1. Environmental Studies
Lecturers/ Damian Nesbeth
Tutors: Nikki Bramwell, Raymond Martin,
Debbie Devonish, Nadia Spence
Tel# : Ext
Room: 3C1 / Biology Staff Room

2. Environmental Studies
General Objectives
1. Understand the way natural ecosystems function.
Appreciate the ways in which human populations disrupt the functioning of the natural ecosystem and thus cause environmental problems.
3. Propose and evaluate solutions to current environmental dilemmas.

3. What is the Environment?
- all living & non-living external factors that affect an organism

4. What is Environmental Science?
- study of humanity’s relationship with other organisms and the non-living environment which integrates knowledge from many disciplines, e.g., :
• engineering • politics • technology

5. Environmental Scientists
Monitor the quality of the environment
Interpret the impact of human activity on terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems
Develop strategies for restoring ecosystems.
Help planners develop and construct buildings, transportation corridors and utilities.

6. Studying Environmental Science Helps Us to Understand:
How Earth works
2. How we affect Earth’s life support systems
3. How we can help solve current environmental problems

7. Natural Capital/Natural Resources
Goods and services provided by the Earth through natural processes are known as natural capital or natural resources.
These support all economies and life.

8. Natural Resources The 2 main types of natural resources are:
• Renewable – theoretically lasts forever
• Non-renewable – exhaustible, finite

9. Environmental Sustainability
- ability of the environment to function indefinitely

10. Why is environmental sustainability important?
It means meeting the needs of humans at present without endangering the welfare of future generations of people
Therefore it is relevant at the individual, community, national, regional & global levels

11. DO YOU THINK THERE IS ANYTHING WRONG WITH THE ENVIRONMENT WE LIVE IN TODAY?

22. Current Unsustainable Human Behaviours Include:
Unchecked use of non-renewable resources
Renewable resources being used faster than nature can replenish them
Pollution of the environment
Human population growth

23. Pollution
an undesirable change that can adversely affect humans or other living organisms
Persistence: how long a pollutant stays in air, water, soil or an organism

24. Pollution cont’d The 2 main types of pollutants are: Degradable
Non-degradable

25. Environmental Issues
The following are some environmental issues facing Earth.
Species endangerment
and extinction
Land Degradation
Water Shortage
and Pollution
Global Warming
Ozone Depletion
Acid Deposition
Improper Solid Waste
Disposal
Urbanisation

26. What is the issue here?

27. What is the issue here?

28. What is the issue here?

29. Environmental Ethics
- a discipline that studies moral conviction about or commitment to, one type of behaviour over another as it relates to the environment

30. Worldviews There are two major environmental worldviews. These are:
cornucopianism
environmentalism

31. Cornucopianism stems from a western tradition
anthropocentric (people-centred) environmental philosophy
man has dominion over the earth
Earth’s supplies infinite

32. Environmentalism a response to the threat to the natural environment
ecocentric (the environment has intrinsic value apart from its value to human ends)
addresses environmental problems and methods that can be employed to solve them

33. Sustainable Development
also called environmentally sustainable economic development
encourages economic growth in a way that meets the needs of current and future generations
discourages environmental harmful practices or encourages sustainable economic growth

34. Environmental Law
enactments that ensure that the environment is protected
provides legal basis for protecting endangered species, critical habitat, other natural resources and humans

35. National Environment & Planning Agency
Established as a legal entity in 1991.
Operates under the following acts:
NRCA Act 1991
Beach Control Act (1956)
Watersheds Protection Act (1963)
Wildlife Protection Act (1945)
Provides policy framework for environmental management.

36. National Environment & Planning Agency cont’d
Some NEPA activities are:
- environmental education
- environmental monitoring
- project planning and monitoring
- issuing environmental permits and licences

37. National Environment & Planning Agency cont’d
Management Tools Promoted by NEPA:
- Conservation
- Conservation Biology
- Environmental Management Systems
- Natural Resource Valuation

38. Conservation vs.Conservation Biology cont’d
- careful use of natural resources
- e.g., fuel wood, wild meat, wild plants

39. Conservation vs.Conservation Biology
- multidisciplinary science that investigates human impacts on biological diversity
- attempts to prevent species extinction
- develops compromises between
species protection and human needs

40. Natural Resource Valuation
Process of placing monetary values on natural environmental resources, their services and effects.
Allows for more accurate representation of the costs associated with development.

41. Environmental Management Systems (EMS)
Management tool that enables organisations, institutions and businesses to address the impact of their goods and services on the environment.
An EMS may include:
ways to recycle office paper;
more efficient waste management systems
plans to phase out or replace certain chemicals or materials (NEPA, 2005)

42. Environmental Management Systems (EMS)
Example – Environmental Audits for Sustainable Tourism (EAST) Project.
(1997; Funded by USAID)
After instituting EMS five Jamaican hotels reduced:
Energy use by 12%
Water consumption by 50,000,000 gallons
Energy use by 1,665,000 kWh.
(Dollar value USD 330,000 per annum) .