What is the Environment? Define:

What is environmental science? The study of how humans interact with the environment Invasive species??? Species that are introduced from another location and then thrive in the absence of predators Zebra mussels 1989 Give some examples of invasive species

Invasive Species Kudzu Hydrilla

Goals of Environmental Science To understand and solve environmental problems Environmental Scientist study two main types of interactions between humans and their environment How we use our natural resources How our actions alter our environment

Ecology The study of how living things interact with each other and with their nonliving environment Ex: Ecologist may study the relationship between bees and the plants they pollinate Ex: An environmental scientist may study how the nesting behavior of bees is influenced by human activities such as the planting of suburban landscaping

Major Fields of Study that contribute to Environmental Science Biology Zoology Botany Microbiology Ecology Earth Science Geology Paleontology Climatology Hydrology Physics Engineering Chemistry Biochemistry Geochemistry Social Sciences Geography Anthropology Sociology

Create an Environmental Problems List Significant Global environmental problems Create a list of local environmental problems within the realm of global issues Propose ways to solve local problems Hold a press conference Students will research a global environmental issue and hold a press conference

Our environment through time Hunter-Gatherers- people who obtain food by collecting plants and by hunting wild animals or scavenging their remains Agriculture- the practice of growing, breeding, and caring for plants and animals that are used for food, clothing, housing, transportation and other purposes Started over 10,000 years ago Industrial Revolution-

Agricultural Revolution Allowed human populations to grow at an unprecedented rate An area of land can support up to 500 times as many people by farming as by hunting-gathering Put pressure on local environments Changed the food we eat Farmers collected seeds that exhibited the qualities they desired Domesticated plants became very different from their wild ancestors Changed the land Habitat was destroyed Slash-and-burned agriculture Soil loss, floods, water shortages Land farmed poorly-no longer fertile

Industrial Revolution 1700’s involved a shift from energy sources such as animal muscle and running water to fossil fuels and machines Changed society and greatly increased the efficiency of agriculture, industry, and transportation Large scale production became less expensive than locally handmade goods Transportation of goods across great distances Urban areas steadily grew

Did this improve the quality of life? Plastics Fertilizers Pesticides Deforestation

What are our main environmental problems? Resource depletion Natural resource- any natural material that is used by humans Renewable- a resource that can be replaced relatively quickly by natural processes Nonrenewable- a resource that forms at a much slower rate than the rate that it is consumed

…main environmental problems Pollution- an undesired change in air, water, or soil that adversely affects the health, survival, or activities of humans or other organisms. Biodegradable pollutants- pollutants that can be broken down by natural processes Human sewage, stack of newspapers Nondegradable pollutants- pollutants that cannot be broken down by natural processes Mercury, lead, plastics

…main environmental problems Loss of biodiversity Biodiversity- the number and variety of species that live in an area Organisms are considered nonrenewable resources

What type of resource is this? Trees Copper Oil Energy from the sun Soil Salt Sand Air Coal Water

Explain how hunter-gatherers affected the environment in which they lived. Describe the major environmental effects of the agricultural revolution and the Industrial Revolution. Explain how environmental problems can be local, regional, or global. Give one example of each Identify an example of a natural source of pollution How did the Industrial Revolution affect Human population growth? Fossil fuels are said to be nonrenewable resources, yet they are produced by the Earth over millions of years. By what time frame are they considered nonrenewable? Write a paragraph that explains your answer.