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OUR PLANETOUR PLANET

Unit 1Unit 1--1a1a

What is EnvironmentalWhat is Environmental

Science?Science?

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How Do You Affect The World?

Environmental Science Studies the impact of humanactivities on the environment; It includes

Biology The study of living organisms

Chemistry Studies chemical interactions Physics Studies matter and energy

Earth Science Studies our planets non-living systems

Social Sciences The study of human populations

The goal of environmental science is to improve societyby understanding how we interact with the environment.

What types of environmental problems

have you recently heard about?

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Prehistoric Homo Sapiens

Our modern society had a very humble beginning

Hunter-Gatherers Early people collected plants andhunted animals for almost 200,000 years, driving somespecies to extinction

It was a difficult, nomadic lifesince people had to follow herdsand search for crops until thedevelopment of

Agriculture The ability to grow and breed plants whichallowed for the creation of settlements & domestication ofanimals over 10,000 years ago; Since then we learned

Poor farming practices will eventually ruin the land!

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When Did Environmental Science Begin?

Agriculture sustained society until about 200 years ago,when people used fossil fuel energy instead of human andanimal power. This began the

Industrial Revolution Using

fossil fuels and machinery to producegoods & services that improve ourquality of life (but at a cost)

All three stages in societys

development have created seriousenvironmental problems leading tothe need for environmental science.

What actions are being taken now to ensure

our planet is healthy for future generations?

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Current Threats to Our World

Resource Depletion Non-renewable natural resourcesare being used faster than they can be replenished

Ex: Metals, Minerals, and Fossil Fuels

Pollution Undesirable changesin our environment

Ex: Ozone, Sewage & Styrofoam

Loss of Biodiversity The number

and variety of species across theglobe are decreasing

If life is so simple to maintain on Earth, then why wasthe two-year experiment in Biosphere 2 such a failure!

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How Long Can The Earth Last?

With over 6 billion people living on Earth

Environmental scientists are working everydayto discover new ways to improve society

while ensuring the environment is protected!

Some people thinkof our planet as aspaceship, travelingthrough space witha limited amountof supplies and anincreasing amount

of waste.

Others think ofour planet as a

lifeboat that canonly support a

limited number ofpeople before its

overburdened

and sinks.

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Close Your Notebooks

What have you learned in this unit?1. Describe the five major fieldsthat make up environmental science.

2. What is the primary goal of

environmental scientists?

3. Describe the life of a personliving in a hunter-gatherer society.

4. What elements of society weremade possible by the developmentof agriculture?

5. What are some benefits anddrawbacks to the industrial revolution.

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OUR PLANETOUR PLANET

Unit 1Unit 1--1b1b

The EnvironmentThe Environment

and Societyand Society

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How Do We Protect The Environment?

Because most of what is consider to be the environmentis not privately owned, we create

Tragedy of the Commons People will take advantage ofpublic resources for short-term gain

Ex: In a public field, farmers lettheir sheep overgraze becauseIf I dont use the resources,then someone else would.

Once property became private,farmers used their land better.

What would happen to a set of I-Pods if the schoolprovided them for classes to share during gym?

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Who Owns the Environment?

In our world, the distribution of resources is not equal,creating regions of the haves and haves-nots.

Developed Countries Those that have resources andindustry to support social programs and personal wealth

Ex: United States, Japan, England & AustraliaDeveloping Countries Have less resources & low incomesEx: Most of South America, Africa & Eastern Asia

Countries build their wealth &economies based upon the

Law of Supply and Demand The greater the demand foralimited supply of something, the more it is worth

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At What Cost?

The problem now is developed countries are using theworlds resources to support an extravagant quality of life!

Its evident in

Sweatshops

Imported oil

E-waste in Asia

Ecological Footprint Shows the area of Earth needed tosupport one persons lifestyle in a particular country

The average person in the U.S. needs about twiceas much land & sea compared with a person from

Japan, Germany, France or the Netherlands.

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The Answer Is

Sustainability The condition in which human needs aremet so that the human population can survive indefinitely

We are a long way off from sustainability sowhat ideas do you have for

Conserving non-renewable resources,such as metals and oil

Reducing pollution

Improving the environmentfor all living things on Earth

Throughout this course you willlearn how you affect the world

and how your environment affects you!

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Close Your Notebooks

What have you learned in this unit?1. What does the tragedy of the commons explain?

2. List four characteristics fora developed country.

3. Where are most developingcountries found in the world?

4. Explain why developed countriesmight be unable to maintaintheir current quality of life.

5. How does sustainability relateto a hotel built upon the moon?