1. Environmental Problems, Their Causes and Sustainability
APES Chapter 1
Environmental Problems, Their Causes and Sustainability
“At present we are stealing the future, selling it in the present, and calling it gross domestic product.” Paul Hawken

2. Basic Terms Environment- everything that affects living organisms
Ecology-science that studies relationships b/t organisms and environment
Env. Science
How the earth works
How we interact with earth
How we deal with environmental probs
Environmentalism-social movement dedicated to protecting Earth for all living organisms and their future generations

3. Human Population
The human race plays a key role in important issues we will be discussing the whole year
Population growth
Resource use
Poverty
Loss of biological diversity
Pollution
Global climate change

4. Population Growth Linear
Linear growth- no consistent doubling time with straight line graph
Slow growth

5. Population Growth Exponential
Exponential growth- quantity increases at a constant rate per unit time
Starts slowly, but grows enormously due to doubling
Addition to population proportional to current size
Larger populations add more people than smaller ones growing at same rate 10% growth of 100,000 people = 10,000 added/yr
10% growth of 1,000,000 people = 100,000 added/yr
These larger populations will then increase their population considerably

6. Population Growth Exponential
Doubling time- the amount of time it takes a population to double its size.
Exponential growth shows a doubling time
Rule of 70: /rate (%) = doubling time
70 divided by the growth rate as a percentage = d.t.
The higher the growth rate, the less time it takes to double
i.e.: growth of populations of people and bacteria, savings accounts, etc.

7. Let’s See If the Rule of 70 Works!
10% fixed growth rate….what is doubling time?
70/10 = 7 year doubling time
100 people to start
(.10)(100) = % growth
110 total # of people at end of year 1
(.10)(110) =+11
121 end of year 2
(.10)(121) =+12
133 end of year 3
(.10)(133) =+13
146 end of year 4
(.10)(146) = +14
160 end of year 5
(.10)(160) = +16
176 end of year 6
(.10)(176) = +17
193 end of year 7—almost doubled!

8. Population Size vs. Time
How would
we figure
out doubling time from this graph of population growth?

9. Population Size vs. Time
Using the graph you can see that after 7 years population has nearly doubled from 100 to 200

10. Population Growth
World growth has slowed, but still growing exponentially at an annual growth rate of 1.25%/year
Not much?
Calculate doubling time (70/1.25 = ? years)
6.4 billion (6,400,000,000)
80,000,000 people added in 2004
9100/hour
Growth more rapid than Earth can support
Projected 8-12 billion by end of century, depending on growth rate

11. Billions of people Time16 15 ? 14 13 12 11 ? 10 9
Billions of people 8 ? 7 6 5 4 3 2
Black Death–the Plague 1
2-5 million
years
8000
6000
4000
2000
2000
2100
Time
B.C.
A.D.
Hunting and
gathering
Agricultural revolution
Industrial
revolution

12. Resource Use
Global economic output is a rough measure of human resource use
More people due to exponential growth and economic growth ↑ resource use
i.e. Produce more cars
Need to have more workers and feed them
Need to use more fossil fuels for electricity

13. Poverty 22 fold ↑ in economic growth b/t 1950 and 2004
50% of people still trying to survive off < $3/day
To survive they must deplete and degrade environment

14. Poverty
Wealth is becoming increasingly concentrated, with the richest 20% receiving most of the world's income (82.7%).

15. Loss of Biological Diversity
Premature extinction of species due to habitat degradation
1%/year
IRREVERSIBLE!
i.e. cutting down forests due to farming and development

16. Pollution
Pollution- presence of substances at high enough levels to harm living organisms due to:
Natural occurrences= biogenic (volcanic eruptions)
Human activities= anthropogenic (burning fossil fuels, using pesticides, etc.)
Disrupt support systems of organisms

17. Pollution Occurs more in urban areas
Can contaminate area where produced or be carried away by wind or water
Factors that determine damage a pollutant can cause:
Concentration
Persistence
Chemical nature
Rate of degradation

18. Pollution Point sources- single, identifiable
Cars, smokestacks
Easier to identify and control
Nonpoint sources- dispersed, difficult to identify
Pesticides runoff and spray

19. Pollution Prevention (output control) Cleanup Stop before it starts
Easier to do
Less expensive to reduce to acceptable levels—regulation
Cleanup
Temporary bandage
Only moves pollution to another site
Expensive

20. Climate Change
Population growth, resource use, poverty, and loss of biological diversity contribute to climate change
Global warming
Cycle continues

21. What the Earth Provides Us Sun and Earth’s Natural Capital
Capital—baseline wealth used to sustain (i.e. a business or life)
Income--output derived from an investment of capital
All life and economies depend on solar and natural capital.
Give example of pizza restaurant and relate to capital and income

22. What the Earth Provides Us Solar Capital/ Energy
Solar capital- direct sunlight and indirect forms of renewable solar energy
Provides 99% of the energy used on earth to sustain life.
Biomass (plant matter) made by plants during photosynthesis using solar energy (i.e. firewood, food, coal)
Hydropower, windpower, and solar power

23. What the Earth Provides Us Natural Capital
Natural capital- Earth’s resources and ecological services
Air
Water
Soil
Forests
Fishery
Minerals
Natural water and air purification

24. NATURAL CAPITAL Water Energy Air Soil Minerals Nutrient Recycling
SOLAR ENERGY
RESOURCES
Water
Energy
Air
Soil
Minerals
NATURAL CAPITAL
Nutrient Recycling
Pollution Control
Biodiversity
Pest & Disease Control
Population Control
Climate Control
Waste Treatment
SERVICES

25. What the Earth Provides Us Natural Resources
Resource-anything obtained from environment to satisfy needs OR wants
Food
Water
Shelter
Transportation
Recreation
Natural resources are classified as
Perpetual
Renewable
Nonrenewable
Population and World Resources-24min

26. Perpetual Resources Nonrenewable Winds, tides, flowing water Fossil
fuels
Metallic
minerals
Non-
metallic
minerals
Direct
solar
energy
(iron,
copper,
aluminum)
(clay,
sand,
phosphates)
Renewable
Fresh
air
Fresh
water
Fertile
soil
Plants and
animals
(biodiversity)

27. What the Earth Provides Us Perpetual Resources
Perpetual resources- renewed continuously
Solar energy
Winds
Flowing water
Resources we cannot drain--yet

28. What the Earth Provides Us Renewable Resources
Renewable resources- can be renewed or replenished fairly rapidly by natural processes
Fresh air
Fresh water
Plants
Animals
Renewable only as long as we don’t use them quicker than they’re renewed!

29. What the Earth Provides Us Renewable Resources
Sustainable yield -highest rate that a renewable resource can be used indefinitely w/o reducing its available supply (capital)
LIVE OFF INCOME, NOT CAPITAL
Environmental degradation –degrading environment in any way
i.e. using more than sustainable yield causing resource capital to shrink (degrading environment)
LIVING OFF INCOME AND CAPITAL
Give metaphor of sustainable yield and environmental degradation like a bank account

30. What the Earth Provides Us Renewable Resources
“Tragedy of the Commons”
Garrett Hardin, 1968
Said we are exploiting and degrading publicly owned, common resources.
Need to take no more than sustainable yield.

31. What the Earth Provides Us Renewable Resources
Possible solutions to the tragedy?
Limit access
Reduce population
Convert free access to private
Private owners environmentally conscientious?
How do you make global resources (oceans and air) private?
Will restricted access foster lack of appreciation for these resources?

32. What the Earth Provides Us Renewable Resources
Government has laws and treatises that regulate access to commonly owned resources
Hunting licenses
Fishing licenses
National Park rules and regulations
IDEM standards

33. What the Earth Provides Us Renewable Resources
Ecological footprint- amt of biologically productive land and water needed to supply us with the renewable resources we use and absorb or dispose of our waste
How much of Earth’s natural capital and biological income we use
EVERYTHING we do leaves an effect our environment—our footprint
Renewable resources are being depleted and degraded to support our lifestyles

34. Total Ecological Footprint
(Hectares)
Country
3 billion
hectares
United States
62 million hectares
The Netherlands
880 million hectares
India
1 hectare = 12,000 square yards = 2.47 acres

35. What the Earth Provides Us Renewable Resources
Per capita- per person
Per capita ecological footprint=
total footprint/total population
Humanity’s per capita ecological footprint exceeds Earth’s biological capacity by 15%
We are exceeding sustainable yield and dipping into our capital
i.e. country has 1,000,000 hectares of ecological footprint and 100,000 people:
1,000,000 ha/ 100,000 people = 10 ha/person

36. Per Capita Ecological Footprint (Hectares of land per person)
Country
9.6
United States
3.8
The Netherlands
0.8
India

37. Humanity’s Ecological Footprint Earth’s Ecological Capacity
1.4
1.2
Humanity’s Ecological Footprint
1.0
Earth’s Ecological Capacity .8
Number of Earth’s .6 .4 .2
1961
1965
1970
1975
1980
1985
1990
1995
2000
2005

38. What the Earth Provides Us Nonrenewable Resources
Nonrenewable resources- those we can deplete fixed quantity
Energy resources
Gas, Coal
Metallic mineral resources
Iron, Copper
Nonmetallic mineral resources
Salt, clay
**These nonrenewables are economically depleted when it costs too much to obtain what is left

39. Perpetual Resources Nonrenewable Winds, tides, flowing water Fossil
fuels
Metallic
minerals
Non-
metallic
minerals
Direct
solar
energy
(iron,
copper,
aluminum)
(clay,
sand,
phosphates)
Renewable
Fresh
air
Fresh
water
Fertile
soil
Plants and
animals
(biodiversity)

40. Area under curve
equals the total
amount of the
resource.
Economic depletion
(80% used up)
Resource production
Time

41. What the Earth Provides Us Nonrenewable Resources
Solutions for preserving our nonrenewable resources
Try to find more
Recycle/Reuse
Waste/Use less
Substitute
Wait millions of years
Recycling/reusing metallic nonrenewable resources takes less energy, water, pollution and environmental degradation than exploiting virgin resources

42. Economic Growth
Economic growth- an ↑ in the capacity of a country to provide people with goods and services needed
Measured by change in country’s:
GDP (Gross Domestic Product)- annual market value in $ of all goods and services produced WITHIN a country
GNP (Gross National Product)- annual market value in $ of all goods and services produced by a country’s businesses THROUGHOUT THE WORLD
Don’t farm. We have grocery stores.
Give example of household and depleting resources (money out of bank, credit cards)

43. Economic Growth Country’s standard (quality) of living gauged by
Per capita GDP= GDP/country’s population
Per capita GNP = GNP/country’s population
Countries with larger populations have to spread the wealth thinner
Lower per capita GDP lower standard of living
China

44. Economic Development What country is #1? HDI List
Economic development- improving living standards by economic growth
UN classifies countries as economically developed or developing based on Human Development Index (HDI):
Standard of living (per capita GDP)
Life expectancy
Literacy
What country is #1?
HDI List

45. Economic Development Developed (MDC): US, Canada, Japan, etc.
High life expectancy, literacy, industrialization and per capita GDP
Developing (LDC): Africa, Asia, Latin America, India
Lower life expectancy, literacy, industrialization and per capita GDP
97% of world’s projected ↑ in population is expected to take place in these countries

46. Population (billions)12 11 10
World total 9 8
Developing
countries 7
Population (billions) 6 5 4
Developed
countries 3 2 1
2000
2050
2100
1950
Year

47. Population growth rate 0.1
Percent of World’s 19
Population 81
Population growth rate
0.1
1.6
Wealth and income 85 15
Resource use 88 12
Pollution and waste 75 25
Developed countries
Developing countries

48. Trade-Offs
Economic Development
Good News
Bad News
Global life expectancy doubled since 1950
Life expectancy 11 years less in developing countries than in developed countries
Infant mortality rate in developing countries over 8 times higher than in developed countries
Infant mortality cut in half since 1955
Harmful environmental effects of agriculture may limit future food production
Food production ahead of population growth since 1978
Air and water pollution down in most developed countries since 1970
Air and water pollution levels in most developing countries too high
Half of world’s people trying to live on less than $3 (U.S.) per day
Number of people living in poverty dropped 6% since 1990

49. Globalization
Globalization- process of social, economic and environmental changes that lead to increased
interconnectedness throughout world
Information (internet)
International trading
Technology
Human mobility
**One country can’t be environmentally sustainable without the others!!

50. Environmental and Resource Problems The Big Five Causes
Major causes of problems
1. Population growth
2. Wasteful resource use
3. Poverty
4. Poor environmental accounting
5. Ecological and environmental ignorance

51. Environmental and Resource Problems The Big Five Causes
1. Talked about population growth
2. Wasteful resource use
Affluenza
High stress
High debt
Bankruptcies
Overuse of resources
Affluenza—unsustainable addiction to overconsumption and materialism. Spending to prove wealth, not out of needs, but out of wants
27 trailer loads of resources/year on average for every US citizen
Law of progressive simplification—transfer energy and attention to the nonmaterial side of life

52. Environmental and Resource Problems The Big Five Causes
3. Poverty
Survival at the expense of environment
Live in areas w/ greater risk of natural disasters
Work in unsafe, unhealthy conditions
Life expectancy low
Many children for economic security
Death from preventable causes

53. Environmental and Resource Problems The Big Five Causes
4. Poor environmental accounting
Not including environmental cost of economic goods and services in the market price
Cleanup and waste expensive and corners cut
5. Ignorance
Many have no idea about the impact of their actions
Many “live for today”
Story of Jean’s son, Gino

54. Environmental and Resource Problems Problem and Cause Connection
Environmental impact (I) affected by interaction b/t population size (P), resource consumption (A) and technology (T)
Technology can be helpful or harmful
I = P X A X T

55. Technological impact per unit of consumption (T) Environmental
Developing Countries X X =
Consumption
per person
(affluence, A)
Technological impact per
unit of consumption (T)
Environmental
impact of population (I)
Population (P) X X =
Developed Countries X = X

56. Living More Sustainably Two School of Thought on How It’s Done
Environmentalists:
Eliminate waste and stop depletion and degradation to sustain our capital
Others:
Say environmentalist are exaggerating and/or it is a hoax
Man can overcome problems w/ ingenuity, economic growth, and technology

57. Living More Sustainable What We Must Do
Protect solar and natural capital (wealth) and live off the resources they provide (income)
Meet current needs of people without compromising the needs of future generations
NO DEPLETION OF CAPITAL
NO SELFISHNESS
Identify how Earth sustains itself and apply this info to our lifestyles and economies
Gaia hypothesis
Rewards to encourage more sustainable forms of economic growth and penalties to discourage

58. Current
Emphasis
Sustainability
Emphasis
Pollution prevention (cleaner production)
Waste prevention & reduction
Protecting where species live
(habitat protection)
Environmental restoration
Less wasteful (more efficient) resource use
Population stabilization by decreasing birth rates
Protecting natural capital and living off the biological interest it provides
Pollution cleanup
Waste disposal (bury or burn)
Protecting species
Environmental degradation
Increased resource use
Population growth
Depleting and degrading natural capital)

59. Is Our Present Course Sustainable? Guidelines for the Earth
Never leave it worse than you found it
Take only what you need
Sustain diverse living organisms
Maintains Earth’s capacity for self-repair
Don’t waste
Don’t pollute
Decrease population