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
Basic Terms
Environment- everything that affects living
organisms
 Ecology-science that studies relationships
b/t organisms and environment

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
Population Growth
Linear

Linear growth- no consistent doubling
time with straight line graph
– Slow growth
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
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:
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.


Let’s See If the Rule of 70 Works!
10% fixed growth rate….what is doubling time?
70/10 = 7 year doubling time
(.10)(100)
(.10)(110)
(.10)(121)
(.10)(133)
(.10)(146)
(.10)(160)
(.10)(176)
100 people to start
=+10 10% growth
110 total # of people at end of year 1
=+11
121 end of year 2
=+12
133 end of year 3
=+13
146 end of year 4
= +14
160 end of year 5
= +16
176 end of year 6
= +17
193 end of year 7—almost doubled!
Population Size vs. Time
450
400
How would
we figure
out
doubling
time from
this graph
of
population
growth?
350
300
100
250
200
150
100
year year year year year year year year year year year year year year year
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10 11 12 13 14 15
Population Size vs. Time
450
400
Using the
graph you
can see
that after
7 years
population
has nearly
doubled
from 100
to 200
350
300
100
250
200
150
100
year year year year year year year year year year year year year year year
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10 11 12 13 14 15
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)

1950-2004 2.5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

16
15
?
14
13
12
?
10
9
8
?
7
6
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
Billions of people
11
Resource Use
Global economic
output is a rough
measure of human
resource use
 More people due to
exponential growth
and economic
growth ↑ resource
use

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

Poverty
Wealth is becoming
increasingly
concentrated, with
the richest 20%
receiving most of
the world's income
(82.7%).
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

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

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
Pollution

Point sources- single,
identifiable
– Cars, smokestacks
– Easier to identify and
control

Nonpoint sourcesdispersed, difficult to
identify
– Pesticides runoff and
spray
Pollution

Prevention (output control)
– 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
Climate Change

Population growth,
resource use, poverty,
and loss of biological
diversity contribute to
climate change
– Global warming
– Cycle continues
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.

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
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
RESOURCES
Water
Air
Energy
Soil
Minerals
NATURAL CAPITAL
Nutrient
Recycling
Population
Control
Pollution
Control
Climate
Control
Biodiversity
Waste
Treatment
SERVICES
Pest &
Disease
Control
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
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)
What the Earth Provides Us
Perpetual Resources
Perpetual resources- renewed
continuously
– Solar energy
– Winds
– Flowing water
 Resources we cannot drain--yet

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!
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

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.
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?
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
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
Total Ecological Footprint
(Hectares)
Country
3 billion
hectares
United States
The Netherlands
India
62 million hectares
880 million
hectares
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
Per Capita Ecological Footprint
(Hectares of land per person)
Country
9.6
United States
3.8
The Netherlands
India
0.8
Number of Earth’s
Earth’s Ecological Capacity
1961
1965
1970
1975
1980
1985
1990 1995
2000 2005
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
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)
Resource production
Area under curve
equals the total
amount of the
resource.
Economic depletion
(80% used up)
Time
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
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
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
Economic Development
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
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
12
11
Population (billions)
10
9
World total
8
Developing
countries
7
6
5
4
Developed
countries
3
2
1
2000
2050
1950
Year
2100
Percent of
World’s
19
Population
81
Population
growth rate
Wealth and
income
Resource
use
0.1
1.6
85
15
88
12
Pollution
and waste
75
25
Developed
countries
Developing
countries
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 cut in half since
1955
Infant mortality rate in developing
countries over 8 times higher than
in developed countries
Food production ahead of
population growth since 1978
Harmful environmental effects
of agriculture may limit future
food production
Air and water pollution down in
most developed countries since
1970
Air and water pollution levels in
most developing countries too
high
Number of people living in
poverty dropped 6% since 1990
Half of world’s people
trying to live on
less than $3
(U.S.) per day
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!!
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
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
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
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”
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
Developing Countries
X
X
Population (P)
X
Consumption
per person
(affluence, A) X
=
Technological
impact per
=
unit of consumption
(T)
Environmental
impact of population
(I)
Developed Countries
X
X
=
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
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
Current
Emphasis
Sustainability
Emphasis
Pollution cleanup
Pollution prevention
(cleaner production)
Waste disposal
(bury or burn)
Waste prevention
& reduction
Protecting species
Protecting where
species live
(habitat protection)
Environmental
degradation
Environmental
restoration
Increased resource
use
Less wasteful
(more efficient)
resource use
Population growth
Population stabilization by
decreasing birth rates
Depleting and
degrading natural
capital)
Protecting natural capital
and living off the biological
interest it provides
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
