Monday - 8/8/16 Question of the Day Explain the concept of sustainability. In your opinion, are we living sustainably? Agenda Finish Easter Island questions - class discussion Environmental timeline and ecological footprint activity

Environmental Problems, Their Causes, and Sustainability Unit One Environmental Problems, Their Causes, and Sustainability

What is Environmental Science? The goals of environmental science are to learn: how nature works. how the environment effects us. how we effect the environment. how we can live more sustainably without degrading our life-support system. We depend completely on the environment for survival.

Environmental Science …can help us avoid mistakes made by past civilizations The lesson of Easter Island??

Living in an Exponential Age Population shapes relationship w/ resources Human population growth: J-shaped curve Agricultural Revolution Stable food supplies Industrial Revolution Urbanized society powered by fossil fuels Sanitation and medicines More food Figure 1-1

Which single advantage and disadvantage are the most important? Figure 1-15

LIVING MORE SUSTAINABLY … the study of how the earth works, how we interact with the earth and how to deal with environmental problems. Figure 1-2

Sustainability: The Integrative Theme Sustainability, is the ability of earth’s various systems to survive and adapt to environmental conditions indefinitely. The steps to sustainability must be supported by sound science. Figure 1-3

Environmentally Sustainable Societies … meets basic needs of its people in a just and equitable manner without degrading the natural capital that supplies these resources. Figure 1-4

POPULATION GROWTH, ECONOMIC GROWTH, AND ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT Economic growth provides people with more goods and services. Measured in gross domestic product (GDP) Economic development uses economic growth to improve living standards. The world’s countries economic status (developed vs. developing) are based on their degree of industrialization and GDP.

Global Outlook Comparison of developed and developing countries. Figures 1-5 and 1-6

Wealth Gap GDP(per capita) Unempl Pop Pop below pov Life exp Infant mortality Pop. Growth rate Nigeria $2548 12.1% 176 mil 70% 52 73/1000 2.8% Iraq $6862 16.5% 38 mil 25% 70 38/1000 2.5% Australia $67,000 5.7% 24 mil 14% 82 3/1000 1.8% Italy $36,000 12.4% 60 mil 30% 83 0.5% US $53,000 4.9% 324 mil 15% 80 6/1000 0.7% Brazil $11,000 10.9% 200 mil 21% 74 14/1000 0.9% Mexico $10,000 4.72% 129 mil 52% 77 12/1000 1.2%

Natural Resources: Vital to human survival Natural resources = substances and energy sources needed for survival Renewable Resources: Perpetually available; renew themselves over short periods of time Nonrenewable Resources: can be depleted; oil, coal and minerals

Nonrenewable Resources Exist as fixed quantity Becomes economically depleted. Recycling and reusing extends supply Recycling processes waste material into new material. Reuse is using a resource over again in the same form. Figure 1-8

Tragedy of the Commons Written by Garrett Hardin

Tragedy of the Commons Analyzed how people approach resource use Resources not regulated in commons will eventually be depleted Disputed theory that self interest serves the public in the long run

Our Ecological Footprint Humanity’s ecological footprint has exceeded earths ecological capacity. Figure 1-7

POLLUTION Found at high enough levels in the environment to cause harm to organisms. Point source Nonpoint source Figure 1-9

Pollution Pollutants can have three types of unwanted effects: Can disrupt / degrade life-support systems. Can damage health and property. Can create nuisances such as noise and unpleasant smells, tastes, and sights.

Solutions: Prevention vs. Cleanup Problems with relying on cleanup: Temporary bandage without improvements in control technology. Often removes a pollutant from one part of the environment to cause problems in another. Pollutants at harmful levels can cost too much to reduce them to acceptable levels.

ENVIRONMENTAL PROBLEMS: CAUSES AND CONNECTIONS The major causes of environmental problems are: Population growth Wasteful resource use Poverty Poor environmental accounting Ecological ignorance

What is an “environmental problem?” Perception of problem varies between individuals and societies Ex: DDT (pesticide) Welcomed in developing countries - kills malaria carrying mosquitoes Banned in developed countries due to health risk

Natural capital degradation The exponential increasing flow of material resources through the world’s economic systems depletes, degrades and pollutes the environment. Figure 1-11

Poverty and Environmental Problems 1 of 3 children under 5, suffer from severe malnutrition. Figure 1-12 and 1-13

Resource Consumption and Environmental Problems Underconsumption Overconsumption Affluenza: unsustainable addiction to overconsumption and materialism.

Connections between Environmental Problems and Their Causes Figure 1-14

SUSTAINABILITY AND ENVIRONMENTAL WORLDVIEWS Technological optimists: suggest that human ingenuity will keep the environment sustainable. Environmental pessimists: overstate the problems where our environmental situation seems hopeless.

Implications of the Four Scientific Principles of Sustainability Figures 1-17 and 1-18

Aldo Leopold’s Environmental Ethics Individuals matter. … land is to be loved and respected is an extension of ethics. We abuse land because we regard it as a commodity… Figure 1-A

Thomas Malthus “The superior power of population cannot be checked without producing misery or vice.” Unless population growth is controlled, the number of people would outgrow the food supply.

Paul Ehrlich “Population Bomb” Population control is only way to avoid starvation and war Possible future global food crisis