Top Banner
Copyright © The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. Permission required for reproduction or display. Enger & Smith Environmental Science A Study of Interrelationships Thirteenth Edition Chapter 1 The nature of Environmental Science
61
Welcome message from author
This document is posted to help you gain knowledge. Please leave a comment to let me know what you think about it! Share it to your friends and learn new things together.
Transcript
Page 1: Why study the environment lecture 1

Copyright © The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. Permission required for reproduction or display.

Enger & Smith

Environmental ScienceA Study of Interrelationships

Thirteenth Edition

Chapter 1

The nature of Environmental Science

Page 2: Why study the environment lecture 1

1.1 The Nature of Environmental Science

Environmental science is interdisciplinary, and includes scientific and social aspects of human impact on the world.

• It is a mixture of traditional science, individual and societal values, and political awareness.

Page 3: Why study the environment lecture 1

1.1 The Nature of Environmental Science

Environment is everything that affects an organism during its lifetime.

Environmental science

Page 4: Why study the environment lecture 1

Interrelatedness Is a Core Concept

Interrelatedness among seeming unrelated factors.

Tug on anything at all and you’ll find it connected to everything else in the universe.

John Muir

Page 5: Why study the environment lecture 1

Interrelatedness Is a Core Concept

The reintroduction of wolves to Yellowstone National Park has resulted in many changes.

Page 6: Why study the environment lecture 1

Interrelatedness Is a Core Concept

The Yellowstone wolves are connected to social, economic, and political realms of human activity.

Wolves caused • water flow changes in the park• increases in willow and aspen trees, songbirds, foxes,

rodents, hawks, and owls. • Coyote and elk have declined

Ranchers could lose money if wolves killed livestock.

Page 7: Why study the environment lecture 1

Decision Making in Ecology

Interrelatedness also exists in environmental problems

Many factors impact decisions to handle these problems• These factors are interrelated

Political Economic Ethics

Page 8: Why study the environment lecture 1

Emerging Global Issues

Air pollution Political

• China air pollution

affects U.S.

Economic • Companies move

to regions with less

restrictive policies

Ethical• People in these countries (regions) suffer from diseases due to air

pollution

Page 9: Why study the environment lecture 1

Regional Issues Extensive flooding of Mississippi or drought in California Political

• Impacts on one body of water

can affects multiple states

Economic• Developmental strategies ignore

Ecosystem needs• Hurricane Katrina and destruction

of coastal wetlands

Ethical• Endangering animal and human

life

Page 10: Why study the environment lecture 1

Copyright © The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. Permission required for reproduction or display.

Enger & Smith

Environmental ScienceA Study of Interrelationships

Thirteenth Edition

Chapter 2

Environmental Ethics

Page 11: Why study the environment lecture 1

2.2 Environmental Ethics

Ethics is one branch of philosophy; it seeks to define what is right and what is wrong.• can help us understand what actions are wrong and

why they are wrong.

Not all cultures share the same ethical commitments.

Despite the presence of some differences, there are many cases in which ethical commitments can and should be globally agreed upon.

Page 12: Why study the environment lecture 1

Ethics and Laws

In the case of environmental issues, • when it is appropriate to legislate something ?

• when action should be left to the individual’s sense of right and wrong?

Recycling?

Page 13: Why study the environment lecture 1

Conflicting Ethical Positions

Sometimes an individual’s ethical commitments can conflict with each other.• A mayor might have an ethical commitment to

preserving land in a city but • Also have an ethical commitment to bringing in jobs

associated with construction of a new factory.

In many cases, what is good for the environment is also good for people.• While forest protection may reduce logging jobs, a

healthier forest might lead to new jobs in recreation, fisheries, and tourism.

Page 14: Why study the environment lecture 1

Three Philosophical Approaches to Environmental Ethics

Anthropocentrism (human-centered)• This view holds that all environmental responsibility is

derived from human interests.– Assumes that only humans are morally significant.– Assumes nature is an instrument for human manipulation.

Page 15: Why study the environment lecture 1

Three Philosophical Approaches to Environmental Ethics

Biocentrism (life-centered) • All life forms have an inherent right to exist.

Page 16: Why study the environment lecture 1

Three Philosophical Approaches to Environmental Ethics

Ecocentrism • This view maintains that the environment deserves

direct moral consideration, • not consideration derived from human or animal

interests.

Page 17: Why study the environment lecture 1

Sustainable Development

Sustainable Development is a middle ground

Seeks to promote development

while still preserving the ecological health of the landscape.

Page 18: Why study the environment lecture 1

2.4 Environmental Justice

Environmental justice as fair treatment, meaning:

• “No group of people, including racial, ethnic, or socioeconomic groups, should bear a disproportionate share of the negative environmental consequences

• industrial, municipal, and commercial operations – (landfills, toxic waste facilities, chemical plants)

• Environmental justice is closely related to civil rights.

Page 19: Why study the environment lecture 1

2.4 Environmental Justice

The direct action in Warren County, NC, marked the birth of the environmental justice movement in the U.S.

Page 20: Why study the environment lecture 1

2.4 Environmental Justice

Cases in our own backyard

North Omaha• Coal power plant• 16th worst environmental justice offender

• http://www.naacp.org/pages/coal-blooded1

• https://www.facebook.com/OmahaBeyondCoal

Page 21: Why study the environment lecture 1

2.4 Environmental Justice

Environmental justice encompasses a wide range of issues, including:• Where to place hazardous and polluting facilities• Transportation• Safe housing, lead poisoning, and water quality• Access to recreation and environmental info• Exposure to noise pollution• Exposure to natural disasters (e.g., Hurricane Katrina)

• Jobs are created…but how to compare benefit w/loss?

Page 22: Why study the environment lecture 1

Discussion

Split into groups

Environmental ethics• Handout

Page 23: Why study the environment lecture 1

Aldo Leopold Land ethic

• Sand county almanac• “We reached the old wolf in time to watch a fierce green

fire dying in her eyes. I realized then, and have known ever since, that there was something new to me in those eyes—something known only to her and to the mountain. I was young then, and full of trigger-itch; I thought that because fewer wolves meant more deer, that no wolves would mean hunters’ paradise. But after seeing the green fire die, I sensed that neither the wolf nor the mountain agreed with such a view.”- Aldo Leopold, A Sand County Almanac, 1949

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4edMwhmRvzo

Page 24: Why study the environment lecture 1

2.5 Societal Environmental Ethics

Environmental ethic product of individuals, businesses, and national leaders

Western societies have long acted as if the earth has:• Unlimited reserves of natural resources.• An unlimited ability to assimilate wastes.• “growth mania”

When will it be ‘enough’?

Page 25: Why study the environment lecture 1

2. 6 Corporate Environmental Ethics

Economic growth and resource exploitation were the dominant orientations

Change through Corporate environmental ethics• Primary purpose is to generate a financial return

(profit) for its shareholders, • Shareholders, employees or executives can demand

an environmental ethic

Page 26: Why study the environment lecture 1
Page 27: Why study the environment lecture 1

Is There a Corporate Environmental Ethic?

If corporation follow unethical environmental practices• Release industrial wastes into river• Public is the one that suffers

Corporations can be encouraged into adopting more environmentally friendly practices

http://www.ceres.org/company-network/company-directory

Page 28: Why study the environment lecture 1

Is There a Corporate Environmental Ethic?

In 1997, the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) was established.

At least 2000 companies around the world voluntarily report information on their economic, environmental, and social policies.

https://www.globalreporting.org/reporting/report-services/featured-reports/Pages/default.aspx

Page 29: Why study the environment lecture 1

2.7 Individual Environmental Ethics

Ethical changes in society and business must start with individuals.

Our individual actions have a bearing on environmental quality • Each of us bears some responsibility for the quality of

the environment in which we live.

Individual choices can make a difference

Page 30: Why study the environment lecture 1

2.8 The Ethics of Consumption

North Americans represent 5% of the world’s population.• North Americans consume one-fourth of the world’s

oil.• They use more water and own more cars than

anybody else.• They waste more food than most people in sub-

Saharan Africa eat.

Page 31: Why study the environment lecture 1

2.9 Personal Choices

Lifestyle changes that significantly reduce their personal impact on the planet.• Eating food produced locally• Eating food that is low on the food chain

(fruits/vegies)• Buying durable consumer products • And reusing or repairing products with usable life

reduces the raw materials that must be extracted from the ground.

Page 32: Why study the environment lecture 1

2.9 Personal Choices

• Conserving energy at home and on the road can lessen the amount of fossil fuels used to support your lifestyle.

• Lobbying for protection of wild areas • Voting for officials who take environmental issues

seriously– https://www.facebook.com/pages/League-of-Women-

Voters-of-Greater-Omahas-Douglas-County-Voters-Guide/109817185721956

Page 33: Why study the environment lecture 1

Ecological footprint

Help individuals measure their environmental impact

www.earthday.org/footprint/info.asp

Page 34: Why study the environment lecture 1

Copyright © The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. Permission required for reproduction or display.

Enger & Smith

Environmental ScienceA Study of Interrelationships

Thirteenth Edition

Chapter 3

Environmental Risk:

Economics, Assessment, and Management

Page 35: Why study the environment lecture 1

3.3 Environmental Economics

Economics • study of how people choose to use resources to

produce goods and services, • and how those goods and services are distributed to

the public.

• How are resources distributed?

• Businesses must know the economics of the environment!

Page 36: Why study the environment lecture 1

Resources

Economists look at resources as the available supply of something that can be used.

There are three categories of resources:• Labor (human resources)• Capital (technology and knowledge)• Land (natural resources)

Page 37: Why study the environment lecture 1

Resources

Natural resources • structures and processes humans can use for their

own purposes but cannot create.– Wind, sunlight, rainfall

• Renewable resources – can be formed or regenerated by natural processes.

• Nonrenewable resources – are not replaced by natural processes, or the rate of

replacement is so slow as to be ineffective.

Page 38: Why study the environment lecture 1
Page 39: Why study the environment lecture 1

Assigning Value to Natural Resources

We assign value to natural resources based on our perception of their relative scarcity.

• If a natural resource has always been rare, it is expensive (gold)

• If the supply is very large and the demand is low, the resource is often perceived to be free (sunlight)

• Even renewable resources can be overexploited– (fish, wildlife, forests)

Page 40: Why study the environment lecture 1

Ecosystem Services

Ecosystems are a tangible source of economic wealth

The challenge lies in disentangling complex natural systems into more discrete commodity units• Translate ecosystem value into something tangible?

– Ask questions

– Use people’s behavior?

Page 41: Why study the environment lecture 1

Ecosystem Services

But under uncertainties….• Different value sets

It is possible to weight the benefits from an activity such as dam construction against its negative impacts • on fishing• livelihoods of nearby communities• and changes to aesthetic values

Page 42: Why study the environment lecture 1

Environmental Costs How do you weight the costs?

Environmental costs of resource exploitation• Pollution• Species extinction • Resource depletion • and loss of scenic quality

Page 43: Why study the environment lecture 1

Cost-Benefit Analysis

Cost-benefit analysis • method of assessing costs and benefits of competing

uses of a resource • and deciding which is most effective.

• Reduce Lead in drinking water– Costs = $125 million

– Benefits = 1 billion

Page 44: Why study the environment lecture 1
Page 45: Why study the environment lecture 1

Incentives for Environmental Stewardship

Subsidy• Consumer rebates environmental friendly products• Renewable energy home Loans • Tax credits

Page 46: Why study the environment lecture 1

Economic tools to address Environmental problems

High degree of protection at low cost

Give entrepreneurs choice of most economical

•Tradable emissions permits give companies the right to emit specified amounts of pollutants.

– Permits can be sold or banked for future use.

– Used frequently by carb carbon emissions in Europe

– Cap and Trade http://www.edf.org/climate/how-cap-and-trade-works

Page 47: Why study the environment lecture 1

Market-Based Instruments

• Emission fees and taxes provide incentives for environmental improvement by making damaging activities and products more expensive.

• Performance bonds are fees collected to ensure proper care is taken to protect environmental resources.

Page 48: Why study the environment lecture 1

3.5 Economics and Sustainable Development

So many humans!• So much pollution• Earth is one big ecosystem

– Air pollution from U.S. can affect people in Asia

– The decisions our ancestors made, affect us today

How do we sustain human life and not destroy all the resources for us and our children?

Page 49: Why study the environment lecture 1

Sustainable development Sustainable development

• meets present needs without compromising the needs of future generations

• Keep natural resources• Maintain human living standards

• Example: Solar Energy

Page 50: Why study the environment lecture 1

3.5 Economics and Sustainable Development

Schools of thought:

• Economic growth finances the investments necessary to prevent pollution

• Science and technological advances can solve many environmental problems (wind, solar, geothermal)

• Economic and environmental well-being are mutually reinforcing

Page 51: Why study the environment lecture 1

3.5 Economics and Sustainable Development

High-income developed nations with high education levels are in a position to promote sustainable development

• http://www.mccneb.edu/cps/green/

Transfer of modern, environmentally sound technology to developing nations

Page 52: Why study the environment lecture 1

Introduction to Homework:Case Study

Regional Studies

Page 53: Why study the environment lecture 1

Forest and mineral exploitationAlaska

Political

Economic• Oil• Native Americans

Ethical• Contamination• Conservation

Page 54: Why study the environment lecture 1

Caribou migration to coastal plain for calf birthing

Page 55: Why study the environment lecture 1

Fertilization useMidwest

Political

Economic• Doubled food production in last 40 years

Ethical• Prices of fertilizer entwined with prices of oil• Some farmers cannot avoid fertilizers

Page 56: Why study the environment lecture 1

Water useWestern U.S.

Politics• Pumped from Colorado River to Salt Lake City, Denver,

Los Angeles

• 30 million people rely on its water

Economics

Ethics• Reduced water table

• Reduction Colorado river basin– Plant and animal life

Page 57: Why study the environment lecture 1

Forest PolicyWestern U.S.

Value of old growth forests• Political

• Economic

• Ethical

Climate change?

Page 58: Why study the environment lecture 1

Great Lakes example

Political:

8 U.S. states, 2 Canadian provinces, Native American tribes

Economic:

Ethical:

pollution, exotic species, over fishing

Page 59: Why study the environment lecture 1

10 Things You Can Do to Protect Your Environment

1. Reduce driving 2. Save electricity 3. Recycle 4. Conserve water 5. Safely dispose of hazardous waste

Page 60: Why study the environment lecture 1

10 Things You Can Do to Protect Your Environment

6. Eat locally 7. Donate reusable items 8. Buy in bulk 9. Learn how to avoid the use of insect

repellants 10. Be an informed and active citizen

Page 61: Why study the environment lecture 1

Environmental Problem SolvingAssignment

See Handout