General Ecology and Population Issues

Mrs. B-Z

Environmental Problems

Population GrowthWasteful use of ResourcesDestruction and degradation of wildlife habitatsExtinction of plants and animalsPovertyPollution

Human activity has modified or disturbed ____% of the earth’s land.

73%27% remains intact and undisturbed. However the number is always decreasing.

Bettering of SocietyLonger Life expectancyLower Infant MortalityHigher Crop Yields

EnvironmentSolar and earth capital Sun’s EnergyAirWaterAnimals and PlantsMineralsNatural purificationRecycling (natural and artificial)Pest control

Sustainable Society Manages its economy and population size without exceeding all or part of the planet’s ability to absorb the environmental insults and replenishUse only what is needed and replenishes what is taken

Earth Wisdom

Learning as much as we can about how to sustain the earth

Population Growth and the Wealth Gap

Types of societies and the differences this has on both population and the environment

Exponential GrowthQuantity increases by a fixed percentage of the whole in a given time

Population ExplosionAlthough the global population rate is between 2-5%, the consequences of an increasing population of billions of people has become a key issue in many areas hand has lead to some countries having reproductive law to decrease population growth.

Population Estimates

                                                                                  

     1804192719601974198719992013202820542100

1 billion2 billion3 billion4 billion5 billion6 billion7 billion8 billion9 billion(range of estimates: 10.4-17 billion)

The population statistics—people living on the planet at the same time.

60,000 years ago = 1 billion130 years ago = 2 billion30 years ago = 3 billion15 years ago = 4 billion12 years ago = 5 billion6 years ago = 6 billion2 years ago = 7 billion

MDC = More Developed Countries

A country whose standard of living is similar to the USIndustrialized or post-industrialized societiesWhich countries can you think of that fall into this category?

LDC—Less Developed CountriesCountries that have a much lower standard of living than the US or at least most of the residents have this lower standard of living. Can you think of countries that fall into this category?

Map of Countries

Population Changes

Map of Countries

What caused these jumps in population?

10,000 – 12,000 years ago the Agricultural Revolution began275 years ago the Industrial RevolutionWhat effect does this lifestyle have on population?How does this tie into a sustainable society?

GNP Gross National ProductMarket value in current dollars of all goods and services produced within and consumed within a country; imported and exported goods

Per Capita GNPGNP/total population

Human Population

Size and Distribution

Population ChangeFor the Planet: Births – Deaths = population changeFor a country: Births + immigrations – (deaths + emigrations) = population change

Population Density

Populations

Birth Rates = live births /1000

Death Rates Deaths/1000Factors:Health careTechnologyPreventative careWorking conditionsRetirement

Death Rates

NPG and ZPGZPG = Zero Population GrowthWhat is the birth rate for zero population growth?NPG = Negative Population GrowthNegative population growth can be achieved by decreasing the birth rate to less than 2 per woman of childbearing age or increasing the death rate.

Total Fertility Rate (TFR)

Average number of children that a woman will have during her childbearing years

Factors Affecting TFRsTraditionsEducationMarriageDivorceReligionHealthChildren as labor

UrbanizationCost of raising a childAverage marrying agePensionsAvailability of abortionContraception

Infant Mortality—infants who do not live to age one year

Resources

Types of resources

Renewable or Perpetual Continues without any artificial supportCan you think of any examples of this type of resource? Solar energyWind EnergyWater Energy Water purification (low yields)

Potentially RenewableResources that can be renewed but they must be replaced at the rate at which they are being usedCan you think of examples of this? TreesGrassAnimalsLakesSoil

Sustainable Yield Rate at which a potentially renewable resource can be used indefinitely without reducing available supply

Nonrenewable ResourceA resource in fixed quantity that may take too long to replace to be effectiveCan you think of any examples of this type of resource?CoalOilNatural gasUranium

Iron Copper AluminumSaltClaySandphosphates

General Ecology

Terms and Definitions

Biodiversity

Different life forms that can survive the variety of conditions currently found on earth

Answers

Pollution and Degradation

Defining and Understanding

Pollution

Any addition to air, water, soil, or food that threatens the health, survival, or activities of a living organism

Types of PollutionNumber of people x resources x environmental degradation = environmental impact

Two sources of pollutionPoint Source—the source is identifiable Can you think of examples of this?

Nonpoint source—sources are general and not readily identified. Can you think of any of these?

Characteristics that make a type of pollution harmful

Chemical NatureConcentrationPersistence

Degradable (less than 10 years)Slowly Degradable (more than 10 years)Nondegradable (over 250 years)

Pollution Solutions

Prevention CleanupWhich would be advocated by environmentalists?

Waste and Recycling

Facts about Waste LongevityHow long will these last in a landfill?Banana Peel?2 yearsPlastic bag?10-20 yearsPlastic bottle?100 years

Aluminum Can?500 yearsGlass bottles?1,000 yearsStyrofoam?10,000 years at least

What is a landfill?

Alternatives for WasteReduce ReuseRecycleIncinerateCompost

What is Recyclable? GlassWoodAluminumMost metalsPaperPlastic (most)

IncineratorsIncinerate—burn waste to ash which is buried

Can you think of any problems with this process?

CompostingCompost—creates a sweet, organic fertilizer; enriches soil

Can you think of any problems with this process?

We don’t have to share beliefs but we do have to share the planet!