Introduction to Environmental Science

Chapter 1: The Environment and Sustainability

• The environment includes all living things (plants and animals) and nonliving things (air, water, soil, sunlight) that people interact with.
• Human life depends on sunlight, clean air and water, food, shelter, energy, fertile soil, and a suitable climate.
• These are all components of the planet's life-support system.

Definitions

• Environmental science studies connections in nature.
• It's an interdisciplinary study of Earth's processes, human interactions with the environment, and how to live sustainably.
• It seeks answers to questions like the seriousness, causes, and interactions of environmental problems, and how nature and people can solve them.

Definitions

• Ecology is a key part of environmental science.
• It's the study of how living organisms interact with their living and nonliving environment.

Definitions

• An ecosystem is a group of organisms in a specific area (land or water volume).
• Organisms interact with each other, the environment's nonliving matter, and energy.
• Example: a forest ecosystem contains plants, animals, decomposers interacting with each other, the sun, air, water, and soil.

Definitions

• Biodiversity is the variety of genes, species, ecosystems, and ecosystem processes.
• It's also known as biological diversity.

How are Environmental science, ecology, and environmentalism/activism different?

• This is explained later in the material, but the distinction among these concepts is crucial for understanding their unique scopes of inquiry.

Planet's Life Support System

• Water: Earth has liquid water on its surface, essential for almost all biological processes. Ocean acidity has decreased slightly since the industrial revolution, which is equivalent to a 30% increase in hydrogen ions.
• Atmosphere: The ozone and stratosphere block harmful short-wavelength electromagnetic radiation. Water and other essential elements (like carbon) are continuously cycled in the atmosphere. Space debris burns up in the mesosphere.

Planet's Life Support System

• Magnetic Field: Earth's magnetic field shields the planet from harmful solar radiation. Without this protection living organisms would be vulnerable.
• Distance from the Sun: Earth's distance from the sun allows for a livable temperature.
• The Moon's effect: The moon's influence on Earth's motion leads to tides.

Planet's Life Support System

• Earth's Neighbors: Jupiter's presence helps protect Earth from meteor impacts.

Earth 101

• This may involve a brief summary of a video; please provide specifics if asked for more.

Six Principles of Sustainability

• Dependence on Solar Energy: The sun's energy warms the planet and provides energy for plants to produce nutrients, which are crucial for all life.
• Biodiversity: The variety of genes, species, ecosystems, and processes within them (biological diversity) is critical to ecosystem health and stability. Species interactions provide vital ecosystem services. Population sizes need to be controlled, and biodiversity enables species to adapt to changes.
• Chemical Cycling: Nutrients cycle through the environment, used by organisms, and returned to the environment. Earth receives constant solar energy but does not receive new supplies of essential chemicals.

Six Principles of Sustainability

• Economics, Politics, and Ethics/Three Additional Principles:
• Full-cost pricing: Products/services should reflect the full environmental costs of production;
• Win-win Solutions: Cooperation and compromise that benefit both people and the environment;
• Responsibility to Future Generations: Protecting the earth's life-support systems for future generations, ethically sound, doing what is right.

Ecological Footprint

• Human Dominance: Humans can sustain and degrade natural resources.
• Natural Capital: Natural Resources and Ecosystem Services (explained separately).
• Ecological Footprints: As populations grow, our impact on the Earth's natural capital increases.

Natural Capital

• Natural Resources + Ecosystem Services: Natural resources like air, water, soil, and minerals, and ecosystem services like purification of air and water, erosion control, and nutrient recycling.

Ecological Footprint

• Ecological Footprint Definition: The harmful environmental impact of using renewable resources, even if the usage benefits humans, taking into consideration natural capital degradation and wastes.
• Renewable Resource: Resources that can be replenished by natural processes within hours to centuries, as long as usage doesn't outpace replenishment.

Ecological Footprint

• Knowledge Check: Inexhaustible Resource: A resource that is not consumed in the process of use, it can be constantly used without endangering future supplies.