The Intersection of Environment

Environmental Science and the Economic and Demographic Divide

• Environmental science studies the interaction between humans and the natural environment, including climate, soil, water, air, and other organisms.
• The Law of Unintended Consequences highlights that decisions often have unexpected effects, and resource depletion occurs when natural materials are consumed faster than they can replenish.
• The Industrial Revolution marked the transition to coal power, electricity, and factory production, leading to modern examples of the tragedy of the commons, such as over-exploitation of natural resources, pollution, and climate change.
• The Progressive Era began at the turn of the 20th century, emphasizing conservation of resources and protecting land, leading to the establishment of national land designations such as National Parks, National Forests, and National Wildlife Refuges.
• Anthropocentrism is a human-centered philosophy where human interests and well-being come first, while ecocentrism is a nature-centered philosophy that prioritizes preserving ecosystems.
• The Antiquities Act in 1906 enabled the creation of National Parks, while later acts such as the Clean Water Act, Clean Air Act, and Environmental Policy Act aimed to restrict pollution and assess environmental impacts of federal projects.
• The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) was established in 1970 to enforce federal environmental laws, and global environmentalism began to consider issues that affected the entire planet, such as biodiversity loss, food production, climate change, human population growth, and economic inequality between nations.
• Countries are classified across an economic spectrum as underdeveloped or developed, with underdeveloped countries being economically poor, less educated, having higher fertility rates, lower standard of living, and lower rates of consumption, while developed countries are the opposite.
• Gross Domestic Product (GDP) per capita is the monetary value of goods and services produced per person per year, with Haiti having a GDP of $1272/year and the Dominican Republic having a GDP of $8282/year.
• Total fertility rate is the number of children born to an average woman over her lifetime, with Haiti having a rate of 2.94 births and the Dominican Republic having a rate of 2.35 births.
• Life expectancy is the number of years an average person will live, with Haiti having a life expectancy of 63.4 years and the Dominican Republic having a life expectancy of 73.9 years.
• Consumption is the amount of materials, energy, and services used per person, with Haiti consuming 36kWh and emitting 0.28 tons CO2 per person per year, while the Dominican Republic consumes 1456 kWh and emits 2.15 tons CO2 per person per year.