Chapter 1: History of
Environmental Science
Learning Goals
Key vocabulary
Sustainability
Pollution
Biodiversity
Nondegradable
Biodegradable
Resource depletion
Renewable resource
Closed system
Nonrenewable resource
extinction
Define Environmental Science and
compare/contrast environmental science to
Ecology
List and briefly describe the five major fields of
study that contribute to environmental science
Describe environmental effects of huntergatherers, agricultural revolution, and industrial
revolution
Distinguish the difference between renewable
and non-renewable resources and give examples
Describe the 3 major categories of
environmental problems
Describe what the “Tragedy of the Commons”
is and what it means
Explain the law of supply and demand
What are the differences between a developed
and a developing country? Give examples of
each
Explain what sustainability is and describe why
this is the goal of environmental science
Define Environmental Science and compare/contrast
environmental science to Ecology
Collection of different sciences
Goal is to understand relationship between humans &
the world/environment
Focuses on 3 main areas:
Conservation + protection of natural sciences
Environmental education
Environmental research
Difference between Env. Sci. & Ecology
Ecology- how living things interact with each other and
the nonliving environment
Ecology is the foundation for Env. Sci.
5 fields of Study included in Env. Sci.
Biology-study of living things
Earth science-study of Earths nonliving systems &
planet
Physics- study of matter & energy
Chemistry- study of chemicals & their interactions
Social science- study of human populations
Environmental Effects from…
Hunter-gatherers- collected plants and hunted/scavenged
animals
changed environment to hunt prey , spread plants
Agricultural revolution—growing, breeding, & caring for
plants & animals
as food & resources increased the number of people increased,
changed the food we eat (selective breeding) and destroyed
habitats for farming
Industrial Revolution-shift from using energy (E) from
animals & running H2O to using fossil fuelsIncreased
agriculture industry & transportation, therefore prices
dropped, increased food production & populations
These things lead to environmental problems: pollution,
habitat loss, etc.
Resources
Renewable
Nonrenewable
Resource that can be
replaced by natural
processes somewhat quickly
Resources that form at a
slower rate than the rate it’s
consumed or used
examples?
Depleted-when a resource is
mostly used up
examples?
3 Categories of env. problems
resource depletion- when large amounts of a resource are used
up
pollution- an undesirable change in air,water, or soil that has a
negative impact on living things, examples?
loss of biodiversity- a decrease in the variety of species where
extinction could lead to economic, ecological, scientific,
aesthetic, and recreational hardship
2 main causes of env. problems: population growth is too rapid
for environment to maintain & people are using up, wasting, or
polluting natural resources faster than they can be replenished
"Tragedy of the
Commons"pg.16
an essay written by Garrett Hardin
describes the attitude of how people use resources
states that environmental problems is due to conflict
between short term interest and long term welfare of
society
take away:people need to take responsibility for
maintaining resources
Law of Supply & Demand
economics- a science concerned with the process or
system by which goods and services are produced, sold,
and bought
law of supply and demand- the greater the demand for a
limited supply of something, the more it is worth
application- gasoline, oil
Developed Country
higher incomes
slower population growth
diverse industrial
economics
strong social support
examples: U.S., Canada,
Japan, Western Europe
Developing Country
lower incomes
simple & agricultural
based economies
rapid population growth
examples:Mexico, Brazil,
Malaysia
Ecological Footprint
shows the productive area of Earth needed to support
one person in a particular country
see pg. 19
Sustainabilty
Where the needs of a population are met so that the
population can survive indefinitely
developed countries are using resources faster than they
can be replaced
goal=find solutions so all people can live healthy good
lives!