Chapter 1 Environmental Problems, Their Causes, and Sustainability

environment

All external conditions and factors, living and nonliving (chemicals and energy), that affect an organism or other specified system during its lifetime. Everything around us "The environment is everything that isn't me."

per capita ecological footprint

Amount of biologically productive land and water needed to supply an individual with resources and to absorb the wastes from such resource use.

ecological footprint

Amount of biologically productive land and water needed to supply a person or a country with the renewable resources and to absorb the wastes from such resource use. It is a measure of the ecological impact of individuals and countries.

per capita GDP

Annual gross domestic product (GDP) of a country divided by its total population.

organisms

Any form of life.

resource

Anything obtained from living and nonliving environment to meet human needs and wants. It can also be applied to other specie

culture

The whole of a society's knowledge, beliefs, technology, and practices.

Scientific principles of sustainability

Three principles by which life on the earth has sustained itself over its 3.5-billion-year history: *(1) Reliance on solar energy:* the sun warms the planet and supports photosynthesis used by plants to provide food for themselves and for us and most other animals. *(2) Nutrient Cycling:* natural processes recycle chemicals that plants and animals need to stay alive and reproduce; there is little or no waste in natural systems. Reliance on these four principles could guide us to a more sustainable society. *(3) Biodiversity:* the variety of different organisms, the genetic information they contain, the ecosystems in which they exist, and the natural services they provide have yielded ways for life to adapt to changing environmental conditions throughout the earth's history*

Social Science principles of sustainability

Three principles derive from the social sciences by which we be guided to living more susatainably: *(1) Full-Cost Pricing* (from economic): finding ways to include the harmful environmental and health costs of producing and using goods and services in their market prices. *(2) Win-win solutions* (from political science): in any decision making, focusing on solutions that will benefit the largest possible number of people, as well as the environment. *(3) Responsibility to the future generations* (from ethics): accepting our responsibility to leave the planet's life-support systems in at least as good a condition as what we now enjoy, for future generations

gross domestic product (GDP)

Total market value in current dollars of all goods and services produced within a country, usually during a year.

sustainable yield

Highest rate at which we can use a potentially renewable resource without reducing its available supply throughout the world or in a particular area.

sustainability revolution

Major cultural transformation that would involve learning how to reduce our ecological footprints and to live more sustainability.

biodegradable pollutants

Material that can be broken down into simpler substances (elements and compounds) by bacteria or other decomposers.

environmentalism

Social movement dedicated to protecting the earth's life-support systems for us and other species.

affluence

Wealth that results in high levels of consumption and the unnecessary waste of resources.

ecological tipping point

A point beyond which an environmental problem causes an irreversible shift in the behavior of a natural system. Examples include the collapse of a rain forest and the melting of land-based glaciers

renewable resource

A resource that can be replenished fairly rapidly (hours to several decades) through natural processes. Examples are trees in forests, grasses in grasslands, wild animals, fresh surface water in lakes and streams, most groundwater, fresh air, and fertile soil. If such a resource is used faster than it is replenished, it can be depleted and converted into a nonrenewable resource

poverty

Inability to meet basic needs for food, clothing, and shelter.

What are some principles of sustainability that are key to long-term sustainability of life on this planet?

(Three Principles) Nature has sustained itself for billions of years by using solar energy, biodiversity, and nutrient cycling - lessons from nature that we can apply to our lifestyles and economies.

natural capital degradation

(environmental degradation)* Depletion or destruction of a potentially renewable resource such as soil, grassland, forest, or wildlife that is used faster than it is naturally replenished. If such use continues, the resource can become nonrenewable (on a human time scale) or nonexistent (extinct). See sustainable yield.*

output pollution control

*(Pollution Cleanup)* Device or process that removes or reduces the level of a pollutant after it has been produced or has entered the environment. Examples are automobile emission control devices and sewage treatment plants

input pollution control

*(Pollution prevention)* Device, process, or strategy used to prevent a potential pollutant from forming or entering the environment or sharply reduces the amount entering the environment.

Explain the concept of ecological footprints. How does this model demonstrate we are living an unsustainable lifestyle? What does the role of culture play in ecological footprints?

*Ecological footprint:* the amount of biologically productive land and water needed to provide the people in a region with indefinite supply of renewable resources, and to absorb and recycle wastes and pollution Unsustainable: footprint is larger than biological capacity for replenishment Economic growth and development policies must be implemented that will sustain the earth's human population and provide for an environmentally sustainable society. Pollution is a fundamental environmental problem resulting from human activities. Commonly shared resources are often overexploited, and it is difficult to find ways to manage these resources. CONCEPT 1-2 As our ecological footprints grow, we are depleting and degrading more of the earth's natural capital.

Distinguish among different environmental worldviews. How do environmental ethics contribute to decision making?

*Environmental ethics*: what is right and wrong with how we treat the environment *Planetary management worldview* We are separate from and in charge of nature *Stewardship worldview* Manage earth for our benefit with ethical responsibility to be stewards *Environmental wisdom worldview* We are part of nature and must engage in a sustainable long-term relationship with the systems that support our lives

How does affluence impact the environment?

*Harmful environmental impact due to* High levels of consumption High levels of pollution Unnecessary waste of resources *Affluence can provide funding for developing technologies to reduce * Pollution Environmental degradation Resource waste

Distinguish between more-developed countries and less-developed countries.

*More-developed countries*: North America, Australia, New Zealand, Japan, most of Europe *Less-developed countries*: most countries in Africa, Asia, Latin America

Explain and give examples of point source pollution and non-point source pollution.

*Point sources* -E.g., smokestack *Nonpoint sources* -E.g., pesticides blown into the air

Explain the key components of sustainability.

*Reliance on solar energy* The sun provides warmth and fuels photosynthesis *Biodiversity* Astounding variety and adaptability of natural systems and species *Chemical cycling* Circulation of chemicals from the environment to organisms and then back to the environment Also called nutrient cycling

Distinguish between renewable and nonrenewable resources.

*Renewable resource* Several days to several hundred years to renew E.g., forests, grasslands, fresh air, fertile soil *Nonrenewable resources* Energy resources Metallic mineral resources Nonmetallic mineral resources

Explain the five major causes of environmental problems.

1. Population growth 2. Wasteful and unsustainable resource use 3. Poverty 4. Failure to include the harmful environmental costs of goods and services in market prices 5. affluence - wealth that results in high levels of consumption and wasted resources

planetary management worldview

Beliefs that : (1) we are the planet's most important species; (2) there is always more, and it is all for us; (3) all economic growth is good, more economic growth is better, and the potential for economic growth is limitless; and (4) our success depends on how well we can understand, control, and manage the earth's life-support systems for our own benefit.

nonpoint sources

Broad and diffuse areas, rather than points, from which pollutants enter bodies of surface water or the air.

recycling

Collecting and reprocessing a resource so it can be made into new products. An example is collecting aluminum cans, melting them down, and using the aluminum to make new cans or other aluminum products.

ecosystem

Community of different species interacting with one another and with the chemical and physical factors making up its nonliving environment.

environmental degradation

Depletion or destruction of a potentially renewable resource such as soil, grassland, forest, or wildlife that is used faster than it is naturally replenished. If such use continues, the resource can become nonrenewable (on a human time scale) or nonexistent (extinct). See sustainable yield.

pollution cleanup

Device or process that removes or reduces the level of a pollutant after it has been produced or has entered the environment. Examples are automobile emission control devices and sewage treatment plants

pollution prevention

Device, process, or strategy used to prevent a potential pollutant from forming or entering the environment or sharply reduces the amount entering the environment.

natural resources

Earth's natural materials and processes that sustain other species and humans.

Explain the concept of living sustainably.

Environmentally sustainable societies protect natural capital and live of the resources and services it provides. CONCEPT 1-4 Living sustainably means living off the earth's natural income without depleting or degrading the natural capital that supplies it. Individuals can make a difference in helping their communities become more sustainable.

perpetual resource

Essentially inexhaustible resource on a human time scale. Solar energy is an example.

species

Group of organisms that resemble one another in appearance, behavior, chemical makeup and processes, and genetic structure. Organisms that reproduce sexually are classified as members of the same species only if they can actually or potentially interbreed with one another and produce fertile offspring.

environmental worldview

How people think the world works, what they think their role in the world should be, and what they believe is right and wrong environmental behavior (environmental ethics).

economic development

Improvement of living standards by economic growth.

economic growth

Increase in the capacity to provide people with goods and services produced by an economy; an increase in GNI (GNP).

natural services

Natural processes (Ecosystem Services) that maintain natural and other resources for humans and all other species.

environmental ethics

Our beliefs about what is right or wrong environmental behavior.Our beliefs about what is right or wrong environmental behavior.

natural income

Renewable resources such as plants, animals, and soil provided by natural capital.

nonrenewable resources

Resource that exists in a fixed amount (stock) in various places in the earth's crust and has the potential for renewal by geological, physical, and chemical processes taking place over hundreds of millions to billions of years. Examples are copper, aluminum, coal, and oil. We classify these resources as exhaustible because we are extracting and using them at a much faster rate than they were formed.

point sources

Single identifiable source that discharges pollutants into the environment. Examples are the smokestack of a power plant or an industrial plant, drainpipe of a meatpacking plant, chimney of a house, or exhaust pipe of an automobile.

environmentally sustainable society

Society that satisfi es the basic needs of its people without depleting or degrading its natural resources and thereby preventing current and future generations of humans and other species from meeting their basic needs

ecology

Study of the interactions of living organisms with one another and with their nonliving environment of matter and energy; study of the structure and functions of nature.

exponential growth

Type of growth in which some quantity, such as population size or economic output, increases by a fixed percentage of the whole in a given time period; when the increase in quantity over time is plotted, this type of growth yields a curve shaped like the letter J.

pollution

Undesirable change in, or presence of a chemical or other agent in, the physical, chemical, or biological characteristics of air, water, soil, or food that can adversely affect the health, survival, or activities of humans or other living organisms.

reuse

Using a product over and over again in the same form. An example is collecting, washing, and refi lling glass beverage bottles

stewardship worldview

View that because of our superior intellect and power or because of our religious beliefs, we have an ethical responsibility to manage and care for domesticated plants and animals and the rest of nature.

Why is it critical that we shift to a more sustainable lifestyle?

We have only 50-100 years to make the change to sustainability before it's too late

environmental wisdom worldview

beliefs that nature exists for all the earth's species, not just for us, and we are not in charge of the rest of nature an that our success depends on learning to cooperate with one another and with the rest of nature instead of trying to dominate and manage earth's life-support systems primarily for our own use.

environmental science

interdisciplinary science connecting information and ideas from Natural sciences: ecology, biology, geology, chemistry... Social sciences: geography, politics, economics, anthropology, sociology Humanities: ethics, philosophy

nondegradable pollutants

processes. Examples are the toxic elements lead and mercury.

What is the Tragedy of the Commons? Give examples of how shared resources are being degraded.

the overuse or degradation of common property and open access resources. Arises from unequal relationship between costs/benefits accruing to an individual for the extractive use of a common resource: Individual gets 100% of benefit from using part of resource, bears mere fraction of the cost (cost divided among all users) in terms of lower long-term resource quality.

What is environmental degradation? Give specific examples.

wasting, depleting, and degrading the earth's natural capital -Happening at an accelerating rate -Also called natural capital degradation -The 2005 Millennium Ecosystem Assessment from the UN reported that human activities have degraded about 60% of the earth's ecosystem services in the past 50 years. -About 95% of the continental US land has been destroyed or modified into urban/suburban landscapes or agriculture.