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The Course - Content

The Course - Content. Science and environmental issues Not an environmentalist activist perspective Evaluation of environmental issues Careers in environmental science. The Course - the “process”. First year college course Content - The College Board AP Program

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The Course - Content

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  1. The Course - Content • Science and environmental issues • Not an environmentalist activist perspective • Evaluation of environmental issues • Careers in environmental science

  2. The Course - the “process” • First year college course • Content - The College Board AP Program • Lab and field study based learning • Less lecture - more independent responsibility • Emphasis on current events

  3. Goals • Goals: • Prepare for APES AP test • Critical Thinking: Evaluating issues and “coming to judgement” • Demonstrate and apply sound science and scientific method • Understand environmental issues as interdiscinplinary: Science, Technology, Society (STS)

  4. Environmental Science vs. Ecology • Ecology - branch of biology • Environmental science • Uses natural sciences and social sciences to: • assess how earth works • evaluate how were are affecting earth’s life-support systems • evaluate best ways to to deal with environmental problems, and hopefully reach sustainability

  5. Unifying Themes • Sustainability and Sustainability Development • What is sustainability? • Are our current social/economic systems sustainable? • If not, can the global society become sustainable? • Ecological Principle: Everything is connected - there is no such thing as a free lunch

  6. Four Dimensions to Sustainable Development • Environmental • Social • Political • Economic

  7. Sustainability – text definition • “An environmental sustainable society satisfies the basic needs of it people for food, clean water clean air and shelter in the indefinite future without depleting or degrading the earth’s natural resources” (pare 4) • In addition to helping sustain the earth’s life support systems, sustainable development leads to greater economic security, healthier life-styles, and worldwide improvement in the human condition (15)

  8. Sustainability – Protect your Capital • Can all of earth’s population live at or near the consumption levels of the developed countries? • Can technology solve the problems? • Can human societies: Living off of interest, thus not using up capital • What are some examples? • Read and analyze: “Natural Capital” by Paul Hawken (pate 17)

  9. Ecological Footprint • Definition: amount of land needed to produce resources needed for a person(or average person) in a country • Compare: developed and developing • Compare: Netherlands and U.S. • Calculate your footprint

  10. Can Exponential Growth Continue? • Constant Rate but not constant number • “A quantity increases by a fixed percentage of the whole in a given time” • Essentially, compound interest • Growth at a given rate • Doubling time is calculated if rate remains same • Number organisms added per unit time increases • Examples: • Folding paper • Bacteria in a bottle • Read: Current Exponential Growth of the Human Population (5)

  11. Exponential Growth DO NOT POST TO INTERNET 16 15 ? 14 13 12 11 ? 10 9 Billions of people 8 ? 7 6 5 4 3 2 Black Death–the Plague 1 0 2-5 million years 8000 6000 4000 2000 2000 2100 Time B.C. A.D. Hunting and gathering Agricultural revolution Industrial revolution

  12. Human Population Growth • Doubling time - rule of 70 • 70/ % growth rate = doubling time • Growth rate is decreasing • 1963: 2.1% • 2002: 1.28% • BUT, demands for resources growing exponentially • Pollution growing exponentially

  13. World Population Reached 1 billion in 1804 2 billion in 1927 (123 years later) 3 billion in 1960 (33 years later) 4 billion in 1974 (14 years later) 5 billion in 1987 (13 years later) 6 billion in 1999 (12 years later) World Population May Reach 7 billion in 2013 (14 years later) 8 billion in 2028 (15 years later) 9 billion in 2050 (22 years later)

  14. Figure 1-4Page 6 12 11 10 World total 9 8 Developing countries 7 Population (billions) 6 5 4 3 Developed countries 2 1 2050 2000 2100 1950 Year

  15. Economic development • Improvement of living standards by economic growth • How to measure “living standards”? • Probably best measure: Per Capita GNI PPP • Page 4 • Developed countries • Developing countries • World Night Lights • NA night lights

  16. Per capita GNI PPP, 2001 Low income (Under $2,700) Middle income ($2,701–$10,750) High income (Above $10,750)

  17. Environmental Impact of Human Population • Simplified model (13) • population • consumption (measured by affluence) • technologic impact of unit of consumption

  18. Resources • Definition • Perpetual resources • Renewable resources • Sustainable yield • How can renewable resources become non-sustainable? • Nonrenewable resources • economic depletion vs actual depletion

  19. Extending “life” of non-renewables • Reduce • Reusing • Recycling • What non-renewables cannot be recycled or reused?

  20. Pollution • Definition • Natural or anthropogenic • Point vs. nonpoint • Effects of pollutants (11) • Solutions: • Elimination of the waste • Prevent from reaching environment • Five R’s: refuse to use, replace, reduce, reuse. Recycle • Is dilution a solution to pollution? • Maybe sometimes? Maybe not??

  21. Pollution Cleanup (output control) (11) • Cleanup after produced • Problems • Temporary bandage – as long as population continues to grow • Removes from one location, but puts pollutant into another (eg, scrubbers) • Dispersal – low concentrations, almost impossible to cleanup

  22. Tragedy of the Commons

  23. Global Issues • Awareness began in 1980’s • Acid precipitation • Ozone depletion • Global climate change • Ocean pollution and depletion of fish resources

  24. Global Atmospheric Changes

  25. Globalization • World becoming more integrated • Economic • 1970-2002: 7,000 to 60,000 transnational corporations • Communication and information • Pollutants • Acid precipitation, climate change, ozone depletion, depletion of ocean resources

  26. What are the key environmental problems? (12) • Diagram page 12

  27. Causes of environmental problems (12) • Rapid population growth • Unsustainable resource use • Poverty • Cost of economic goods excludes costs of pollution • Not enough knowledge about complex natural systems • Think of the “Precautionary Principle”

  28. Optimism or pessimism - • Experts disagree • Political viewpoint • Economics • World views • How serious is an environmental problem? • What can be done? • What is economic impact of reducing pollution or resource use? • Are technologies available? • Who gains and who losses?

  29. Good news • Global food production outpaced global population growth since 1970 • Pollution growth rate is reduced worldwide • Infant mortality decreased worldwide • In developed countries: cleaner water and air • Much more interest and concern about environmental issues

  30. Bad News • Pollution in developing countries increased – clean water a big problem • Exponential increase in use of most natural resources • Population still increasing in developing countries • Global climate change • Gulf between rich/poor widening • Global decrease in biodiversity • Economic systems do not incorporate pollution costs • Globalization

  31. Natural Capital – Gary Hardin (16-17) • “..cyclic industrial systems work better than linear ones.” • Relate to throughput page 60 • Contrast to natural ecosystems • Discuss: “Markets are not giving us correct information about how much our suburbs, cars, and plastic drinking water bottles truly cost based on the environmental harm they cause” • You are Gary Hardin. If you were in charge of the worlds economy, what are the three most important things you would do?

  32. How can governments reduce pollution • Incentives: subsidies and tax write-offs • Regulations, fines, taxes • Research funds • Education • Developed world provide model for developing • Reduce or eliminate loans for developed countries

  33. Interactions: nature and humans

  34. Conventional vs. Ecological Economists • Conventional • Economic systems independent of natural systems • Human technology/ingenuity will deal with shortages and destruction of biodiversity • Ecological economics • Economic system subsystem of environment • Natural capital supplies and maintains economic systems • Environmentally sustainable economic development • Economic system “mimics” natural systems • Recycling • Not depleting earth’s net primary productivity • Living off ecological income

  35. Environmental Accounting • Subtract from GNI things that lead to a lower quality of life and resource depletion • Add thing that enhance environmental quality and human well-being • Problem: how to determine the value of such environmental indicators

  36. External Costs • Costs not incorporated in the final consumer cost of product • Costs passed on to public and maybe future generations • Some quantifiable, some difficult to quantify • What segments “pay” more of these hidden costs?

  37. Internalizing External Costs • Consumer pays FULL cost of production of a product. • Preventing pollution more profitable than cleaning it up • Methods • Taxes for pollution • Regulations requiring pollution controls and of mitigation damaged environments • Eliminate subsidies for resource extraction • Problem: direct cost of many services and products would rise • Problem: Law of diminishing returns (graph 26.10)

  38. Environmental Worldviews • Based on person’s beliefs and values • “Facts” interpreted, conclusions reached based on worldview • Two basic worldviews: • Planetary management • Environmental wisdom worldview`

  39. Environmentally Sustainable Economic Development • Waste disposal • Biodiversity - protecting species • Resource Use (energy use) • Population growth

  40. How Stewardship Is Demonstrated • Recognition that a trust has been given. • Responsible care for something not owned. • Desire to pass something on to future generations.

  41. The next 50 years • What is each individuals role? • “Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed,it the only thing that ever has.” Margaret Mead

  42. How To Prevent a Global Version of the Easter Island Disaster • Understand how the natural world works • Understand how human and natural systems interact • Accurately assess the status and trends of crucial natural ecosystems • Establish long-term sustainable relationships with the natural world

  43. The Global Environmental Picture • Rapid human population growth and increasing consumption per person • Decline of vital life-support ecosystems • Global atmospheric changes • Loss of biodiversity

  44. Monitoring progress • GNI & GDP hide harmful environmental and social effects • Do not incorporate value that is not received from money spent (eg, energy inefficiency) • No inclusion loss of natural resources and natural capital

  45. Chapter 2

  46. Environmental philosophies • Conservationism • Preservationism • (Read: “How should …Conservationists” on 32) • Stewardship • “Modern” environmentalism • Globalism

  47. Conservationism • Pragmatic or utilitarian resource conservation • George Perkins Marsh • Man and Nature, 1864 • Warned of the ecological and economic consequences of “frontier” mentality

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