miller/spoolman, living in the environment...
TRANSCRIPT
LIVING IN THE ENVIRONMENT 17TH MILLER/SPOOLMAN
CHAPTERS 1 and 25 Environmental Problems, Their Causes, and Sustainability; Environmental Worldviews
Welcome to the most important class you will ever take!
Wri0ng …
• What is “environment”? • What, then, is environmental science? • What do you think my expecta0ons will be for this AP course?
Defini0ons—Environment and Environmental Science
• From the French environner (to encircle or surround), environment can be defined as:
• (1) The circumstances or condi0ons that surround an organism or group of organisms;
• (2) The complex of social or cultural condi0ons that affect an individual or community.
• Environmental science is the systema0c study of our environment and our proper place in it.
• Because humans inhabit the natural world as well as the “built” or technological, social, and cultural world, all cons0tute parts of our environment.
Environmental Science Is a Study of Connec0ons in Nature (1)
• Environment: • Everything around us • “The environment is everything that isn’t me.”
• Environmental science: interdisciplinary science connec0ng informa0on and ideas from • Natural sciences: ecology, biology, geology, chemistry…
• Social sciences: geography, poli0cs, economics • Humani0es: ethics, philosophy
Wri0ng Exercise
• Iden1fy and describe the most pressing environmental issues of our 0me. • What’s in the news? • What are the “hot” topics in your hometown/state/country/region?
• Note: All free response ques0ons in APES require complete sentences. No bulleted lists, etc.
Environmental Science in the News
• At your tables, you will find a number of ar0cles I have clipped/printed from news media this summer.
• At your table, look over the ar0cles in front of you. • Anything interes0ng? • What makes this relevant to APES? • Comments about it?
• As a class, create categories of topics. That is, develop a system for classifying ar0cles into unifying categories. • Create names for each of your categories.
We face persistent challenges.
• Popula0on and consump0on: • 7+ billion people on earth, and adding 80 million more per year.
• Projec0ons: 8 to 10 billion by 2050; 11.2 billion by 2100 (most of increase in Africa)
• Climate change: • CO2 concentra0ons have increased 35% over past 200 years, leading to mean global temperature increases (which leads to increased air moisture, etc.)
• July 2015 the hofest month on record! • Hunger in some areas:
• 925 million people chronically undernourished.
We face persistent challenges. (cont.)
• Clean water • Energy: • Fossil fuels will run out.
• Loss of biodiversity: • Over past 100 years, 800 species have become ex0nct, and at least 10,000 species are considered threatened.
• The Sixth Ex<nc<on? • Air pollu0on: • Especially in developing na0ons. (China, India!) • U.S.: Clean Air Act has helped drama0cally.
CAA: Impacts
Direct benefits from the 1990 Clean Air Act Amendments are estimated to reach almost $2 trillion for the year 2020, compared direct costs of implementation estimated at $65 billion. About 85% of the $2 trillion in economic benefits are attributable to reductions in premature mortality associated with reductions in ambient particulate matter. In 2020, the CAA Amendments will prevent over 230,000 early deaths.
Report issued in March 2011, revised April 2011. For details go to http://www.epa.gov/air/sect812/prospective2.html
Core Case Study: A Vision of a More Sustainable World in 2060
• A transi0on in human altudes toward the environment, and a shim in behavior, can lead to a much befer future for the planet in 2060.
• Sustainability: the capacity of the earth’s natural systems and human cultural systems to survive, flourish, and adapt into the very long-‐term future.
Biomes
• The earth’s major biomes are characterized by a certain combina0on of climate and dominant vegeta0on, resul0ng primarily from differences in climate. Each biome contains many ecosystems whose communi0es have adapted to differences in climate, soil, and other environmental factors.
Fig. 7-7, p. 153
The Earth’s Major Biomes
Tree Iden0fica0on
Begin on Page 5
Environmental Worldviews
Which of these descrip0ons most closely fits your worldview? Which of them most closely fits the worldview of your parents?
People disagree about how far we should extend our ethical concerns. How far up this scale would you extend your own ethical concerns?
Chief Seafle (1786-‐1866): “The earth does not belong to us. We belong to the earth.” Do you agree or disagree with Chief Seafle’s view? Explain.
History of Environmentalism
• Since the Industrial Revolu0on began, we have greatly accelerated our environmental impacts.
• Stage 1: Resource waste inspired pragma0c, u0litarian conserva0on. • Na0onal forest reserves established in U.S. in 1873.
• U0litarian: not because they are beau0ful, but because forest products provide homes and jobs for people.
• Stage 2: Biocentric preserva0on • Fundamental right of other organisms to exist.
• Stage 3: Rising pollu0on leads to modern environmental movement.
• Stage 4: Environmental quality 0ed to social progress. • Sustainable development in developing regions.
Monarch Buferfly Migra0on
Pick one environmentalist; prepare a short report …
• Rachel Carson • John Muir • Teddy Roosevelt • Gifford Pinchot • Wangari Maathai • Barry Commoner • Aldo Leopold • Henry David Thoreau • Bill McKibben
• David Brower • George Perkins Marsh • Yu Xiaogang • Julia “Buferfly” Hill • Chico Mendes • Gaylord Nelson • Edward Abbey • Vandana Shiva • Chris0ana Figueres
Nature’s Survival Strategies Follow Three Principles of Sustainability
1. Reliance on solar energy • The sun provides warmth and fuels photosynthesis
2. Biodiversity • Astounding variety and adaptability of natural
systems and species 3. Chemical cycling • Circula0on of chemicals from the environment to
organisms and then back to the environment • Also called nutrient cycling
Three Principles of Sustainability
Sustainability Has Certain Key Components
• Natural capital = Natural Resources + Natural Services • Natural resources: useful materials and energy in nature • Natural services: important nature processes such as renewal of air, water, and soil
• Humans degrade natural capital. • Scien0fic and social solu0ons needed for environmental
sustainability.
Natural Resources: Renewable vs. Non-‐renewable
• What are some renewable natural resources?
• What are some non-‐renewable natural resources?
Some Sources Are Renewable and Some Are Not.
• Renewable resource • Several days to several hundred years to renew • E.g., forests, grasslands, fresh air, fer0le soil
• Sustainable yield • Highest rate at which we can use a renewable resource without reducing available supply
Some Sources Are Renewable and Some Are Not (cont.)
• Nonrenewable resources • Energy resources (e.g., coal and oil) • Metallic mineral resources (e.g., copper and aluminum)
• Nonmetallic mineral resources (e.g., salt and sand) • Reuse • Recycle • Note: Aluminum can be recycled over and over without breaking down. In
theory, we have an inexhaus0ble supply of it in circula0on right now. If we recycled all our aluminum, we’d never have to make more. Source: hfp://www.kandkrecycling.us/aluminum
1-‐2 How Are Our Ecological Footprints Affec7ng the Earth?
• Concept 1-‐2 As our ecological footprints grow, we are deple7ng and degrading more of the earth’s natural capital.
• Defini7on, ecological footprint: • The amount of biologically produc0ve land and water needed to provide the people in a region with indefinite supply of renewable resources, and to absorb and recycle wastes and pollu0on.
We Are Living Unsustainably
• Environmental degrada<on: was0ng, deple0ng, and degrading the earth’s natural capital • Happening at an accelera0ng rate • Also called natural capital degrada<on
Natural Capital Degrada0on
Fig. 1-9, p. 13
Pollu0on Comes from a Number of Sources • Sources of pollu0on
• Point sources • E.g., smokestack
• Nonpoint sources • E.g., pes0cides blown into the air
• Main type of pollutants • Biodegradable • Nondegradable
• Unwanted effects of pollu0on
Point-‐Source Air Pollu0on
Fig. 1-10, p. 14
Nonpoint Source Water Pollu0on
Fig. 1-11, p. 14
Ecological Footprints: A Model of Unsustainable Use of Resources
• Ecological footprint: the amount of biologically produc0ve land and water needed to provide the people in a region with indefinite supply of renewable resources, and to absorb and recycle wastes and pollu0on
• Per capita ecological footprint
• Unsustainable: footprint is larger than biological capacity for replenishment
Let’s calculate our ecological footprint.
• hfp://www.footprintnetwork.org • Resources … footprint calculator
• As you take the test, write down the areas where you are above average (worse) in terms of ecological footprint.
• Do you think you are living unsustainably? Explain. If so, what are the three most environmentally unsustainable components of your lifestyle?
#10 Small lifestyle changes
• Small lifestyle changes make a big difference. Find out more. • Many of us tend to ignore the small things we can do to
conserve energy and reduce carbon emissions because we don’t feel like we’re making a big difference. But small things add up. Energy efficient appliances use 2 to 10 0mes less energy for the same level of func0onality. Line drying clothes saves 3 to 4 kilowaf hours per load – about 5 pounds of carbon dioxide. Compact fluorescent bulbs use four 0mes less energy and last eight 0mes longer than incandescent bulbs.
#11 Sprawl and climate change
• More about sprawl and climate change • Carbon emissions are generally highest for households living
in newer suburbs. This is because spread-‐out suburbs require far more energy per person for public infrastructure, housing, and both personal and commercial transporta0on. Compact urban living is much less energy intensive. In rural areas, greater self reliance on local food, energy, and water resources and fewer short trips on congested roadways lead to lower energy requirements rela0ve to sprawling suburbs.
#12 Carbon offsets
• More about carbon offsets • A growing number of organiza0ons are helping consumers
calculate their carbon footprint and selling offsets that can make you, your car, or your en0re household carbon neutral. Carbon offsets typically sell between $4 and $40 per metric ton of carbon dioxide depending upon the type of offset and its effec0veness. The money is invested in projects that reduce carbon emissions including renewable energy, forest protec0on, and energy efficiency projects endorsed by leading conserva0on organiza0ons.
#13 Diet
• My diet and my footprint • A plant-‐based diet is significantly less land and energy intensive than a diet
with a high propor0on of meat, seafood, and dairy. A recent study found that a low-‐fat vegetarian diet needs 0.18 hectares per person per year while a high-‐fat diet with lots of meat needs 0.85 hectares because animals need so much more room. And because meat produc0on drives deforesta0on and requires high inputs of energy for processing and transporta0on, it also comes with a high carbon footprint price tag. Globally, it has been es0mated that up to 18% of all greenhouse gas emissions are associated with animal product consump0on.
#14 Food Miles
• Food miles, packaging, and where I shop • Two important variables affec0ng your food footprint are
food miles (or miles to market) and the amount of processing and packaging. If your food comes from far away – such as out of season produce imported from across the world – it requires lots of energy for transporta0on and refrigera0on. If it is highly processed and comes in copious paper packaging, it puts a strain on forests. Buying fresh local foods from farmers markets and other locally owned sources or natural foods markets reduces these impacts.
#17 Community gardens and local food
• The growing importance of community gardens and local food • Transi0oning from global to local food systems is one of the most
important challenges in the era of peak oil, climate change, and growing economic and poli0cal insecurity. Small scale food produc0on at the local level relieves the enormous environmental impacts associated with industrial agriculture and is an essen0al source of nutri0on for those in need. The Food Security Learning Center has found that community gardens – par0cularly those in underserved areas – address lack of access to fresh produce, making them a cri0cal piece of a community's food security. One study es0mates that home or community gardening can add $500 to $1200 worth of produce per year to a family's diet – a big difference for low-‐income families.
#19 Green buildings
• More on green buildings • Green buildings significantly reduce demands for energy,
water, and materials through ecologically sensi0ve si0ng, design, construc0on, opera0on, maintenance, and removal prac0ces – the complete building life cycle. Passive solar hea0ng, water efficient fixtures, recycled materials and other green design features can generate up to 30% in energy savings, reduce carbon emissions by 35%, reduce water use by 30 to 50% and save 50 to 90% in waste disposal costs.
#21 Water consump0on
• The footprint of water consump<on • Fresh water consumed in households requires energy for both
delivery and treatment. Household water use also takes water from other beneficial uses such as irriga0on or in-‐stream flow for fish and wildlife. All of these impacts increase a household’s ecological footprint, so saving water is a key strategy for footprint reduc0on. It has been es0mated that by installing water saving features and adop0ng water conserva0on habits such as those listed here, households can easily reduce their water footprint by 60% or more.
#22 Green cleaning supplies
• Why green cleaning products maTer • Products used to clean floors, carpets, bathrooms, and other building
elements omen contain harmful chemicals that can have serious human health effects and contaminate water supplies, fish, and wildlife if they are poured down drains, circulated through ven0la0on systems, or disposed of outdoors. Environmental damage can also occur during the development, manufacture, and transport of these products. Fortunately, biodegradable and non-‐toxic alterna0ves can significantly reduce or eliminate these impacts altogether while providing the same level of cleanliness.
#24 Planned obsolescence
• Planned obsolescence and our economic footprint • The faster we buy new items, the faster we deplete resources
and the more likely it is that we are exceeding the Earth’s regenera0ve capacity. Unfortunately, today’s economy is designed to convince us to buy omen and replace items that are in perfectly good working order. Planned obsolescence – the deliberate manufacturing of products to wear out quickly – adds to the problem. To counter this, we can try to repair things as much as possible and only buy products that are designed to last.
#26 Zero-‐waste society
• Towards a zero-‐waste society • Recycling our wastes has enormous environmental and economic benefits
in the form of reduced landfill space, fewer demands for raw materials, less energy consump0on, less air and water pollu0on, lower waste-‐disposal bills, and cheaper goods. Recycling one metric ton of paper saves 17 trees. It takes 40 -‐ 95% less energy to produce goods with recycled aluminum, glass, plas<c, or paper than it does to manufacture them with raw materials. Communi0es throughout the world are striving for zero-‐waste economies where the outputs from each resource use are turned into inputs for another use. Zero waste does not aim to simply manage waste, but eliminate its crea0on in the first place.
Founda0on of Environmental Literacy
• Natural capital mafers because it supports the earth’s life and our economies.
• Our ecological footprints are immense and are expanding rapidly. • Already, we have exceeded the earth’s es0mated ecological capacity.
• Ecological and climate-‐change 0pping points are irreversible and should never be crossed.
Two quota0ons for you: • Comedian George Carlin: “A house is just a pile of stuff with a cover on it. It’s a place to keep your stuff while you go out and get more stuff.”
• Paul Hawken: “When asked if I am pessimis0c or op0mis0c about the future, my answer is always the same: When you look at the science about what is happening on the earth and aren’t pessimis0c, you don’t understand the data. But if you meet the people who are working to restore this earth and the lives of the poor, and you aren’t op0mis0c, you haven’t got a pulse … This is your century. Take it and run as if your life depends on it.”
Paferns of Natural Resource Consump0on
Fig. 1-12a, p. 15
Paferns of Natural Resource Consump0on
Fig. 1-12b, p. 15
Total Ecological Footprint (million hectares) and Share of Global Biological Capacity (%)
Per Capita Ecological Footprint (hectares per person)
United States 2,810 (25%) United States 9.7
European Union 2,160 (19%) European Union 4.7 China 2,050 (18%) China 1.6 India 780 (7%) India 0.8
Japan 540 (5%) Japan 4.8
2.5 Unsustainable living
2.0
1.5 Projected footprint
1.0
Num
ber o
f Ear
ths
0.5 Ecological footprint Sustainable living
1961 1970 1980 1990 2000 2010 2020 2030 2040 2050
Year
0
Fig. 1-13, p. 16
Global Human Footprint Map
Supplement 8, Fig 7
Overexploi0ng Shared Renewable Resources: Tragedy of the Commons
• What is “The Tragedy of the Commons”? • Give an example used by Hardin.
• Explain how the Tragedy of the Commons appears in pollu0on problems.
• So what do we do about “The Tragedy,” according to Hardin?
IPAT is Another Environmental Impact Model
I = P x A x T • I = Environmental impact • P = Popula0on • A = Affluence • T = Technology
Fig. 1-14, p. 17
Less-Developed Countries
Consumption per person
(affluence, A) Population (P)
Technological impact per unit of consumption (T)
Environmental impact of
population (I)
More-Developed Countries
Cultural Changes Have Increased Our Ecological Footprints
• 12,000 years ago: hunters and gatherers
• Three major cultural events • Agricultural revolu0on • Industrial-‐medical revolu0on • Informa0on-‐globaliza0on revolu0on
• Current need for a sustainability revolu<on
1-‐3 Why Do We Have Environmental Problems?
• Concept 1-‐3 Major causes of environmental problems are popula7on growth, wasteful and unsustainable resource use, poverty, and exclusion of environmental costs of resource use from the market prices of goods and services.
Experts Have Iden0fied Four Basic Causes of Environmental Problems 1. Popula0on growth
2. Wasteful and unsustainable resource use
3. Poverty
4. Failure to include the harmful environmental costs of goods and services in market prices
Causes of Environmental Problems
Fig. 1-17, p. 20
Affluence Has Harmful and Beneficial Environmental Effects
• Harmful environmental impact due to • High levels of consump0on • High levels of pollu0on • Unnecessary waste of resources
• Affluence can provide funding for developing technologies to reduce
• Pollu0on • Environmental degrada0on • Resource waste
Poverty Has Harmful Environmental and Health Effects • Popula0on growth affected
• Malnutri0on
• Premature death
• Limited access to adequate sanita0on facili0es and clean water
Extreme Poverty
Fig. 1-19, p. 22
Prices Do Not Include the Value of Natural Capital
• Companies do not pay the environmental cost of resource use
• Goods and services do not include the harmful environmental costs
• Companies receive tax breaks and subsidies • Economy may be s0mulated but there may be a degrada0on of natural capital
1-‐4 What Is an Environmentally Sustainable Society?
• Concept 1-‐4 Living sustainably means living off the earth’s natural income without deple7ng or degrading the natural capital that supplies it.
Environmentally Sustainable Socie0es Protect Natural Capital and Live Off Its Income
• Environmentally sustainable society: meets current needs while ensuring that needs of future genera0ons will be met
• Live on natural income of natural capital without diminishing the natural capital
We Can Work Together to Solve Environmental Problems
• Social capital • Encourages
• Openness and communica0on • Coopera0on • Hope
• Discourages • Close-‐mindedness • Polariza0on • Confronta0on and fear
Individuals Mafer
• 5–10% of the popula0on can bring about major social change
• We have only 50-‐100 years to make the change to sustainability before it’s too late
• Rely on renewable energy • Protect biodiversity • Reduce waste and pollu0on
Wind Power
Fig. 1-24, p. 27
Plan0ng a Tree
Fig. 1-25, p. 27
Three Big Ideas
• 1. We could rely more on renewable energy from the sun, including indirect forms of solar energy such as wind and flowing water, to meet most of our hea0ng and electricity needs.
• 2. We can protect biodiversity by preven0ng the degrada0on of the earth’s species, ecosystems, and natural processes, and by restoring areas we have degraded.
Three Big Ideas
3. We can help to sustain the earth’s natural chemical cycles by reducing our produc0on of wastes and pollu0on, not overloading natural systems with harmful chemicals, and not removing natural chemicals faster than those chemical cycles can replace them.