1. Environmental Science: Toward a Sustainable Future Richard T. Wright
Chapter 1
Introduction: Toward a Sustainable Future
PPT by Clark E. Adams

2. The Chapter Introduction
The global environmental picture
Three strategic themes
Sustainability
Stewardship
Sound science

3. The Chapter Introduction
Three integrative themes
Ecosystem capital
Policy/politics
Globalization
The environment in the 21st century

4. The Lessons of Easter Island
Society fails to care for the environment and sustain it.
Population increases beyond carrying capacity.
Disparity between rich and poor widens.

5. How to Prevent a Global Version of the Easter Island Disaster
Understand how the natural world works
Understand how human and natural systems interact
Accurately assess the status and trends of crucial natural ecosystems
Establish long-term sustainable relationships with the natural world

6. The Global Environmental Picture
Rapid human population growth and increasing consumption per person
Decline of ecosystems
Global atmospheric changes
Loss of biodiversity

7. Rapid Human Population Growth

8. Ecological Footprint
Lower Fraser Valley Canadians require an area 19 times larger than their home region to provide food, clothing, energy, and shelter.

9. Indicators of Decline of Vital Ecosystems
Depleted water supplies
Agricultural soils degraded
Oceans overfished
Forests cut faster than they can grow

10. Conceptual Framework for Millennium Ecosystem Project

11. Global Atmospheric Changes

12. Contributors to Loss of Biodiversity
Habitat alteration
Exploitation
Pollution

13. Three Strategic Themes
Sustainability: interactions with the natural world that we should be working toward
Stewardship: the ethical and moral framework of our actions
Sound science: the basis for our understanding of how the world works

14. Unifying Themes

15. Four Dimensions to Sustainable Solutions
Environmental
Social
Economic
Political

16. How Stewardship Is Demonstrated
Recognition that a trust has been given
Responsible care for something not owned
Desire to pass something on to future generations

17. Environmental Justice or Racism?
Placement of waste sites and hazardous facilities in nonwhite communities

18. Components to the Structure of Sound Science
Data: measurable
Theories: explanations
Shaping principles: uniformity of nature, quantifiability

19. Assumptions of the Process of Science
Causes and effects are explainable.
We have tools and capabilities to understand basic principles and natural laws.

20. Steps in the Scientific Method

21. True or False Concerning the Process of Science
There are no controversies or arguments among scientists.
Progress in science can be slow.
We are continually confronted by new observations.
Some observed phenomena may not lend themselves to simple experiments.

22. True or False Concerning the Process of Science
Science is incapable of providing absolute proof for any theory.
The process of science can be used to test value judgments.
The validity of science is based on the ability to do experiments.

23. Junk Science Presentations of selective results
Public distortions of scientific works
Publication in quasi-scientific journals

24. Ecosystem Capital: Goods and Services

25. Policy and Politics
Human decisions that determine what happens to the natural world and the political processes that lead to those decisions.
Purpose of public policy is to promote the common good.

26. Globalization
The accelerating interconnectedness of human activities, ideas, and cultures.
Health improvements
Global markets
Improved crop yields
Dilution or destruction of cultural and religious ideals.

27. Globalization Environmentally friendly consumer goods
Economic reorganization of the world
Worldwide spread of emerging diseases
Dispersion of exotic species
Trade in hazardous wastes
Spread of persistent organic pollutants

28. The Environment in the 21st Century
The big issues
Corporate accountability
Globalization and WTO
Trade and subsidies
Climate and energy
Development priorities and aid

29. The Environment in the 21st Century
If we do not change direction, we will end up where we are heading.

30. End of Chapter 1