Environmental Problems, Their Causes and Sustainability APES Chapter 1 Environmental Problems, Their Causes and Sustainability “At present we are stealing the future, selling it in the present, and calling it gross domestic product.” Paul Hawken

Basic Terms Environment- everything that affects living organisms Ecology-science that studies relationships b/t organisms and environment Env. Science How the earth works How we interact with earth How we deal with environmental probs Environmentalism-social movement dedicated to protecting Earth for all living organisms and their future generations

Human Population The human race plays a key role in important issues we will be discussing the whole year Population growth Resource use Poverty Loss of biological diversity Pollution Global climate change

Population Growth Linear Linear growth- no consistent doubling time with straight line graph Slow growth

Population Growth Exponential Exponential growth- quantity increases at a constant rate per unit time Starts slowly, but grows enormously due to doubling Addition to population proportional to current size Larger populations add more people than smaller ones growing at same rate 10% growth of 100,000 people = 10,000 added/yr 10% growth of 1,000,000 people = 100,000 added/yr These larger populations will then increase their population considerably

Population Growth Exponential Doubling time- the amount of time it takes a population to double its size. Exponential growth shows a doubling time Rule of 70: 70/rate (%) = doubling time 70 divided by the growth rate as a percentage = d.t. The higher the growth rate, the less time it takes to double i.e.: growth of populations of people and bacteria, savings accounts, etc.

Let’s See If the Rule of 70 Works! 10% fixed growth rate….what is doubling time? 70/10 = 7 year doubling time 100 people to start (.10)(100) =+10 10% growth 110 total # of people at end of year 1 (.10)(110) =+11 121 end of year 2 (.10)(121) =+12 133 end of year 3 (.10)(133) =+13 146 end of year 4 (.10)(146) = +14 160 end of year 5 (.10)(160) = +16 176 end of year 6 (.10)(176) = +17 193 end of year 7—almost doubled!

Population Size vs. Time How would we figure out doubling time from this graph of population growth?

Population Size vs. Time Using the graph you can see that after 7 years population has nearly doubled from 100 to 200

Population Growth World growth has slowed, but still growing exponentially at an annual growth rate of 1.25%/year Not much? Calculate doubling time (70/1.25 = ? years) 1950-2004 2.56.4 billion (6,400,000,000) 80,000,000 people added in 2004 9100/hour Growth more rapid than Earth can support Projected 8-12 billion by end of century, depending on growth rate

Billions of people Time 16 15 ? 14 13 12 11 ? 10 9 Billions of people 8 ? 7 6 5 4 3 2 Black Death–the Plague 1 2-5 million years 8000 6000 4000 2000 2000 2100 Time B.C. A.D. Hunting and gathering Agricultural revolution Industrial revolution

Resource Use Global economic output is a rough measure of human resource use More people due to exponential growth and economic growth ↑ resource use i.e. Produce more cars Need to have more workers and feed them Need to use more fossil fuels for electricity

Poverty 22 fold ↑ in economic growth b/t 1950 and 2004 50% of people still trying to survive off < $3/day To survive they must deplete and degrade environment

Poverty Wealth is becoming increasingly concentrated, with the richest 20% receiving most of the world's income (82.7%).

Loss of Biological Diversity Premature extinction of species due to habitat degradation 1%/year IRREVERSIBLE! i.e. cutting down forests due to farming and development

Pollution Pollution- presence of substances at high enough levels to harm living organisms due to: Natural occurrences= biogenic (volcanic eruptions) Human activities= anthropogenic (burning fossil fuels, using pesticides, etc.) Disrupt support systems of organisms

Pollution Occurs more in urban areas Can contaminate area where produced or be carried away by wind or water Factors that determine damage a pollutant can cause: Concentration Persistence Chemical nature Rate of degradation

Pollution Point sources- single, identifiable Cars, smokestacks Easier to identify and control Nonpoint sources- dispersed, difficult to identify Pesticides runoff and spray

Pollution Prevention (output control) Cleanup Stop before it starts Easier to do Less expensive to reduce to acceptable levels—regulation Cleanup Temporary bandage Only moves pollution to another site Expensive

Climate Change Population growth, resource use, poverty, and loss of biological diversity contribute to climate change Global warming Cycle continues

What the Earth Provides Us Sun and Earth’s Natural Capital Capital—baseline wealth used to sustain (i.e. a business or life) Income--output derived from an investment of capital All life and economies depend on solar and natural capital. Give example of pizza restaurant and relate to capital and income

What the Earth Provides Us Solar Capital/ Energy Solar capital- direct sunlight and indirect forms of renewable solar energy Provides 99% of the energy used on earth to sustain life. Biomass (plant matter) made by plants during photosynthesis using solar energy (i.e. firewood, food, coal) Hydropower, windpower, and solar power

What the Earth Provides Us Natural Capital Natural capital- Earth’s resources and ecological services Air Water Soil Forests Fishery Minerals Natural water and air purification

NATURAL CAPITAL Water Energy Air Soil Minerals Nutrient Recycling SOLAR ENERGY RESOURCES Water Energy Air Soil Minerals NATURAL CAPITAL Nutrient Recycling Pollution Control Biodiversity Pest & Disease Control Population Control Climate Control Waste Treatment SERVICES

What the Earth Provides Us Natural Resources Resource-anything obtained from environment to satisfy needs OR wants Food Water Shelter Transportation Recreation Natural resources are classified as Perpetual Renewable Nonrenewable Population and World Resources-24min

Perpetual Resources Nonrenewable Winds, tides, flowing water Fossil fuels Metallic minerals Non- metallic minerals Direct solar energy (iron, copper, aluminum) (clay, sand, phosphates) Renewable Fresh air Fresh water Fertile soil Plants and animals (biodiversity)

What the Earth Provides Us Perpetual Resources Perpetual resources- renewed continuously Solar energy Winds Flowing water Resources we cannot drain--yet

What the Earth Provides Us Renewable Resources Renewable resources- can be renewed or replenished fairly rapidly by natural processes Fresh air Fresh water Plants Animals Renewable only as long as we don’t use them quicker than they’re renewed!

What the Earth Provides Us Renewable Resources Sustainable yield -highest rate that a renewable resource can be used indefinitely w/o reducing its available supply (capital) LIVE OFF INCOME, NOT CAPITAL Environmental degradation –degrading environment in any way i.e. using more than sustainable yield causing resource capital to shrink (degrading environment) LIVING OFF INCOME AND CAPITAL Give metaphor of sustainable yield and environmental degradation like a bank account

What the Earth Provides Us Renewable Resources “Tragedy of the Commons” Garrett Hardin, 1968 Said we are exploiting and degrading publicly owned, common resources. Need to take no more than sustainable yield.

What the Earth Provides Us Renewable Resources Possible solutions to the tragedy? Limit access Reduce population Convert free access to private Private owners environmentally conscientious? How do you make global resources (oceans and air) private? Will restricted access foster lack of appreciation for these resources?

What the Earth Provides Us Renewable Resources Government has laws and treatises that regulate access to commonly owned resources Hunting licenses Fishing licenses National Park rules and regulations IDEM standards

What the Earth Provides Us Renewable Resources Ecological footprint- amt of biologically productive land and water needed to supply us with the renewable resources we use and absorb or dispose of our waste How much of Earth’s natural capital and biological income we use EVERYTHING we do leaves an effect our environment—our footprint Renewable resources are being depleted and degraded to support our lifestyles

Total Ecological Footprint (Hectares) Country 3 billion hectares United States 62 million hectares The Netherlands 880 million hectares India 1 hectare = 12,000 square yards = 2.47 acres

What the Earth Provides Us Renewable Resources Per capita- per person Per capita ecological footprint= total footprint/total population Humanity’s per capita ecological footprint exceeds Earth’s biological capacity by 15% We are exceeding sustainable yield and dipping into our capital i.e. country has 1,000,000 hectares of ecological footprint and 100,000 people: 1,000,000 ha/ 100,000 people = 10 ha/person

Per Capita Ecological Footprint (Hectares of land per person) Country 9.6 United States 3.8 The Netherlands 0.8 India

Humanity’s Ecological Footprint Earth’s Ecological Capacity 1.4 1.2 Humanity’s Ecological Footprint 1.0 Earth’s Ecological Capacity .8 Number of Earth’s .6 .4 .2 1961 1965 1970 1975 1980 1985 1990 1995 2000 2005

What the Earth Provides Us Nonrenewable Resources Nonrenewable resources- those we can deplete fixed quantity Energy resources Gas, Coal Metallic mineral resources Iron, Copper Nonmetallic mineral resources Salt, clay **These nonrenewables are economically depleted when it costs too much to obtain what is left

Perpetual Resources Nonrenewable Winds, tides, flowing water Fossil fuels Metallic minerals Non- metallic minerals Direct solar energy (iron, copper, aluminum) (clay, sand, phosphates) Renewable Fresh air Fresh water Fertile soil Plants and animals (biodiversity)

Area under curve equals the total amount of the resource. Economic depletion (80% used up) Resource production Time

What the Earth Provides Us Nonrenewable Resources Solutions for preserving our nonrenewable resources Try to find more Recycle/Reuse Waste/Use less Substitute Wait millions of years Recycling/reusing metallic nonrenewable resources takes less energy, water, pollution and environmental degradation than exploiting virgin resources

Economic Growth Economic growth- an ↑ in the capacity of a country to provide people with goods and services needed Measured by change in country’s: GDP (Gross Domestic Product)- annual market value in $ of all goods and services produced WITHIN a country GNP (Gross National Product)- annual market value in $ of all goods and services produced by a country’s businesses THROUGHOUT THE WORLD Don’t farm. We have grocery stores. Give example of household and depleting resources (money out of bank, credit cards)

Economic Growth Country’s standard (quality) of living gauged by Per capita GDP= GDP/country’s population Per capita GNP = GNP/country’s population Countries with larger populations have to spread the wealth thinner Lower per capita GDP lower standard of living China

Economic Development What country is #1? HDI List Economic development- improving living standards by economic growth UN classifies countries as economically developed or developing based on Human Development Index (HDI): Standard of living (per capita GDP) Life expectancy Literacy What country is #1? HDI List

Economic Development Developed (MDC): US, Canada, Japan, etc. High life expectancy, literacy, industrialization and per capita GDP Developing (LDC): Africa, Asia, Latin America, India Lower life expectancy, literacy, industrialization and per capita GDP 97% of world’s projected ↑ in population is expected to take place in these countries

Population (billions) 12 11 10 World total 9 8 Developing countries 7 Population (billions) 6 5 4 Developed countries 3 2 1 2000 2050 2100 1950 Year

Population growth rate 0.1 Percent of World’s 19 Population 81 Population growth rate 0.1 1.6 Wealth and income 85 15 Resource use 88 12 Pollution and waste 75 25 Developed countries Developing countries

Trade-Offs Economic Development Good News Bad News Global life expectancy doubled since 1950 Life expectancy 11 years less in developing countries than in developed countries Infant mortality rate in developing countries over 8 times higher than in developed countries Infant mortality cut in half since 1955 Harmful environmental effects of agriculture may limit future food production Food production ahead of population growth since 1978 Air and water pollution down in most developed countries since 1970 Air and water pollution levels in most developing countries too high Half of world’s people trying to live on less than $3 (U.S.) per day Number of people living in poverty dropped 6% since 1990

Globalization Globalization- process of social, economic and environmental changes that lead to increased interconnectedness throughout world Information (internet) International trading Technology Human mobility **One country can’t be environmentally sustainable without the others!!

Environmental and Resource Problems The Big Five Causes Major causes of problems 1. Population growth 2. Wasteful resource use 3. Poverty 4. Poor environmental accounting 5. Ecological and environmental ignorance

Environmental and Resource Problems The Big Five Causes 1. Talked about population growth 2. Wasteful resource use Affluenza High stress High debt Bankruptcies Overuse of resources Affluenza—unsustainable addiction to overconsumption and materialism. Spending to prove wealth, not out of needs, but out of wants 27 trailer loads of resources/year on average for every US citizen Law of progressive simplification—transfer energy and attention to the nonmaterial side of life

Environmental and Resource Problems The Big Five Causes 3. Poverty Survival at the expense of environment Live in areas w/ greater risk of natural disasters Work in unsafe, unhealthy conditions Life expectancy low Many children for economic security Death from preventable causes

Environmental and Resource Problems The Big Five Causes 4. Poor environmental accounting Not including environmental cost of economic goods and services in the market price Cleanup and waste expensive and corners cut 5. Ignorance Many have no idea about the impact of their actions Many “live for today” Story of Jean’s son, Gino

Environmental and Resource Problems Problem and Cause Connection Environmental impact (I) affected by interaction b/t population size (P), resource consumption (A) and technology (T) Technology can be helpful or harmful I = P X A X T

Technological impact per unit of consumption (T) Environmental Developing Countries X X = Consumption per person (affluence, A) Technological impact per unit of consumption (T) Environmental impact of population (I) Population (P) X X = Developed Countries X = X

Living More Sustainably Two School of Thought on How It’s Done Environmentalists: Eliminate waste and stop depletion and degradation to sustain our capital Others: Say environmentalist are exaggerating and/or it is a hoax Man can overcome problems w/ ingenuity, economic growth, and technology

Living More Sustainable What We Must Do Protect solar and natural capital (wealth) and live off the resources they provide (income) Meet current needs of people without compromising the needs of future generations NO DEPLETION OF CAPITAL NO SELFISHNESS Identify how Earth sustains itself and apply this info to our lifestyles and economies Gaia hypothesis Rewards to encourage more sustainable forms of economic growth and penalties to discourage

Current Emphasis Sustainability Emphasis Pollution prevention (cleaner production) Waste prevention & reduction Protecting where species live (habitat protection) Environmental restoration Less wasteful (more efficient) resource use Population stabilization by decreasing birth rates Protecting natural capital and living off the biological interest it provides Pollution cleanup Waste disposal (bury or burn) Protecting species Environmental degradation Increased resource use Population growth Depleting and degrading natural capital)

Is Our Present Course Sustainable? Guidelines for the Earth Never leave it worse than you found it Take only what you need Sustain diverse living organisms Maintains Earth’s capacity for self-repair Don’t waste Don’t pollute Decrease population