Dr. Steven P. FrysingerJames Madison University

Industrial Ecology

Housekeeping

• My email: frysinsp@jmu.edu• Text book:

“Industrial Ecology” (2nd edition), by Graedel and Allenby, Prentice Hall 2003

Introduction to Environmental Science

Essential Background for

Industrial Ecology

Environment: A Definition

• Circumstances and conditions that surround an organism or group of organisms

Human actions influence the environment

• We depend on natural resources for our continued survival

• Human population growth has shaped our relationship with natural resources

• Understanding our interaction with the environment may help to prevent or fix environmental problems

What’s the worry?

• Risk– To human health– To human welfare– To other species– To peace

• How?

– To sustainability• What is sustainability?

Risk• Risks themselves can be quantified• Some risk examples (The Hague, 1991):

– Smoking cigarettes: 1 in 3 lifetime mortality– Riding motorcycle: 1 in 13– Riding moped: 1 in 67– Driving a car: 1 in 76– Bicycling: 1 in 350– Walking: 1 in 720– Flying: 1 in 11,000– Being struck by lightning: 1 in 27,000– EPA standard for waste site: 1 in 1,000,000

• But risk perception is subjective• We’ll talk more about risk assessment later

Health Risk

• Health risk is a product of two factors:

TOXICITY x EXPOSURE

• Where toxicity is a measure of adverse

health effect per unit mass of pollutant

• And exposure is a measure of the mass of

pollutant taken in over a period of time

What’s in a word?

• Environmentalism: a social movement dedicated to protecting the natural world from undesirable changes brought about by human choices.

• Environmental Science: the study of human interaction with the environment.

• Environmental Management: the use of our knowledge to protect and/or repair the environment

Environmental Science is Integrated and Holistic

• Integrates all natural sciences in understanding complex natural phenomena

• Integrates all social sciences in understanding complex social phenomena

• Studies the interaction between natural and social systems to understand and conceive of solutions to problems

Environmental Problems need Interdisciplinary solutions

Environmental Problems are not “one size fits all”

• An environmental problem is perceived differently by different people.

• Age, race, class, nationality, education level, and employment may affect how a problem is perceived and which solutions are acceptable– Nuclear power?– Wind?

• A good reason to engage in international study!

What is YOUR perception?

• Using DDT to control mosquitoes

• Prohibiting ivory sale to preserve elephant populations

• Restricting developing world use of fossil fuel to slow global climate change

Scientific Thinking

• Reduces tendency to rely on emotional reaction and unexamined assumptions

• Skeptical (without loss of curiosity)• Rooted in antiquity• Based on cooperation and insight, shared

results• Reproducible• Experimental – through controlled

experimentation• Uses the “scientific method”

The Scientific Method

• Make observations• Form a hypothesis• Design an experiment• Collect data• Interpret the data• Draw conclusions• Repeat!

A Survey of Environmental Concerns

• Major Issues (we’ll cover in some depth)– Population

– Air pollution

– Water Pollution

– Ozone Depletion

– Global Climate Change

– Energy Issues

A Survey of Environmental Concerns (cont’d)

• Other Issues (we’ll just touch upon)– Loss of Habitat/Biodiversity

– Acid Deposition

– Soil Degradation

– Visibility

– Herbicides and Pesticides

– Radionuclides

– Toxics in Sludge

– Oil Spills

– Toxics in Sediments

– Hazardous Waste Sites

Human PopulationWorld Population Prospects: The 1998 Revision (UN)

0

1,000

2,000

3,000

4,000

5,000

6,000

7,000

8,000

9,000

10,000

1750 1800 1850 1900 1950 1998 2050

Year

Population (x1000,000)

Oceania

North America

Lat.Am & Car

Europe

Asia

Africa

2011

Growth to a Stable Population

• Logistic Growth - Growth slows as the population approaches carrying capacity.

What is the carrying capacity of the Earth for humans?

Human carrying capacity

But is this sustainable?

Demographic TransitionA generalized model of demographic transition (four stages):

Human Impact ModelI = PAT

• I: impact of humans on the environment– Doesn’t need to be zero to be sustainable - it just needs

to be below the “healing capacity” of the Earth

• P: population of humans in the environment– Definitely increasing for the foreseeable future

• A: affluence of the human population– We want this to increase (why?)

• T: technology that controls impact per unit wealth– Must decrease if I is to decrease (examples?)

In IE, this is what we’re working on

Ecological Footprints

These “footprint” models are prettysloppy, but for example…

Pollution in the Atmosphere

Sources and Types of Air Pollutants

“Criteria” Air PollutantsCO (Health)

NOx (Health, Acid Rain, Smog, Tropospheric O3)

O3 (Health, Smog)

SOx (Health, Acid Rain)

PM (Health, Visibility) [PM10, PM2.5]

Pb (Health)

National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS) have been developed for these pollutants in the US, with similar standards in other nations

Photochemical Smog

• Ozone (O3) produced in the troposphere• NMHC + NO + hv NO2 + other products

– Where NMHC = non-methane hydrocarbons and– hv is a quantum of solar radiation less than about

410 nm in wavelength

• NO2 + hv NO + O• O + O2 O3

• Rate of formation controlled by controlling NO, NO2, and NMHC

Some Other Air Pollutants• Carbon Dioxide (CO2) [re: global warming]• Chlorofluorocarbons (CFC’s)• Volatile Organic Compounds (VOC’s)• Heavy metals (e.g., Lead, Mercury)• Dioxins• Formaldehyde• Pesticides• Microbials• Radon• The US EPA has listed 188 Hazardous Air

Pollutants, 31 of which are “urban air toxics”

Water Pollution

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Surface Water Pollution

• Eutrophication– Natural evolution of lakes– Anthropogenic acceleration

• Contamination with toxics– Chemical– Biological

• Acidification

Stream Water Quality in the US

Stream Water Quality in the US

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Groundwater Pollution

• Groundwater is an important source of drinking water for humans

• Seepage through the soil can remove pollutants

• Saltwater intrusion becomes a risk in coastal regions