Environmental Problems, Their Causes, and Sustainability PDF

Environmental problems, their causes, & sustainability Chapter 1  Learning objectives: In this chapter, students will be able to: understand the three principles of sustainability reflect on how our ecological footprints affect the earth apply your learnings for...

Environmental problems, their causes, & sustainability Chapter 1  Learning objectives: In this chapter, students will be able to: understand the three principles of sustainability reflect on how our ecological footprints affect the earth apply your learnings for an environmentally sustainable society ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE studies how the earth works, our interaction with the earth, and ways to deal with environment problems and live more sustainably. ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE is the study of connections in nature Why do you think life on earth has sustained itself for atleast 3.5 billion years?  How did the incredible variety of life on the earth sustain itself for at least 3.5 billion years in the face of catastrophic changes in environmental conditions? three principles of sustainability Sustainability means meeting our own needs without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.  SOLAR ENERGY warms the planet supports photosynthesis can be used to produce electricity “without the sun, there would be no plants, no animals, andno food” biodiversity “variety of organisms, the natural systems they exist and the natural services they provide” “biodiversity provides services for us, free of charge” Chemical cycling “circulation of chemicals from the environment through organisms and back to the environment” Without chemical cycling, there would be no air, no water, no soil, no food, andno life. three principles of sustainability Solar Energy Biodiversity Chemical Cycling Sustainability has certain key components 1 Natural capital 2 Degradation of natural capital 3 solutions  Natural capital “natural resources and natural services that keep us and other forms of life alive”  “We degrade natural capital by using non- renewable resources faster than nature can restore them.” Pollution 1 Point sources 2 Nonpoint sources  Why do you think there is pollution? Why do you think humans degrade natural capital? “tragedy of the commons” overexploiting commonly shared renewable resources 3 types of property or resource rights “If I do not use this resource, 1 private property someone else will. The little bit that I use or pollute is not enough to matter, and 2 Common property anyway, it’s a renewable resource.” 3 Open-access property solutions A scientific solution to the problem of pollution might be to prevent the dumping of wastes but to implement such solutions, governments would probably have to enact and enforce environmental laws and regulations THANK YOU! That ends the first part of Chapter 1. For questions and other concerns, please send me a message via email/messenger. How are our ecological footprints affecting the earth?  Learning objectives: In this chapter, students will be able to: understand the three principles of sustainability reflect on how our ecological footprints affect the earth apply your learnings for an environmentally sustainable society Ecological footprint the amount of biologically productive land and water needed to provide the people in a particular country with an indefinite supply of renewable resources and to absorb and recycle the wastes produced by such resource use “How many planets do we need if everyone else lives Ecological deficit like you?” Ecological footprint ACTIVITY: Calculate your ecological footprint www.footprintcalculator.org/home/en INSTRUCTIONS: 1. Visit the site. 2. Let your representative take the quiz. 3. Download the activity form in USTeP and answer the questions based on the results of the quiz taken by your representative.  IPAT IS ANOTHER ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT MODEL  ipat IMPACT (I) = Population (P) x Affluence (A) x Technology (T) Impact = p a t WHY DO WE HAVE ENVIRONMENTAL PROBLEMS? Causes of environmental problems: 1 Population growth 2 Unsustainable resource use 3 poverty 4 Excluding environmental costs from market prices Population growth Collectively, these people consume vast amounts of food, water, raw materials, and energy, producing huge amounts of pollution and Each year, we add more than 80 million wastes in the process. people to the earth’s population Unsustainable resource use The lifestyles of many consumers are built upon growing affluence, which results in high levels of consumption and unnecessary affluence: [noun] abundance of property : waste of resources. wealth. an abundant flow or supply : profusion.  poverty occurs when people are unable to fulfill their basic needs for adequate food, water, shelter, One of every five people on the planet live in extreme health, and education poverty. “five times the population of United States” Excluding environmental costs from market prices Companies using resources to provide goods for consumers generally are not required to pay for the The primary goal of these companies is to harmful environmental costs maximize profits for their of supplying such goods. owners or stockholders, which is how capitalism works  People have different views about the environmental problems  Environmental worldviews Planetary Environmental stewardship management wisdom “we can and should “we are part of, and manage the earth for dependent on, nature “mostly for our benefit, our benefit but and that nature exists indefinitely” encourages for all species, not just environmentally for us. beneficial economic growth discourage “our success depends harm to the on learning how life on environment.” earth sustains itself”  What is an Environmentally sustainable society? three principles of sustainability Solar Energy Biodiversity Chemical Cycling Environmentally sustainable: 1 Rely more on renewable energy 2 Protect biodiversity 3 Reduce production of wastes and pollutions THANK YOU! That ends Chapter 1. For questions and other concerns, please send me a message via email/messenger.