1. Warm Up Which of the following are global environmental problems Why?
A. The growth of the human population
B. The furbish lousewort, a small flowering plant found in the state of Maine
C. The blue whale, listed as endangered by the US Marine Protection Act
D. A car that has air conditioning.

2. Key Themes in Environmental Sciences
Chapter 1
Key Themes in Environmental Sciences

3. Major Themes of Environmental Science
Human population growth
An urbanizing world
Sustainability of our population and all of nature
People and nature
A global perspective
Science and values

4. Human Population Growth
The human population grew at a rate unprecedented in history in the twentieth century.
Population growth is the underlying environmental problem.
Famine is one of the things that takes place when a human population exceeds its environmental resources. An example is African Famine.
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5. What inferences can be made from this graph?
Population change since 1950 projected to the year 2150 for major areas of the world, medium fertility scenario. The population of Africa will nearly quadruple. The only major area whose population is projected to drop over time is Europe – from 728 million to 595 million, a decline of 18% over 155 years.
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© 2008 John Wiley and Sons Publishers

6. Population Explosion
The population bomb starts with “little sparks”. This shows 4 generations of the John Eli Miller family. He was an ordinary American except that when he died he was head of the largest family in the U.S.
The population bomb starts with “little sparks”. This shows 4 generations of the John Eli Miller family. He was an ordinary American except that when he died he was head of the largest family in the U.S.

7. African Famine
Drought in the 1970’s caused ~500,000 Africans to starve to death
What are some causes for famine in Africa?
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8. An Urban World
When the impact of technology is combined with the impact of population, the impact on the environment is multiplied.
What does this mean?
What can we do to manage our environmental impact?
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9. Some Thoughts
In an increasingly urban world, we must focus much of our attention on the environments of cities and on the effects of cities on the rest of the environment.
WHY??????
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10. Sustainability and Carrying Capacity
What is the maximum number of people the Earth can sustain?
Carrying Capacity: the max. number of individuals of a species that can be sustained by the environment
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11. What does this graph tell us?
Can you determine a “sustainable catch” based on the information in this graph?
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12. Sustainability Sustainable resource harvest Sustainable ecosystem
An amount of a resource that can be harvested at regular intervals indefinitely
Sustainable ecosystem
An ecosystem that is subject to some human use, but at a level that leads to no loss of species or of necessary ecosystem functions
What is needed to achieve this?
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13. Initiated by Lovelock & Margulis
Gaia Hypothesis
Initiated by Lovelock & Margulis
Considers that the environment, at a global level, has been seriously changed by life over the history of the Earth & that these changes will most likely improve the chances for continued life.
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14. How Do You Plan to Get Involved in Your Community?
Science and Values
To make decisions about an environmental problem we:
Know what is possible based on science
Choose the best option based on our values
How Do You Plan to Get Involved in Your Community?
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15. Precautionary Principle
Precautionary Principle states that we should not wait for scientific proof before taking action to prevent environmental damage.
Ex. San Francisco
“Megacities”
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16. What’s the VALUE of our environment?
Utilitarian Justification – benefits individuals economically
Ecological Justification – ecosystem is necessary for the survival of a species that interests us
Aesthetic Justification – beauty of nature
Moral Justification – aspects of environment have “right” to exist
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17. Any Questions?