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ENV1.1: UNDERSTANDING OUR ENVIRONMENT Environment - aggregate of surrounding things, influences and conditions. the external factore surrounding an organism, bot living and non-living. Environmental science – the study of how humans interact with the environmentGoals of environmental science – to understand and solve environmental problems Two main ways we interact with the environment:1. using natural resources2. how our actions change the environment Environmental science is interdisciplinary – it involves a lot of areas of study -The foundation is ecology – the study of how living thing interact with each other. everything affects everything else. -Fields that contribute to environmental science:1. Biology – the study of living things. Botany, zoology, microbiology, ecology2. Earth science – the study of earth’s nonliving systems and the planet as a whole. Geology, paleontology, climatology, hydrology3. Physics – the study of matter and energy. Engineering4. Chemistry – study of chemicals and their interactions. Biochemistry, geochemistry5. Social sciences – study of human populations. Geography, anthropology So environmental science studies how humans interact with the environment, how organisms interact with each other, their surroundings, and their nonliving environment. Scientists as citizens, citizens as scientists – when we notice a problem, we have to ask why, figure it out, and find a solution. Our environment through timewe’re currently changing the environment a lot now, but it’s been going on for a long time. Three major phases in human-influenced environmental change: 1. Hunter-gatherers: people who go around foraging for food, small groups, migrators. Examples of how they changed the environment:a. Set fire to prairies to prevent trees so hunting buffalo was easierb. Spread plants to different areasc. Over-hunting and the extinction of large species 2. Agriculture: growing, breeding, and caring for plants and animals that are used for food, clothing, housing, etc. Hunter-gathers eventually collected seeds of plants, domesticated animals and put down permanent roots. It led to the agricultural revolution – 10,000 years ago. Examples of how agriculture changed the environment:a. Allowed human pop to grow because of more food – which also put more strain on the local environmentb. Changed the food we eat – during harvest season, farmers saved the seeds from the plants they liked best, and replanted them. Over generations, domesticated plants ended up very diff from their wild ancestorsc. Habitats were destroyed as they were slashed and burned to make room for farmland – soil loss, floods, water shortages, decrease in soil fertility. 3. Industrial revolution: mid 1700s, shift to using fossil fuels. More energy, power, machines, so less human labor needed to produce food. Examples of how industry changed the environment:a. Allowed more population growth and growth of cities and urban areas.b. Also fuels and motorized vehicles meant food could be transported far. All these things improved the quality of life for humans - inventions, more food, sanitation, nutrition, medical care - and further change with the introduction of plastics, fertilizers, pesticides.unfortunately, most environmental problems start during this time period - because of pollution and habitat loss The problem – earth is a closed system. The only thing that comes in is energy from the sun. The only thing that leaves is heat. In other words, this is it, everything that’s on this planet is what we have to work with. Potential problems: a. Limited resources b. Producing more waste than we can get rid of As a result, environmental problems can occur on different levels- local (ex: a regional species is endangered)- regional (ex: drinking water polluted from a river hundreds of miles away)- global (ex: ozone). Major reason for the problems – growth of human pop and the strain it puts on the env Main environmental problems: 1. Resource depletion – large portions of resources get used up. Natural resources: renewable and nonrenewable2. Pollution – adversely affects health, survival or activities. Kinds of pollution: Biodegradable and non-biodegradable3. Loss of biodiversity – the number and variety of species is declining. Bad because we depend on other organisms for food, oxygen and other products.
ENV CHAPTER 1.2: THE ENVIRONMENT AND SOCIETY Tragedy of the commons – someone or some group has to take responsibility for maintaining a resource, because if no one does, it gets overused and can become depleted. Everyone suffers. Economics and the environment – economics play a role in how we use resources1. Supply and demand: the greater the demand for a limited supply of something, the more that thing is worth2. Costs and benefits: balances the cost of an action vs. the benefits you get from it (often passed on to the consumer). 3. Risk assessment: looking at the possible risks (unwanted results) of an action. Helps us come up with ways to protect the environment. The decisions and actions of all people in the world affect the environment – different people and populations make different decisions -Developed and developing countries make different decisions - the unequal distribution of wealth and resources has a lot to do with why people make certain decisions developed countries - higher incomes, slower population growth, diverse industrial economies, stronger social supports in these countries, environmental problems tend to be related to consumption. developing countries - lower income, simple agricultural-based economies, rapid population growth in these countries, environmental problems are related to population growth. 2 root causes of environmental problems:1. Pop growing too fast for the environment to support it (local population pressures). when a pop in an area grows rapidly, there may not be enough resources in the area too support it. As a result the environment gets depleted, used up, exhausted.2. using up, wasting, polluting natural resources faster then they can be renewed (consumption trends) – developed nations use 75% of the resources but only make up 20% of the world’s pop – developed nations create more waste and pollution per person than in developing countries. Ecological footprints – shows the productive area of earth needed to support one person in a particular country. It estimates the land used for crops, grazing, forest products, and housing. It includes the ocean area used for seafood, and the forest area needed to absorb air pollution created by fossil fuels. Environmental science in context – environmental problems are complex. People take a lot of different sides, they feel strongly about their side, they might distort information to get you to go with them. Politics, economics, sensationalizing influence things YOU need to think critically. Have an open mind, listen to all sides, and try to understand where they are coming from. Get all the information and form your own opinion. - know about the source of the info- question the conclusions- get as much info as you can key goal of environmental science – sustainability – where human needs are met in a way that the human population can survive indefinitely
ENV CHAPTER 1.2: THE ENVIRONMENT AND SOCIETY Tragedy of the commons – someone or some group has to take responsibility for maintaining a resource, because if no one does, it gets overused and can become depleted. Everyone suffers. Economics and the environment – economics play a role in how we use resources1. Supply and demand: the greater the demand for a limited supply of something, the more that thing is worth2. Costs and benefits: balances the cost of an action vs. the benefits you get from it (often passed on to the consumer). 3. Risk assessment: looking at the possible risks (unwanted results) of an action. Helps us come up with ways to protect the environment. The decisions and actions of all people in the world affect the environment – different people and populations make different decisions -Developed and developing countries make different decisions - the unequal distribution of wealth and resources has a lot to do with why people make certain decisions developed countries - higher incomes, slower population growth, diverse industrial economies, stronger social supports in these countries, environmental problems tend to be related to consumption. developing countries - lower income, simple agricultural-based economies, rapid population growth in these countries, environmental problems are related to population growth. 2 root causes of environmental problems:1. Pop growing too fast for the environment to support it (local population pressures). when a pop in an area grows rapidly, there may not be enough resources in the area too support it. As a result the environment gets depleted, used up, exhausted.2. using up, wasting, polluting natural resources faster then they can be renewed (consumption trends) – developed nations use 75% of the resources but only make up 20% of the world’s pop – developed nations create more waste and pollution per person than in developing countries. Ecological footprints – shows the productive area of earth needed to support one person in a particular country. It estimates the land used for crops, grazing, forest products, and housing. It includes the ocean area used for seafood, and the forest area needed to absorb air pollution created by fossil fuels. Environmental science in context – environmental problems are complex. People take a lot of different sides, they feel strongly about their side, they might distort information to get you to go with them. Politics, economics, sensationalizing influence things YOU need to think critically. Have an open mind, listen to all sides, and try to understand where they are coming from. Get all the information and form your own opinion. - know about the source of the info- question the conclusions- get as much info as you can key goal of environmental science – sustainability – where human needs are met in a way that the human population can survive indefinitely
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