APES INTRODUCTION TO AP

ENVIRONMENTAL

INTRODUCTION TO ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE• Environment

• External conditions that affect living organisms

• Ecology• Study of relationships between living

organisms and their environment• Environmental Science

• how nature works.• how the environment effects us.• how we effect the environment.• how we can live more sustainably

without degrading our life-support system.

Sustainability

• The ability of a specified system to survive and function over time

* It is our obligation to create sustainability

* Environmentally sustainable societies meets basic needs of its people in a just and equitable manner without degrading the natural capital that supplies these resources.

Four Scientific Principles of Sustainability:

• Reliance on Solar Energy• Biodiversity• Population Control• Nutrient Recycling

Figure 1-16

Implications of the Four Scientific Principles of Sustainability

Resources

Renewable Non-RenewablePotentially Renewable

Direct solar energy

Fossil fuels Fresh air

Winds, tides, flowing water

Metallic minerals (iron, copper, aluminum)

Fresh water

Nonmetallic minerals (clay, sand, phosphates)

Fertile soil

Plants and animals

(biodiversity)

Biodiversity

• Genetic Diversity• Variety in a genetic makeup among individuals within a single species

• Species Diversity• Variety among the species or distinct types of living organisms found in

different habitats of the planet

• Ecological Diversity• Variety of forests, deserts, grasslands, streams, lakes, oceans,

wetlands, and other communities

ENVIRONMENTAL PROBLEMS: CAUSES AND CONNECTIONS

• The major causes of environmental problems are:

• Population growth• Wasteful resource use• Poverty• Poor environmental accounting• Ecological ignorance

Pollution

• Any addition to air, water, soil, or food that threatens the health, survival, or activities of humans or other living organisms

• Solid, liquid, or gaseous by-products or wastes

Environmental Degradation

Common Property Resources• Tragedy of the Commons• Resources owned by none, but

available to all users free of charge

• May convert potentially renewable resources into nonrenewable resources

Four Global Trends

1. Population growth and increasing consumption2. Degradation of soils3. Global atmospheric changes4. Loss of biodiversity

Fig. 1-1, p. 6

IndustrialRevolution

?

Agricultural revolutionHunting andGathering

Billio

ns o

f peo

ple

Time

Black Death—the Plague

1. POPULATIONGROWTH

2. Degradation of Soils

2. Degradation of Soils

• Fertile soil is the foundation for plant growth and food production

• BUT-- soils are being degraded by erosion , overgrazing, development

3. Global Atmospheric Changes

• Burning fossil fuels ( oil, natural gas , and coal) has caused increases in global carbon dioxide

• CO2 blocks infrared radiation and therefore traps heat in the atmospheric

• resulting in displacement of plants, rise in sea level, changes in climate and weather

•CO2 blocks infrared radiation and therefore traps heat in the atmospheric

•resulting in displacement of plants, rise in sea level, changes in climate and weather

4. Loss of Biodiversity

•Increasing population and increasing consumption are accelerating conversion of forests, grasslands, and wetlands, etc. to agriculture and urban development

Why is Biodiversity is important?

•Mainstay of crops and medicine development

•Critical factor in maintaining stability of natural systems

•For aesthetic and moral reasons

What are ecological footprints?

• Ecological footprints measure the extent to which humans are using the Earth’s bioproductive capacity

• Units are global hectares• A hectare of land with “average bio-productive

capacity (for agriculture, forest, nutrient cycling, energy production, etc.)

• A hectare = 2.5 acres(1 acre is about a football field between the 5 yard lines)(1 hectare is 2 complete football fields with endzones)

Ecological footprint and Biocapacity that lead to Overshoot

Ecological footprints measure Earth’s carrying capacity for humans

• In 2010, the biosphere had about 11.5 billion hectares of biologically productive surface (about 1/4 of the total planet)

• 2 billion ha of ocean (the continental shelves)• 9.5 billion ha of land

• Current estimates indicate that humans are over-shooting the Earth’s carrying capacity by 25-50%

• To sustain the current carrying capacity, we could need 11/2 Earths!

• But, population growth and increasing development means that we are increasing our use of Earth’s carrying-capacity (bio-capacity)

Our Ecological Footprint

• Humanity’s ecological footprint has exceeded earths ecological capacity.

Figure 1-7

What is the “Tragedy of the Commons”?

• ARTICLE: published in 1968 by Garrett Hardin.

• CONCEPT: a shared resource in which any given user reaps the full benefit of his/her personal use, while the losses are distributed amongst all users. Result? Tragedy all around.

• CLASSIC EXAMPLE: cows on shared pasture.

Individuals are motivated to add to their flocks to increase personal wealth.

Tragedy of the Commons

• As a result, the commons were overgrazed and degenerated to the point that they were no longer able to support the villagers' cattle.

• This failure to preserve the natural resources is known as "the tragedy of the commons."

Common Resources

AIRWATEROCEANSFISH