Unit 1: An Introduction to
Environmental Science and Human
Populations
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Introduction to Environmental
Science
Chapter 1
Environmental Problems, Their Causes and
Sustainability
Chapter 2
Environmental History: An Overview
Chapter 12
Human Population
Powerpoint adapted from James Dauray www.aurumscience.com and
Tyler Miller’s Living In the Environment 13th Edition
In every deliberation, we must consider our impact on the next seven generations.
- The Iroqouis Confederacy
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heyjoewhereyougoingwiththatguninyourhand
Tragedy of the Commons
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Garrett Hardin
(1968) – described
the degradation of
common resources
Grazing lands, air,
water sources
(fresh and ocean),
open space,
fishing grounds
Tragedy of the Commons
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Each villager owns a small
herd of sheep.
The only place for the sheep
to graze is a commons in
the center of the village.
A commons is an area that
belongs to an entire village.
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Likely outcome: Villagers obtain
as many sheep as possible,
allow to graze in the commons.
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www.tobacconews.net
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Tragedy of the Commons
What if the commons was instead divided into
sections that was owned by each villager?
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Because the land is owned, individuals are much more
likely to plan and use it for the long-term.
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Short-term interests of individuals
versus. . .
Long-term interests of civilization and
the Earth itself
Environmental and Economic policies
for resource management
“In the history of the world, no one has ever washed a rental car.”
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Larry Summers, Chief Economic Advisor to President Obama
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Yosemite National Park
1963
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Yosemite National Park is a national park
directly east of San Francisco that was
created in 1890.
Images taken from
http://www.nps.gov
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Earthquake of 1906
San Francisco
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The city of San Francisco experienced a
tremendous population boom in the 19th
century due to the gold rush.
A powerful earthquake struck the city in
1906, followed by a devastating fire.
The city’s water pipes were so damaged by
the earthquake, that firefighters were not
able to tap fire hydrants.
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The economic and structural damage to
the city is comparable to that of Hurricane
Katrina and New Orleans.
As part of the rebuilding process, the city
applied to the federal government to
construct a reservoir in the Hetch Hetchy
valley of Yosemite National Park.
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Hetch Hetchy Valley
Environmental Science
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Image taken from
http://www.sierranevada
photos.com
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San Francisco city officials wanted to dam the Tuolumne
river for a clean and dependable long-term water source for
a growing city.
An act of Congress and President Woodrow Wilson’s
approval were needed for the dam and reservoir to be
constructed.
Environmental science is defined as the
interaction of humans with the
environment.
The environment includes all conditions
that surround living organisms:
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Climate
Air and water quality
Soil and landforms
Presence of other living organisms
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Environmental Science Cont’d
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Environmental Ethics
Environmental
science and the
issues that it studies
are complex and
interdisciplinary.
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Includes concepts and
ideas from multiple
fields of study.
What fields are
covered by the Hetch
Hetchy debate?
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Image taken from Principles of
Environmental Science,
Cunningham, 2005.
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Types of Environmental Ethics
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What is the value of the environment?
What moral responsibility do we have?
Which needs should be given the
highest priority in our decision making?
Different types of ethics have
emerged in human culture in
modern history.
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Anthropocentric
Pragmatic Resource Conservation
Moral and Aesthetic Nature
Preservation
Modern Environmentalism
Global Environmental Citizenship
Anthropocentrism literally means
“human-centered”.
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This set of ethics protects and
promotes of human interests or wellbeing at the expense of all other
factors.
Often places an emphasis on shortterm benefits while disregarding longterm consequences.
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Moral and Aesthetic Nature
Preservation
Pragmatic Resource Conservation
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Anthropocentrism
There are five main historical stages
of environmental ethics.
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Environmental ethics is the
discipline that studies the moral
relationship of human beings to the
environment.
Advocated by President
Theodore Roosevelt.
Conservationists believe the
environment should be
used in a planned way to
benefit everyone.
The correct policy will
create the greatest good for
the greatest number, for
the longest time.
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Advocated by John
Muir, first president
of the Sierra Club.
Preservationists
believe that nature
deserves to exist for
its own sake
regardless of degree
of usefulness to
humans.
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Before and After
The Hetch Hetchy Debate
•
•
The Hetch Hetchy decision was the most
famous debate between the conservationist
and preservationist philosophies.
Eventually the law was passed that granted
the state of California permission to
construct a dam and reservoir in the Hetch
Hetchy valley.
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Modern Environmentalism
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Global Environmentalism
Rachel Carson wrote a
book entitled Silent
Spring about the effects
of pesticides on birds.
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Awakened the public to
threats of pollution and
toxic chemicals to humans
as well as other species.
Increased travel and communication
enables people to know about daily
events in places unknown in
previous generations.
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Issues and problems are explored on a
global scale instead of a local one.
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Economics and the Environment
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Economics and the Environment
Supply and Demand –
The greater the demand
for a limited resource,
the higher the price.
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Cost/Benefit Analysis – Is the cost of
doing something worth the price?
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Ex: Pollution cleanup of Waukegan Harbor
Examples:
{ Increasing price of
oil/gasoline
{ Consistently low price of
corn in U.S.
Waukegan harbor
Annual fish sampling
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Dredging
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The Demographic Divide:
Developed and Developing Nations
Economics and the Environment
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Risk Analysis – The probability that
something will cause injury or death.
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Ex: Nuclear power
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Developed and Developing
Nations
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Economic Growth
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GNI (GNP)
GNI PPP
GDP
GWP
Per capita GNI
Per capita GNI PPP
Developed and Developing
Countries
Environmental
Indicators
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Biological Diversity
Food Production
Population
Resource Depletion
Av. Global Surface
Temperature
Av. [CO2]
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Environmental issues faced by
different countries varies
depending on their economic
status.
Developed – Higher incomes,
longer life span, lower growth rate.
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Ex: United States, Japan, France,
U.K.
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Developing and Developed
Countries
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Population and Consumption
Developing – Have
lower incomes,
shorter life span,
rapid population
growth.
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Developing countries tend to have
severe overpopulation. This leads
to:
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Ex: India,
Afghanistan, most of
sub-Saharan Africa
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About 80% of the world’s
population falls in this category
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Deforestation
Bare soil
Native animals driven to extinction
Malnutrition, starvation, disease
Only use 12-25% of the world’s
resources
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Developing and Developed
Countries
Population and Consumption
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Developed countries, while smaller
in size and growth, consume
resources at a greater rate.
About 20% of the world’s
population uses 75-88% of its
resources.
Source: Holt Environmental Science, Arms, 2007
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Ecological Footprint: amount of land needed to produce the
Ecological Footprint
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resources needed by an average person in a country
An ecological footprint is
one measurement of a
person’s resource use.
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Includes the amount of
space needed to support
each person in a nation,
including forests, farms,
cities, etc.
Fig. 1-8 p. 10
www.myfootprint.org
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Spaceship Earth
Globalization and Developing Countries
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The Good
{
The Bad
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The Earth is a closed system.
™
™
™
The only thing that enters or leaves the Earth in
large quantities is heat.
Resources are limited, but the population
continues to increase.
Wastes do not go away.
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Resources
Major Environmental Problems
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{
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Resource Depletion
Pollution
Loss of Biodiversity
Lack of Food Supply
Increased Waste Production
ƒ
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Renewable Resources
¾Sustainable Yield: the highest rate at
Perpetual
on human timescale,
continuously renewed
Renewable
replenished on a human
timescale if not used faster
than replaced
Non-renewable
on a human timescale they
cannot be replaced (fixed
amounts)
Fig. 1-6 p. 9
Non-Renewable Resources
¾ Energy Resources
Which a renewable resource can be used indefinitely
Without reducing its available supply
¾Environmental Degradation: When we
exceed a resource’s natural replacement rate, the
available supply begins to shrink
¾Tragedy of the Commons: overuse of
common property or free-access resources
¾ Metallic Resources
¾ Non-Metallic Resources
Economic Depletion
Fig. 1-7 p. 10
Refer to Connections, p.
Extending nonrenewable supplies
¾
¾
Reduce: Using less of a nonrenewable
resource than previous generations
Reuse:Using a product in the same form
over and over again
¾Recycle: collecting and reprocessing a
product
Pollution
¾What is pollution?
Any addition to air, water, soil, or food that threatens
the health, survival, or activities of humans or other living
organisms
¾Effects of Pollution
Disruption of life-support systems for humans and
other species.
Damage to wildlife, human health and property.
Nuisances such as noise and unpleasant smells,
tastes, and sights.
Sources of Pollution
Dealing With Pollution
¾
¾Prevention (Input Control)
Point: Where pollutants come from single,
identifiable sources
¾
Reduces or eliminates the production of the pollutants
Specific incident - Minamata Disease
¾Cleanup (Output Control)
Cleaning up of pollutants after they have been produced
3 problems with cleanup:
1. It is only a bandage
2. Often removes pollutant from one part of the
environment and cause pollution in another.
3. Very costly
¾Nonpoint: Where pollutants come from
dispersed and difficult to identify sources
¾ Pollution to a watershed, agricultural runoff
Which would be easier to control and clean up after?
Bhopal and Dow Chemical
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Environmental and Resource Problems
In December of 1984, a pesticide factory
located near the town of Bhopal, India
leaked a large amount of toxic chemicals
into the air.
The chemicals resulted in an immediate
death toll of about 3,000 people, with
8,000 more dying of long-term health
ailments.
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A total of 558,125 injuries were reported to the
Indian government.
No legal settlement was reached with Union
Carbide, now owned by Dow Chemical.
Environmental Impact
Fig. 1-11 p. 13
¾ Major Problems
¾Resource Depletion
¾Air and Water pollution
¾Loss of Biodiversity
¾Food Supply
¾Waste Production
(See Fig. 1-9 p. 12)
¾Five Root Causes
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Fig. 1-10 p. 12
Environmental Interactions
Fig. 1-12 p. 14
The Goal: A Sustainable World
Environmentally-Sustainable Economic Development
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Sustainability
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Social
Economic
Social
Economic
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Sustainable
Solutions
Environmental
Environmental
Human needs are met so that the
population can survive
indefinitely.
“Meeting the needs of the
present without
compromising the ability of
future generations to meet
their own needs.”
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Traditional
decision making
Fig. 1-13 p. 17
Brundtland Commission, 1987
Decision making in a
sustainable society
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World Population
Ways to Live Sustainably
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Leave Earth in better shape than we found it
Take no more than we need
Try not to harm life, air water or soil
Sustain the variety of habitat and biodiversity
Use renewable resources wisely
Do not release pollutants faster than Earth can
deal with them
Emphasize pollution prevention and waste
reduction
Have market prices include costs for
environmental impact
Reduce poverty
Fig. 1-1 p. 2
Basic History of Humans and the
Environment
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Basic History of Humans and the
Environment
Hunter-Gatherers (10,000 B.C.)
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Obtain food by collecting plants and
hunting wild animals.
Effects on the environment were
limited.
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Agricultural Revolution (6000-7000
B.C.)
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Hunting of some animal species.
Picked up and spread plants/seeds to new
areas.
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Humans first developed the process of
breeding, growing, and harvesting
plants for food as well as animal
domestication.
Effects on the environment:
Human population grew more quickly
Natural habitats (grasslands, forests)
replaced by farmland and villages.
{ New breeds of animals and plants were
created.
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{
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Basic History of Humans and the
Environment
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The Green Revolution (1940’s-today)
Industrial Revolution (1800s)
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Shift in the source of energy to fossil
fuels
Effects on the environment:
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More efficient farming
{ Faster human population growth
{ Increased burning of fossil fuels.
{ Introduced synthetic plastics, fertilizers,
pesticides.
{ Higher amounts of pollution.
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Tribal Era (9000 bce -1600)
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Frontier Era (1607-1890)
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Conservation Era (1832-1960)
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Hunter gatherer -> Agricultural Revolution
Native Americans
European Colonists
Henry David Thoreau
Theodore Roosevelt
Gifford Pinchot
John Muir
Aldo Leopold
Environmental Era (1960-2002)
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Rachel Carson
Garrett Hardin
Apollo Mission
Nixon, Carter, Reagan, Bush, Clinton, Bush
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Environmental vs. Wise Use
use of pesticides,
herbicides, irrigation
techniques
More food
Lower cost
Cons:
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Environmental History of US
Increased Crop Yields
for a growing
population
Monoculture, reliance
on fossil fuels, loss of
biodiversity, less
nutrition, increased
cancer rates