Chapter 1Chapter 1Environmental Problems, Environmental Problems,

Their Causes, & SustainabilityTheir Causes, & Sustainabilitytutorial by Paul Rich

© Brooks/Cole Publishing Company / ITP

OUTLINEOUTLINE1 The Scope of Environmental Science1 The Scope of Environmental Science

definitions, concepts, wealth gap

2 Resources2 Resourcesecological vs. economicrenewable vs. non–renewable

3 Pollution3 Pollutiondefinitions, point vs. non–point sourceschemical nature, concentration, & persistence

4 Environmental Problems4 Environmental Problemsmajor problems, root causes; overpopulation

5 Sustainability5 Sustainabilitycultural changes; scientific consensus; worldviews

© Brooks/Cole Publishing Company / ITP

1. Scope of Environmental Science1. Scope of Environmental Science

• What might the world population reach by 2050?

• 10–11 billion• What will be the 2

main environmental consequences?

• resource use• pollution

DefinitionsDefinitions• Environment

• Ecology

• Environmental Science

• study of the relationships between living organisms & their environment

• interdisciplinary study of the role of humans on the Earth

• all external conditions & factors that affect living organisms

Key ConceptsKey Concepts• What is Sustainability?• persistence of a system through time

– Can a desirable human environment be sustainable?

• What is Carrying Capacity?• number of organisms that can be sustained in a

particular environment– How many people can the Earth support? – Is there a trade–off between quantity of people &

quality of life?

Population & DevelopmentPopulation & Development

• Where is population is increasing faster?

• Population is growing faster in developing countries more than in developed countries.

Wealth GapWealth Gap

• What trend do you notice?

• Since 1960 the gap between per capita gross national product (GNP) of rich, middle income, & poor has widened.

2. Name the Type of Resources2. Name the Type of Resources

•anything required by an organism for normal maintenance, growth, & reproduction•(e.g., habitat, food, water, shelter)

•Ecological resources•anything obtained from the environment to meet human needs & wants (e.g., fresh water, soil, plants & animals, fossil fuels)

•Economic resources•resources can be replenished relatively rapidly;

•Renewable•whereas nonrenewable resources can be exhausted & not renewed in human time scales.

•nonrenewable© Brooks/Cole Publishing Company / ITP

Renewable vs. Nonrenewable ResourcesRenewable vs. Nonrenewable Resources

Why are air, water, soil, & wildlife are classified here as potentially renewable, rather than renewable?

• Because they can be depleted.

3. Pollution3. Pollution

• Pollution:

• Nonpoint Source:

• Point Source:

• single identified sources of pollution (e.g., smoke stack or effluent discharge).

• dispersed & often difficult to identify sources (e.g., agricultural runoff).

• undesirable change in physical, chemical, or biological characteristics of air, water, soil, or food that can adversely affect humans or other living organisms.

Determining Severity of PollutantsDetermining Severity of Pollutants• What do call these? • How active & harmful the pollutant is to living organisms?

(LD50)• Chemical Nature

• How much of the pollutant is present the environment? (PPM)

• Concentration• How long does it take to break down to acceptable levels?

(Freon vs Round Up)• Persistence

• Which is more effective? Output control or clean up? Why• Output control is easier to control.

3. Environmental Problems3. Environmental Problems

Some Major ProblemsSome Major Problems

• Examples:

• Green River Valley

• Mississippi Delta

• Harbor Island

More Major ProblemsMore Major Problems

• Examples:• Midwest – topsoil

erosion

• Pumping aquifers dry

• Tragedy of the • Commons.

Still More Major ProblemsStill More Major Problems

• Examples:Amazon Rain Forest

• Creosote & copper plants on the Puget Sound

• Sammamish Plateaudevelopments

OverpopulationOverpopulationDeveloping countries have more people, but lower

environmental impact per person than developed countries.

5. Sustainability5. Sustainability

Earth’sCarryingCapacityHasExpandeddue toculturalchange.

Information RevolutionInformation Revolution

• Useful information allows us to understand & better respond to environmental problems.

• Information overload ("infoglut") leads to confusion, distraction, & a sense of hopelessness.

Working Toward SustainabilityWorking Toward Sustainability• Some Guidelines• Leave the earth as good or better than we found it.• Take no more than we need.• Try not to harm life, air, water, soil.• Protect biodiversity.• Help maintain Earth's capacity for self repair.• Don't use potentially renewable resources faster than

they are replenished.• Don't waste resources.• Don't release pollutants faster than Earth's natural

processes can dilute or degrade them.• Slow the rate of population growth.• Reduce poverty.