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Environmental Problems, Their Causes, and Sustainability

Environmental Problems, Their Causes, and Sustainability. Chapter 1. Key Concepts. Population growth and sustainability Economic growth and development Resources and resource use Pollution Causes of environmental problems. World Population. Exponential growth Poverty

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Environmental Problems, Their Causes, and Sustainability

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  1. Environmental Problems, Their Causes, and Sustainability Chapter 1

  2. Key Concepts • Population growth and sustainability • Economic growth and development • Resources and resource use • Pollution • Causes of environmental problems

  3. World Population • Exponential growth • Poverty • Extinction and biodiversity • Climate changes • Good news: possible solutions World’s Population Growth = 1.2% (78 million people added per year = 8,900 / day) Fig. 1-1, p. 1

  4. World Population ? Billions of people Black Death—the Plague Time Hunting and gathering Agricultural revolution Industrial revolution Fig. 1-1, p. 1

  5. Path to Sustainability (meeting resource needs of people w/out compromising future generations) A Pa t h t o S u s t a i n a b i l i t y Natural Capital Natural Capital Degradation Solutions Trade-Offs Individuals Matter S o u n d S c i e n c e Fig. 1-2, p. 7

  6. Natural Capital • Earth’s natural capital • Capital • Financial income • Biological income • Degrading capital Fig. 1-3, p. 7

  7. Stepped Art = + NATURAL CAPITAL NATURAL RESOURCES NATURAL SERVICES NATURAL RESOURCES NATURAL CAPITAL Air Water Soil Land Life (biodiversity) Nonrenewable minerals (iron, sand) Renewable energy (sun, wind, water flows) Nonrenewable energy(fossil fuels, nuclear power) Air purification Water purification Soil renewal Nutrient recycling Food production Pollination Grassland renewal Forest renewal Waste treatment Climate Control Population control(species interactions) Pest control NATURAL CAPITAL = + Natural Capital Fig. 1-3, p. 7

  8. Solutions to Environmental Problems • Trade-offs (compromises) • Individuals matter • Sound science • Environmentally sustainable societies

  9. Economics • Economic growth= increase in capacity of country to provide goods and services • Gross Domestic Product (GDP) = annual market value of goods and services produced in a country • Per capita GDP = GDP/Population • Economic development= improvement of living standards via economic growth • Developed and developing countries

  10. Global Outlook Percentage of World's 19 Population 81 0.1 Population growth 1.5 Wealth and income 85 15 88 Resource use 12 75 Pollution and waste 25 Developed countries Developing countries Fig. 1-4, p. 9

  11. Human Population Growth World total Developing countries Population (billions) Developed countries Year Fig. 1-5, p. 9

  12. Economic Development Trade-Offs Economic Development Good News Bad News Global life expectancy doubled since 1950 Infant mortality cut in half since 1955 Food production ahead of population growth since 1978 Air and water pollution down in most developed countries since 1970 Number of people living in poverty dropped 6% since 1990 Life expectancy 13 years less in developing countries than in developed Countries Infant mortality rate in developing countries over 9 times higher than in developed countries Harmful environmental effects of agriculture may limit future food production Air and water pollution levels in most developing countries too high Half of world's workers trying to live on less than $2 (U.S.) per day Fig. 1-6, p. 10

  13. Resources • Perpetual - sun, wind, flowing water • Renewable - fresh air, water, soils, forests, food • Nonrenewable - fossil fuels, metals, … economic depletion

  14. Renewable Resources • Sustainable yield= highest rate renewable resource can be used indefinitely w/out reducing supply • Environmental degradation= depletion of renewable resource is faster than renewal • Tragedy of the Commons = overuse of free-access resources “If I don’t use this resource, someone else will.”

  15. Ecological Footprint 1.0 hectare = 2.47 acres current global footprint requires 1.2 planets 21% higher than carrying capacity Sustainable??? Fig. 1-7, p. 11

  16. Ecological Footprint Per Capita Ecological Footprint (Hectares per person) Country United States The Netherlands India 9.6 3.8 0.8 Total Ecological Footprint (Hectares) Country 3 billion hectares United States The Netherlands India 62 million hectares 880 million hectares Fig. 1-7a, p. 11

  17. Ecological Footprint 1.5 Earth's Ecological Capacity 1.2 0.9 Humanity's Ecological Footprint Number of Earths 0.6 0.3 0 1960 1970 1980 1990 2000 2010 Year Fig. 1-7, p. 11

  18. Nonrenewable Resources • Energy resources • Metallic mineral resources • Nonmetallic mineral resources • Economic depletion • Recycling and reuse

  19. Tragedy of the Commons • Overuse of free-access resources (clean air, fish, open ocean, birds, wildlife, gases of lower atmosphere, forests, grazing lands, …) • Solutions: Use free-access resources below sustainable yieldHow? Reduce Population, regulate access taxes, laws, quotas, subsidies, convert to private ownership

  20. Pollution • Definition: any addition to air, water, soil or food that threatens health, survival or activities of humans or other organisms • Point sources-single identifiable sources(smokestack, drainpipe, exhaust pipe) • Nonpoint Sources - dispersed and difficult to identify and control (fertilizer / pesticide runoff, wind-blown pesticides, …) • Unwanted effects of pollution1. Disrupt life support systems2. Damage wildlife, human health and property3. Create nuisances (noise, smell, taste, sight)

  21. Point-source Air Pollution Fig. 1-8, p. 13

  22. Solutions to Pollution • Pollution prevention (input control) • Pollution cleanup (output control) • Disadvantages of output control-temporary bandage, can transfer to other areas, costly

  23. Environmental Problems: Causes and Connections • First step: Understanding the causes • Poverty and population growth • Premature death among the poor

  24. Causes of Environmental Problems Causes of Environmental Problems Population growth Unsustainable resource use Poverty Not including the environmental costs of economic goods and services in their market prices Trying to manage and simplify nature with too little knowledge about how it works Poor Environmental Accounting Ecological Ignorance Fig. 1-10, p. 14

  25. Some Harmful Results of Poverty Lack of access to Number of people (% of world's population) Adequate sanitation 2.4 billion (37%) Enough fuel for heating and cooking 2 billion (31%) Electricity 1.6 billion (25%) Clean drinkingwater 1.1 billion (17%) Adequate health care 1.1 billion (17%) Enough food for good health 1.1 billion (17%) Fig. 1-11, p. 14

  26. Malnutrition Fig. 1-12, p. 15

  27. Economics and Ethics • Affluenza=unsustainable addiction to over-consumption and materialism • Globalization and global advertising= it takes 27 tractor trailer loads of resources to support one American • Law of Progressive Simplification-shift from material to non-material • Positive environmental effects of affluenza- In many developed countries, environ quality is improving

  28. Environmental Problems and Their Causes Developing Countries X X = Consumption per person (affluence, A) Technological impact per unit of consumption (T) Environmental impact of population (I) Population (P) X X = X X = Developed Countries Fig. 1-13, p. 16

  29. Affluenza Diagnosis “To many people spend money they haven’t earned to buy things they don’t want to impress people they don’t like.” - W. Rogers I am willing to work at a job I despise so I can buy lots of stuff When I am feeling down, I like to go shopping to make myself feel better. I would rather be shopping right now. I owe more than $1,000 on my credit cards. I usually make only the minimum monthly payments on my credit card bills. I am running out of room to store my stuff. If you agree with 2 or more of the statements above, you could be suffering from Affluenza

  30. Historical Changes in Human Culture • Hunter-gatherers - 60,000 years ago - 12,000 yrs ago • Agricultural revolution- began between 10k & 12k years ago • Industrial-medical revolution- began 275 years ago • Information-globalization revolution- 50 years ago

  31. Eras of US Environmental History • Tribal era (10K yrs before Euro Settlement) - respect for land • Frontier era (1607-1890)- Euro Colonists- Conquer Nature • Early conservation era- (1832-1870) Alarm form resource depletion- Urged protection of Wilderness • Environmentalism (1870-present)- Resource conservation, public health and environmental protection

  32. Is Our Present Course Sustainable? • Different views • Technological optimists • Environmental pessimists • How Would You Vote? Exercise

  33. Sustainability Revolution Current Emphasis Sustainability Emphasis Pollution cleanup Waste disposal(bury or burn) Protecting species Environmentaldegradation Increased resourceuse Population growth Depleting anddegrading naturalcapital) Pollution prevention(cleaner production) Waste prevention& reduction Protecting wherespecies live (habitat protection) Environmentalrestoration Less wasteful (more efficient)resource use Population stabilization bydecreasing birth rates Protecting natural capitaland living off the biological interest it provides Fig. 1-14, p. 18

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