Introduction to Environmental Science (Part I) PDF

INTRODUCTION TO ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE GEC 21. 1- Environmental Science 1 In every deliberation, we must consider our impact on the next seven generations. - Great Law of the Iroqouis The Seventh Generation Principle is based on an ancient Iroquois phil...

INTRODUCTION TO ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE GEC 21. 1- Environmental Science 1 In every deliberation, we must consider our impact on the next seven generations. - Great Law of the Iroqouis The Seventh Generation Principle is based on an ancient Iroquois philosophy that the decisions we make today should result in a sustainable world seven generations into the future. This long-term thinking ensures that the actions of the present do not harm the environment, society, or economy of the future. It is a principle of sustainability and stewardship, emphasizing the interconnectedness of all life and the responsibility to maintain balance for future generations. WHAT IS THE ENVIRONMENT? The environment is not only the landscape and animals that you can see, it is also how they interact  ENVIRONMENT: the surroundings or conditions in which a person, animal, or plant lives oroperates is known as Environment. “Environ” means “to surround,” or “to encircle.” The components of environment are abiotic and biotic. Abiotic components are Lithosphere, Hydrosphere and Atmosphere. Biotic components are Plants, Animals and Microorganisms.  ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE Definition: The study of how humans interact with the environment Involves the following interactions between human and the environment: How humans use natural resources How human beings relate to the nonliving environment How human actions alter the environment ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE Environmental science is the study of the interaction of humans with the natural environment. The environment includes all conditions that surround living organisms: Climate Air and water quality Soil and landforms Presence of other living organisms 7 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE What is studied in environmental science? a. Interactions between living organisms and their nonliving environment b. Impact of humans on the environment c. Interaction between organisms Humans are impacting the physical environment in many ways such as over population, pollution, burning fossil fuels, and deforestation. Changes like these have triggered climate change, soil erosion, poor air quality, and undrinkable water etc. Fertilizers , pesticides used in agriculture Industrial effluents have also been polluting our environment. So there is need to take action and educate the people about the environmental problems and to find out the solutions to prevent further rises in pollution rates and manmade disaster  THE GOALS OF ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE To understand and solve environmental problems Do this in two ways: Study how humans use natural resources Study how our actions alter the environment  Environmental science and the issues that it studies are complex and interdisciplinary. Includes concepts and ideas from multiple fields of study. Decisions have impacts in all these fields of study. Source: Principles of Environmental Science, Cunningham, 2005. 11  FIELDS OF STUDY Biology – the study of living organisms Zoology – the study of animals Botany – the study of plants Microbiology – the study of microorganisms Ecology - the study of the home, the study of how living things interact with each other and with their nonliving environment  Earth Science – the study of the Earth’s nonliving systems and the planet as a whole Geology – the study of the Earth’s surface, interior processes, and history Paleontology – the study of fossils and ancient life Climatology – the study of the Earth’s atmosphere and climate Hydrology – the study of the Earth’s water resources Physics – the study of matter and energy Engineering – the science by which matter and energy are made useful to humans in structures, machines, and products  Chemistry – the study of chemicals and their interactions Biochemistry – the study of the chemistry of living things Geochemistry – a branch of geology, is the study of the chemistry of materials such as rocks, soil, and waste  Social Science – the study of human population Geography – the study of the relationships between human populations and Earth’s features Anthropology – the study of the interactions of the biological, cultural, geographical, and historical aspects of humankind Sociology – the study of human population dynamics and statistics  A community decides to use coal for electricity, as it is the cheapest source available. (Economics) The coal must be mined from under the soil. (Geology) The coal must be transported to the population center by road or rail. (Engineering) When it is burned at a power plant, air pollution is released. Some of that pollution is converted to acid in the atmosphere. (Chemistry) This falls as acid rain somewhere downwind. (Meteorology) The acid stresses plants by affecting their nutrient absorption. (Ecology) Laws are passed requiring the plant to install pollution scrubbers. (Politics) 16  OUR ENVIRONMENT THROUGH TIME Humans changed environment over time through: Hunting Agriculture When they settled  HUNTER-GATHERERS For most of history, people were hunter gatherers They obtained food through: Collecting plants Hunting wild animals Scavenging their remains Humans lived in tribes, using fires to maintain the prairie They would migrate as groups throughout the year to where resources were bountiful Would you be willing to move every month to obtain food?  EARLY ENVIRONMENTAL PROBLEMS Native American tribes and Aborigines would burn down forests and grasslands to drive out animals such as Buffalo They would carry plants with them where they traveled – invasive exotic species  THE AGRICULTURAL REVOLUTION Agriculture – the practice of growing, breeding, an caring for plants and animals that are used for food, clothing, housing, transportation, and other purposes. It happened 10,000 years ago It had such an impact on humans that it became a revolution Plants and animals were domesticated, human populations grew  THE AGRICULTURAL REVOLUTION Agriculture – the practice of growing, breeding, an caring for plants and animals that are used for food, clothing, housing, transportation, and other purposes. It happened 10,000 years ago It had such an impact on humans that it became a revolution Plants and animals were domesticated, human populations grew  One area of land could now support up to 500 times the amount of people that could be supported by hunting and gathering Communities began to grow Population growth in the 20th century led to Resource depletion Habitat destruction Pollution  This agriculture changed the foods that we eat today We eat descendents of the plants first found by hunters and gatherers Over time, they picked desired traits in plants and began to only harvest those desired traits  ENDANGERED SPECIES Led to extinction of mammals such as: Giant bison Mastodons Cave Bears Saber-Toothed Cats Would trap in pits and then kill them  INDUSTRIAL REVOLUTION Occurred in the middle of the 1700’s Involved a shift from energy resources such as animal muscle and running water to fossil fuels Allowed for machinery to take over in mass producing goods and agriculture People began to travel more and move to cities Society shifted to fossil fuels  The Industrial Revolution marked the transition to coal power, electricity, and factory production. What unintended consequences and resource depletion took place?  IMPROVING QUALITY OF LIFE Brought us things such as the light bulb and mass agriculture Also brought us pollution and habitat loss  Included the start of artificial substances in place of raw animal and plant products Plastics, artificial pesticides and fertilizers, etc. These products made our life easier, but what about the rest of the environment?  SPACESHIP EARTH Earth is a closed system It is like a spaceship travelling through space that cannot dispose of waste or take on new supplies  Problems occur on different scales: Local Regional Global POPULATION GROWTH: A LOCAL PRESSURE Our population is growing faster than our resources can support The Agricultural and Industrial Revolutions gave us power to grow much faster than before Are we growing to fast? WHAT ARE THE MAIN ENVIRONMENTAL PROBLEMS? Resource Depletion Pollution Loss of Biodiversity  RESOURCE DEPLETION Natural Resource – Any natural material that is used by humans Either renewable or nonrenewable Renewable resources can be replaced quickly by natural processes Nonrenewable resources - natural material formed at a slower rate than it is depleted Resource Depletion - rate of resource use depletes resources and creates pollution and wastes  MAJOR ENVIRONMENTAL PROBLEMS Resource Depletion A great deal of resources are needed to support the human population (~8.2 billion, 2024 (World), 118.2 million in January 2024.(Phil) Renewable resources can be replenished within a human lifetime. Timber, water. The supply of nonrenewable resources is replenished extremely slowly, if at all. These can be used up. Coal, oil, minerals. 34 DEPLETED RESOURCE When a large fraction of the resource has been used up  Coal is a nonrenewable resource. Over time, it will become more difficult and expensive to extract.  This graph represents world coal reserves as of 2008. It is estimated we have about 250 years of the resource remaining at current rates of use.  MAJOR ENVIRONMENTAL PROBLEMS Pollution Pollution is a degradation or an undesired change in air, water, or soil that affects the health of living things. Biodegradable pollution will break down naturally over time. Nondegradable pollution does not break down. 37  POLLUTION Pollution – an undesired change in air, water, or soil Two types of pollutants Biodegradable – pollutants that can be broken down by natural processes Nondegradable – those that can’t – plastics, mercury, lead, etc.  Pollution, whether in air or water, can move and affect ecosystems far away from the source. This map shows the areas with the highest concentrations of air pollution. 39 MAJOR ENVIRONMENTAL PROBLEMS Loss of Biodiversity The number of species on the Earth is unknown, but estimated to be in the tens of millions. Biodiversity is the number of different species present in one specific ecosystem. Extinction, or the complete loss of a species, is a natural event that can be accelerated by human actions. 40  LOSS OF BIODIVERSITY Biodiversity – the number of variety of species that live in an area Extinction – a natural process Mass Extinction – several extinctions happening at the same time The loss of the worlds biodiversity is a concern because: Humans depend on other organisms for food and oxygen LOSS OF BIODIVERSITY There are five known major extinction events in Earth’s history. The most recent major extinction, about 65 million years ago, caused 75% of all species to disappear from the Earth. Believed to have been caused by a meteor impact. 42  LOSS OF BIODIVERSITY Assuming no catastrophic events occur, extinctions normally occur at a pretty slow rate, called the background rate. Normal background extinction rate for mammals is 1 every 200 years. Scientists believe we may be in the midst of the next major extinction event, due to human influences. Australia has experienced 27 mammal The short-tailed hopping mouse, now extinct in extinctions since 1788, primarily due to the Australia. influence of European settlers. 43  REFERENCES 1. Botkin, Daniel B. and Edward A. Keller.(2011) Environmental Science: Earth as a Living Planet. 8th Edition. John Wiley and Sons, Inc. 2. Cadiz, Arlon P. and Trinidad D. Macasil.(2015). Environmental Science: A Modular Approach. Mindshapers Co, Inc. 3. Cunningham, William P. and Mary Ann Cunningham. (2012). Environmental Science : A Global Concern. 12th Edition. The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. 4. Cunningham, William P. and Mary Ann Cunningham. (2013). Principles of Environmental Science : Inquiry and Applications. Seveth Edition. The McGraw- Hill Companies, Inc. 5. Davis, Mackenzie L. and Susan J. Masten. (2014). Principles of Environmental Engineering and Science. 3rd Edition.McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. 6. Enger, Eldon D. and Bradley F Smith. ( 2010). Environmental Science: A Study of Interrelations. 12th Edition. McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.