Environmental Science A Global Perspective Understanding our Environment Section 1.1

Environmental Science Environmental Science – study of how humans interact with their environment Environment – anything that surrounds us, including natural things as well as anything created by humans

Major Focus – to solve environmental problems such as extinction or pollution -often involves looking at the bigger picture such as economics and jobs Age - with respect to the other sciences (biology, chemistry and physics) it is quite new - post WWII brought bigger cars and home appliances, farmland was used for homes, etc. - the result was polluted rivers and lakes, smog and many other problems and with it a greater concern for the environment and the desire for a way to possibly save it.

Importance -with respect to the other sciences it is quite possibly the most important. -At no time in our history has an understanding of our environment been more important

Main Environmental Problems Environmental Problem Resource Depletion PollutionExtinction

Resource Depletion Natural Resource – any naturally occurring substance that can be used by living things - some examples are sunlight, air, water, soil, minerals, animals and fossil fuels - it is considered depleted when a large amount of it has been consumed

Resource Depletion Nonrenewable resources – any resource that cannot be replaced - some examples are earth minerals and fossil fuels (in recent years there has been a lot of importance put on alternate fuels to slow the use of fossil fuels

Resource Depletion Renewable Resources – any resource that is continually replaced - solar power is continually being replenished - trees are a renewable resource but are an example of a resource that must be taken care of - for example the rain forest is continually being cut down faster than new trees can grow

Pollution Pollution – introduction of chemicals or waste material into an environment that is at a harmful amount Pollutants – some are by products of daily processes. For example nitrous oxides and heat energy are by products of fuel combustion - others such as pesticides are both helpful and harmful - some are just direct results of human ignorance such as the dumping of poisonous chemicals in rivers and lakes

Extinction Extinction – members of a species have died and the species is gone forever - scientists estimate that thousands of species are becoming extinct every year, some without even being named or studied - one response is an endangered species list which lists species that are at risk for extinction - scientists say that species are going extinct at a greater rate now than at any other time in Earth’s history - one possible cause is the loss of their habitat due to humans building into forests

Global Perspective - Sulfur dioxide from power generating plants in the american mid-west result in acid rain in Canada and the northeastern US - Pollution from automobiles in North America and Europe are putting more CO 2 in the atmosphere which is believed to be one of the major causes of the world’s climate change - Destruction of the tropical rain forest is also contributing to the increase in CO 2 in the atmosphere - All these issues effect the biosphere

Biosphere -Extends 8km above and 8 km below the sea level - All living things exist in this area

Developed and Developing Countries Developed country – highly industrialized countries in which the citizens have high average incomes, health care and education systems - major countries are USA, Canada, Japan, Australia, New Zealand and the western European countries

Developed and Developing Countries Developing country – less industrialized and the citizens have a much lower average income - the economies in developing countries vary greatly depending on their ability to sustain industries

Population and Consumption Many of the earth’s environmental problems can be linked to increase population growth or increased demand on human consumption Population crisis – human population is growing faster than the region can support Consumption crisis – when humans use up, waste or pollute the resources quicker than they can be replace or renewed

Population and Consumption Population crisis - basically exists in developing countries. Even though there isn’t enough resources the population continues to grow rapidly - because there isn’t enough resources the people overuse the resources by driving animals to extinction, cutting down forests for farmland and farmland is overused. - Health issues are a great concern

Population and Consumption Consumption crisis – exists mostly in developed countries - population is growing slowly and the citizens have a disproportionate share of the earth’s resources - due to their disposable income they tend to overuse the resources or over pollute - developed countries comprise about 20% of the earth’s population and use about 75% of the earth’s resources

Sustainable World Goal of environmental problem solvers is to achieve a sustainable earth. Sustainable world – a world in which humans can continue to exist indefinitely with a high level of health and standard of living - habitats will be preserved and garbage will be turned into harmless substances - non renewable resources will be used sparingly and renewable resources will be used at a pace at which they can be replaced