HOUSTON COMMUNITY
COLLEGE .
DR.JALALUDDIN QURESHI
ENVIRONMENTAL INTERRELATION SHIPS
Environmental Science
Chapter 1
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Environmental Science
A Study of Interrelationships
Enger & Smith
CHAPTER 1
Environmental Interrelationships
Outline
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1.1 The Nature of Environmental Science
1.2 Emerging Global Issues
1.3 Human Well-Being and the Environment
1.1 The Nature of Environmental
Science

Environmental science is interdisciplinary, and
includes scientific and social aspects of human
impact on the world.
 It
is a mixture of traditional science, individual and
societal values, and political awareness.
1.1 The Nature of Environmental
Science

Environment is
everything that affects
an organism during its
lifetime.
Environmental science
Interrelatedness Is a Core Concept
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The study of environmental science is so interesting,
frustrating, and challenging because of the
interrelatedness among seeming unrelated factors.
Tug on anything at all and you’ll find it connected to
everything else in the universe.
John Muir
Charles Darwin proposed that seed production in
red clover was related to the number of cats in the
area.
Figure 01_02
Interrelatedness Is a Core Concept
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The reintroduction of wolves to Yellowstone National
Park has resulted in many changes.
31 wolves were introduced in 1995.
In 1996 there were about 320 wolves.
The wolves have caused water flow changes in the
park, increases in willow and aspen trees, as well as
songbirds, foxes, certain rodents, hawks, and owls.
Coyote and elk have declined.
Interrelatedness Is a Core Concept
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The Yellowstone wolves are connected to social,
economic, and political realms of human activity.
It was important to environmentalists and biologists
to restore the wolf to its former habitat.
Ranchers could lose money if wolves killed livestock.
The farm lobby fought long and hard in congress to
prevent the reintroduction.
A fund was developed to pay ranchers for cattle
killed by wolves.
An Ecosystem Approach
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An ecosystem is a region in which the organisms and
the physical environment form an interacting unit.
The task of an environmental scientist is to recognize
and understand the natural interactions that take place,
and to integrate these with the uses humans must make
of the natural world.
1.2 Emerging Global Issues

Environmental change
threatens people’s
health, physical
security, material
needs, and social
cohesion.
Figure 01_03a
Figure 01_03b
1.2 Emerging Global Issues

The World Commission on Environment and
Development (Brundtland Commission) concluded 25
years ago that “humanity has the ability to make
development sustainable.”
Figure 01_05
Environmental Governance

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Trade, economic development, good governance,
transfer of technology, science and education
policies, and globalization have become even more
central to sustainable development.
Development strategies need to maintain the
ecosystem needs on which long-term development
goals depend.
 Hurricane
Katrina in 2005 demonstrated the link
between destruction of coastal wetlands and
vulnerability to storms.
Environmental Governance

Most social and political decisions are made with
respect to political jurisdictions, but environmental
problems do not necessarily coincide with these
artificial human made political boundaries.
 Air
pollution generated in China affects air quality in
western coastal states in the United States and in British
Columbia, Canada.
 Air pollution generated in Juarez, Mexico, causes
problems in the neighboring city of EI Paso, Texas
Environmental Governance

Eight U.S. states, two
Canadian provinces,
and hundreds of local
jurisdictions impact
environmental
decisions in the Great
Lakes on pollution,
exotic species, fishing,
and land use.
1.3 Human Well-Being and the
Environment
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The end point of development is human well-being.
Human well-being and the quality of the
environment are strongly interrelated.
 Environmental
wellbeing.
changes have impacts on human
Defining Human Well-Being
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Resources people have, such as money and other
assets. The environment is seen only as a means to
promote economic growth.
How people feel about their lives, including the
cultural importance that environment has for life
satisfaction.
What people are able to be and to do. This
multidimensional view focuses on what the
environment allows individuals to be and to do.
Defining Human Well-Being
Figure 01_06b
Defining Human Well-Being

Ecosystem services include
 Provisioning
services: food, water
 Regulating services: flood control, disease control
 Cultural services: spiritual, recreational, and cultural
benefits
 Supporting services: nutrient cycling

The world’s poorest people depend primarily on
environmental goods and services for their
livelihoods.
Environment and Health

The World Health Organization estimates that 13
million deaths worldwide could be prevented every
year by environmental improvement.
 Cancer
 Malaria
 Coronary
 Diarrhea
Heart Disease
Environment and Health

Urban air pollution
affects health in almost
every region of the
world.
Figure 01_07a
Figure 01_07b
Environment and Security
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Security means having stable and reliable access to
resources and the ability to be secure from natural
and human disasters.
Scarcity of water or other resources can lead to
armed conflicts.
Figure 01_08
Environment and Globalization

Globalization of trade
has led to the spread
of exotic species.
 Zebra
Mussel in North
America
Figure 01_08c
Environment and Globalization

The first worldwide meeting of heads of state directed
toward the environment took place at the Earth Summit
(United Nations Conference on Environment and
Development) in Rio de Janeiro in 1992.
 Most
countries at the conference signed agreements on
sustainable development and biodiversity.
Environment and Globalization

In 1997, representatives from 125 nations met in
Kyoto, Japan for the Third Conference of the United
Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change.
 The
Kyoto Protocol is viewed as one of the most
important steps to date in environmental protection and
international diplomacy.
Environment and Globalization

The Millennium Ecosystem Assessment was
completed in 2005.
 As
the human population grows, it puts pressure on the
natural ecosystems of the world.
 Most ecosystems are being negatively affected.
 Food production has increased at the expense of soil
loss due to erosion, conversion of natural ecosystems to
managed systems, and overconsumption of water.
Energy and the Environment
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Threat of inadequate and insecure supplies of
energy at affordable prices.
Threat of environmental damage due to
overconsumption of energy.
Energy and the Environment

Global increases in
carbon dioxide
emissions are primarily
due to fossil fuel use.
 Fossil
fuels met 82% of
the world’s energy
demand in 2010.
Figure 01_10b
10 Things You Can Do to Protect Your
Environment
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1. Reduce driving
2. Save electricity
3. Recycle
4. Conserve water
5. Safely dispose of hazardous waste
10 Things You Can Do to Protect Your
Environment
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6. Eat locally
7. Donate reusable items
8. Buy in bulk
9. Learn how to avoid the use of insect repellants
10. Be an informed and active citizen
Summary
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Environmental science involves science, economics,
ethics, and politics in arriving at solutions to
environmental problems.
Because ecosystems do not coincide with political
boundaries, a regional approach to solving
environmental problems is ideal.
Each region of the world has certain environmental
issues that are of primary concern because of the
mix of population, resource use patterns, and
culture.
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