1. Journal Question
Opinion: Are humans part of the environment, or separate from it? Explain.

2. Science and the Environment
Chapter 1
Science and the Environment

3. Understanding Our Environment
Objectives:
Define environmental science
List the five major fields that contribute to environmental science
Discuss how human’s impact on the environment has changed over history
Classify environmental problems

4. Environmental Science
Devoted to studying the impacts humans have on the environment
NYC Today and 400 yrs ago

5. Goals of environment science
To understand and solve environmental problems
Ecosystem functions
Air Pollution
Water Pollution
Toxic Chemicals
Climate Change
Resource usage
Newer field of study

6. Foundation of Environmental Science
Ecology: the study of how living organisms interact with each other and their nonliving environment

7. Fields of Study that Contribute to Environmental Science
Interdisciplinary science: because it encompasses so many different fields of study
Biology:
Chemistry:
Physics:
Earth Science:
Social Sciences:

8. Human’s Impact Over History
Wherever humans have hunted, grown food, or settled we have changed the environment.
How have those changes impacted the environment over human history?

9. Hunter-Gatherers Most of human history
People who obtain food by moving around collecting plants and hunting wild animals.
Spread plants beyond areas of original growth
set fires to burn prairies and prevent the growth of trees. open grassland ideal for hunting bison.

10. Agricultural Revolution
Plants and animals were domesticated and population grew
10,000 years ago
Life got easier
Population grew
Towns began forming
Impact on environment grew
More land used

11. Industrial Revolution
Caused a shift to fossil fuels as an energy source
Mid-1700s
Life got easier
Advances in technology
People lived longer better
Quality of life
People moved to cities away from farms
Increased environmental impact WHY???

12. Population Growth Population is growing fast
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Vast amounts of resources used to meet need for food
Population expected to double in 21st century, before it begins to stabilize

14. What do you consider to be our most important environmental problems?
Journal
What do you consider to be our most important environmental problems?

15. Spaceship Earth Earth is essentially a “closed system”
Energy from sun comes in and leaves as heat
What we have IS IT… no more… One Earth, One Chance
Became evident during missions to moon late 1960’s

16. What are our main environmental problems?

17. Problem 1: Tragedy of the Commons
Conflicts arise when people share natural resources
“Modern Commons”
If no one takes responsibility for the resource it will get overused and become degraded.
Examples?

18. Problem 2: Resource Depletion
Resource depletion: using up resources before they can be replenished
Renewable resources like trees cut faster than they grow
What are some other example of renewable resources? (energy from the sun)
Theoretically can last forever

19. Resource Depletion Cont…
Nonrenewable resource forms more slowly than it is used up
Examples: minerals and fossil fuels like coal, oil and natural gas.
Resource is said to be depleted when almost used up

20. Problem 3: Pollution
Pollution: an undesirable change in the air, water or soil that affects humans or other organisms
Biodegradable - broken down by natural processes
Sewage, paper
Non-biodegradable - cannot be broken down
Heavy metals (lead /mercury), plastics
Air & water pollution
Land pollution

21. Problem 4: Loss of Biodiversity
Biodiversity: the number and variety of species that live in an area
Human activities are causing extinctions of animals
How? Population & consumption
Why is loss of biodiversity a bad thing?
Higher biodiversity = healthier ecosystem
Organisms can be considered natural resource
We depend on these “resources” for food oxygen

22. With a partner of your choice:
Pair and Share Activity:
With a partner of your choice:
Select five objects found in this room (Ex. Pencil)
List the components found in that object
Classify each component as renewable or nonrenewable like the table below.
Object
Parts
Renew.
Nonrenew.
1. Pencil
Graphite, wood, rubber, aluminum
Rubber (trees)
Wood (trees)
Graphite
Aluminum

23. Journal
Critical thinking: Is the damage to the environment worth the advances to our lifestyle??

24. Economics and the Environment
Law of supply and demand- the greater the demand for a limited supply of something, the more the product is worth
How does this relate to gas prices?

25. Who uses most resources?
Developed Countries like the U.S. (high personal wealth) have high consumption rates
USA, Canada, France, New Zealand
Developing Countries: have high population growth, poverty and lower resource consumption
Kenya, Brazil, Columbia

26. Developed & Developing Nations

27. Ecological Footprint
The productive area of land needed to support a persons life
Food, clothes, coal, oil, plastics, forest, etc. all needed to support your lifestyle

29. Sustainability is the Goal!
Condition in which human needs are met without harming future generations.