APES: Chapter 1 What is Environmental Science?
APES:Chapter1
WhatisEnvironmentalScience?
WhatisEnvironmentalScience?• EnvironmentalScience - interdisciplinarystudyofhumanrelationshipswithotherorganisms&thenonlivingphysicalenvironment
WhatisthestudyofEnv.Science?EnvironmentalSciencetriestoestablishprinciplesandmodelhowthenaturalworldfunctionsANDTHENusestheseprinciplestodevelopsolutionstoenvironmentalproblems causedbyhumans(ANTHROPOGENIC).
Whatisaresource?• Resource - anythingfromenvironmentthatmeetstheneeds/wantsofhumans
• definedbasedonreplenishmenttime
RenewableResourcereplenishedduringlifetime,canbedepletedbutregeneratedinhumanlifespan
NonrenewableResourceCannotbereplenishedduringlifetime,fixedstock,canbereplenishedongeologictimescale
PerpetualResourceRenewedContinuously
Sustainable
Meetingtheneedsoftodaywithoutharming futuregeneration’sabilitiestomeettheirneeds.
ThreePrinciplesofSustainability
Sustainable
SolarCapital
NaturalCapital
Whatneedstobesustained?
NaturalCapital=NaturalResources+NaturalServices
Fig.1-4,p.9
MajorEnvironmentalProblems
1. AirPollution
2. BiodiversityDepletion
3. FoodSupplyProblems
4. WasteProduction
5. WaterPollution
BasicCausesofEnvironmentalProblems
1. RapidPopulationGrowth
2. UnsustainableResourceUse
3. Poverty
4. Notincludingenvironmentalcostinthepriceofgoods/services
5. Tryingtomanageandsimplifynaturewithtoolittleunderstandingofhowitworks.
WhatarecurrentissuesattheheartofEnv.Science?
ENERGYSUPPLYandDEMAND
GLOBALWARMING
OVERPOPULATION
FOODSUPPLIES