1. Environmental Problems, Their Causes, and Sustainability
Chapter 1
Environmental Problems, Their Causes, and Sustainability

2. What is Environmental Science?
The goals of environmental science are to learn:
how nature works.
the effect of the environment on us.
the effect of humans on the environment.
how we can live more sustainably without degrading our life-support system.

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

4. LIVING MORE SUSTAINABLY
Figure 1-2

5. Human Cultureshpere
Human population growth: J-shaped curve
Figure 1-1

6. POPULATION GROWTH, ECONOMIC GROWTH, AND ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT
Economic growth provides people with more goods and services.
Measured in gross domestic product (GDP) and purchasing power parity (PPP).
Economic development uses economic growth to improve living standards.
The world’s countries economic status (developed vs. developing) are based on their degree of industrialization and GDP-PPP.

7. Economic Development Developed Countries (1.2 billion people)
United States, Canada, Japan, Australia, New Zealand and most European Countries
Developing Countries (5.4 billion people)
All other countries
Most in Africa, Asia and Latin America
Economic Growth
Increases as population increases
Uses more energy and materials
Exponential increases impact on environment

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

9. Impact on Environment = P x A x T
Figure 1-14

10. Poverty and Environmental Problems
1 of 3 children under 5, suffer from severe malnutrition.
Figure 1-12 and 1-13

11. POLLUTION
Undesirable change to air, water, soil, food that causes harm to organisms.
Types
Point source
Nonpoint source
Figure 1-9

12. Tragedy of the Commons Biologist Garrett Hardin
Common Renewable Resource
Small demand...resource is sustainable
Tragedy (depletion) because
Higher demand and belief by users that:
If I don’t use the resource, someone else will
The little bit that I take (or pollute) is not enough to matter
This resource is renewable
Economically Depleted Resource
Finding/extracting/processing cost prohibitive

13. LIVING MORE SUSTAINABLY
Atmosphere + Hydrosphere + Lithosphere + Biosphere
Combine to form our
“Natural Capital”
Figure 1-2

14. Earth’s Life Support System Natural Capital=
NATURAL RESOURCES +
NATURAL SERVICES
NATURAL CAPITAL
NATURAL RESOURCES
Air
Water
Soil
Land
Life (biodiversity)
Nonrenewable minerals (iron, sand)
Renewable energy
(sun, wind, water flows)
Nonrenewable energy (fossil fuels, nuclear power)
NATURAL SERVICES
Air purification
Water purification
Soil renewal
Nutrient recycling
Food production
Pollination
Grassland renewal
Forest renewal
Waste treatment
Climate Control
Population control (species interactions)
Pest control
Stepped Art
Fig. 1-4, p. 9

15. Earth’s Life Support System Natural Capital
Perpetual: On a human time scale are continuous.
Renewable: On a human time scale can be replenished rapidly (e.g. hours to several decades).
Nonrenewable: On a human time scale are in fixed supply.

16. How do these impact each other?
Figure 1-2

17. Natural capital degradation
The exponential increasing flow of material resources through the world’s economic systems depletes, degrades and pollutes the environment.
Figure 1-11

18. ENVIRONMENTAL PROBLEMS: CAUSES AND CONNECTIONS
The major causes of environmental problems are:
Population growth
Wasteful resource use
Poverty
Poor environmental accounting
Ecological ignorance

19. What is the answer? Understanding the there is no ONE easy answer.
Trade offs – advantages/disadvantage
Copy Nature
Reliance on Solar Energy
Biodiversity
Population Control
Nutrient Recycling
Recycle/Reuse