Environmental Science Chp 1

Environmental sustainability- what does it mean? How can we live more sustainably? Four scientific principles.

Living with the planets means, such that earth's resources can sustain us and other species for the foreseeable future 1. Rely on renewable energy sources 2. Use matter sustainably- recycling 3. Control population (example in nature- predation) 4. Depend on local biodiversity- buying local products which lessens footprint.

People overpopulation

Too many people consuming the natural resources, typical of DEVELOPING nations

Lesson of Easter Island? What would have happened to its original population? Where are the trees?

Tragedy of the commons. One must not overuse and deplete resources provided to us. The trees are all gone.

Independent variables

A variable (often denoted by x) whose variation does not depend on that of another

Dependent variables

A variable (often denoted by y) whose value depends on that of another

How does affluence affect the environment

Affluence=Wealth 1. Commonly used measure is GDP- U.S. has the largest followed by China 2. Larger ecological footprint- usually higher in developing countries Positives: Able to develop better disposal methods. Because we have more money and better technology ** Think of a largely developed community - there's an abundance of technology use (i.e a large ecological footprint) and greater access to imported resources, such as foods. The US is known to have a large amount of affluence because of the massive corporations they have (like silicone valley).

Steps of the scientific method (five general steps in correct order)

1. Recognize problem, or unanswered question 2. Develop hypothesis to explain problem 3. Design and perform experiment to test hypothesis 4. Analyze and interpret data to reach conclusions 5.Share new knowledge with other scientists

Five stages to addressing an environmental problem as they apply to the Lake Washington Case Study

1. Scientific Assessment 2. Risk analysis 3. Public education and involvement 4. Political action 5. Long term evaluation (solution)

Earth's overshoot day

A day on the calendar when humans have used the resources that the planet generated for one full year. This is possible because we are borrowing from future generations

Environmental science vs. Environmentalism (subjective vs. objective)

Approach of Environmental Scientists is objective. Conduct experiments, collect data to be able to find solutions to the problem, once conclusions are found they are published, solutions are then developed from the publications. Environmentalism is subjective. Educate the public with the use of publications from environmental scientists. Influence government policies to be able to find solutions.

IPAT vs. Ecological footprint

Ecological footprint: Amount of productive land and seawater needed to supply persons in an area renewable resources and to absorb/recycle the pollution produced IPAT:Amount of environmental impact people have

Environmental Sustainability

Focus on sustainability 1. Stabilize human population 2. Protect natural ecosystems 3.Educate everyone 4.Prevent pollution everywhere possible 5.Prevent and reduce waste 6.Restore degraded environments 7.Use resources efficiently 8.Eradicate hunger and poverty

Parameters in the IPAT model and their effect- e.g. increase P, increases environmental impact etc.

I=PxAxT I= Environmental impact P= Number of people A= Affluence per person (or consumption) T= Beneficial and harmful environmental effects of the technology used to obtain and consume resources

Why do we have environmental problems

Overpopulation Poverty- less resources to take care of their environment Wasteful/unsustainable use of natural resources- ex Easter Island Exclusion of environmental cost from the total cost of products and services

Ecological overshoot-how is it possible

People are using more land than would be allotted to them. 3.7 acres allotted, using 6.7 acres

Comparison of ecological footprints of India, France and U.S.

Per capita ecological footprint (hectacres/person) India: 1 France: 5 United States: 8 Total ecological footprint for country (million hectares) India: 1,000 France: 500 United States: 2,5000

Consumption overpopulation

Population is consuming too many natural resources, typical in DEVELOPED nations

How does poverty affect the environment

Poverty ---> environmental and health problems World's poorest are both victims and agents of environmental degradation. Do not have the resources to be environmentally safe, do not have the resources to prevent their actions. Not able to recycle or dispose of trash properly. Not able to find more landfills, and do not have materials to create new ones Poverty---> Population growth Both poverty leads to population growth and population growth leads to poverty. The total fertility rate is a lot higher in developing countries than in developed countries. This is due to children being seen as help- farm work house help, etc. They use child labor as a way to help take care of things. Little access to birth control measures. The more educated the woman is, the less children they have. Environmental degradation---> The land is unable to regenerate. If the land is degraded drastically as such, the environment cannot rebuild itself - poverty stricken countries and communities have a lack of resource that these lands were originally able to provide

Accuracy vs. Precision (illustrations)

Precision: How close the individual measurements are to one another (grouping) Accuracy: How close the value is to the true value

How does increasing wealth affect water contamination, air pollution, and greenhouse gas emissions

Water contamination: Will decrease as people become more affluent because they will have a higher standard of living and will require more clean water. Air Pollution: As people become more affluent they consume more products that create air pollution. It will decline with the addition of health regulations and with the addition of wealth will be able to develop better technologies for air pollution removal. Greenhouse gas emissions: Will increase with the addition of more factories.

Why is it that the world's poorest can be considered as both victims and agents of environmental degradation

World's poorest are both victims and agents of environmental degradation. Do not have the resources to be environmentally safe, do not have the resources to prevent their actions. Not able to recycle or dispose of trash properly. Not able to find more landfills, and do not have materials to create new ones Overpopulation within the poorer countries shows that their environment does not have enough resources to take care of them. They've depleted their natural environment by growing cities to comply for the large population, yet in turn result in the degradation of their own naturalistic environment.

Tragedy of the Commons? How do we avoid this from happening? How can consumption overpopulation lead to "Tragedy of the Commons"

Written by Garret Hardin Environment will eventually be destroyed due to self-interest of people Many commonly- held resources have already been degraded Common: Resource that is available to the public but not owned by a private sector ex.- air we breath, vast part of ocean, fish in the ocean, birds in the air Pollutants made by private companies eventually travel into a common area that can degrade it as well and cause the public to suffer We must find ways to take care of the common. But we are too interested in our own interests Garret used a public pasture in Europe to demonstrate- if there are a few who take advantage of resources, eventually everyone including those who took advantage are affected by the degradation Can avoid with government regulations and private ownership