Environmental Problems and Their Causes Population, Resources, Environmental Degradation, and...

Environmental Environmental Problems and Their Problems and Their

CausesCauses

Population, Resources, Population, Resources, Environmental Environmental

Degradation, and PollutionDegradation, and Pollution

What is The What is The “Environment”?“Environment”?

Environment - all external Environment - all external conditions and factors (living conditions and factors (living and non-living) that affects all and non-living) that affects all organisms organisms

What is The What is The “Environment”?“Environment”?

Two Major Components of the Two Major Components of the EnvironmentEnvironment

– Biotic - living organismsBiotic - living organisms

– Abiotic - non-living (chemicals, Abiotic - non-living (chemicals, energy)energy)

What is “Environmental What is “Environmental Science”?Science”?

Environmental Science - the Environmental Science - the study of how we and other study of how we and other species interact with one species interact with one another and with the abiotic another and with the abiotic environment of matter and environment of matter and energy energy

Sustainable LivingSustainable Living

All life on earth depends on All life on earth depends on two forms of capital:two forms of capital:

– Solar Capital - energy from sunSolar Capital - energy from sun

– Earth Capital - air, water, soil Earth Capital - air, water, soil wildlife, minerals, natural wildlife, minerals, natural recyclingrecycling


The “Environment” is The “Environment” is comprised of solar and earth comprised of solar and earth capitalcapital

Sustainability - the ability of a Sustainability - the ability of a system to survive for some system to survive for some specified (finite) timespecified (finite) time


Sustainable Society - a society Sustainable Society - a society that manages its economy and that manages its economy and population size without population size without depleting earth capital and depleting earth capital and thereby jeopardizing the thereby jeopardizing the prospects of current and prospects of current and future generations of humans future generations of humans and other speciesand other species


Sustainable Living - living off Sustainable Living - living off the income without depleting the income without depleting the capital that supplies the the capital that supplies the incomeincome

– $1 million capital @ 10% annual $1 million capital @ 10% annual interest = $100,000 annual interest = $100,000 annual incomeincome

Growth and Wealth GapGrowth and Wealth Gap

Linear (Arithmetic) Growth - Linear (Arithmetic) Growth - growth in which a quantity growth in which a quantity increases by a constant increases by a constant amount per unit of timeamount per unit of time

– Example: an automobile Example: an automobile accelerates by 1 mph every accelerates by 1 mph every secondsecond


Exponential (Geometric) Growth Exponential (Geometric) Growth - growth in which a quantity - growth in which a quantity increases by a fixed percentage increases by a fixed percentage of the whole per unit of timeof the whole per unit of time

– Example: an automobile doubles its Example: an automobile doubles its speed very second (1, 2, 4, 8, 16, speed very second (1, 2, 4, 8, 16, …)…)


Formula for Exponential Formula for Exponential (Geometric) Growth(Geometric) Growth

22nn

where n = time where n = time


Doubling Time - the time it Doubling Time - the time it takes for a quantity growing takes for a quantity growing exponentially to doubleexponentially to double

– Rule of 70Rule of 70– Doubling Time = 70 ÷ percentage Doubling Time = 70 ÷ percentage

growth rategrowth rate


Example of Doubling TimeExample of Doubling Time

– Annual global population growth Annual global population growth rate = 1.47%rate = 1.47%

– 70/1.47 = 48 years70/1.47 = 48 years

– Population will double in 48 yearsPopulation will double in 48 years


Human Population GrowthHuman Population Growth

Global PopulationGlobal Population Time (yrs)Time (yrs) 1 billion1 billion 1 million1 million 2 billion2 billion 130130 3 billion3 billion 3030 4 billion4 billion 1515 5 billion5 billion 1212


Environmental Impacts of Environmental Impacts of Exponential Human Population Exponential Human Population GrowthGrowth

– 73% of the habitable area of the 73% of the habitable area of the earth has been altered by human earth has been altered by human activitiesactivities


Economic Growth Economic Growth

– An increase in the ability of an An increase in the ability of an economy to provide goods and economy to provide goods and servicesservices

– The increase in the real value of all The increase in the real value of all final goods and services produced final goods and services produced by an economyby an economy


Gross National Product - Gross National Product - market value in current dollars market value in current dollars of all goods and services of all goods and services produced by an economy for produced by an economy for final use during a yearfinal use during a year

– Increasing GNP indicates Increasing GNP indicates economic growtheconomic growth


Economic growth achieved by Economic growth achieved by increasing throughput of matter increasing throughput of matter and energy resources used to and energy resources used to produced goods and servicesproduced goods and services

Increased throughput achieved Increased throughput achieved through population growth and/or through population growth and/or increased consumption per person increased consumption per person


Per Capita GNP - GNP divided by total Per Capita GNP - GNP divided by total populationpopulation

United Nations Classification of World’s United Nations Classification of World’s CountriesCountries

– Developed (MDCs)Developed (MDCs)– Developing (LDCs)Developing (LDCs)


MDCsMDCs

– 20% world’s population20% world’s population– Highly industrializedHighly industrialized– High per capita GNP (>$4,000)High per capita GNP (>$4,000)– 85% of world’s wealth85% of world’s wealth– Consume 88% of world’s natural Consume 88% of world’s natural

resourcesresources


MDCsMDCs

– Generate 75% of world’s pollutionGenerate 75% of world’s pollution– U.S., Germany, Japan account for U.S., Germany, Japan account for

> 50% of world’s economic > 50% of world’s economic output output


LDCsLDCs

– 80% world’s population80% world’s population– Low to moderately industrializedLow to moderately industrialized– Low to moderate per capita GNP Low to moderate per capita GNP – 15 to 20% of world’s wealth15 to 20% of world’s wealth– Consume 12% of world’s natural Consume 12% of world’s natural

resourcesresources


LDCsLDCs

– Account for 9 of every 10 babies bornAccount for 9 of every 10 babies born– Account for 98% of all infant and Account for 98% of all infant and

childhood deathschildhood deaths– 1 million people added every 4 days1 million people added every 4 days– 35% of population is under age 1535% of population is under age 15


Development - change from a Development - change from a society that is rural, society that is rural, agricultural, illiterate, and agricultural, illiterate, and poor with a rapidly growing poor with a rapidly growing urban population to one that is urban population to one that is mostly urban, industrial, mostly urban, industrial, educated, and wealthyeducated, and wealthy


The Wealth GapThe Wealth Gap

– Widening gap since 1960Widening gap since 1960

– Environmental ImpactsEnvironmental Impacts High population growth ratesHigh population growth rates Widespread urbanizationWidespread urbanization Resource depletionResource depletion Famine (~20 million people annually)Famine (~20 million people annually)

Resources and Resources and Environmental DegradationEnvironmental Degradation

Resource - anything we get Resource - anything we get from our environment to meet from our environment to meet our needs and wantsour needs and wants

Classification of ResourcesClassification of Resources– RenewableRenewable– Potentially RenewablePotentially Renewable– NonrenewableNonrenewable


Renewable Resource - a Renewable Resource - a resource that is virtually resource that is virtually inexhaustible on a human time inexhaustible on a human time scalescale


Potentially Renewable Resource - Potentially Renewable Resource - a resource that can be replenished a resource that can be replenished fairly rapidly (hours to decades) fairly rapidly (hours to decades) through natural processesthrough natural processes

– Sustainable Yield - the highest rate at Sustainable Yield - the highest rate at which a potentially renewable which a potentially renewable resource can be used without resource can be used without reducing its available supply reducing its available supply


Potentially Renewable Resource - a Potentially Renewable Resource - a resource that can be replenished resource that can be replenished fairly rapidly (hours to decades) fairly rapidly (hours to decades) through natural processesthrough natural processes

– Environmental Degradation - Environmental Degradation - depletion or destruction of a depletion or destruction of a potentially renewable resource by potentially renewable resource by using it faster than it is naturally using it faster than it is naturally replenishedreplenished

UseUse RenewalRenewal

Sustainable YieldSustainable Yield

The Sustainable Yield “Teeter-The Sustainable Yield “Teeter-Totter”Totter”

Environmental Environmental DegradationDegradation

RenewalRenewal

UseUse


Nonrenewable Resource - a Nonrenewable Resource - a resource that exists in a fixed resource that exists in a fixed amount in various places in the amount in various places in the earth’s crust and has the earth’s crust and has the potential for renewal only by potential for renewal only by geological, physical, and geological, physical, and chemical processes taking chemical processes taking place over hundreds of millions place over hundreds of millions to billions of yearsto billions of years


Nonrenewable ResourceNonrenewable Resource

– Economical Depletion - occurs Economical Depletion - occurs when the cost of exploiting the when the cost of exploiting the resource exceeds it economic resource exceeds it economic valuevalue



– Options to deal with economical Options to deal with economical depletiondepletion

RecyclingRecycling ReuseReuse Waste lessWaste less Use lessUse less Develop a substituteDevelop a substitute



– Recycling - collecting and Recycling - collecting and processing a resource into new processing a resource into new productsproducts

– Reuse - using a resource over and Reuse - using a resource over and over in the same formover in the same form

PollutionPollution

Pollution - an undesirable Pollution - an undesirable change in the characteristics of change in the characteristics of air, water, soil, food that can air, water, soil, food that can adversely affect health, adversely affect health, survival, and activities of living survival, and activities of living organismsorganisms

PollutionPollution

Sources of PollutionSources of Pollution

– Point SourcesPoint Sources– Non-point SourcesNon-point Sources

PollutionPollution

Factors Determining the Factors Determining the Harmfulness of PollutantsHarmfulness of Pollutants

– Chemical Nature Chemical Nature – ConcentrationConcentration– PersistencePersistence

PollutionPollution

Solutions to Pollution Solutions to Pollution

– Input Pollution ControlInput Pollution Control Pollution prevention strategy based Pollution prevention strategy based

on:on:– ReduceReduce– ReuseReuse– RecycleRecycle

PollutionPollution

Solutions to Pollution Solutions to Pollution

– Output Pollution ControlOutput Pollution Control Pollution cleanup strategyPollution cleanup strategy Problems:Problems:

– Often a temporary bandageOften a temporary bandage– Removes pollutant from one area and Removes pollutant from one area and

transfers it to another areatransfers it to another area– Often too expensive to reduce pollutants Often too expensive to reduce pollutants

to acceptable levelsto acceptable levels

Environmental Problems and Their Causes Population, Resources, Environmental Degradation, and...

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