The Environment & Society

Chapter 1, Section 2Environmental Science

Miss Napolitano & Mrs. Rodriguez

Supply & Demand

Law of Supply & Demand: as the demand for a good or service increases, the value also increases

Ex: oil production

Costs & Benefits

Environmental solutions are often costly

Cost-benefit analysis: balances cost of action against benefits expected

Ex: pollution control

Costly to industry, worth paying the price to a nearby community

Developed & Developing Countries

Differences in societies caused by unequal distribution of wealth & resources

Developed vs. Developing Countries

Developed Countries Developing Countries

Higher incomes Lower incomes

Slower population growth

Rapid population growth

Diverse industrial economies

Agriculture-based communities

Strong social support

Population & Consumption

Almost all environmental problems can be traced back to two main causes:

1. The human population in some areas is growing too quickly for the local environment to support.

2. People are using up, wasting, or polluting many natural resources faster than they can be renewed, replaced, or cleaned up.

“The Tragedy of the Commons”

Garrett Hardin: conflict between short-term interests of individuals & long-term welfare of society

Commons = areas of land that belonged to the whole village

Individual: put as many animals in the commons as possible

Too many animals = destroyed grass Destroyed grass = no more animals,

everyone suffers

“The Tragedy of the Commons”

Hardin: someone or some group must take responsibility for maintaining a resource or it will become depleted

Hardin’s point can be applied to our modern commons, natural resources

Humans can solve environmental problems by planning, organizing, considering the scientific evidence, & proposing a solution

Solution: override short-term interests of individual & improve the environment for everyone in the end

“The Tragedy of the Commons”

Local Population Pressures

Rapid population growth – not enough resources for everyone to live a healthy, productive life

Severe overpopulation = stripped forests, exhausted topsoil, & extinct animals

Causes malnutrition, starvation, & disease

Happens in developing countries – food production, education, & job creation cannot keep up with population growth

Each person gets fewer resources

Consumption Trends

Developed countries are using much more of Earth’s resources

Using 75% of resources, make up only 20% of population

Creates more waste & pollution per person

Ecological Footprints

Ecological footprints: calculations that show the productive area of Earth needed to support one person in a particular country

Eliminates land used for crops, grazing, forests, products, & housing

Includes ocean area (seafood) & forest area (absorbs air pollution from fossil fuels)

Expresses the differences in consumption between nations

Critical Thinking & the Environment

People on either side of an environmental issue can distort information to mislead people about the issue

Scientific research is often misinterpreted or oversimplified

When considering an environmental issue stance:

Be prepared to listen to many viewpoints

Investigate the source of information you encounter

Gather all the information you can before drawing conclusions

A Sustainable World

Sustainability: condition in which human needs are met in such a way that a human population can survive indefinitely

Key goal of environmental science!

Not unchanging – technological advances

Current world is not sustainable since developed countries are using resources faster than they can be replaced

Sustainable world requires participation from all