Spaceship Earth

Spaceship Earth User Manual

• What does any planet need in order to sustain a large diversity of organisms?

• What makes Earth so special in the Cosmos?

With a partner, write down as many planetary features as you can that support

and sustains life.

What does life need?

• Clean Air (with oxygen a plus)• Clean Water (both fresh and salt)• Sunlight for photosynthesis and water cycle• Organic molecules• Ambient temperatures (not too hot or cold)• Cycling of nutrients

The Story of Homo sapiens

Hunter - Gatherer Agriculture

100,000 Y.A. - PRESENT 10,000 YA - PRESENT

~10,000 YA

QUESTIONS: 1) How did both lifestyles interact with their environments?

2) What benefits could agriculture bring that hunting/gathering couldn’t?

• H/G- – Killed wild game– Foraged for wild plants– Made shelters from natural

materials

• Agri-– Cut down forests to create

farm fields– Stored extra

• Farming can produce more food than that population needed

• Didn’t have to scramble for food on a daily basis

• Convenience!

What benefits could agriculture bring that hunting/gathering couldn’t?

How did both lifestyles interact with their environments?

The Story of Homo sapiens

Agriculture

10,000 YA - PRESENT

~250 YA

QUESTIONS: 3) What benefits could industry bring that agriculture couldn’t?

Industrial

250 YA - PRESENT

What benefits could industry bring that agriculture couldn’t?

• Wealth $$$• More stuff- technology, goods, services• Longer lifespan• Better transportation• MORE CONVENIENCE!!!

“Home”

• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jqxENMKaeCU&feature=mv_sr

But I love my modern life!

• Modern day, industrialized living uses a tremendous amount of NATURAL RESOURCES

• Agricultural societies use less• Hunter-gatherers tread even more lightly

Ecological Footprint

• The total land area required for you to live the way you do

• Represented in acres or hectares

What is a natural resource?

• With a partner….– Create a list of natural resources Americans need

to survive in the 21st century– Put a (*) next to any resources that can be

regenerated naturally (renewable)– Put a (^) next to any resources that can only be

used once and do not regenerate naturally (nonrenewable)

Developed vs Developing

Developed• Wealthier• Slower population growth• Industrialized• Social Support Systems in

place• Higher ecological footprint

Developing• Not as wealthy• Higher population growth• Agricultural• No social support systems,

government instability• Lower ecological footprint

The Environment and Society

So what is the goal?

Don’t break the spaceship!

Sustainability

• Using resources in such a way that human populations can survive indefinitely.

• Now, our modern society is NOT sustainable– Environmental Science advocates for WISE USE of

resources– Learning about how Earth operates will prove how

reckless we are being as a species

Good Terms to Know

• Natural Resource• Renewable resource• Nonrenewable resource• Sustainability• Law of Supply and Demand

Exit Question

• The fundamental environmental issue isA. Air PollutionB. Water PollutionC. Loss of habitatD. Non-renewable resourcesE. Human population growth

The Answer is…E. Human population growth

ecology2011tamara2011sp.wordpress.com