1-3 What Is Pollution

1-3 WHAT IS POLLUTION

Pollution – contamination of the environment by a chemical, noise, or heat that is harmful to humans or other organisms .

POLLUTION TYPES 1. Point sources (smoke stack) 2. Nonpoint sources (water runoff) Preventing pollution is more

effective and less costly than cleaning up pollution.

1-4 WHY DO WE HAVE ENVIRONMENTAL PROBLEMS? Major causes of environmental

problems… Exponential population growth Wasteful and unsustainable resource use Poverty Failure to include environmental costs of

goods and services in market prices

Fig. 1-1, p. 1

Hunting and

gathering

Agricultural revolution

Industrial revolution

Black Death—the Plague

Industrial revolution Fig. 1-10, p. 16

?

2-5 millionyears

13

12

11

10

9

8

7

6

5

4

3

2

1

0

8000 6000 4000 2000 2000 2100B.C. A.D.

Fig. 1-12, p. 17

Number of people(% of world's population)

0.93 billion (14%)

1 billion (15%)

1 billion (15%)

1.1 billion (16%)

2 billion (29%)

2 billion (29%)

2.5 billion (37%)

Enough foodfor good health

Adequatehousing

Adequatehealth care

Clean drinkingwater

Electricity

Enough fuel forheating and cooking

Adequatesanitation facilities

Lack ofaccess to

ENVIRONMENTAL EFFECTS OF AFFLUENCE Harmful effects

High per-capita consumption and waste of resources – large ecological footprints

Advertising – more makes you happy Affluenza

Beneficial effects Concern for environmental quality Provide money for environmental causes Reduced population growth

DIFFERENT ENVIRONMENTAL VIEWS

Environmental ethics – beliefs about what is right or wrong with how we treat the environment.

Environmental worldview – set of assumptions and values reflecting how you think the world works and what you think your role in the world should be

ENVIRONMENTAL WORLDVIEW:

1. Planetary management worldview - people are separate from nature and we are in charge of it

ENVIRONMENTAL WORLDVIEW:

2. Stewardship worldview – people should manage the earth for our benefit but we have a responsibility to be caring and responsible managers

ENVIRONMENTAL WORLDVIEW:

3. Environmental wisdom worldview - we are part of and dependent on nature, nature exists for all species not just people

HOW CAN WE LIVE MORE SUSTAINABLY

Three Big Ideas:1. Rely more on renewable energy

like solar energy2. Protect biodiversity3. Do not disrupt earth’s natural

chemical cycles