1. Introducing Environmental Science and Sustainability
Chapter 1
Introducing Environmental Science and Sustainability
What are these? How do they relate to issues of globalization and sustainability?

2. Human Impacts on the Environment
Increasing Human Numbers
What does this picture show?

3. Human Impacts on the Environment
Most populous countries:
1) China 1,374,853,000
2) India 1,155,011,000
3) United States 309,163,000
4) Indonesia ,825,000
5) Brazil ,580,000
In what types of countries is most of the growth occurring?
Of the 400 cities with a population of at least 1 million, 234 are in developing countries.
Source: US Census Bureau, Global Population Profile: 2002
What is a Highly Developed Country?
A Moderately Developed Country?
A Less Developed Country?

4. Human Impacts on the Environment
At what type of rate is the population growing?

5. How Fast Is the Human Population Growing?
At an exponential rate!
Human death rates have dropped because of an increase in food supplies and better health and sanitation.
Doubling Time - A measure of population growth where the number of years it takes for a population growing at a specified rate to double its size.
To calculate “Doubling Time,” use the Rule of 70.

6. Human Impacts on the Environment
Poverty :
per capita income of less than $1 a day
1.2 billion worldwide currently live at this level
Leads to . . .
Inadequate health care
Unsanitary water
Poor nutrition
Lower life expectancy

7. Relationship Betwen Population Growth, Use of Natural Resources, and Environmental Degradation
The resources essential to survival are small, but individuals in developing countries deplete these resources because of their increasing population.
In developed nations, resource demands are large (extravagent consumers), and resources are exhausted.

8. What is a Resource?
Resource -- Anything obtained from the environment to meet human needs and wants.
Renewable Resource - Can be replenished rapidly through natural processes as long as it is not used up faster than it is replaced
Examples?
What is a resources sustainable yield?
When does “Environmental Degradation” occur?
Nonrenewable Resource - resources that exist in a fixed quantity or stock in the earth’s crust

9. Population, Resources, and the Environment
Types of resources:
Renewable, but only when managed in a sustainable way
What does sustainable mean?
What is the sustainable yield of a resource?

10. Population, Resources, and the Environment
Resource Consumption:
Because of our greater consumption rates, 1 US child has the environmental impact of 12+ children in less developed countries.

11. Population, Resources, and the Environment
What is the difference between people overpopulation and consumption overpopulation?
People Overpopulation: when excess # of people cause environmental damage.
Consumption Overpopulation: when people consume enormous amounts of natural resources.

12. Population, Resources, and the Environment
Ecological footprint
Ecological Footprint -- the amount of land needed to produce the resources needed by an average person in a country.

13. Population, Resources, and the Environment
IPAT Model
Why is this a good model? Why is this NOT a good model?
Environmental Impact
Affluence per person
I = P A T
Environmental effect of technologies
Number of people

14. Environmental Sustainability
Sustainability and the Tragedy of the Commons
What is the Tragedy of the Commons?
Garrett Hardin

15. Environmental Science
The Process of Science
Problem recognition or question
New knowledge
Hypothesis development
Experimentation
Make predictions
Other scientists
Analysis
Share knowledge NO
Hypothesis supported?
YES

16. Environmental Science
Controls and Variables in
Experimental Design
Variable:
factors influencing processes being examined.
hypothesis examines ONE variable, holding others constant. This one variable is called the independent variable. What this change affects is the dependent variable.
Control group :
examined variable is left unaltered

17. Environmental Science
Inductive and Deductive Reasoning
Inductive - examines a series of facts for commonalities that can be concluded.
Example:
Fact: an ant has six legs
Fact: a wasp has six legs
Fact: a beetle has six legs
Conclusion: all insects have six legs
Deductive - examines for relationships among data moving from generalities to specifics.
General rule: all insects have six legs
Specific example: a grasshopper is an insect
Therefore: a grasshopper has six legs

18. Addressing Environmental Problems
Scientific Assessment
Risk Analysis
Public education and involvement
Political action
Evaluation

19. Addressing Environmental Problems
Case in Point: Lake Washington
Scientific assessment
Public education and involvement
Political action

20. Addressing Environmental Problems
Case in Point: Lake Washington
Evaluation

21. Addressing Environmental Problems
Case in Point: Lake Washington
Evaluation