Environmental Science and Resource Management ESRM R100

1. Environmental Science and Resource ManagementESRM R100 Kevin Flint Wednesdays 4 – 6:50 P.M.

2. ? Billionsofpeople Black Death—the Plague Time Industrial Revolution Hunting and Gathering Agricultural revolution Fig. 1-1, p. 6

3. ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE Earth's Life-Support System Human Culturesphere Water (hydrosphere) Air (atmosphere) Population Size Worldviews and ethics Soil and rocks (lithosphere) Life (biosphere) Economics Politics Fig. 1-2, p. 7

4. A Path toSustainability NaturalCapital Degradation Individuals Matter Natural Capital Solutions Trade-Offs Sound Science Fig. 1-3, p. 8

5. NATURAL CAPITAL = NATURAL RESOURCES + NATURAL SERVICES NATURAL RESOURCES NATURAL SERVICES NATURAL RESOURCE SERVICES NATURAL SERVICES NATURAL RESOURCES Air purification Air Water purification Water Water storage Soil renewal Soil Nutrient recycling Land Food production Conservation of biodiversity Life (Biodiversity) NATURAL CAPITAL = + Wildlife habitat Nonrenewable minerals (iron, sand) Grassland and forest renewal Waste treatment Renewable energy sun, wind, water flows Climate control Population control (species interactions Nonrenewable energy (fossil fuels, nuclear power) Pest Control Fig. 1-4, p. 9

6. Percentage of World's 18 Population 82 0.1 Population Growth 1.5 85 Wealth and Income 15 88 Resource use 12 Pollution and waste 75 25 Developingcountries Developed countries Fig. 1-5, p. 11

7. Fig. 1-6, p. 11

8. Fig. 1-7a, p. 13

9. Fig. 1-7b, p. 13

10. Fig. 1-7c, p. 13

11. Environmental Footprint Survey Environmental Footprint Link

12. SOLAR CAPITAL EARTH Goods and services Heat Human Economic and Cultural Systems Human Capital Depletion of nonrenewable resources Degradation of renewable resources Natural Capital Pollution and waste Recycling and reuse Fig. 1-10, p. 17

13. 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 Fig. 1-11, p. 17

14. Fig. 1-12, p. 18

15. Trade-Offs Industrial-Medical Revolution Advantages DIsadvantages Mass production of useful and affordable products Increased air pollution Increased water pollution Higher standard of living for many Increased waste pollution Greatly increased agricultural production Soil depletion and degradation Lower infant mortality Groundwater depletion Longer life expectancy Habitat destruction and degradation Increased urbanization Lower rate of population growth Biodiversity depletion Fig. 1-15, p. 23

16. Solutions Principles of Sustainability How Nature Works Lessons for Us Runs on renewable solar energy. Rely mostly on renewable solar energy. Recycles nutrients and wastes. There is little waste in nature. Prevent and reduce pollution and recycle and reuse resources. Preserve biodiversity by protecting ecosystem services and habitats and preventing premature extinction of species. Uses biodiversity to maintain itself and adapt to new environ- mental conditions. Reduce human births and wasteful resource use to prevent environmental overload and depletion and degradation of resources. Controls a species’ population size and resource use by interactions with its environment and other species. Fig. 1-17, p. 25

17. Fig. 1-16, p. 24

18. Sustainability Emphasis Current Emphasis Pollution cleanup Pollution prevention (cleaner production) Waste disposal (bury or burn) Waste prevention and reduction Protecting where species live (habitat protection) Protecting species Environmental restoration Environmental degradation Less wasteful (more efficient) resource use Increased resource use Population stabilization by decreasing birth rates Population growth Protecting natural capital and living off the biological interest it provides Depleting and degrading natural capital Fig. 1-18, p. 25

19. More holistic Biosphere- or Earth-centered More atomistic Ecosystem-centered Biocentric (life-centered) Anthropocentric (human-centered) Instrumental values play bigger role Planetary management Intrinsic values play bigger role Self-centered Stewardship Environmental wisdom Fig. 26-2, p. 616

20. Environmental Worldviews Planetary Management • We are apart from the rest of nature and can manage nature to meet our increasing needs and wants. • Because of our ingenuity and technology we will not run out of resources. • The potential for economic growth is essentially unlimited. • Our success depends on how well we manage the earth's life support systems mostly for our benefit. Stewardship • We have an ethical responsibility to be caring managers, or stewards, of the earth. • We will probably not run out of resources, but they should not be wasted. • We should encourage environmentally beneficial forms of economic growth & discourage environmentally harmful forms. • Our success depends on how well we manage the earth's life support systems for our benefit and for the rest of nature. Environmental Wisdom • We are a part of and totally dependent on nature and nature exists for all species. • Resources are limited, should not be wasted, and are not all for us. • We should encourage earth sustaining forms of economic growth & discourage earth degrading forms. • Our success depends on learning how nature sustains itself and integrating such lessons from nature into the ways we think and act. Fig. 26-3, p. 617

21. Solutions Developing Environmentally Sustainable Societies Guidelines Strategies Learn from & copy nature Sustain biodiversity Eliminate poverty Do not degrade or deplete the earth's natural capital, and live off the natural income it provides Develop eco-economies Build sustainable communities Take no more than we need Do not use renewable resources faster than nature can replace them Do not reduce biodiversity Use sustainable agriculture Try not to harm life, air, water, soil Depend more on locally available renewable energy from the sun, wind, flowing water, and sustainable biomass Do not change the world's climate Emphasize pollution prevention and waste reduction Do not overshoot the earth's carrying capacity Do not waste matter and energy resources Help maintain the earth's capacity for self-repair Recycle, reuse, and compost 60–80% of matter resources Repair past ecological damage Maintain a human population size such that needs are met without threatening life support systems Leave the world in as good a shape as—or better than—we found it Emphasize ecological restoration Fig. 26-6, p. 622

22. Ask a question Do experiments and collect data Interpret data Well-tested and accepted patterns in data become scientific laws Formulate hypothesis to explain data Do more experiments to test hypothesis Revise hypothesis if necessary Well-tested and accepted hypotheses become scientific theories Fig. 2-2, p. 29

23. Relative Energy Quality (usefulness) Source of Energy Energy Tasks Electricity Very high temperature heat (greater than 2,500°C) Nuclear fission (uranium) Nuclear fusion (deuterium) Concentrated sunlight High-velocity wind Very high-temperature heat (greater than 2,500°C) for industrial processes and producing electricity to run electrical devices (lights, motors) High-temperature heat (1,000–2,500°C) Hydrogen gas Natural gas Gasoline Coal Food Mechanical motion to move vehicles and other things) High-temperature heat (1,000–2,500°C) for industrial processes and producing electricity Normal sunlight Moderate-velocity wind High-velocity water flow Concentrated geothermal energy Moderate-temperature heat (100–1,000°C) Wood and crop wastes Moderate-temperature heat (100–1,000°C) for industrial processes, cooking, producing steam, electricity, and hot water Dispersed geothermal energy Low-temperature heat (100°C or lower) Low-temperature heat (100°C or less) for space heating Fig. 2-13, p. 44

24. Mechanicalenergy(moving,thinking,living) Chemical energy (photosynthesis) Chemical energy (food) Solar energy Waste Heat Waste Heat Waste Heat Waste Heat Fig. 2-14, p. 45

25. System Throughputs Inputs (from environment) Outputs (into environment) Unsustainable high-waste economy High-quality energy Low-quality energy (heat) Matter Waste and pollution Fig. 2-15, p. 46

26. Inputs (from environment) System Throughputs Outputs (into environment) Energy conservation Low-quality Energy (heat) Energy Sustainable low-waste economy Waste and pollution Waste and pollution Pollution control Matter Recycle and reuse Matter Feedback Energy Feedback Fig. 2-16, p. 47