1. Environmental Problems, Their Causes, and Sustainability
Ch 1 and some other important
Information 

2. "In every deliberation, we must consider the impact on the seventh generation... even if it requires having skin as thick as the bark of a pine”

3. LIVING MORE SUSTAINABLY
… the study of how the earth works, how we interact with the earth and how to deal with environmental problems.
Figure 1-2

4. Core Case Study: Living in an Exponential Age
Human population growth: J-shaped curve
Figure 1-1

5. Sustainability!

6. Sustainability: The Integrative Theme
Sustainability, is the ability of earth’s various systems to survive and adapt to environmental conditions indefinitely.
Figure 1-3

7. Natural capital- not fixed, has changed over time (global
A Path to Sustainability
Natural Capital
Degradation
Individuals
Matter
Natural Capital
Solutions
Trade-Offs
Sound Science
Natural capital- not fixed, has changed over time (global
warming/cooling, asteroids etc.)
Degrade natural capital- using normally renewable resources
faster than they are replenished.
Solutions- laws to protect forests and animals.
Trade offs- tree plantations.
Individuals matter- scientists can come up with new tech-
nologies, individuals can make life changes.
Figure 1.3
A path to sustainability: five subthemes are used throughout this book to illustrate how we can make the transition to more environmentally sustainable or durable societies and economies, based on sound science—concepts widely accepted by natural and social scientists in various fields.
Fig. 1-3, p. 8

8. Environmentally Sustainable Societies
… meets basic needs of ALL its people
…. in a just and equitable manner
…..does not degrade the natural capital that supplies these resources
….does not compromise future generations ability to survive and thrive
…..achieved by two main things; reduce population size and reduce resource consumption
Figure 1-4

9. Three Scientific Principles of Sustainability
Dependence on solar energy
The sun provides warmth and fuels photosynthesis
Biodiversity
Astounding variety and adaptability of natural systems and species
Chemical cycling
From the environment to organisms and then back to the environment

10. Sustainability Has Certain Key Components
Natural capital: keep species alive
Natural resources: useful materials and energy in nature
Natural services: important nature processes such as renewal of air, water, and soil
Ecosystem services
Processes provided by healthy ecosystems

11. HUMAN POPULATION GROWTH

12. That’s a lot of people!!!!!

13. Developed vs. Developing countries

24. Developed vs. Developing
U.S.
Japan
Canada
Australia
New Zealand
Western Europe
The US, Germany,and Japan account for more than ½ of the worlds economic output
(1.2 billion people)
African countries
Asian countries
Latin American countries
China, India, and Mexico (middle income)
5.4 billion people
97% of world’s pop. growth expected to take place in developing countries

25. Global Outlook Comparison of developed and developing countries.
Figures 1-5 and 1-6

26. Economic growth What does this ship almost going
over the edge symbolize????

27. RESOURCES
Perpetual: On a human time scale are continuous. (Solar power!)
Renewable: On a human time scale can be replenished rapidly (e.g. hours to several decades; forests, fresh air, clean water, fertile soil).
Nonrenewable: On a human time scale are in fixed supply. (oil, coal, natural gas, minerals etc)
Play renewable non renewable here

29. Nonrenewable Resources
Figure 1-8

31. Explain this tragedy of the commons

33. With all this resource use comes………POLLUTION
Chemicals found at high enough levels in the environment to cause harm to organisms.
Point source-single identifiable source (Ex. Smokestack of a coal burning power plant)
Nonpoint source-Larger, dispersed and difficult to identify source (Ex. Runoff of fertilizers and pesticides from farmland)
Figure 1-9

34. Point or nonpoint??????
POINT

35. Point or nonpoint??????
POINT

36. Point or nonpoint??????
nonpoint

37. nonpoint
Point or nonpoint??????

38. Pollution Pollutants can have three types of unwanted effects:
Can disrupt / degrade life-support systems.
Can damage health and property.
Can create nuisances such as noise and unpleasant smells, tastes, and sights.

39. Prevention and cleanup
Two basic solutions for pollution are;
Prevention and cleanup
-reduces or
eliminates pollutant
Problems with relying on cleanup:
Pollutants at harmful levels can cost too much to reduce them to acceptable levels
Temporary bandage without improvements in control technology.
Often removes a pollutant from one part of the environment to cause problems in another.

40. ENVIRONMENTAL PROBLEMS: CAUSES AND CONNECTIONS
The major causes of environmental problems are:
Population growth
Wasteful resource use
Poverty
Poor environmental accounting
Ecological ignorance (trying to manage nature with too little knowledge about how it works. ex. Draining the Everglades)

41. Unsustainable resource use

48. Developing countries lack infrastructure

49. Poverty and pollution

50. Poverty and deforestation

51. The cost of bringing people out of poverty----industrialization

52. Environmental accounting

53. Man dominating nature

54. Diverse grassland

55. monoculture

56. Ecological Footprint-amount of land
and ocean area required to supply
resource use and absorb waste.
(measured in hectares)
3 things that have the greatest
impact on footprint are;
-agriculture
-transportation
-heating and cooling buildings

57. Cultural Changes Can Grow or Shrink Our Ecological Footprints
Humans were hunters and gatherers 12,000 years ago
Three major cultural events
Agricultural revolution
Industrial-medical revolution
Information-globalization revolution
Current need for a sustainability revolution

58. Three Big Ideas A more sustainable future will require that we:
Rely more on energy from the sun and other renewable energy sources
Protect biodiversity through the preservation of natural capital
Avoid disrupting the earth’s vitally important chemical cycles