Environmental Science Chapter 1Science and the Environment
Objectives:• Discuss the importance of environmental science.
• Analyze the importance of environmental science from a social and economic context.
• Investigate how humans impact on the environment has changed over the course of history.
Section 1 Understanding Our Environment Goals
Define environmental science List the five major fields that
contribute to environmental science Discuss how human’s impact on the
environment has changed over history
Classify environmental problems
Environmental Science
Devoted to studying the impacts humans have on the environment
NYC Today and 400 yrs ago
Goals of environment science
To understand and solve environmental problems
Ecosystem functions Air Pollution Water Pollution Toxic Chemicals Climate Change Resource usage
Newer field of study
What are the environmental consequences of choosing these types of energy sources?
What are the benefits and costs of these energy sources?
Why does 50% of our current electricity come from coal?
Foundation of Environmental Science
Ecology: the study of how living organisms interact with each other and their nonliving environment
Fields of Study that Contribute to Environmental Science
Biology: the study of living organisms Chemistry: the study chemicals and
their interactions Physics: the study of matter and
energy Earth Science: the study of earth’s
nonliving systems Social Sciences: the study of human
populations
Environmental science: how does the natural world work?
Environment impacts Humans
• It has an applied goal: developing solutions to environmental problems
An interdisciplinary field–Natural sciences: information about the world
Environmental Science programs
–Social sciences: values and human behavior
Environmental Studies programs
Problem 1: Tragedy of the Commons
Conflicts arise when people share resources
If no one takes responsibility for the resource it will get overused and become degraded.
Examples?
Problem 2: Resource Depletion
Resource depletion: using up resources before they can be replenished
Renewable resources like trees cut faster than they grow– What are some other
example of renewable resources?
– Theoretically can last forever
Problem 2: Resource Depletion
Nonrenewable resource forms more slowly than it is used up– Examples: minerals
like aluminum and fossil fuels like coal, oil and natural gas.
– Resource is said to be depleted when almost used up
Problem 3: Pollution Pollution: an undesirable
change in the air, water or soil that affects humans or other organisms
Biodegradable - broken down by natural processes
Sewage, paper Non-biodegradable - cannot
be broken down Heavy metals, plastics
Air & water pollution Land pollution Can you give examples?
Problem 4: Loss of Biodiversity
Biodiversity: the number and variety of species that live in an area
Why is loss of biodiversity a bad thing?– Higher biodiversity =
healthier ecosystem– Organisms can be
considered natural resource
Human’s Impact Over History
Wherever humans have hunted, grown food, or settled we have changed the environment.
How have
those changes impacted the environment over human history?
Hunter-Gatherers Most of human history People who obtain food
by moving around collecting plants and hunting wild animals.
What are ways you think they had an impact on the environment?
Why didn’t they have a large impact on the environment?
What kind of life did they lead?
Agricultural Revolution
Plants and animals were domesticated and population grew
10,000 years ago Life got easier Population grew Towns began forming Impact on
environment grew More land used
Crash Course: Agricultural Revolution
Industrial Revolution Caused a shift to fossil
fuels as an energy source
Mid-1700s Life got easier Advances in
technology People lived longer People moved to cities
away from farms Increased
environmental impact WHY???
Green Revolution Methods & technologies that
increase crop output– Large seed heads– Short (resist wind)– Resist disease– High yields– Monoculture – efficient
harvesting & increased output
Key to ending starvation in developing countries
Green Revolution Methods &
technologies that increase crop output– Large amounts of
synthetic fertilizer & chemical pesticides
– Irrigating with lots of water
– Using heavy equipment powered by fossil fuels
– Pollution– Monoculture – reduced
biodiversity & disease prone
QUESTIONS
Is it possible to have our needs met without impacting the environment?
Are humans the only organism to have an impact on the environment?
What responsibility do we have to preserve the environment? Why?
Do people from all areas of the world impact the environment in the same way?
Population Growth
Population is growing fast
Current World Population
Vast amounts of resources used to meet need for food
Population expected to double in 21st century, before it begins to stabilize
Spaceship Earth
Earth is essentially a “closed system”
Energy from sun comes in and leaves as heat
What we have IS IT… no more… One Earth, One Chance
Became evident during missions to moon late 1960’s
DO NOW – Predict which 5 countries have the largest
ecological footprints and which 5 have the smallest
Who uses most resources?
Developed Countries like the U.S. (high personal wealth) have high consumption rates– What are the
“developed” countries of the world?
Developing Countries: have high population growth, poverty and lower resource consumption– List several
Ecological Footprint The productive area of
land needed to support a persons life
Food, clothes, coal, oil, plastics, forest, etc. all needed to support your lifestyle
Compare countries Calculate Your Ecological Footprint
Sustainability is the Goal!
Condition in which human needs are met without harming future generations.
Are we living sustainable today?
What would need to change?
10 Areas of Critical Global Concern
WaterFoodTransportation
HealthEconomy
EducationEnergyShelterWarWaste
SYSTEMS
a combination of parts forming a complex or single whole:– a mountain system– a railroad system– solar system– ecosystem
the sum of the parts may be greater than the whole
ECOSYSTEMS
BIOTIC– Living
Plants Animals
ABIOTIC– Non living
Rocks Water Air Energy source
How Science Works
In order to satisfy our curiosity about why things are the way they are and about how things happen the way they do, we must…
Make Observations: using our senses and tools to gather information
What are some tools a scientist may use?
http://www.ted.com/talks/beau_lotto_optical_illusions_show_how_we_see.html
OBSERVATION
We will be observing a small section of wooded land –– What do you expect to see?
Biotic? Abiotic?
– Look for physical conditions, organisms, relationship among organisms
Hypothesis and PredictingA testable
explanation of an observation that can lead to further investigation
A logical statement about what will happen if the hypothesis is correct
Can you give an example?
HypothesisCholera is caused by people drinking contaminated water.
Which pump appears to be causing the 1854 London Cholera outbreak?
• Spot Map• See patterns in
data
• How could you test this hypothesis?
Collecting Data To study the
hypothesis data are collected and analyzed (experiment)
Conclusions are drawn
Results must be repeatable
Results are communicated
Subject to peer review
Correlation Used when experimentation is impossible
or unethical Reliable association between 2 or more
events Not necessarily cause-and-effect
relationship
Community Analysis and Feedback – Peer Review
Present their work and get feedback from other researchers at conferences
Write papers about their study
Submit papers for publication in a journal