Environmental Biology
Welcome
What is the intention of this
course?

To equip you with the necessary
background knowledge and tools to fully
comprehend environmental factors
Course Organization

3 Hours

1st hour


2nd hour


Introduction to the issues, with appropriate
news stories
Debate - classroom discussions
3rd hour

Conclusions, possible interventions, and long
term outcomes
Grading

Total of 200 points


100 points for the final
10 x 10 quizzes
Text Book

Essential Environment: The Science
Behind The Stories, J. Withgott & S.
Brennan, Second Edition, Pearson.
ISBN 0-8053-0640-4
Mission to Mars…
What would one need?
SPACESHIP EARTH
Case study - Easter Island




Discovered in the 1700’s by European
adventurers
Found a small population of about 600
living in caves
No trees and little food. No animals
Their source of protein was each
other…
What is EB?
It is the study of how the natural
world works.
How our environment affects us.
And how we effect our
environment.
Environment?





Just the ‘natural world’?
Includes all the living and non-living
things around us.
It also includes the man made items
It also includes the complex web of
human relationships
EVERYTHING in the Universe
Limits….

Natural Resources - the various substances and
energy sources needed for our survival


Renewable and non-renewable
Renewable are either



Non-renewable


Unlimited - sunlight, wind, wave
Replenished quickly - water, soil, food crops
Fixed amounts - oil, gas, land
Consumption increases based on life style and
population
Limits….



Human population size
For the most part of the last 5 million
years the human population has
remained at several million
That was until two events took place…
Human population

1) Agricultural Revolution @ 10,000 years


Change in human lifestyle - security and children
2) Industrial revolution @ 1750’s

Rural to urban life, with machines aiding us with
the use of fossil fuels
The Scientific Method


EB is a science and therefore the rules of
scientific procedure must be applied
The Scientific Method is a process

A technique for testing ideas with observations






Make observations
Ask questions
Develop a hypothesis
Make predictions
Test the predications
Analyze and interpret results.
Conservation vs Preservation

Preservation



Leave it alone as exists without human
activity
Yosemite National Park
Conservation


Use it is a sustainable manner
National Forests
Ecological Footprints

Relative resource consumption by each
person from each country





US - 9.5 ha
Canada - 6.4 ha
China - 1.5 ha
Pakistan - 0.7 ha
Ethiopia - 0.7 ha