Unit One: Introduction to Environmental Science
PPT 1: Environmental Problems,
their causes and Sustainability
Unit 1; PPT 1 Overview
• This unit presents an
overview of
environmental problems,
their causes, and ways
we can live more
sustainably.
Why study Environmental Science?
To learn…
…how nature works.
…how the environment
affects us and how
we affect the
environment.
…how humans can live
sustainably on Earth.
Major components and interactions within and between the earth’s lifesupport system and the human sociocultural system. The goal of
environmental science is to learn as much as possible about these
complex interactions.
An Environmental Issue
(or problem) is a …..
• Known process (such as resource
consumption) that has negative effects on
the sustainability of the environmental
quality necessary for the well being of the
organisms living in it.
Key Environmental Problems
• Habitat destruction and
•
•
•
•
degradation
Depletion of renewable
and non-renewable
resources
Pollution
Climate change
Loss of species
biodiversity
The 5 Root Causes of Environmental
Problems
• Human population growth
• Unsustainable use of resources
• Poverty
• Poor environmental accounting ( not including
the environmental costs of economic goods and services in their
market prices. )
• Lack of environmental education ( trying to
manage and simplify nature with too little knowledge about how it
works. )
Exponential Growth of Humans
What is a resource?
• A resource is anything obtained from the
environment to meet human needs and
wants.
• Examples are food, water, shelter,
manufactured goods, transportation,
communication, and recreation.
• Perpetual: On a human time scale are
continuous. (Solar & wind)
• Renewable: On a human time scale can
be replenished rapidly; hours to several
decades. ( forests, fresh water, soil )
• Nonrenewable: On a human time scale
are in fixed supply. ( fossil fuels)
Classification of Resources
Renewable resources: forests, grasslands,
wild animals, fresh water, fresh air, and
fertile soil.
Nonrenewable
Resources
• Exist as fixed quantity
• Becomes economically depleted.
• Recycling and reusing extends
•
•
supply
Recycling processes waste
material into new material.
Reuse is using a resource over
again in the same form.
Ex: fossil fuels, metallic minerals,
non-metallic minerals
What keeps the World Alive?
Nature’s Survival Strategies Follow Three Principles of
Sustainability
1. Reliance on solar energy
– The sun provides warmth and fuels photosynthesis
2. Biodiversity
– Astounding variety and adaptability of natural
systems and species
3. BiogeoChemical cycling
– Circulation of chemicals from the environment to
organisms and then back to the environment
– Also called nutrient cycling
Solar Energy
Chemical Cycling
Biodiversity
Fig. 1-3, p. 8
What is Sustainability?
• The ability of Earth’s
various systems to
survive and adapt to
changing
environmental
conditions indefinitely.
Natural capital degradation
• The exponential increasing flow of material
resources through the world’s economic
systems depletes, degrades and pollutes the
environment.
SOLAR
CAPITAL
EARTH
Goods and services
Heat
Human Capital
Natural Capital
Human
Economic
and
Cultural
Systems
Depletion of
nonrenewable resources
Degradation of
renewable resources
Pollution and waste
POPULATION GROWTH, ECONOMIC GROWTH,
AND ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT
• Economic growth provides people with more
goods and services.
– Measured in gross domestic product (GDP) and
purchasing power parity (PPP).
• Economic development uses economic
growth to improve living standards.
– The world’s countries economic status
(developed vs. developing) are based on their
degree of industrialization and GDP-PPP.
What is Pollution?
Pollution is …
• Any addition to air, water,
soil, or food that
threatens the health,
survival, or activities of
humans or other living
organisms.
• Point source vs non-point
source pollution
Pollution can be natural
(volcanoes) or man-made
(burning coal , for example).
Point source- single indentifiable
source of pollution
Non-point source-broad, or diffuse,
areas where pollutants enter water, air,
or land.
Poverty and Environmental Problems
• 1 of 3 children
under 5, suffer
from severe
malnutrition.
How rapidly is the
world growing?
• Comparison of developed
and developing
countries.
What is a sustainable society?
• An environmentally sustainable society
meets the basic resource needs of its
people in a just and equitable manner
without degrading or depleting the natural
capital that supplies these resources.
-Living in the Environment; 15th ed.; G. Tyler Miller, Jr.
• Think about…..How does a society achieve
sustainability?
Sustainability: The Integrative Theme
• The steps to sustainability must be
supported by sound science.
Environmentally sustainable development calls for
integrating social, economic, and environmental
issues
What is an Ecological
Footprint?
Ecological footprint: the
amount of biologically
productive land and water
needed to provide the
people in a region with
indefinite supply of
renewable resources, and
to absorb and recycle
wastes and pollution
Per capita ecological
footprint
Unsustainable: footprint is
larger than biological
capacity for replenishment
Is our course sustainable?
In the U.S. …
• We have 4% of
the world’s
population … we
consume 25% of
the world’s
resources and
produce 25% of
all the pollution.
How much do we really
need?
Natural Capital Use and Degradation
Fig. 1-13, p. 16
Different Views about Environmental Problems and
Their Solutions
• Environmental ethics: what is right and wrong with
•
how we treat the environment
Planetary management worldview
– We are separate from and in charge of nature
• Stewardship worldview
– Manage earth for our benefit with ethical responsibility to
be stewards
• Environmental wisdom worldview
– We are part of nature and must engage in sustainable use
What is your ecological footprint?
•How many acres
do you require for
resources?
•What if everyone
in the world had
your lifestyle? How
many Earths would
be needed?