ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE

1. ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE

2. Earth’s Systems and Changes Earth: A dynamic system Four interconnected subsystems: Lithosphere, atmosphere, hydrosphere, and biosphere Four subsystems mutually adjust

3. What is Environmental Science? Environmental Science IS NOT Environmentalism Environmental Science is an interdisciplinary study of connections and is based on SCIENTIFIC principles Environmentalism is a social movement dedicated to protecting the environment (air, water, fauna, flora, etc)

4. Easter Island A small volcanic island with a subtropical climate By the 16th century, a thriving society with 15,000–30,000 people Europeans reached there in 17th century, only 2000 people struggling in a degraded environment Reasons for collapsed society: overpopulated, deforestation, soil erosion, loss of agricultural base, further conflicts and wars, geographic isolation, and geologic limitations

6. Earth Earth: geospatially isolated in the universe Population explosion: exponential growth Facing limited resources: energy, soil, fresh water, forests, ocean fisheries, rangelands Global environment: conflicts and integrated resolutions Lessons from Easter Island: aware of limited resources and needs for sustainable global economy

7. Environmental Sciences Environment: A complex system with physical, biological, geological, ecological, and geopolitical aspects. Requires multidisciplinary research: Environmental geology, environmental chemistry, global climate change, biological diversity and ecosystems, environmental economics, environmental ethics, environmental law, etc. Environmental crisis: Population, environmental hazards, resource limitations and contaminations, environment ownership (both in space and over time)

9. World Views Utilitarian (Planetary Management) Economic value (short term) Ecological (Stewardship) Life-supporting value Aesthetic (Environmental Wisdom) Beauty and enjoyment value Moral (Environmental Wisdom) Species rights

10. Fundamental Concepts Population growth Sustainability System and change Hazardous Earth processes Scientific knowledge and values

11. Human Population Growth #1 Environmental problem Population “time bomb”: Exponential growth Earth’s carrying capacity limited: More resources, more land space, more waste Exponential growth Uneven growth in space and over time Good news: the rate of increase in population is decreasing

12. Human Population Growth

13. Human Population Growth

14. Sustainability Ability of natural systems (human cultural systems and economies) to adapt and survive to changing environmental conditions indefinitely. Interplay between Natural Resources (Materials-renewable, such as soil, water, air/ nonrenewable, such as oil, minerals) and Natural Services (Fnc of nature-nutrient cycling, pest control, ozone protection) to establish equilibrium in Natural Capital

16. Sustainability An evolving concept Expectation and reality Criteria variations in space and over time Long-term implications Requiring careful resources allocation, large-scale development of new tech for resource use, recycling, and waste disposal

17. Sustainability Measuring sustainability Use and consumption of resources Replenishment and renewable rates Development and improvement of human environment vs. viable environment Humans are living unsustainably by wasting, depleting and degrading the Earth’s Natural Capital at an exponentially accelerated rate. (e.g. overgrazing, overfishing)

18. The Economic Gap Economic growth: increase in output of goods and services-GDP (gross domestic product), usually measure as per capita (divided by population) Economist use the purchasing power parity (PPP) to measure across country boundaries (US dollars) and divide countries into Industrialized Nations (Developed) and Developing Countries Most wealth is in the developed world (US, Japan, Western Europe) and most population in the developing world (Africa, Latin America, SE Asia).

20. Global Outlook

21. Consumption Comparisons 18% of the global population living in developed countries consumes 88% of the world’s total resources.  USA alone accounts for 6% of the global population , but consumes 25% of its energy resources.  The Developed world produces 75% of all pollution and wastes.

22. Ecological Footprints Resources vs. Reserves Renewable vs. Nonrenewable Conservation vs. Preservation Recycling Reuse

23. Ecological Footprints Amount of biological productive land and water needed to supply the people living in a particular area In 2006 WWF estimated that humanity’s global ecological footprint exceeded the Earth’s biological capacity by 25% The US has the largest ecological footprint By 2050, humanity will be trying to use twice as many renewable resources as the Earth can supply

27. China & India-A Case History Rapidly developing countries 600 million middle-class affluent lifestyles China world’s leading consumer in: Wheat, rice, meat, coal, fertilizers, steel, cement Televisions, cell phones, refrigerators By 2020 leading economy in GDP-PPP Future consumption-by 2031 China 1.47 billion pop 2/3 world grain harvest Twice world’s current paper production Exceed current global oil production India will have an even larger population

28. Pollution What is pollution? Point sources Nonpoint sources Unwanted effects of pollution

29. Why Do We Have Environmental Problems? Major causes of environmental problems are population growth, wasteful and unsustainable resource use, poverty, excluding the environmental costs of resource use from the market prices of goods and services, and trying to manage nature with insufficient knowledge. People with different environmental worldviews often disagree about the seriousness of environmental problems and what we should do about them.

30. Figure 1.10: Environmental and social scientists have identified five basic causes of the environmental problems we face. Question: What are three ways in which your lifestyle contributes to these causes?Figure 1.10: Environmental and social scientists have identified five basic causes of the environmental problems we face. Question: What are three ways in which your lifestyle contributes to these causes?

32. Some Harmful Results of Poverty

33. Environmental Effects of Affluence Harmful effects High consumption and waste of resources Advertising – more makes you happy Beneficial effects Concern for environmental quality Provide money for environmental causes Reduced population growth

34. Hazardous Earth Processes Hazardous Earth processes and risk statistics for the past two decades Annual loss of life: About 150,000 Financial loss: >$20 billion More loss of life from a major natural disaster in a developing country (2003 Iran quake, ~30,000 people) More property damage occurs in a more developed country

36. Scientific Principles of Sustainabilities Relience on Solar Energy Biodiversity Population Control Nutrient Cycling

37. Figure 1.13: Four scientific principles of sustainability: these four interconnected principles of sustainability are derived from learning how nature has sustained a variety of life on the earth for about 3.7 billion years. The top left oval shows sunlight stimulating the production of vegetation in the Arctic tundra during its brief summer (solar energy) and the top right oval shows some of the diversity of species found there during the summer (biodiversity). The bottom right oval shows Arctic gray wolves stalking a caribou during the long cold winter (population control). The bottom left oval shows Arctic gray wolves feeding on their kill. This, plus huge numbers of tiny decomposers that convert dead matter to soil nutrients, recycle all materials needed to support the plant growth shown in the top left and right ovals (nutrient cycling).Figure 1.13: Four scientific principles of sustainability: these four interconnected principles of sustainability are derived from learning how nature has sustained a variety of life on the earth for about 3.7 billion years. The top left oval shows sunlight stimulating the production of vegetation in the Arctic tundra during its brief summer (solar energy) and the top right oval shows some of the diversity of species found there during the summer (biodiversity). The bottom right oval shows Arctic gray wolves stalking a caribou during the long cold winter (population control). The bottom left oval shows Arctic gray wolves feeding on their kill. This, plus huge numbers of tiny decomposers that convert dead matter to soil nutrients, recycle all materials needed to support the plant growth shown in the top left and right ovals (nutrient cycling).

38. Figure 1.14: Solutions: some shifts involved in bringing about the environmental or sustainability revolution. Question: Which three of these shifts do you think are most important? Why?Figure 1.14: Solutions: some shifts involved in bringing about the environmental or sustainability revolution. Question: Which three of these shifts do you think are most important? Why?