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AP Environmental Science
“The goal of the AP Environmental Science
course is to provide students with the scientific
principles, concepts, and methodologies
required to understand the interrelationships of
the natural world, to identify and analyze
environmental problems both natural and
human-made, to evaluate the relative risks
associated with these
problems, and to examine alternative solutions
for resolving and/or preventing them.”
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About AP Environmental Science
1) It is an applied science.
2) It is interdisciplinary: biology,
chemistry, physics, geology, ecology,
economics, political science, math.
3) It is both theoretical and practical.
4) It has a relevant lab component.
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Themes
1) Science is a process.
2) Energy conversions underlie all
ecological processes.
3) The earth itself is one interconnected
system.
4) Humans alter natural systems.
5) Environmental problems have a
cultural and social context.
6) Human survival depends on
sustainability.
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AP Student Characteristics
> Highly motivated
> Skilled reader
> Critical thinker
> Problem solver
> Interested in learning
> Willing to work
+ The AP Exam
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Objective Questions – 60% of the grade
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FRQ (Free Response Questions) – 40% of grade
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100 multiple choice questions in 90 minutes
4 FRQ’s in 90 minutes (22.5 min. per FRQ)
Four types: 1 Data Set, 1 DBQ (Document-Based Question), 2 Synthesis; 1
Evaluation
10 pts. maximum given per question
FRQ GENERAL TIPS:
+ The test readers are looking for key content. Spelling and grammar do not have to be perfect.
+ If the readers can’t read it, it will get a zero.
+ Prose response does not mean a bulleted or numbered list.
+ Use single-line cross outs; no white-out, no huge scribbles or erasures.
+ If they ask for 2 pieces of info and the student gives 4, the first two of which are wrong and the last two
are right, they will not get points. The reader will stop at the first two asked for.
+ Answer the questions as asked. Be specific. No generalizations. State the obvious. In discussions,
give examples and details.
+ Label essay answers like the questions are set up: a), b), c)…
+ Answer as many parts of a multi-point question as you can.
+ Always write something. Don’t ever leave essays blank.
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Justifications
for Preserving
the
Environment
Introduction to Environmental Science
Chapter #1
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Assignment
– READ –
Case Study About Mangroves, and Pickup
Trucks: Local and Global Connections
Reveal Major Environmental Concerns
Page 2
+ Placing a Value on the
Environment
n  How
do we place a value on any aspect of
our environment?
n  The
value of the environment is based on
eight justifications: aesthetic, creative,
recreational, inspirational, moral, cultural,
ecological, and utilitarian.
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Mangrove Trees
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Utilitarian Justification
n Sees
some aspect of the environment
as valuable because it benefits
individuals economically or is directly
necessary to human survival.
n Example
n Mangrove
swamps provide a nursery for
shrimp that are the basis of the
livelihood for the shrimp fisherman.
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Ecological Justification
n An
ecosystem is necessary for the
survival of some species of interest to us,
or that the system itself provides some
benefit.
n Example
n Mangrove
Swamps provide habitat for
marine fish, and although we do not eat
Mangrove Trees, we may eat the fish that
depend on them.
+ Aesthetic Justification
n Our
n  We
appreciation of the beauty of nature.
save nature because it makes us feel
good to see it.
+ Recreational Justification
n People
use wilderness for recreation.
n Example
n  White
water rafting, fishing, camping and hiking
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Inspirational Justification
Conservation of nature
can be based on its
benefits to the human
spirit.
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Creative Justification
n
Nature is an aid to
human creativity.
n
Example
n
Artists, poets and others
find a source of their
creativity in their
contact with nature.
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Moral Justification
n
Has to do with the belief that various
aspects of the environment have a
right to exist and that it is our moral
obligation to allow them to continue
or help them to persist.
n
Species have a moral right to exist.
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Do Trees Have Rights?
The United Nations General Assembly
World Charter for Nature, signed in
1982, states that species have a moral
right to exist.
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The Big Question
DO we have a moral obligation to
future generations? to leave the
environment in good condition
for our descendants,
OR
Are we at liberty to use
environmental resources to the
point of depletion within our own
lifetime?
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Major Themes of Environmental
Science
Human Population Growth
n In
AD 1, about 100 Million people
n In 1960, 3 Billion people
n Today, 7 Billion people
n Projected, 10 Billion by 2040
n It took human population almost 2000
years to get to 3 billion, only 40+ years to
add 3 billion more
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Problem?
n The
Earth has not grown any larger
and the abundance of its resources
has not increased
n Can
the Earth SUSTAIN all these
people?
n What
is the maximum number of
people that Earth can support?
(remember: Easter Island)
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World Population
n How
many people the Earth can sustain
depends on science and values and is
also a question about people and
nature.
n W hat
quality of life are people willing
to accept?
n The
poorer that quality, the greater the
number of people that can be
squeezed onto the Earth’s surface.
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Human Population Growth
John Eli Miller Family
n Of
7 children born to John Miller, 5
survived him
n Of
n Of
63 grandchildren, 61 survived him
the 341 great-grandchildren (born
to 55 married grandchildren- an
average of slightly more than 6
children per parent- 338 survived
him)
John Eli Miller Family
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Modern Population Explosion
n Major
n Supply
factors in population:
of Food
n Supply of Clothing
n Shelter
n Decreased death rates (medical
improvement)
n As a result, the human population has
increased greatly, threatening the
environment
World Population
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Consequences of Rapid
Population Growth
n FAMINE
is one of the things that
happen when a human population
exceeds its environmental resources.
n In
1970’s, following a drought in the
Sahel Region, 500,000 Africans starved
to death and several million more were
permanently affected by malnutrition.
FAMINE
n  In
1980’s as many as 22
African nations suffered
catastrophic food
shortages and 150
million Africans faced
starvation
n  There
is a continuing
food crisis in Southern
Africa (Malawi, Zambia
and Zimbabwe)
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Reasons for Famine?
n Drought
n Size
of population affected by droughtcompeting for resources
n Changing
climate-partly because of
human activities?
n Poor
farming practices-erosion of soil
n Deforestation
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We are forced to confront a
choice
n W hich
is more important, the
survival of people alive today
or conservation of the
environment, on which future
food production and human
life depend?
An Urban
World
n  With
economic
development, comes
URBANIZATION
n  Urbanization
= people
move from farms to cities
and then perhaps to
suburbs
n  Cities
and towns
increase in size
n  Cities
are commonly
located near rivers and
coastlines
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Destroying Wetlands
n Urban
sprawl often overtakes good
agricultural land of river floodplains as
well as coastal wetlands, which are
important habitats for many rare and
endangered species.
n As
urban areas expand, wetlands are
filled in, forests are cut, and soils
covered over with pavement and
buildings
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Urban Sprawl
n In
developed countries, 75% of the
population live in urban areas, with
25% in rural areas
n In
developing countries, only 40% of
the people are city dwellers
n It
is estimated that by 2025 almost
two-thirds of the population (5 billion
people) will live in cities
Largest Cities
n  In
1999, Tokyo, Japan
was the world’s
largest city
n  In
2015, Tokyo will still
be the world’s largest
city with an estimated
population of 28.9
million
n  Is
this correct?? Page
8 of your text? Verify
using your
chromebook …
n  Megacities-at
least 8
million people
n  Increased
from 2 (NY
and London) in 1950 to
23 in 1995
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Megacities
n Most
Megacities-17-are in the
developing world.
n It
is estimated that by 2015- the world
will have 36 Megacities, 23 of them
will be in Asia…
n Verify
this….
n Environmental
issues have always
focused on non-urban issues (wildlife,
etc.) but needs to shift to urban
issues
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Sustainability
n W hat is sustainability?
Refers to resources and their environment
Sustainable Resource Harvest- the same
quantity of that resource can be harvested
each year for an unlimited or specified
length of time without decreasing the
ability of that resource to continue to
produce the same harvest level
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Sustainable Ecosystem
n An
ecosystem that is still able to
maintain its essential functions and
properties even though we are
harvesting one of its resources
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Sustainable Development
n A
society can continue to develop
its economy and social
interactions and also maintain its
environment for an indefinite time
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Carrying Capacity
n Related
to sustainability
n The
maximum number of individuals
of a species that can be sustained by
an environment to sustain that same
amount in the future
n Question:
What is the maximum
number of people that the Earth can
sustain?
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People and Nature
n People
and nature are intimately
integrated-each affects the other
n We
depend on nature for our
lives
n We
depend on nature for beauty
and recreation
n We
affect nature
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Gaia Hypothesis
n Originated
by British chemist James
Lovelock and American biologist Lynn
Margulis.
n Proposes
that the environment at a
global level has been profoundly
changed by life over the history of life
on Earth and that these changes have
tended to improve the chances for the
continuation of life.
Gaia Hypothesis (start at 8:40)
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Placing a Value on the Environment
n
How do we place a value on any aspect of our environment?
n
The value of the environment is based on eight justifications:
aesthetic, creative, recreational, inspirational, moral, cultural,
ecological, and utilitarian
+
Utilitarian Justification
n
Sees some aspect of the environment as valuable because it
benefits individuals economically or is directly necessary to
human survival
n
Example: Mangrove Swamps provide shrimp that are the
basis of the livelihood of the fisherman
+
Ecological Justification
n
An ecosystem is necessary for the survival of some species of
interest to us, or that the system itself provides some benefit.
n
Example: Mangrove Swamps provide habitat for marine fish,
and although we do not eat Mangrove Trees, we may eat the
fish that depend on them.
+
Aesthetic Justification
n
Our appreciation of the beauty of nature
n
Example: When people grieve following the death of a loved
one, they typically seek out places with grass, trees and
flowers and thus we decorate our graveyards
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Recreational Justification
n
People use wilderness for recreation
n
Example: White water rafting, fishing, and hiking
+
Inspirational Justification
n
Conservation of nature can be based on its benefits to the
human spirit
Example: Religious Retreats
+
Creative Justification
n
Nature is an aid to human creativity
n
Example: Artists, poets and others find a source of their
creativity in their contact with nature
+
Moral Justification
n
Has to do with the belief that various aspects of the
environment have a right to exist and that it is our moral
obligation to allow them to continue or help them to persist.
n
Example: Species have a moral right to exist
+
Do Rocks Have Rights?
n
The United Nations General Assembly World Charter for
Nature, signed in 1982, states that species have a moral right
to exist.
+
The Big Question
n
DO we have a moral obligation to future generations? to
leave the environment in good condition for our
descendants, OR
Are we at liberty to use environmental resources to the
point of depletion within our own lifetime?
+ Chapter 1 Learning Objectives
Certain themes are basic to environmental science. After
reading this chapter, you should understand: n  That
people and nature are intimately connected.
n  Why
rapid human population growth is the fundamental
environmental issue.
n  Why
we must learn to sustain our environmental
resources.
n  How
human beings affect the environment of the entire
planet.
n  Why
n  Why
urban environments need attention.
solutions to environmental problems involve making
value judgments based on scientific knowledge.