Environmental Problems, Their Causes, and Sustainability G. Tyler Miller’s Living in the Environment 14 th Edition Chapter 1 G. Tyler Miller’s Living in the Environment 14 th Edition Chapter 1

What’s the use of a house if you don’t have a decent planet to put it on? HENRY DAVID THOREAU

Key Concepts  Growth and Sustainability  Resources and Resource Use  Pollution  Causes of Environmental Problems

Living More Sustainably 1-1  Ecology  Environmental Science  Sustainable Society  Environment

Environmental Science … is an interdisciplinary field, drawing on many diverse disciplines. Ethics Ecology Biology Chemistry Economics Engineering Political science History Sociology Geology Oceanography Atmospheric science Environmental science Anthropology Archaeology

Environmental Science … is NOT the same as environmentalism. It is science, NOT advocacy.

Environmental Science … can help us avoid mistakes made by past civilizations. On Easter Island, people annihilated their culture by destroying their environment. (Chapter 3 Case Study)

What Keeps Us Alive? Capital  Solar  Natural  Solar  Natural Fig. 1-2, p. 7

Valuation of ecosystem services Environmental economists have assigned monetary values to ecosystem services. Robert Costanza et al., 1997: $33.3 trillion per year! From The Science behind the Story LE 2-SBS Soil formation Genetic resources Pollination Habitat provision Biological control Erosion control Climate regulation Raw materials Recreation Water regulation Gas regulation Food provision Water supply Disturbance regulation Waste treatment Cultural uses Nutrient cycling

Population Growth 1-2  Doubling Time/ Rule of 70  Exponential Growth Fig. 1-4, p. 8  Read 1 st two paragraphs of 1-2, p. 7

Fig. 1-1 p. 5 World Population Population clock Population clock World Population Population clock Population clock

Economic Growth  Gross Domestic Product (GDP)  Per Capita GDP

Economic Development  Developed Countries  Developing Countries  Positive Aspects  Negative Aspects

Globalization  Social  Economic  Environmental Effects

1-3 Resources  Perpetual  Renewable  Non-renewable Fig. 1-6 p. 9

Renewable Resources  Sustainable Yield  Environmental Degradation  Tragedy of the Commons (video)

The “Ecological Footprint” An ecological footprint is the area of land and water needed to produce the resources a person or population uses, plus the amount needed to dispose of their waste.

Ecological Footprint Fig. 1-7 p. 10 It would take 1.15 planets to indefinitely support our current use of renewable resources.

Non-Renewable Resources  Energy Resources  Metallic Resources  Non-Metallic Resources  Reuse  Recycle Economic Depletion Fig. 1-8 p. 11

1-4 Pollution  What is pollution?  Effects of Pollution Sources  Point  Nonpoint

Dealing With Pollution  Prevention (Input Control)  Cleanup (Output Control)

1-5 Environmental and Resource Problems  Five Root Causes  Major Problems ( See Fig p. 12 )

Environmental Impact Fig p. 15

Environmental Interactions Fig p. 15

1-6 Environmental Worldviews (video)  Planetary Management  Stewardship (video)  Environmental Wisdom

What is Our Greatest Environmental Problem?  Disease  Overpopulation  Water Shortages  Climate Changes  Biodiversity Loss  Poverty  Malnutrition  Disease  Overpopulation  Water Shortages  Climate Changes  Biodiversity Loss  Poverty  Malnutrition

Solutions  Current Emphasis (Reactive)  Sustainability Emphasis (Proactive)  Current Emphasis (Reactive)  Sustainability Emphasis (Proactive) Fig. 1-16, p. 18