Introduction Question What is the “environment”? Do human impact the environment or are changes in the environment natural?

Sect. 1 “Science and the Environment”

Understanding our Environment

Objectives Define the environment, environmental science and compare environmental science with ecology. List the five major fields of study that contribute to environmental science. Describe the major environmental effects of hunter-gatherers, the agricultural revolution, and the Industrial Revolution. Classify environmental problems into three major categories.

What Is Environmental Science? Environmental Science is the study of the air, water, and land surrounding an organism or a community, which ranges from a small area to Earth’s entire biosphere. It includes the study of the impact of humans on the environment.

Major Goal To : understand and solve environmental problems. To accomplish this goal, environmental scientists study: 1) How our actions alter our environment. 2) The use of natural resources.

Fields of Study in Env. Sci. Environmental science involves many fields of study. Therefore, it is know as an advanced science. .

Many Fields of Study

Most important field Most important field of study is ecology Which is the study of interactions of living organisms with one another and with their environment. Ex… Asian Karp and great lakes

Our Effect on the Environment Over Time Wherever humans have hunter, grown food, or settled they have changed the environment. Hunter-Gatherers – for most of human history we have been hunter gatherers, mean we moved from place to place to find food and resources. Associated Problems : Overhunting and overuse of resources, which leads to a decline in animals and natural resources for other organisms. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E_Q5LnNlwZs https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rMOtzeJzPf4

Prehistoric animals of North America that are now extinct http://www

The Agricultural Revolution- 10000-y.a https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bhzQFIZuNFY Agriculture is the raising of crops and livestock for food or for other products that are useful to humans. consequences of this . . . ? Populations grew Changed the food we eat Habitats destroyed, replaced by farmland Slash and Burn Water Shortages

The Industrial Revolution https://www. youtube. com/watch Involved a shift from energy sources such as animals and running water to fossil fuels such as coal and oil.

In factories, the large- scale production of goods came less expensive than the local production of handmade goods. On the farm, machinery reduced the amount of land and human labor needed to produce food. With fewer people producing their own food, the populations in urban areas steadily grew.

Consequences of the Industrial Revolution Positive Negative Light Bulb Agricultural Productivity Sanitation (Cholera) Nutrition Medical Care Transportation (motors) Habitat Loss Severe water and air pollution Development of plastics Extinction of species Overpopulation

Earth a Closed System Earth is a closed system mostly, meaning that barely anything enters or leaves the earth. Only thing that enters and leaves earth is heat energy.

Population Growth Problems Worlds population is set to double in next 50 years, fast rate of population growth ever! By 2050 the world population should reach 13 Billion Food and Resources ? ? ?

Population Growth

Good News About Population Growth Although the worlds population is going to double to 13 Billion, after that the population will stop increasing. More to come on population growth

3 Main Categories of Environmental Problems 1) Resource Depletion 2) Pollution 3) Loss of Biodiversity