AP Environmental Science
Chapter 1
Environmental Problems, Causes, and
Sustainability
Exponential vs. Linear
• Exponential growth is currently occurring
with our population
– doubles quickly, “sneaky”
– 6.2 billion
– another billion in 12 - 15 years (from 2000)
• Linear growth is obvious
– straight line
Types of growth
J-curve, exponential
growth
Linear growth
1,250
$1,024,000
Thousands of dollars
1,000
Exponential growth
($1,000 invested at 10%
Per year interest)
750
Linear growth
(saving $1,000
Per year)
$70,000
10
0
10
20
30
40
Years
50
60
70
Fig. 1.2, p. 4
Slid e 2
Solar and Earth Capital
• Solar - energy 99%
• Earth - resources, support systems
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
climate control
air and water purification
recycling matter (iron, sulfur, nitrogen, etc.)
renewable energy
renewable matter resources
Pest and disease control
and more.
Sustainability
• Are we living sustainably?
• A sustainable society manages its economy
and population size without exceeding all or
part of the planet’s ability to absorb
environmental insults, replenish its
resources, and sustain human and other
forms of life over a specific period (usually
a human lifetime of 100 years)
Carrying Capacity
• The maximum size of a population an area
can support and maintain over a period of
time
• Carrying capacity of the Earth for people is
around 12 billion. What may affect that
number?
16
15
?
14
13
12
?
10
9
8
?
7
6
Billions of people
11
5
4
3
2
Black Death–the Plague
2-5 million 8000
years
Hunting and
gathering
6000
4000
2000
Time
Agricultural revolution
1
2000
B.C.
0
2100
A.D.
Industrial
revolution
Fig. 1.1, p. 2
World Population reached
1 billion in 1804
2 billion in 1927 (123 years later)
3 billion in 1960 (33 years later)
4 billion in 1974 (14 years later)
5 billion in 1987 (13 years later)
6 billion in 1999 (12 years later)
World Population May Reach
7 billion in 2013 (14 years later)
8 billion in 2028 (15 years later)
9 billion in 2054 (26 years later)
Fig. 1.3, p. 5
Doubling Time
• Rule of 70
• divide 70 by the percent growth rate and
you will find how long it takes the
population to double.
• 70/1.43(current growth rate approx.) = 49
years (we started counting in 2000)
Populations and Economy
• Developed - highly industrialized
– 20% population, 85% wealth, 88% resources,
75% pollution and waste, high GNP per capita
• Developing - low to moderate
industrialization
– 80% population, 15% wealth, 12% resources,
15% pollution and waste, low GNP per capita
Resources
• Renewable - can be replenished in a lifetime
(wind)
• Potentially renewable - can be renewable if
we change our current habits (soil)
• Nonrenewable - only a fixed amount on
Earth (minerals)
Resources
Perpetual
Direct
solar
energy
Nonrenewable
Winds,
tides,
flowing
water
Fossil
fuels
Metallic
minerals
Nonmetallic
minerals
(iron,
copper,
aluminum)
(clay,
sand,
phosphates)
Renewable
Fresh
air
Fresh
water
Fertile
soil
Plants and
animals
(biodiversity)
Fig. 1.11, p. 11
Per Captia Ecological Footprint
(Hectares of land per person)
Country
10.9
United States
5.9
The Netherlands
India
1.0
Fig. 1.10a, p. 11
Country
Total Ecological Footprint
(Hectares)
3 billion
hectares
United States
The Netherlands
India
94 million hectares
1 billion
hectares
Fig. 1.10b, p. 11
Major Environmental Degradation to
Potentially Renewable Resources
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Urbanization
Salinization of soil
Wetland destruction
Groundwater depletion
Livestock overgrazing
Poor soil management
Deforestation
Pollution
Reduction of biodiversity
Production rate of resource
Area under curve
equals the total
amount of the
resource.
Economic depletion
(80% used up)
Time
Fig. 1.12, p. 13
Pollutants
• Point source vs. nonpoint source
• concentration - ppm, ppb, ppt
• persistence - degradable, slowly degradable
(DDT) or nondegradable
$ Always less expensive to prevent, instead of
trying to clean up.
Causes of Environmental
Problems
•
•
•
•
•
Rapid population growth
wasteful use of resources
degradation of earth’s life support systems
poverty
failure to encourage environmentally and
economically sustainable growth
• lack of full cost pricing
• human urge to “conquer” mother nature
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Air Pollution
Global climate change
Stratospheric ozone
depletion
Urban air pollution
Acid deposition
Outdoor pollutants
Indoor pollutants
Noise
Biodiversity Depletion
• Habitat destruction
• Habitat degradation
• Extinction
Major
Environmental
Problems
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Water Pollution
Sediment
Nutrient overload
Toxic chemicals
Infectious agents
Oxygen depletion
Pesticides
Oil spills
Excess heat
Waste Production
• Solid waste
• Hazardous waste
Food Supply Problems
• Overgrazing
• Farmland loss
and degradation
• Wetlands loss
and degradation
• Overfishing
• Coastal pollution
• Soil erosion
• Soil salinization
• Soil waterlogging
• Water shortages
• Groundwater depletion
• Loss of biodiversity
• Poor nutrition
Fig. 1.13, p. 14
Major Environmental Problems
•
•
•
•
•
Air Pollution
Water Pollution
Biodiversity Depletion
Food Supply Problems
Waste Production
• Rapid population growth
• Unsustainable resource use
• Poverty
• Not including the environmental
costs of economic goods and
services in their market prices
• Trying to manage and simplify
nature with too little knowledge
about how it works
Fig. 1.14, p. 15
Developing Countries
X
Population (P)
X
X
X
Consumption
per person
(affluence, A)
=
Technological impact per
unit of consumption (T)
X
X
=
Environmental
impact of population (I)
=
Developed Countries
Fig. 1.15, p. 15
What needs to happen to be
sustainable
•
•
•
•
•
•
Switch to pollution prevention, not cleanup
switch to waste prevention and recycling
protecting habitats instead of species
environmental restoration of degraded areas
lower resource use (less wasteful)
ZPG - stabilized population