1. ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE 13e CHAPTER 1: Environmental Problems, Their Causes, and Sustainability

2. Core Case Study: It’s All About Sustainability (1) “The ability of the earth’s various natural systems and human cultural systems and economies to survive and adapt to changing environmental conditions indefinitely." United Nations Millennium Ecosystem Assessment: –Human actions of put long-term sustainability in doubt Life on earth for 3.5 billion years –Survived many catastrophes –Humans have caused major changes in the last 500 years –Humans are smart, but are they wise?

3. Core Case Study: It’s All About Sustainability (2) Sustainability depends on three key principles 1. Solar energy –Warms earth –Provides energy for plants to make food for other organisms –Powers winds –Powers the hydrologic cycle – which includes flowing water –Provides energy: wind and moving water can be turned into electricity

4. Core Case Study: It’s All About Sustainability (3) 2. Biodiversity (biological diversity) –Large variety of species –Many ecosystems Deserts Forests Oceans Grasslands –Species and systems renew soil and purify air and water.

5. Core Case Study: It’s All About Sustainability (4) 3. Chemical Cycling –Natural processes recycle nutrients –Recycling is necessary because there is a fixed supply of these nutrients on earth –Nutrients cycle from living organisms to the nonliving environment and back –Chemical cycles are necessary to sustain life

6. Fig. 1-1, p. 5

7. Solar Energy BiodiversityChemical Cycling

8. Solutions Understand our environment Practice sustainability

9. 1-1 What Is an Environmentally Sustainable Society? Concept 1-1A Our lives and economies depend on energy from the sun and natural resources and natural services (natural capital) provided by the earth. Concept 1-1B Living sustainably means living off earth’s natural income without depleting or degrading the natural capital that supplies it.

10. Studying Connections in Nature Environment Environmental Science Ecology Organisms Species Ecosystem Environmentalism

11. Living More Sustainably Sustainability – central theme Natural capital –Natural resources –Natural services –Photosynthesis Powered by solar energy Human activities degrade natural capital

12. Natural Resources Materials –Renewable Air, water, soil, plants –Nonrenewable Minerals, oil, coal

13. Natural Services Functions of nature –Purification of air, water –Nutrient cycling From the environment to organisms and back to the environment

14. Fig. 1-2, p. 7

16. Fig. 1-3, p. 8

17. Dead organic matter Organic matter in animals Organic matter in plants Inorganic matter in soil Decomposition Fig. 1-3, p. 8

18. Environmental Sustainability Trade-offs (compromises) Sound science Individuals matter –Ideas –Technology –Political pressure –Economic pressure

19. Sustainable Living from Natural Capital Environmentally sustainable society Financial capital and financial income Natural capital and natural income Living sustainably: living on natural income only

20. 1-2 How Are Our Ecological Footprints Affecting the Earth? Concept 1-2 As our ecological footprints grow, we deplete and degrade more of the earth’s natural capital.

21. Natural Resources (1) Perpetual – renewed continuously –Solar energy Renewable – days to centuries –Water –Air –Grasslands –Forest –Soils –Fish populations

22. Natural Resources (2) Sustainable yield –Highest use while maintaining supply Environmental degradation –Use exceeds natural replacement rate

23. Fig. 1-4, p. 10

24. Water pollution Air pollution Shrinking forests Climate change Soil erosion Aquifer depletion Decreased wildlife habitats Species extinction Declining ocean fisheries

25. Tragedy of the Commons Environmental degradation of openly shared renewable resources Users focus on their own selfish, short- term gain Works when only a small number of users Big part of why humans now live unsustainably

26. Ecological Footprint (1) Ecological footprint –The amount of biologically productive land and water needed to indefinitely supply the people in a given area with renewable resources –Also includes the land and water necessary to absorb and recycle wastes and pollution Per capita ecological footprint –Average ecological footprint of an individual in a given area

27. Ecological Footprint (2) Ecological deficit –Total ecological footprint greater than biological capacity for resource renewal and absorption of wastes and pollution –2008 study: at least 30% global excess –88% for high-income countries –Humans currently need 1.3 earths

28. Fig. 1-5, p. 11

29. Stepped Art

30. Nonrenewable Resources Nonrenewable – fixed quantities –Energy (fossil fuels) –Metallic minerals –Nonmetallic minerals Recycling Reuse

31. Fig. 1-5, p. 11

32. Developed Countries Have Higher Impacts Developed countries –United States, Japan, New Zealand, most of Europe, some others –19% world population –Use 88% of world’s resources –Create 75% of world’s pollution

33. Supplement 3, Fig. 5, p. S9

34. IPAT Environmental Impact Model Determines impact of a country or regions I = P x A x T I = environmental impact P = population size A = affluence of population T = technology influence

35. Fig. 1-7, p. 13

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

37. Developing Countries 81% world population Middle income: Brazil, China, India Least developed: Haiti, Nigeria, Nicaragua Use far fewer resources per capita than developed countries Smaller per capita ecological footprint

38. 1-3 What Is Pollution and What Can We Do about It? Concept 1-3 Preventing pollution is more effective and less costly than cleaning up pollution.

39. Pollution What is pollution? Point sources Nonpoint sources Unwanted effects of pollution

40. Fig. 1-8, p. 14

41. Solutions to Pollution Pollution prevention –Prevent pollutants from entering the environment Pollution cleanup –After pollutants released into environment –Temporary fix only –Often results in different pollution: burning garbage –Dispersed pollutants usually too costly to clean up effectively

42. 1-4 Why Do We Have Environmental Problems? Major causes of environmental problems are population growth, wasteful and unsustainable resource use, and exclusion of harmful environmental costs from the market prices of goods and services.

43. Causes of Environmental Problems Exponential population growth Wasteful and unsustainable resource use Poverty Failure to include environmental costs of goods and services in market prices

44. Fig. 1-9, p. 15

45. Population growth Unsustainable resource use PovertyExcluding environmental costs from market prices Causes of Environmental Problems

46. Stepped Art Causes of Environmental Problems Excluding environmental costs from market prices Poverty Unsustainable resource use Population growth Fig. 1-9, p. 15

47. Fig. 1-10, p. 16

48. Fig. 1-1, p. 1 Hunting and gathering Agricultural revolution Industrial revolution Black Death—the Plague Industrial revolution Fig. 1-10, p. 16 ? 2-5 million years 13 12 11 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 0 8000600040002000 2100 B.C.A.D.

49. Fig. 1-11, p. 16

50. Fig. 1-12, p. 17

51. Number of people (% of world's population) 0.93 billion (14%) 1 billion (15%) 1.1 billion (16%) 2 billion (29%) 2.5 billion (37%) Enough food for good health Adequate housing Adequate health care Clean drinking water Electricity Enough fuel for heating and cooking Adequate sanitation facilities Lack of access to

52. Fig. 1-13, p. 17

53. Environmental Effects of Affluence Harmful effects –High per-capita consumption and waste of resources – large ecological footprints –Advertising – more makes you happy –Affluenza Beneficial effects –Concern for environmental quality –Provide money for environmental causes –Reduced population growth

54. Evaluating Full Cost of Resources Use Prices do not include the value of natural capital and harmful environmental costs Examples –Clear-cutting + habitat loss –Commercial fishing + depletion of fish stocks Tax breaks Subsidies

55. Different Environmental Views Environmental worldview Environmental ethics Planetary management worldview Stewardship worldview Environmental wisdom worldview

56. 1-5 How Can we Live More Sustainably? Three Big Ideas We can live more sustainably by relying more on solar energy, preserving biodiversity, and not disrupting the earth’s natural chemical recycling processes.

57. Three Big Ideas for Sustainability Rely more on renewable energy from the sun Protect biodiversity Do not disrupt earth’s natural chemical cycles

58. Animation: Levels of organization

59. Animation: Two views of economics

60. Animation: Resources depletion and degradation interaction

61. Animation: Exponential growth

62. Animation: Capture-recapture method

63. Animation: Life history patterns

64. Video: Cahuachi Excavation PLAY VIDEO

65. Video: Easter Island PLAY VIDEO