STUDY GUIDE UNIT 1: INTRODUCTION TO ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE CHAPTER 1: SCIENCE AND THE ENVIRONMENT

The Goals of Environmental Science

(1) Learn how nature works (2) How we Interact with Nature (3) Ways to deal with environmental Problems

pollution

(Release of harmful materials into the environment) Pollution is an undesirable change in the natural environment that is caused by the introduction of substances that are harmful to living organisms or by excessive wastes, heat, noise, or radiation

Why sustainability is a key goal of environmental science.

A sustainable world is not unchanging as technological advances and human civilizations continue to be productive. However, our current world is not sustainable as the developed countries are using resources faster than they can be replaced. Achieving a sustainable world requires everyone's participation including individual citizens, industry, and the government.

What is a closed system?

A system where neither matter nor energy can enter or leave, This means that the only thing that enters the Earth's atmosphere in large amounts is energy from the sun, and the only thing that leaves in large amounts is heat.

risk assessment

A tool that helps us create coast effective ways to protect our health and environment

Describe the Tragedy of the Commons

Ecologist Garrett Hardin argued that the main difficulty in solving environmental problems is the conflict between the short-term interests of the individual and the long-term welfare of society. The example he used was the commons, or the areas of land that belonged to the whole village. It was in the best interest of the individual to put as many animals in the commons as possible. However, if too many animals grazed on the commons, they destroyed the grass. Once the grass was destroyed, everyone suffered because no one could raise animals on the commons. The commons were eventually replaced by closed fields owned by individuals. Owners were now careful not to put too many animals on their land, because overgrazing wouldn't allow them to raise as many animals next year. Hardin's point being that someone or some group must take responsibility for maintaining a resource or it will become depleted. Hardin's point can be applied to our modern commons, natural resources. Humans live in societies, and in societies, we can solve environmental problems by planning, organizing, considering the scientific evidence, and proposing a solution. The solution may be to override the short-term interests of the individual and improve the environment for everyone in the long run.

Ecology

Ecology is they study of interactions of living organisms with one another and with their environment.

Ecological Footprints

Ecological footprints are calculations that show the productive area of Earth needed to support one person in a particular country. An ecological footprint estimates the land used for crops, grazing, forests products, and housing. It also includes the ocean area used to harvest seafood and the forest area needed to absorb the air pollution caused by fossil fuels. An ecological footprint is one way to express the differences in consumption between nations.

What is environmental science?

Environmental Science is the study of the air, water, and land surrounding an organism or a community, which ranges from a small area to Earth's entire biosphere.It includes the study of the impact of humans on the environment and involves the physical, biological, and social sciences.

What are our Main Environmental Problems? (three categories)

Environmental problems can generally be grouped into three categories: Resource Depletion Pollution Loss of Biodiversity

Critical Thinking and the Environment

First, be prepared to listen to many viewpoints over a particular issue. Second, investigate the source of the information you encounter. Third, gather all the information you can before drawing a conclusion.

Describe the major environmental effects of hunter-gatherers

Hunter-gatherers affect their environment in many ways: Native American tribes hunted buffalo. The tribes also set fires to burn prairies and prevent the growth of trees. This left the prairie as an open grassland ideal for hunting bison.

Hunter-gatherers

Hunter-gatherers are people who obtain food by collecting plants and by hunting wild animals or scavenging their remains.

Local Population Pressures problems

In developing countries, millions of people are starving. Yet these human populations tend to grow the fastest. Food production, education, and job creation cannot keep pace with the population growth, so each person gets fewer resources as time goes by.

Describe the major environmental effects of Industrial Revolution.

In factories, the large-scale production of goods became less expensive than the local production of handmade goods. On the farm, machinery reduced the amount of land and human labor needed to produce food. With fewer people producing their own food, the populations in urban areas steadily grew.

Tragedy of the Commons

a parable that illustrates why common resources are used more than is desirable from the standpoint of society as a whole

cost-benefit analysis

a study that compares the costs and benefits to society of providing a public good

some disappearances of animals because of hunters-gatherers

giant sloths giant bison mastodons cave bears saber-toothed cats

Degradable pollutants problems

Degradable pollutants are a problem only when they accumulate faster than they can be broken down.

Environmental problems can occur on different scales: local, regional, or global.

A local example would be your community discussing where to build a new landfill. A regional example would be a polluted river 1,000 miles away affecting the region's water. A global example would be the depletion of the ozone layer.

Agriculture

Agriculture is the raising of crops and livestock for food or for other products that are useful to humans. The practice of agriculture started in many different parts of the world over 10,000 years ago. The change had such a dramatic impact on human societies and their environment that it is often called the agricultural revolution.

Population and Consumption

Almost all environmental problems can be traced back to two root causes: The human population in some areas is growing too quickly for the local environment to support. People are using up, wasting, or polluting many natural resources faster than they can be renewed, replaced, or cleaned up.

nondegradable pollutants problems

Because nondegradable pollutants do not break down easily, they can build up to dangerous levels in the environment.

Two main types of pollutants:

Biodegradable pollutants, which can be broken down by natural processes and include materials such as newspaper. Nondegradable pollutants, which cannot be broken down by natural processes and include materials such as mercury.

Loss of Biodiversity

Biodiversity is the variety of organisms in a given area, the genetic variation within a population, the variety of species in a community, or the variety of communities in an ecosystem. The organisms that share the world with us can be considered natural resources. We depend on them for food, the oxygen we breathe, and for many other things. Yet, only a fraction of all the species that once roamed the Earth are alive today, and many are extinct. Scientists think that if the current extinction rates continue, it may cause problems for the human population. Many people also argue that all species have potential economic, scientific, aesthetics, and recreational value, so it is important to preserve them.

List the five major fields of study that contribute to environmental science

Biology study of life, Earth science the study of the planet, Physics the study of matter and energy, Chemistry the study of chemicals and their interactions, Social sciences the study of the human population

Natural Resources

Natural Resources are any natural materials that are used by humans, such as, water, petroleum, minerals, forests, and animals. Natural resources are classified as either a renewable resources or a nonrenewable resource.

Risk Assessment

One of the costs of any action is the risk of an undesirable outcome. Risk assessment is a tool that helps us create cost effective ways to protect our health and environment. To come up with an effective solution to an environmental problem, the public must perceive the risk accurately.

Distinguish between renewable and nonrenewable resources.

Renewable resources can be replaced relatively quickly by natural process. Nonrenewable resources form at a much slower rate than they are consumed.

resource depletion problem descriptions

Resources are said to be depleted when a large fraction of the resource has been used up. Once the supply of a nonrenewable resource has been used up, it may take millions of years to replenish it. Renewable resources, such as trees, may also be depleted causing deforestation in some areas.

why a closed system has problems

Some resources are limited and as the population grows the resources will be used more rapidly. There is also the possibility that we will produce wastes more quickly than we can dispose of them.

Sustainability

Sustainability is the condition in which human needs are met in such a way that a human population can survive indefinitely.

Industrial Revolution negative effects

The Industrial Revolution also introduced many new environmental problems such as pollution and habitat loss. Modern societies began to use artificial substances in place of raw animals and plant products. As a result, we know have materials such as plastics, artificial pesticides, and fertilizers.

The Industrial Revolution

The Industrial Revolution involved a shift from energy sources such as animals and running water to fossil fuels such as coal and oil. This increased use of fossil fuels changed society and greatly increased the efficiency of agriculture, industry, and transportation. For example, motorized vehicles allowed food to be transported cheaply across greater distances.

Population Growth

The Industrial Revolution, modern medicine, and sanitation all allowed the human population to grow faster than it ever had before.

Explain the law of supply and demand.

The Law of Supply and Demand is a law of economics that states as the demand for a good or service increases, the value or the food or service also increases. Ex: The world copper production

Describe the major environmental effects of the Agricultural Revolution

The agricultural revolution allowed human populations to grow at an unprecedented rate. The agricultural revolution changed the food we eat, the plants we grow and eat today are descended from wild plants. Many habitats were destroyed as grasslands, forests, and wetlands were replaced with farmland. Replacing forest with farmland on a large scale can cause soil loss, floods, and water shortages. The slash-and-burn technique was one of the earliest ways that land was converted to farmland. Much of this converted land was poorly farmed and is no longer fertile.

Costs and Benefits

The cost of environmental solutions can be high. A cost-benefit analysis balances the cost of the action against the benefits one expects from it. The results depend on who is doing the analysis. For example, pollution control may be too costly to an industry, but to a nearby community, the price may well be worth it. Often, environmental regulations are passed on to the consumer or taxpayer.

Industrial Revolution positive effects

The industrial Revolution introduced many positive changes such as the light bulb. Agricultural productivity increased, and sanitation, nutrition, and medical care vastly improved.

Biodiversity

The number of different species in an area

Developed and Developing Countries

The unequal distribution of wealth and resources around the world influence the environmental problems and solutions a society can make. Developed countries have higher incomes, slower population growth, diverse industrial economies, and stronger social support. Developing countries have lower average incomes, simple agriculture-based communities, and rapid population growth.

Consumption Trends

To support the higher quality of life, developed countries are using much more of Earth's resources. Developed nations use about 75 percent of the world's resources, although they make up only 20 percent of the world's population. This rate of consumption creates more waste and pollution per person then in developing countries.

Local Population Pressures definition

When the population in an area grows rapidly, there may not be enough natural resources for everyone to live a healthy, productive life. In severely overpopulated regions, forests are stripped bare, topsoil is exhausted, and animals are driven to extinction. In these areas, malnutrition, starvation, and disease can be constant threats.

Because environmental science encompasses so many different fields of study, it is said to be a(n) ____________ science. *

interdisciplinary (relating to more than one branch of knowledge)

resource depletion definition

the consumption of a resource faster than it can be replenished