Ch 1 Introducing Environmental Science and Sustainability objectives

Outline the scientific method

1. Observation 2. Develop falsifiable (testable) hypothesis 3. Conduct an experiment; replicate it 4. Analyze data & draw conclusions

List and briefly describe the five stages in addressing environmental problems

1. Scientific assessment involves gathering information about a potential environmental problem. 2. Risk analysis evaluates the potential effects of intervention. 3. Public education and involvement occur when the results of scientific assessment and risk analysis are placed in the public arena. 4. Potential action is the implementation of a particular course of action elected or appointed officials. 5. Long-term evaluation monitors the effects of the action taken.

Define ecological footprint

An individual's ecological footprint is the amount of productive land, fresh water, and ocean required on a continuous basis to supply the person with food, energy, water, housing, material goods, transportation, and waste disposal.

Explain how both population and affluence can lead to unsustainable consumption

As population increases, people can exceed the capacity of a region to support basic needs for food, shelter, and clean water. When consumption by individuals substantially exceeds these basic needs, the resources in a region will be exceeded even more quickly. In either case, consumption that exhausts both nonrenewable and renewable resources is unsustainable.

Explain how human activities affect global systems

Earth consists of many physical and biological systems. Its abundant resources have allowed many forms of life to thrive and evolve. Humans, through our growing population and technology, have exploited these resources to the point that we're putting the environment at risk.

Define environmental science and briefly describe the role of Earth systems in environmental science

Environmental science is the interdisciplinary study of humanity's relationship with other organisms and the nonliving physical environment. Environmental scientists study systems; each system is a set of components that interact and function as a whole. A natural system consisting of a community of organisms and its physical environment is an ecosystem. Ecosystems are organized into larger and larger systems that interact with one another. At a global level are Earth systems, which include Earth's climate, atmosphere, land, coastal zones, and the ocean.

Distinguish among highly developed countries, moderately developed countries, and less developed countries

Highly developed countries have complex industrialized bases, low rates of population growth, and high per capita incomes. Moderately developed countries are developing countries with a medium level of industrialization and average per capita incomes lower than those of highly developed countries. Less developed countries (LDCs) are developing countries with high poverty rates, low levels of industrialization, high fertility rates, high infant mortality rates, and very low per capita incomes (relative to highly developed countries).

Briefly describe the history of the Lake Washington pollution problem of the 1950s and how it was resolved.

Lake Washington exemplifies a successful approach to addressing a relatively simple environmental problem. The pouring of treated sewage into Lake Washington raised the level of nutrients to the point where the lake supported excessive growth of cyanobacteria. Disposal of the sewage in another was solved the lake's pollution problem.

Describe three most important factors that determine human impact on the environment

One model for environmental impact (I) has been three factors: the number of people (P); the affluence of a person (A), which is a measure of the consumption or amount of resources used per person and the environmental effect of the technologies used to obtain and consume those resources (T). This model uses an equation to represent the relationship between environmental impacts and the forces that drive them: I= PxAxT

Define sustainability

Sustainability is the ability to meet current human natural resource needs without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their needs; in other words, it is the ability of humans to manage natural resources indefinitely without the environment going into a decline from the stresses imposed by human society on the natural systems that maintain life.

Briefly describe sustainable development

Sustainable development is economic development that meets the needs of the present generation without compromising the ability of the future generations to meet their own needs. Three factors- environmentally sound decisions, economically viable decisions, and socially equitable decisions- interact to promote sustainable development.

Relate Garret Hardin's description of the tragedy of the commons in medieval Europe to common-pool resources today

garret Hardin contended that our inability to solve many environmental problems is the result of a struggle between short-term individual welfare and long-term environmental sustainability and societal welfare. In today s world, Hardin's parable has particular relevance at the global level. Common-pool resources are those parts of our environment that are available to everyone but for which no single individual has responsibility-shared resources such as atmosphere, fresh water, forests, wildlife, and ocean fisheries.