Chapter 1: Introduction to Environmental Science

The environment impacts our way of life in many aspects (e.g., food
and fiber production, resources for building shelter and infrastructure,
water supplies, etc.). Adverse impacts to this environment affect the well-
being of humans and other living organisms. It is therefore essential in
educating the people for preserving the quality of environment.

Learning Outcomes:
At the end of this chapter, you should be able to:
1. define environment and environmental science;
2. discuss the interdisciplinary nature of environmental science;
3. explain the importance of environmental science;
4. deepen your understanding in reducing ecological footprint; and
5. express your awareness on environmental sustainability.

As we look around at the area in

which we live, we see that our
surroundings were originally a natural
landscape such as a forest, a river, a
mountain, a desert, or a combination of
these elements. Most of us live in
landscapes that have been heavily
modified by human beings, in villages,
towns or cities. But even those of us who
live in cities get our food supply from
surrounding villages and these in turn are
dependent on natural landscapes such as
forests, grasslands, rivers, seashores, for
resources such as water for agriculture,
fuel, wood, and fish. Thus our daily lives
Figure 1-1
are linked with our surroundings and
inevitably affects them. Everything around Environmental science is an
us forms our environment and our lives interdisciplinary study of connections
between the earth’s life-support
depend on keeping its vital systems as
system and human activities.
intact as possible.
Source:
Therefore, despite our many scientific Miller, G. T. 1., & Spoolman, S.
(2008). Environmental science:
and technological advances, we are utterly problems, concepts, and solutions.
dependent on the environment for air, 12th ed. / Belmont, CA: Brooks Cole.
water, food, shelter, energy, and everything
else we need to stay alive and healthy. As a result, we are part of and not
apart from the rest of nature. Our dependence on nature is so great that we
cannot continue to live without protecting the earth’s environmental
resources.
Environmental science is the field that studies how nature works,
how the environment affects us, how we affect the environment, and how to
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deal with environmental problems and live more sustainably. It is an
interdisciplinary field, as it is related with various areas, such as chemistry,
engineering, medical science, life science, agriculture, sanitary engineering,
public health, etc.

Types of Environment

Since environment is a combination of physical and biological factors,

it contains both living or biotic and non-living or abiotic components. On the
basis of this basic structure, environment can be divided into physical or
abiotic and living or biotic environment.

 Physical or Abiotic Environment

Physical environment is made up of the following states - solid,
liquid, and gas. These three elements signify lithosphere, hydrosphere,
and atmosphere respectively. On the basis of spatial distribution,
smaller units are termed as coastal environment, plateau
environment, mountain environment, lake environment, river
environment, maritime environment, etc.

 Living or Biotic Environment

Biotic environment consists of plants (flora) and animals (fauna)
including human beings as a significant factor. Thus, biotic
environment can be of two types such as floral environment and
faunal environment.

 Social and Cultural Environment

This type of environment includes the varied aspects of socio-
cultural interactions along with its outcomes such as beliefs,
attitudes, stereotypes etc. The tangible and intangible aspects of
environment are included in it.

 Psychological Environment
Psychological environment deals with the perception and
experiences related to any environmental setting. Some environment
may be stimulating and exciting for us, while others may be dull and
boring. Psychological environment is more often used in the
organizational context.

Our Ecological Footprints Are Growing

Supplying people with renewable resources and dealing with the

resulting wastes and pollution can have a large environmental impact. We
can think of it as an ecological footprint—the amount of biologically
productive land and water needed to supply the people in a particular
country or area with renewable resources and to absorb and recycle the
wastes and pollution produced by resource use. The per capita ecological

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footprint is the average ecological footprint of an individual in a given
country or area.

If a country’s, or the world’s, total ecological footprint is larger than its

biological capacity to replenish its renewable resources and absorb the
resulting waste products and pollution, it is said to have an ecological
deficit. In 2006, the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) and the Global Footprint
Network estimated that humanity’s global ecological footprint exceeded the
earth’s biological capacity by about 25%. That figure was about 88% in the
world’s high-income countries, with the United States having the world’s
largest total ecological footprint.

If the current exponential growth in the use of renewable resources

continues, the Global Footprint Network estimates that by 2050 humanity
will be trying to use twice as many renewable resources as the planet can
supply (see Figure 1-2).

Figure 1-2

Natural Capital Use and Degradation

Source:
Miller, G. T. 1., & Spoolman, S. (2008). Environmental science: problems, concepts,
and solutions. 12th ed. / Belmont, CA: Brooks Cole.

Total and per capita ecological footprints of selected countries (top). In 2003,
humanity’s total or global ecological footprint was about 25% higher than the
earth’s ecological capacity (bottom) and is projected to be twice the planet’s
ecological capacity by 2050. Question: If we are living beyond the earth’s
ecological capacity, why do you think the human population and per capita
resource consumption are still growing exponentially? (Data from Worldwide
Fund for Nature, Global Footprint Network

The Importance of Environmental Science

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 Environment sustains life. As a conscious and rational being, man
needs to know the importance of environment and help keep the
environment as healthy and productive as it can be. It is the environment
that has made this beautiful world possible for him. Hence, there is an ever
demanding need for environmental science.

The natural environment that mankind had before, the onset of

industrialization, urbanization, and exponential growth in population was
expectedly healthy and resilient. Nature was able to replenish the loss of its
resources, which was very limited. However, after the onset of modern
civilization, the overall health and efficiency of natural environment started
deteriorating gradually and went on to such an extent that nature has
virtually lost its natural ability to replenish the loss of resources caused by
man.
Environmentalists, geographers, and biologists all over the world are
constantly endeavoring for a sustainable solution to restore a sustainable
environment. There is a need for focus on environmental management, laws
governing environment protection, pollution and recycling of non-
biodegradable material, etc. There is also a need for careful and cautious
use of natural resources in the present time to establish sustainability in
every aspect of nature. There is a need to clarify modern environmental
concepts such as how to conserve biodiversity and maintain an ecological
balance.

Current Trends, Issues and Plans for Sustainability

The amazing world in which we live has huge variety and richness.
However, humans are increasingly damaging what God has created. Our
actions as a result of technological development, industrial pollution and
increasing consumption are causing environmental degradation and climate
change. These problems have great impact in the environmental
sustainability.

Environmental sustainability is the ability to maintain the qualities

that are valued in the physical environment.
For example, most people want to sustain (maintain):
 human life;
 the capabilities that the natural environment has to maintain
the living conditions for people and other species (eg. clean
water and air, a suitable climate);
 the aspects of the environment that produce renewable
resources such as water, timber, fish, solar energy;
 the functioning of society, despite non-renewable resource
depletion
 the quality of life for all people, the livability and beauty of the
environment

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 Threats to these aspects of the environment mean that there is a risk
that these things will not be maintained. For example, the large-scale
extraction of non-renewable resources (such as minerals, coal and oil) or
damage done to the natural environment can create threats of serious
decline in quality or destruction or extinction.

Scientific Principles of
Sustainability

How can we live more

sustainably? According to
environmental scientists, we
should study how life on the earth
has survived and adapted to major
changes in environmental
conditions for billions of years. We
could make the transition to more
sustainable societies by applying
these lessons from nature to our
lifestyles and economies, as Figure 1-3
summarized below and in Figure
The Four Scientific Principles of Sustainability
1-3:
Source:
Miller, G. T. 1., & Spoolman, S. (2008).
Environmental science: problems, concepts, and
solutions. 12th ed. / Belmont, CA: Brooks
Cole.
These four interconnected principles of sustainability are derived from learning how
nature has sustained a variety of life on the earth for about 3.7 billion years. The top left oval
shows sunlight stimulating the production of vegetation in the Arctic tundra during its brief
summer (solar energy) and the top right oval shows some of the diversity of species found
there during the summer (biodiversity). The bottom right oval shows Arctic gray wolves
stalking a caribou during the long cold winter (population control). The bottom left oval shows
Arctic gray wolves feeding on their kill. This, plus huge numbers of tiny decomposers that
convert dead matter to soil nutrients, recycle all materials needed to support the plant growth
shown in the top left and right ovals (nutrient cycling).

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  Reliance on Solar Energy:
the sun warms the planet
and supports
photosynthesis used by
plants to provide food for
themselves and for us and
other animals.
 Biodiversity (short for
biological diversity): the
astounding variety of life
forms, the genes they
contain, the ecosystems in
which they exist, and the
natural services they
provide have yielded
countless ways for life to
adapt to changing
environmental conditions
throughout the earth’s
history. Figure 1-4
 Population Control: Current Emphasis VS Sustainable Emphasis
competition for limited
resources among different life Source:
forms places a limit on how Miller, G. T. 1., & Spoolman, S. (2008).
Environmental science: problems, concepts,
much their populations can and solutions. 12th ed. / Belmont, CA: Brooks
grow. Cole.
 Nutrient Cycling: natural
processes recycle chemicals that plants and animals need to stay alive
and reproduce

Environmental Dimensions of Sustainable Development Goals

In September 2015, leaders from 193 countries of the world came

together to face the future. And what they saw was daunting famines,
drought, wars plagues and poverty. Not just in some faraway place, but in
their own cities and towns and villages. So leaders from these countries
created a plan called the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The SDGs
present a bold commitment to finish what has been started through the
Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) in 2015.

This set of 17 goals imagines a future just 15 years off that would be
rid of poverty and hunger, and safe from the worst effects of climate change.
It’s an ambitious plan. The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP)
is one of the leading organizations working to fulfil the SDGs by the year
2030.

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 One of the more
notable features of the
SDGs and their 169
targets, compared with
the Millennium
Development Goals, is
their integrated
approach, placing
equal emphasis on the
economic, social, and
environmental
dimensions of
sustainable
development. Studies
have shown that 86 of
the 169 targets seek to
directly or indirectly
reduce environmental
damage or emphasize
the critical role of
natural resources and
ecosystem services in
human well-being and
prosperity.

In practice, this
means that the
environmental
dimensions are not to Figure 1-5
be regarded as mere Sustainable Development Goals
add-ons; rather, they Source:
are to be thoroughly United Nations. (2019). The Sustainable Development Goals
interwoven with the Report 2019. ISBN 9789210478878 (PDF). Retrieved from
https://doi. org/ 10. 18356/55eb9109-en.
socioeconomic
dimensions of
development plans. The SDGs represent a milestone in the global effort to
recognize the central role of the environment in socioeconomic development,
and vice versa. But their achievement will rest on whether countries have
enough capacity to take the integrated approach forward at the national
level.
The SDGs were formulated as an indivisible set of goals and targets,
with the environmental dimensions integrated into socioeconomic
development plans. According to UN Environment, the "environmental
dimensions" could refer to a total of 86 out of 169 targets that directly or
indirectly seek to reduce environmental damage or emphasize the critical
role of natural resources and ecosystem services in ensuring human well-
being and prosperity.

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 Republic of the Philippines
MARIKINA POLYTECHNIC COLLEGE
2 Chanyungco St., Sta. Elena, Marikina City 1800
Tel. Nos. (02) 369-6790, (02) 360-7216

Name: _____________________________________ Score: _______________

Course/Yr. & Sec.: _________________________ Date: ________________
Instructor/Professor: ______________________
Activity No. 1
IT IS MY RESPONSIBILITY!
Objective: At the end of this activity, you should be able to:
1. measure your ecological impact;
2. take steps to reduce your personal footprint;
3. construct a short ―hugot‖ poem expressing your awareness and
responsibility in caring for the environment.

Part A. Measure Your Impact

1. You need to write down eight activities and record what resources are
used. Activities may cover catching a bus, brushing teeth, getting
dressed, eating lunch, and playing sport to name a few.
2. You also need to record what resources were used to undertake the
activity. The resources include water, energy or waste produced.
3. You then need to estimate how much of the resource you used and
write down the number 1, 2 or 3 in the usage boxes. Use the following
guide:
Activity Usage Score
Less than 10 minutes Low 1
11 minutes – 1 hour Medium 2
Over 1 hour High 3
Example:
If you only had the television on for 30 minutes the resource
used would be medium however if you had the television on for three
hours, it would be high. We have included an example below to get
you started!
Low Medium High
Activity Resources Usage Usage Usage
Brush my teeth Water, toothpaste 1

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 Subtotals (add up each
column and write the
subtotals in the boxes
TOTAL SCORE
(add up all of the subtotals)

How do you rate?

10 – 15 A friendly dog 16 – 20 A careful cat 21 – 30 A disgusting rat

I am a ____________________________

Part B. How Could I Improve My Self?

What changes could you make to your daily activities at home to
improve your score? Use the table below to write down ways of using less
energy, using less water and making less waste.

Use Less Energy Use Less Water Minimized Waste

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Part C. My Short “Hugot” Poem.
Directions: Construct a short ―hugot‖ poem expressing your awareness and
responsibility in caring for the environment.

____________________________________
Title
______________________________ _____________________________
______________________________ _____________________________
______________________________ _____________________________
______________________________ _____________________________
______________________________ _____________________________
______________________________ _____________________________
______________________________ _____________________________
______________________________ _____________________________
______________________________ _____________________________
______________________________ _____________________________
______________________________ _____________________________
______________________________ _____________________________
______________________________ _____________________________
______________________________ _____________________________
______________________________ _____________________________
______________________________ _____________________________
______________________________ _____________________________
______________________________ _____________________________

Scoring Rubrics

Scoring Rubric for the Activity

Criteria 4 3 2 1
Activity is in an Activity is in an Activity is in a Activity is
orderly packet orderly packet packet with disorderly, with
Neatness and is incredibly and is neat with a several smudges many smudges or
neat, with no few smudges or or tears tears
smudges or tears tears
All of the assigned Most of the Some of the Student did not
Completion task is complete assigned task is assigned task is turn in activity
complete complete
Activity was Homework was 1 Homework was 2 Homework was 3
Timeliness received on the day late days late or more days late
due date
All of the answers Most of the Some of the Little to none of
Accuracy are correct answers are answers are the answers are
correct correct correct
All work is Most work is Some work is Student did not
Work Shown meticulously meticulously meticulously show any work
shown shown shown

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 Republic of the Philippines
MARIKINA POLYTECHNIC COLLEGE
2 Chanyungco St., Sta. Elena, Marikina City 1800
Tel. Nos. (02) 369-6790, (02) 360-7216

Name: ____________________________________ Score: _______________

Course/Yr. & Sec.: ________________________ Date: ________________
Instructor/Professor: _____________________

Quiz No. 1
Introduction to Environmental Science

Test I: Multiple Choice

Directions: Read each statement/question carefully then choose the letter
of the best answer. Write your answers on the space provided
before each number.

____1. Which of the following is described as a region in which the

organisms and the physical environment form an interacting unit?
a. Earth b. environment c. cave d. ecosystem

____2. Why is recycling so important to the environment?

a. It prevents the waste of both renewable and non-renewable
resources
b. It prevents the waste of non-renewable resources only
c. It prevents non-renewable resources from being extracted from
the ground
d. It decreases the amount of time a renewable resource takes to
regenerate

____3. A development is ecologically sustainable if it:

a. does not cause the extinction of any species.
b. conforms to environmental regulatory frameworks.
c. minimizes the amount of soil contamination occurring.
d. can be maintained indefinitely without degradation of the
ecosystem.

____4. An ecological footprint is the:

a. The impact of a person on their neighbors.
b. The impact of a person on the environment.
c. The impact of the oceans towards erosion.
d. How much pollution an animal produces

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____5. When people are able to use a resource in a way that keeps it
available for future generations to use the same way, they are
practicing:
a. Ecology c. Sustainability
b. Environmental Science d. Ecological precautions

Test II Essay
Directions: Answer the given items below. Express your answer briefly with
complete thought. Use the space provided for your answer.
Write legibly and neatly. (5 points each)

1. Give at least three reasons why studying environmental problems is

important.
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________

2. Explain why environmental science is an interdisciplinary science?

________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________

3. Give and describe three ways to reduce your ecological footprint

________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________

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