Lecture -1:
Basic Issues in
Environmental Science
ENV 107: Introduction to Environmental Science
Dr. A.K.M. Saiful Islam
ENV 107:Introduction to Environmental Science © Dr. Akm Saiful Islam
Case Study: Shrimp, Mangroves and Pickup
Trucks: Local and Global Connections Reveal
Major Environmental Concerns
Activity:
„ Maitri Visetak, a farmer, has small plot along the
coast in Thailand.
„ Wanted to improve life for his family.
„ Began farming shrimp in two small ponds.
„ In two years > purchase two pickups >> clear
indication of financial success.
consequence:
„ But, by then, his ponds were contaminated with
shrimp waste, fertilizer, pesticides etc.
„ Pollutants escaping threatens survival of the area’s
mangrove trees.
Conclusion:
„ Consider abandoning these ponds and moving on to
the others.
ENV 107:Introduction to Environmental Science © Dr. Akm Saiful Islam
Shrimp farm & Mangrove Forest
ENV 107:Introduction to Environmental Science © Dr. Akm Saiful Islam
Illustration from Maitri Visetak
Story
1. Human population increase is a major
contributor to environmental problem.
2. Industrial development and urbanization
have serious environmental consequences.
3. Unsustainable use of resources must be
replaced with sustainable practices.
4. Local changes can have global effects.
5. Environmental issues involve values and
attitudes as well as scientific understanding
ENV 107:Introduction to Environmental Science © Dr. Akm Saiful Islam
1.2 Human Population Growth
† Rapidly increasing human population underlies all
environmental problems.
† Last part of the 20th century we have seen the most
dramatic increase in the history of the human
population.
† In 35 years, human population of the world increase
from 2.5 to 5.9 billion.
† “The human population issue is the underlying issue
of the environment, because most current
environmental damage results from the very large
number of the people on the earth!”
ENV 107:Introduction to Environmental Science © Dr. Akm Saiful Islam
Declination of human population
† The black death
„ The epidemic diseases “bubonic plague” caused
by the bacteria “Yersinia pestis” commonly
known as black death spread throughout Europe
during the fourteenth century (1347-1351).
„ Generally 1/8 to 2/3 population died.
† Consequences:
„ The great reduction in the labor force led to an
increase in wages and is believe to have been a
contributing factor to a subsequence increase in
the standard in living.
ENV 107:Introduction to Environmental Science © Dr. Akm Saiful Islam
The Black Death
ENV 107:Introduction to Environmental Science © Dr. Akm Saiful Islam
African Famine
† Drought and political unrest in Africa have led to
major episodes of famine.
† In one year, as many as 22 African nations suffered
catastrophic food shortage and 150 million Africans
faced starvation. Four million tons of emergency food
were needed. Five million refugees sought food and
shelter.
† Which is more important, the survival of people alive
today or the conservation of the environment, on
which future food production and human life depend.
ENV 107:Introduction to Environmental Science © Dr. Akm Saiful Islam
1.3 Sustainability and Carrying
Capacity
† Sustainability must be achieved
1. A sustainable resource harvest
The quantity of a resource can be taken in a
particular period.
2. A sustainable ecosystem
An ecosystem from which we are harvesting a
resource that is still able to maintain its essential
functions and properties.
3. A sustainable economy
An economy that maintains its level of activity over
time in spite of uses of environmental resources.
4. Sustainable development
A society is able to continue to develop its economy
and social institutions, and maintain its environment
for a indefinite time
ENV 107:Introduction to Environmental Science © Dr. Akm Saiful Islam
Carrying Capacity
† The maximum number of individuals
of a species that can be sustained by
an environment without decreasing
the capacity of the environment to
sustain that same amount in the
future.
ENV 107:Introduction to Environmental Science © Dr. Akm Saiful Islam
Difficulties in determining carrying
capacity
† Graphs of annual catch
of chinook salmon in
the Columbia River of
the Pacific Northwest.
† Catch increase rapidly
from 1860 to 1880.
† Declined and
fluctuated until 1920,
when it decline again
in a highly varying
pattern.
ENV 107:Introduction to Environmental Science © Dr. Akm Saiful Islam
1.4 Global Perspective
† Civilization can the change the environment
at a global level is relatively recent.
† Emission of chemicals are changing the
Ozone layer high in atmosphere.
† The burning of fossil fuels increases the
concentration of greenhouse gases in the
atmosphere, which may change the Earth’s
climate.
† The action of a group of people at many
locations affect the environment of a global
level.
ENV 107:Introduction to Environmental Science © Dr. Akm Saiful Islam
1.5 An Urban World
† Situation:
„ In developed countries about 75% of the
population lives in urban areas.
„ In developing countries 36% are city dwellers.
„ By 2025, 62% of the population, 6.5 billion will
live in cities.
„ Tokyo, Japan in the world larges city. Bombay,
India world’s fastest growing city.
„ In 2025, Asia will have 7 mega-cities (>10
million people). One of them is Dhaka.
† Concerns:
„ In the future we must place more emphasis on
urban environments and on the effects of urban
environment on the rest of the planet.
ENV 107:Introduction to Environmental Science © Dr. Akm Saiful Islam
1.6 Values and Knowledge
†
1.
Decision concerning solutions to environmental problems
require both values and knowledge.
Utilitarian justification
„ Sees some aspect of the environment as valuable
because it provides individuals with economic benefit
or it is directly necessary to their survival.
†
2.
Fishermen obtain their livelihood from the ocean and
need a supply of fish so that they can continue to earn a
living
Ecological Justification
„ Is based on the value of some factor that is essential
to larger life support functions., even though it may
not benefit an individual directly.
†
Burning coal and oil adds greenhouse to the atmosphere,
which may lead to a change in climate that could affect
the entire earth.
ENV 107:Introduction to Environmental Science © Dr. Akm Saiful Islam
Placing a Value on the Environment
3. Aesthetic Argument
„
Have to do with our appreciation of the beauty
of nature.
† The state of Alaska acknowledges that sea
otters have an important role related to
recreation- people enjoy viewing them.
4. Moral justification
„
Has to do with the belief that aspects of the
environment have a right to exist and that it is
our moral to allow them to continue or help
them to persists.
† Nebraska, one of the few remaining prairie
preserve, has a right to exists.
ENV 107:Introduction to Environmental Science © Dr. Akm Saiful Islam
Five themes from today's lecture
† Human population growth is the fundamental
environmental issue.
† Sustainability is the key to future availability of
resources and environmental effects.
† The impact of people at a local level affects the
environment globally.
† Our world is becoming increasingly urban, and
urban areas have their own kinds of environmental
effects, both inside the city and on the surrounding
countryside.
† Any solution to environmental issues requires
consideration of both knowledge and values.
ENV 107:Introduction to Environmental Science © Dr. Akm Saiful Islam
What is more important?
†
Human population: the quality of life of people alive
today or the future life of human fetus?
†
Sustainability: What is more important: abundant
resources today – as much as we want and can obtain – or
the persistence of these resources for future generations?
†
Global Perspective: the quality of your local environment
or the global environment.
†
Urban World: Human creativity and innovation, including
arts, humanities, and science, or the persistence of certain
endangered species.
†
Values and Knowledge: Does nature know the best or do
we need to have knowledge so that we can make the best
judgments given available information.