Environmental Science

Von Lloyd L. Loren

ecology

• Derived from Greek Word “Oikos”• Oikos – “house or place to live in”• Interactions of organisms with one another

and with their physical and biological environment.

environment

• Sum of all external factors acting on an organisms like plants and animals, and the nonliving (abiotic) elements such as air, water, and soil.

ecosystem

• Refers to the living component, the environment and the interaction between and among them.

Environmental Science

• is defined as a branch of biology focused on the study of the relationships of the natural world and the relationships between organisms and their environments. An example of environmental science is the study of the natural world and how it relates to recycling and mulching.

What is the difference between ecology and environmental science?

• Although they both study issues regarding the environment, ecology and environmental science take different focuses on what they are studying.

• Environmental science focuses on the environment and how humans can manage and utilise its resources and the effects our actions have on the environment.

• Ecology on the other hand is purely interested in the interactions between the environment and living things. It may be concerned with human influence on the environment but most ecological research focuses on organisms other than humans such as plants, animals or microbial communities within the soil.

• Ecology can also be applied. Restoration ecology, for example, is an applied field of ecology.

• The lines can sometime be a bit blurred between the two disciplines.

“Natural change are healthy but human-induced changes like environmental disturbances cause damages in the

system.”

Philippine Agenda 21

• is part of the country's response to fulfill its commitments in the historic Earth Summit in 1992 where government and key sectors of society agreed to implement an action agenda for sustainable development, known as the Agenda 21.

HOLISTIC APPROACH

• REDUCTIONIST APPROACH – it is believed that understanding lower levels of organization, from atom to organization will enhance understanding of the larger levels.

• HOLISTI APPROACH – it consider the system as a whole of which should be analyzed for holistic parts, the interrelatedness of which should be analyzed for a holistic view.

ENVIRONMENTAL PRINCIPLES

EVIRONMENTAL EDUCATION

• Is the process by which people develop awareness, concern and knowledge of the environment and its diverse values and processes, and learn to use this understanding to preserve, conserve and utilize the environment in a sustainable manner for the benefit of present and future generation.

Main Goal of Environmental Education

• To develop an environmentally literate and responsible citizenry who shall ensure the protection of the Philippine environment in order to promote and implement sustainability, social equity and economic efficiency in the use of the country’s natural resources.

1. Interdependence/Interrelatedness

• Living things are interdependent with one another and with their environment.

2. Diversity and Stability

• Is believed that a diverse community is a stable community.

3. change

• Change in the community affects the different organisms within it. Natural change like this is healthy but human –induced changes like environmental disturbances wreak havoc in natural systems.

4. Balance of Nature

• Ecosystems are capable of self-maintenance and self-regulation.

5. Finiteness of Resources

• There are limitations and boundaries to utilization. Extraction of resources should be anchored on the concepts of sustainable development and wise utilization.

6. Pollution

• Is the undesirable accumulation of substances resulting in diminished quality and utility of a resource.

7. Stewardship of Resources

• Efficient management by maintaining a balance between population growth and resource use.

8. Sustainability

• Actions that address the needs of the present without compromising the needs of the future generations to meet their own needs are embodied.