Unit One: Introduction to Environmental Science

PPT 1: Environmental Problems, their causes and Sustainability Unit 1; PPT 1 Overview

• This unit presents an overview of environmental problems, their causes, and a review of scientific processes of Earth science, chemistry,physics, and biology.

Why study Environmental Science? To learn…

…how nature works.

…how the environment affects us and how we affect the environment.

…how humans can live sustainably on Earth.

Major components and interactions within and between the earth’s life-support system and the human sociocultural system. The goal of environmental science is to learn as much as possible about these complex interactions.

An Environmental Issue (or problem) is a …..

• Known process (such as resource consumption) that has negative effects on the sustainability of the environmental quality necessary for the well being of the organisms living in it.

What is Sustainability?

• The ability of Earth’s various systems to survive and adapt to changing environmental conditions indefinitely.

What keeps the World Alive?

Nature’s Survival Strategies Follow Three Principles of Sustainability

1. Reliance on solar energy

– The sun provides warmth and fuels photosynthesis

2. Biodiversity

– Astounding variety and adaptability of natural systems and species

3. BiogeoChemical cycling

– Circulation of chemicals from the environment to organisms and then back to the environment

– Also called nutrient cycling

Solar Energy

Chemical Cycling Biodiversity Fig. 1-3, p. 8

What is a resource?

• A resource is anything obtained from the environment to meet human needs and wants.

• Examples are food, water, shelter, manufactured goods, transportation, communication, and recreation.

Classification of Resources

• Perpetual: On a human time scale are continuous. (Solar & wind)

• Renewable: On a human time scale can be replenished rapidly; hours to several decades. ( forests, fresh water, soil )

• Nonrenewable: On a human time scale are in fixed supply. ( fossil fuels)

Renewable resources: forests, grasslands, wild animals, fresh water, fresh air, and fertile soil.

Nonrenewable Resources

Ex: fossil fuels, metallic minerals, non-metallic minerals

• Exist as fixed quantity

• Becomes economically depleted.

• Recycling and reusing extends supply

• Recycling processes waste material into new material.

• Reuse is using a resource over again in the same form.

Depletion of nonrenewable resources

SOLAR

CAPITAL

Human Capital Human

Economic

and

Cultural

Systems

Pollution and waste

Degradation of renewable resources

Heat

Goods and services

Natural Capital

EARTH

Team Activity: Environmental Issues

• As a team, List environmental issues facing the world today….5 minutes…GO!

Key Environmental Problems

• Habitat destruction and degradation

• Depletion of renewable and non-renewable resources

• Pollution

• Climate change

• Loss of species biodiversity

The 5 Root Causes of Environmental Problems

• Human population growth

• Unsustainable use of resources

• Poverty

• Poor environmental accounting ( not including

the environmental costs of economic goods and services in their market prices. )

• Lack of environmental education ( trying to

manage and simplify nature with too little knowledge about how it works. )