Introduction

to
Environment
al Science
In every deliberation, we must consider
our impact on the next seven
generations.
Environmental science is the study
of the interaction of humans with
the natural environment.
•Climate, soil, water, air, other organisms.
2
1.
Environmental
History
Fertile crescent through present
day.
 During the
agricultural
revolution in the
fertile crescent,
humans began
farming.
• Sumerians heavily
relied on irrigation,
the application of
water to soil from
nearby rivers.
⪢ When the irrigation water evaporated, minerals were left
behind, causing salinization or an increase in salt
content.
⪢ Few crops could be grown in the salinized soil. Sumeria
collapsed.

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 The salinization of
Sumeria is an example
of:
• The Law of Unintended
Consequences:
Decisions often have
unexpected effects.
• Resource Depletion:
Consuming natural
materials faster than
they can replenish.
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The Industrial Revolution marked
the transition to coal power,
electricity, and factory production.
•What unintended consequences and
resource depletion took place?
 Tragedy of the
Commons
⪢ Pamphlet published by an
economist in 1833 describing
a major cause of resource
depletion:
○ Greed; individuals pursuing
personal wealth at the
expense of the society as a
whole.

⪢ Commons are resources that

are shared and not owned.
 Two small villages both consist of sheep farmers who raise
and sell sheep to a nearby city.
• The first village has an • The second village passes
unregulated, shared pasture for a law assigning each
grazing. farmer a fenced section of
the pasture.
Which is
more likely
to
experience
resource
depletion?
 Two small villages both consist of sheep farmers who raise and sell sheep to a
nearby city.

• The first village has an unregulated, shared

pasture for grazing.

Which is The first village

more likely due to people
to
overgrazing
experience
resource (tragedy) the
depletion? shared pasture
(commons).
 The Progressive Era
The Progressive Era
began at the turn of
the 20 century.
th

• Greater emphasis on
conserving resources
and protecting land.
 Natural Resource
Classifications
Inexhaustible Renewable
Cannot be used up. Will be replaced, but often at a
slower rate than they are used.
Sunlight Soil, timber.
Nonrenewable Recyclable Nonrenewable
Not replaced within the Not replaced within the human
human time scale. time scale.
Single-use -Coal, oil, Can be reused repeatedly-
12 natural gas Minerals, metals
 National Land Designations

National Parks are

to be kept
unaltered from
their original state.
• No fishing, logging,
hunting, or
livestock grazing.
 National Land Designations

 National Forests
allow commercial
logging and
recreational
hunting and fishing.
• Permit required to
prevent
overexploitation.
 National Land Designations

National Wildlife
Refuges allow
hunting and
fishing with a
permit, but no
commercial
activities.
Anthropocentrism Ecocentrism
 Human-centered  Nature-centered
philosophy
philosophy
 Human interests and
 Preserving ecosystems
well-being come first
comes first
 Modern
Environmentalism
⪢ The modern environmental
movement, starting in the 1960s,
ushered in a wave of public awareness
and legislation…
⪢ Reducing air and water pollution
⪢ Preserving ecosystems and biodiversity
⪢ Promoting sustainability
⪢ This movement was triggered by a
series of environmental disasters in
17 the previous decades.
 In 1946, nuclear bomb testing in the Marshall Islands exposed
native islanders and Navy sailors to radioactive fallout.
• This material was carcinogenic, meaning it increased the risk of
cancer.
 In 1948, air pollution from a zinc and steel plant caused
a dense smog that sickened thousands in Donora,
Pennsylvania.
• Air pollution is the introduction of harmful particles and
gases into the atmosphere.
 In 1962, Rachel Carson
published Silent Spring,
documenting the impacts
that pesticides like DDT were
having on wildlife.
• DDT is persistent, meaning it is
not biodegradable and will not
break down naturally.
 Many species of birds,
including the bald eagle,
nearly went extinct.
• Extinction is the complete loss
of a species from the Earth.
 In 1968, The Population Bomb is
published, blaming many
environmental problems on human
overpopulation and predicting a global
famine.
• A famine is an extreme shortage of food.
 In 1969, oil-soaked debris caught fire in the Cuyahoga River, bringing
the problem of water pollution to the public’s attention.
• Water pollution is the contamination of lakes, rivers, oceans, and
groundwater.
 In 1978, the city of Love Canal, New York was abandoned and
demolished due to a leaking hazardous waste dump buried
underneath it.
• Hazardous waste includes chemicals known to be dangerous to human
health.
Global Environmentalism
 Following the 1970s, environmentalism began to consider
issues that affected the entire planet:
• Biodiversity loss
• Food production
• Climate Change
• Human population growth
• Economic inequality
between nations
2.
Developed and
Developing
Countries
The economic and demographic
divide.
The Demographic Divide
 Countries are classified across an economic spectrum:

Underdeveloped Developing Developed

Economically poor Economically wealthy

Less educated More educated

Transitioning
Higher fertility rates Lower fertility rates

Lower standard of living Higher standard of living

Lower rates of consumption Higher rates of consumption

 Gross domestic product (GDP) per capita is the monetary
value of the goods and services produced per person per year.
Haiti Dominican Republic

$1272/year $8282/year
 Total fertility rate is the number of children born to an
average woman over her lifetime.
Haiti Dominican Republic

$1272/year $8282/year

2.94 births 2.35 births

 Life expectancy is the number of years an average person will
live.
Haiti Dominican Republic

$1272/year $8282/year

2.94 births 2.35 births

63.4 years 73.9 years

 Consumption is the amount of materials, energy, and services
used per person.
Haiti Dominican Republic

$1272/year $8282/year

2.94 births 2.35 births

63.4 years 73.9 years

36 kWh 1,456 kWh

0.28 tons CO2 / 2.15 tons CO2 /

person / year person / year
 Consumption is estimated with an
ecological footprint, the amount of
land needed to support a person or
country.
• Forest products
• Carbon pollution
• Cropland and pastureland
• Build-up land
• Fisheries
3.
Worldviews
The way you look at the world:
attitudes, values, and
expectations.
 Environmental Worldviews
Planetary Stewardship Environmental
Management Wisdom
• Human needs come
• Humans “rule” the first but we must care • Humans are no more
Earth. for other species too. important than any
• Technology and • Conserve resources for other species.
ingenuity will prevent future generations • Resources are finite,
the loss of resources. when possible. wastes do not “go
• Economic potential is • Prefer economic away”.
unlimited. growth that does not • Our survival depends
harm the environment. on sustaining the
Earth.
Anthropocentric Ecocentric