Environmental Problems, Their Causes, and Sustainability

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Environmental Problems, Their Causes, and
Sustainability
G. Tyler Millers Living in the Environment 16th
Edition Chapter 1
Angela Wranic Environmental Science 1
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Exams

• TAKE NOTESThe Powerpoint notes are not
  comprehensive by themselves. You must write what
  I say also. If you need a recorder that is fine.
• Study,study,studyflash cards, reading your book,
  write out concepts. Each week and when an exam
  comes along.
• Focus on the Powerpoint notes. You text covers a
  lot of material this helps you narrow down
  material.

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Environmental Science Is an Interdisciplinary
Study
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Sustainability The Integrative Theme

• Sustainability, is the ability of earths various
  systems to survive and adapt to environmental
  conditions indefinitely.
• The steps to sustainability must be supported by
  sound science.

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Sustainability Is the Central Theme of This Book

• Natural capital supported by solar capital
• Natural resources
• Natural services
• E.g., nutrient cycling
• Degradation of natural capital through human
  activities
• Scientific solutions

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Natural Capital Natural Resources Natural
Services
1-3
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Nutrient Cycling
1-4
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Degradation of Normally Renewable Natural
Resources and Services
1-7
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How Can Environmentally Sustainable Societies
Grow Economically?

• Societies can become more environmentally
  sustainable through economic development
  dedicated to improving the quality of life for
  everyone without degrading the earth's life
  support systems.

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1-18
Fig. 1-18, p. 25
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Some Resources Are Not Renewable

• Nonrenewable resources-consumption
• Energy resources
• mineral resources
• Examples?
• Reuse
• Recycle

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Population Growth

• Linear Growth

• ExponentialGrowth

• Doubling TimeRule of 70
• 70/Percentage growth

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World Population
Fig. 1-1
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Global Outlook
Examples of Developed and Developing Countries?
1-5
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Lack of access to
Number of people ( of world's population)
Results of Poverty
Adequate sanitation facilities
2.6 billion (38)
Enough fuel for heating and cooking
2 billion (29)
2 billion (29)
Electricity
Clean drinking water
1.1 billion (16)
Adequate health care
1.1 billion (16)
1-13
Adequate housing
1 billion (15)
Enough food for good health
0.86 billion (13)
Fig. 1-13, p. 18
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POLLUTION

• Found at high enough levels in the environment to
  cause harm to organisms.
• Point source
• Nonpoint source

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Solutions Prevention vs. Cleanup

• Problems with relying on cleanup
• Often removes a pollutant from one part of the
  environment to cause problems in another.
• Pollutants at harmful levels can cost too much to
  reduce them to acceptable levels.

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Pollution

• Pollutants can have three types of unwanted
  effects
• Can disrupt / degrade life-support systems.
• Can damage health and property.
• Can create nuisances such as noise and unpleasant
  smells, tastes, and sights.

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Our Ecological Footprints Are Growing

• Ecological footprint concept
• Biological capacity
• Ecological footprint
• Average ecological footprint of an individual in
  a given country is called per capita ecological
  footprint.
• The WWF estimates humans global ecological
  footprint exceeded the earths biological
  capacity by how much? 25
• U.S consumption would only support 1.3 billion
  people.

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Natural Capital Use and Degradation
1-10
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Case Study Chinas New Affluent Consumers (1)

• Leading consumer of various foods and goods
• Wheat, rice, and meat
• Coal, fertilizers, steel, and cement
• Second largest consumer of oil

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Case Study Chinas New Affluent Consumers (2)

• Two-thirds of the most polluted cities are in
  China
• Projections, by 2020
• Largest consumer and producer of cars
• Worlds leading economy in terms of GDP PPP

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Causes of Environmental Problems
1-12
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Prices Do Not Include the Value of Natural Capital

• Companies do not pay the environmental cost of
  resource use
• Goods and services do not include the harmful
  environmental costs
• Companies receive tax breaks and subsidies
• Economy may be stimulated but there may be a
  degradation of natural capital

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We Can Learn to Make Informed Environmental
Decisions

• Scientific research
• Identify problem and multiple solutions
• Consider human values

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Individuals Matter Aldo Leopold

• 510 of the population can bring about major
  social change
• Aldo Leopold environmental ethics
• A leader of the conservation and environmental
  movements of the 20th century
• Land ethic
• Wrote A Sand County Almanac

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Homework

• Estimate your own ecological footprint by
  visiting the website www.myfootprint.org/. What
  are 3 things you could do to reduce your
  ecological footprint?
• (10 points)

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Chapter 1 exercises

• Each person will turn in a paper with notes-Worth
  15 points.

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Discussions

• Be able to discuss your answers with other groups
  or the class. It is more important that you be
  able to discuss rather than writing everything
  out perfectly. If you are not participating I
  will mark your grade down.
• It is important to express your opinion. This
  does not mean attacking each other. Ask the
  question am I talking too much or too little.
• You of course can disagree with my opinions.
  Usually everyone has a different view and that is
  OK.

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Henry David Thoreau

• Whats the use of a house if you dont have a
  decent planet to put it on?
• End chapter 1