Environmental Problems, Their Causes, and Sustainability Chapter 1 Chapter 25 (worldviews)

Core Case Study: Living in an Exponential Age Exponential Growth: Quantity increases at constant rate— So the increases will occur at increasing rate Ex. Savings Account: 3. 4% each year (the more money, the faster it grows) Ex. Human Growth: 1.19% each year in 2007 Impact of human exponential growth on Loss of animal and plant species Loss of resources

Exponential Growth

Other Growth Patterns Linear: Fixed amount added during each time period. Ex. 1, 2, 3, 4 (+1) or 1, 8, 22, 29 (+7) Logistic Growth: Growth is dependent on Population Density—levels off at the Carrying Capacity

1-1 What Is an Environmentally Sustainable Society? Concept 1-1A Our lives and economies depend on energy from the sun (solar capital) and on natural resources and natural services (natural capital) provided by the earth. Concept 1-1B Living sustainability means living off the earth’s natural income without depleting or degrading the natural capital that supplies it.

Lily Pond Parable: Exponential Growth Example If a pond lily doubles everyday and it takes 30 days to completely cover the pond, on what day will the pond by ¼ covered? ½ covered? Does the size of the pond make a difference? What kind of environmental consequences can be expected as the 30th day approaches? What will begin to happen at one minute past the 30th day?

Environmental Science Is a Study of Connections in Nature Interdisciplinary science connecting information and ideas from Natural sciences, with an emphasis on ecology Social sciences Humanities

Sustainability Is the Central Theme of This Book Sustainability: ability of the Earth’s various natural systems and human cultural systems and economies to survive and adapt to changing environmental conditions indefinitely. 3 Components of Sustainability: 1. Natural Capital: Natural Resources and Natural Services (such as water purification and nutrient cycling) Supported by solar capital (Solar Energy) 2. Degradation of natural capital through human activities 3. Search for scientific solutions

Natural Capital = Natural Resources + Natural Services

1-2 How Can Environmentally Sustainable Societies Grow Economically? Concept 1-2 Societies can become more environmentally sustainable through economic development dedicated to improving the quality of life for everyone without degrading the earth's life support systems.

There Is a Wide Economic Gap between Rich and Poor Countries Country’s economic growth: measured by gross domestic product (GDP) GDP is annual market value of all goods and services produced within a country Changes in economic growth: measured by per capita GDP Compare Developed countries (US Canada, Japan, Australia, Europe)--highly industrializes, high Per capita GDP Developing countries (most of Africa, Asia, Latin America)--per capita GDP is declining in many

Comparison of Developed and Developing Countries, 2008

1-3 How Are Our Ecological Footprints Affecting the Earth? Concept 1-3 As our ecological footprints grow, we are depleting and degrading more of the earth’s natural capital. Components of our Ecological Footprint: Oxygen Shelter Food Employment Water Waste Disposal Energy Recreation

Some Resources Are Renewable Directly available for use (solar, air, water) Not directly available for use (oil, coal) Perpetual resource--lasts “forever” Solar energy Renewable resource-can replenish fairly quickly forests, grasslands, fresh air, fertile soil Sustainable Yield: highest rate at which resource can be used indefinitely without reducing available supply Environmental Degradation: exceeding natural replacement rate leads to shrinking supply

Degradation of Normally Renewable Natural Resources and Services

Overexploiting Shared Renewable Resources: Tragedy of the Commons Three types of property or resource rights Private property-Individual owns rights to resources Common property-large groups own rights to resources (ex. Public lands/parks) Open access renewable resources-Owned by no one; all can use (ex. Air, groundwater, open ocean) Tragedy of the Commons-- Garrett Hardin, 1968 Solutions to exploitation of resources?

Some Resources Are Not Renewable Nonrenewable resources Energy resources Metallic mineral resources- copper, gold Nonmetallic mineral resources-salt, sand Reuse: using resource many times without changing the form (ex. Glass bottles) Recycle: processing waste materials into new ones (ex. Al cans)

Comparison of Possessions Family of 5 subsistence farmers in Bhutan (Himalayan Mountains) Family of 4 living in Texas

Our Ecological Footprints Are Growing Ecological footprint concept Biological capacity (biocapacity): measures how biologically productive land is. Biologically productive land includes cropland, pasture, forests and fisheries. 16% of the world’s biocapacity is in Brazil. Ecological footprint: The amount of biologically productive land and water needed to supply the people in an area. Unsustainability occurs if the area’s ecological footprint exceeds its biocapacity.

Natural Capital Use and Degradation

Case Study: China’s New Affluent Consumers Leading consumer of various foods and goods Wheat, rice, and meat Coal, fertilizers, steel, and cement Second largest consumer of oil Two-thirds of the most polluted cities are in China Projections, by 2020 Largest consumer and producer of cars World’s leading economy in terms of GDP PPP

1-4 What Is Pollution and What Can We Do about It? Concept 1-4 Preventing pollution is more effective and less costly than cleaning up pollution. Sources of Pollution Point vs. Nonpoint E.g., smokestack vs. pesticides blown into the air Main Types of Pollution: Biodegradable vs. Nondegradable Pollution Cleanup vs. Pollution Prevention (output pollution control vs. (input pollution control)

1-5 Why Do We Have Environmental Problems? Concept 1-5A Major causes of environmental problems are population growth, wasteful and unsustainable resource use, poverty, exclusion of environmental costs of resource use from the market prices of goods and services, and attempts to manage nature with insufficient knowledge. Concept 1-5B People with different environmental worldviews often disagree about the seriousness of environmental problems and what we should do about them.

Experts Have Identified Five Basic Causes of Environmental Problems Population growth Wasteful and unsustainable resource use: Affluenza Poverty Failure to include the harmful environmental costs of goods and services in their market price Insufficient knowledge of how nature works

Poverty Has Harmful Environmental and Health Effects Population growth affected Malnutrition Premature death Limited access to adequate sanitation facilities and clean water

Some Harmful Results of Poverty

Wasteful and Unsustainable Resource Use Called “Affluenza” Harmful environmental impact due to High levels of consumption Unnecessary waste of resources Affluence can provide funding for Developing technologies to reduce Pollution Environmental degradation Resource waste

Prices Do Not Include the Value of Natural Capital: Poor Environmental Accounting Companies do not pay the environmental cost of resource use Goods and services do not include the harmful environmental costs Companies receive tax breaks and subsidies Economy may be stimulated but there may be a degradation of natural capital

Different Views about Environmental Problems and Their Solutions Some people lack the knowledge to understand environmental problems Environmental Worldviews: A set of values and assumptions to help you make environmental decisions Planetary management worldview Stewardship worldview Environmental wisdom worldview

Planetary Worldview We are the planet’s most important species, we are in charge of nature We will not run out of resources because of our ability to develop and find new ones. The potential for global economic growth is unlimited Our success depends on how well we manage the earth’s life-support systems for our own benefit. This is the view of most industrialized nations.

Stewardship Worldview We are the planet’s most important species, but we have an ethical responsibility to care for the rest of nature We will probably not run out of resources, but they should not be wasted We should encourage environmentally beneficial forms of economic growth and discourage environmentally harmful growth Our success depends on how well we manage the earth’s life-support systems for our benefit and for the rest of nature

Environmental Wisdom Worldview Nature exists for all species, not just us and we are not in charge of the earth Earth’s resources are limited and should not be wasted and are not all for us We should encourage earth-sustaining forms of economic growth and discourage earth-degrading forms. Our success depends on learning how the earth sustains itself and integrating such lessons from nature in our own lives.

More holistic More atomistic Biosphere- or Earth-centered Ecosystem Centered Biocentric (life-centered) Anthropocentric (human-centered) Instrumental values play bigger role Intrinsic values play bigger role Self-centered Planetary management Stewardship Environmental wisdom

Individuals Matter: Aldo Leopold Role of humans is to protect nature, not conquer it. Wrote “Sand County Almanac”-observations of nature at his Wisconsin farm Founded Wilderness Society Environmental Ethics A leader of the conservation and environmental movements of the 20th century Land ethic--basis of stewardship and environmental wisdom worldviews

Aldo Leopold Video Clip

Sci1-6 What Are Four Scientific Principles of Sustainability? Concept 1- 6 Nature has sustained itself for billions of years by using solar energy, biodiversity, population control, and nutrient cycling—lessons from nature that we can apply to our lifestyles and economies. Four Scientific Principles of Sustainability Reliance on solar energy Biodiversity Population control Nutrient cycling

Four Scientific Principles of Sustainability

Solutions For Environmental or Sustainability Revolution Proactive! Reactive!