1-2 How Are Our Ecological Footprints Affecting the Earth//APES

Human activity is putting such a strain on the natural functions of Earth that the ability of the planet's ecosystems to sustain future generations can no longer be...

taken for granted.

Per capita ecological footprint

-Average ecological footprint of an individual in a given country or area. -Scientists use online tools to estimate

Pollution cleanup

-Cleaning up or diluting pollutants -Ex. of diluting is by releasing pollutants of smokestack high in atmosphere, causing wind to carry it away. -Increases air pollution in downwind areas.

Nonpoint source

-Dispersed and often difficult to identify -Ex. pesticides blown from the land into the air and the runoff of fertilizers, pesticides, and trash from land into streams and lakes

Pollution prevention

-Efforts focused on greatly reducing or eliminating the production of pollutants -Key to more sustainable future because it works better and in the long run cheaper than cleanup.

A large number of people in a given area can have a large

-Environmental impact

Open-access renewable resources and shared resources often become...

-Exploited -Leads to degradation

Examples of environmental degradation

-Forests are shrinking -Deserts are expanding -Topsoil is eroding Suburbs are replacing croplands

Ecological footprint

-Harmful environmental impact

Point source

-Identifiable

Shared resources

-Less open -Ex. grasslands

Environmental degradation

-Living unsustainably by wasting, depleting, and degrading the earth's natural capital at an accelerating rate

Pollution

-Major environmental problem -Contamination of the environment by a chemical or other agent -Noise or heat that is harmful to the health and survival of humans and other organisms

Pollutants enter environment 2 ways

-Naturally -i.e. volcanic eruptions -Through human activities -i.e. dumping chemicals into lakes and rivers

Open-access renewable resources

-Used by almost anyone -Ex. air, water, etc.

Human species

-Violating the sustainability principles -By wasting, depleting, and degrading the earth's natural capital

Affluence

-Wealth -Allows people to consume large amounts of resources far beyond their basic needs

People in more-developed nations live unsustainably...

-because more money means more things to buy (consumption)

Many of these held resources have been

-environmentally degraded

Poor people struggle to survive, but...

-have a low impact on environment because they are trying to meet basic needs

Affluence can result in high rates of:

-per capita resource use, pollution, and resource depletion

Three major cultural changes have occurred:

1. Agricultural revolution 2. Industrial-medical revolution 3. Information-globalization revolution -Each gave us more energy and new technologies with which to alter and control more of the planet's resources to meet basic needs and increasing wants -Also expands population -Resulted in greater resource use, pollution, and environmental degradation -Expand ecological footprint

Pollutants we produce come from 2 types of sources

1. Nonpoint 2. Point

Two solutions to deal with issue regarding renewable resources:

1. Use resource at a rate well below its estimated sustainable yield by using less of the resource, regulating access, or both. 2. Converting to private ownership

If total ecological footprint for a city, a country, or the world is larger than its ecological capacity to replenish the renewable resources and absorb the resulting wastes and pollution, it is said to have an ______________________________.

Ecological deficit

IPAT

Impact=Population x Affluence x Technology

Polluting substances

Pollutants

Human activities have degraded or overused ________ of the earth's natural systems.

about 60%