An Introduction to Sustainability

An Introduction to Sustainability “Unless someone like you cares a whole awful lot, Nothing is going to get better. It's not.” ― Dr. Seuss, The Lorax https://www.goodreads.com/work/quotes/886002-the-lorax

Overview of Presentation Introduction to Sustainability Ecological footprint Climate Change

Key Concepts: Are our present lifestyles sustainable? (pause) The Story of Stuff The Story of Solutions http://www.youtube.com/user/RealEyesvideo https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9GorqroigqM https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cpkRvc-sOKk

Why are our (developed countries – US, in particular) lifestyle unsustainable? Pause for discussion

Our lifestyle is unsustainable: Over-exploitation of natural resources that accompanied economic and demographic growth Market failure - Hidden environmental costs are not reflected in market prices Accelerating resource depletion, waste generation, and environment pollution due to shorten product lifecycles (technology advances) and changing lifestyles since industrial revolution http://eeos122-s14-gray.wikispaces.umb.edu/file/view/Week+2.ppt

We Are Living Unsustainably Environmental destruction and degradation: wasting, depleting, and degrading the earth’s natural capital Happening at an accelerating rate Also called natural capital degradation

Humans Degrade Natural Capital Figure 1.9: These are examples of the degradation of normally renewable natural resources and services in parts of the world, mostly as a result of rising populations and resource use per person. Fig. 1-9, p. 13

The Great Acceleration of Human Pressure on the Planet The Great Acceleration of Human Pressure on the Planet, from Big World, Small Planet

The Great Acceleration of Human Pressure on the Planet The Great Acceleration of Human Pressure on the Planet, from Big World, Small Planet

A Vision of a More Sustainable World Sustainability is the overarching theme of Environmental Science https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LE9KTG9PFho https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jfgE-LAJ8fA Environmental Science Environmental Systems

Overview of Presentation Introduction to Sustainability Climate Change Green Building Human Health and Social Justice Pollution and Industry Food Production and Agriculture Conclusion http://www.youtube.com/user/RealEyesvideo View sustainability explained

What do we learn in Environmental Science? How the environment affects us How nature works How to live more sustainably How we affect the environment How to deal with environmental problems

First of Four Spheres of Earth Biosphere refers to: All of the living parts of the separate ecosystems of the Earth acting as one unit The parts that are organic and self-replicating Includes all of the plants and animals of the Earth Includes both living and dead organisms

Other Spheres of Earth Lithosphere – Above the core and mantle and contains the top of the upper mantle and the crust (which includes all of the soil & rocks) Hydrosphere – All of the liquid water on the Earth and in the ground (groundwater), solid water in the polar ice, permafrost, sea ice, and water vapor in the atmosphere Atmosphere – Gaseous envelope that surrounds the Earth as is comprised of multiple layers

Atmosphere Troposphere (layer closest to the Earth and referred to as the boundary layer) contains most of the Earth’s air (78% N2 & 21% O2) and is where all weather is generated. Stratosphere contains the ozone layer which absorbs ultraviolet radiation from the sun. Mesosphere is the coldest layer in the atmosphere. Thermosphere which includes the: Ionosphere contains ions and is responsible for the absorption of high energy photons from the sun. Exosphere is the outermost layer and merges with outer space.

What Keeps Us Alive? Capital Solar Energy: without the sun there would be no life. (What is the difference between direct and indirect solar energy? Natural Capitals: Air, water, soil etc.

How renewable a resource is depends on the timescale of reference. Natural Capitals How renewable a resource is depends on the timescale of reference.

Natural Capital = Natural Resources + Natural Services Solar energy Natural Capital = Natural Resources + Natural Services Air Renewable energy (sun, wind, water flows) Air purification Climate control UV protection (ozone layer) Life (biodiversity) Water Population control Water purification Pest control Waste treatment Figure 1.4: These key natural resources (blue) and natural services (orange) support and sustain the earth’s life and human economies (Concept 1-1a). Nonrenewable minerals (iron, sand) Soil Land Soil renewal Food production Natural gas Nutrient recycling Oil Nonrenewable energy (fossil fuels) Coal seam Natural resources Natural services Fig. 1-4, p. 9

Resources Perpetual: renewed continuously on a human scale. Renewable: can be replenished fairly quickly. Non-renewable: exist only in fixed quantities. (Once they are gone, they are gone.) Fig. 1-5, p. 9

Ecosystems Ecosystem is a community of different species interacting with each other and their non-living environment. ex. Great Lakes Colorado River The Adirondack Mountains New York City Ecology is the study of the inter-connections of nature. Ecology is, literally, the study of where living organisms live. By contrast, Environmental Science is a broader, interdisciplinary field in which ecologists work with other physical, chemical, and biological “ologists” to study and seek solutions to environmental problems

All of these vary over space/time Ecosystems Non-living Living ABIOTIC COMPONENTS BIOTIC COMPONENTS Sunlight Primary producers Temperature Herbivores Precipitation Carnivores Water or moisture Omnivores Soil or water chemistry (e.g., P, NH4+) Detritivores etc. All of these vary over space/time http://www.globalchange.umich.edu/globalchange1/current/lectures/kling/ecosystem/ecosystem.html Because plants are the first step in the production of energy for living things, it is called primary production. Herbivores obtain their energy by consuming plants or plant products, carnivores eat herbivores, and detritivores consume the droppings and carcasses of us all. Abiotic – chemical & physical factors present in an ecosystem Biotic – biological component– contains all living organisms

Major Ecosystem Processes The two major processes of any ecosystem are: 1) chemical cycling 2) one-way flows of energy (from the sun) An ecosystem maintains overall stability by three chief mechanisms: 1) controlling the rate of chemical or material cycling within the system 2) controlling the rate of energy flow through the system 3) maintaining a diversity of species and food webs so that system stability is not affected seriously by the loss of some food web links and / or species.

Ecosystem problems can arise by: 1) Disruption of essential materials/nutrients cycles a) changing the rate of cycling by material overloads or leaks in the system b) breaking of the cycle c) introduction of human-made chemicals into the system, especially those which have no natural decomposition chain 2) Disruption of energy flow(s) a) entropy or heat build-up in the system by consumption of too much energy by human society b) changing properties and/or composition of the atmosphere leading to an increase or decrease in the solar energy input or output from the earth-atmosphere system 3) Disruption of the ecosystem by destruction of species diversity and/or the food web

Ecologic-Environmental principles Your can’t get something for nothing, or there is not such thing as a free lunch (first law of thermodynamics). If you think things are mixed up now just wait, or you can’t even break even (second law of thermodynamic, energy degradation “up and along” the food web ). Everything must go somewhere, or there is no thrown away (law of conservation of matter) Everything is connected to everything, but how? 25

Ecologic-Environmental principles In most cases the greater the diversity of a system the greater its stability. Nature frequently but not always “knows” best. Up to a point the bigger the better; beyond that point, the bigger the worse (negative externalities, negative “emergent properties,” threshold effects) Existence of non-linear and threshold effects 26

Nature has sustained itself for billions of years …

It has done so using four principles: Reliance on Solar Energy Biodiversity Chemical (Nutrient) Cycling Population Control http://eeos122-s14-gray.wikispaces.umb.edu/file/view/Week+2.ppt

What Are Four Principles of Sustainability? Concept 1-1A Nature has sustained itself for billions of years by using solar energy, biodiversity, nutrient cycling, and population control. Concept 1-1B Our lives and economies depend on energy from the sun and on natural resources and natural services (natural capital) provided by the earth.

Nature’s Survival Strategies Follow Four Principles of Sustainability Reliance on solar energy The sun provides warmth and fuels photosynthesis http://eeos122-s14-gray.wikispaces.umb.edu/file/view/Week+2.ppt

We rely on solar energy

Reliance on Solar Energy: The Sun alone provides all the energy for the planet

Nature’s Survival Strategies Follow Four Principles of Sustainability Biodiversity Astounding variety and adaptability of natural systems and species

Biodiversity: The astounding variety of life forms, the genes they contain, and the natural services they provide have given countless ways to adapt to the environmental changes

Diversity Makes a System Stronger Diversity allows natural systems to function since every player has a particular role. When one player drops out or is unable to fulfill its role AND if there is no other player around to step in, system function is compromised. Figure 1.3: Three principles of sustainability. We derive these three interconnected principles of sustainability from learning how nature has sustained a huge variety of life on the earth for at least 3.5 billion years, despite drastic changes in environmental conditions (Concept 1-1a).

Nature’s Survival Strategies Follow Four Principles of Sustainability Chemical cycling Circulation of chemicals from the environment to organisms and then back to the environment Also called nutrient cycling

Nutrient Cycling: Chemicals that plants and animals need to survive and reproduce are recycled by natural processes.

Nutrient Cycling Figure 1.5: Nutrient cycling: This important natural service recycles chemicals needed by organisms from the environment (mostly from soil and water) through those organisms and back to the environment. Fig. 1-5, p. 10

Nutrient Cycling Figure 1.5: Nutrient cycling: This important natural service recycles chemicals needed by organisms from the environment (mostly from soil and water) through those organisms and back to the environment. Fig. 1-5, p. 10

Nature’s Survival Strategies Follow Four Principles of Sustainability Population Control: Competition and limited resources puts limits on how much any population on Earth can grow.

Four Scientific Principles of Sustainability: Copy Nature