 10) perpetual resource (p. 12)environment (p. 6) planetary management worldview (p. 20)environmental degradation (p. 12) point sources (p. 16)environmental ethics (p. 20) pollution (p. 16)environmental science (p. 6) pollution cleanup (p. 17)environmental wisdom worldview (p. 20) pollution prevention (p. 17)environmental worldview (p. 20) poverty (p. 18)environmentalism (p. 8) recycling (p. 13)envirlon’lly sustainable economic development (p. 11)envirlon’lly sustainable society (p. 9) renewable resource (p. 12)exponential growth (p. 5) resource (p. 12)gross domestic product (GDP) (p. 10) reuse (p. 13)input pollution control (p. 17) social capital (p. 20)natural capital (p. 9) solar capital (p. 9)nonpoint sources (p. 16) stewardship worldview (p. 20)

sustainability (durability) (p. 8)sustainable yield (p. 12)