Lily Dinkins Period 1 September 13, 2011 Dr. Mankiewicz APES CHAPTER 1 OUTLINE: I. Our Island, Earth A.

Our environment is the sum total of our surroundings 1. Environment: more then water, land and air, sum total of our surroundings (continents, oceans, ice caps, animals, plants, forests, farms, structures, urban centers, scientific, ethical political, economic and social relationships) not separate from nature 2. Biotic factors: living things 3. Abiotic factors: non-living things B. Environmental science explores interactions between humans and our environment 1. We alter our environment in many ways not yet understood 2. We change the environment for the better (longer life, better health, greater material wealth, mobility, and leisure time) and the worse (air and water pollution, soil erosion, species extinction, and risk to human life) 3. Environmental science: the study of how the natural world works, how our environment affects us and how we affect our environment, pursuit of knowledge about the workings of the environment and our interactions with it C. Natural resources are vital to our survival 1. Natural resources: the various substances and energy sources we need to survive 2. Some are renewable and some are nonrenewable 3. Over use can destroy even renewable resources D. Human population growth has shaped our relationship with natural resources 1. Population of the earth is around 6 billion 2. Agricultural revolution: first big population surge, 10,000 years ago, people began to grow their own crops, raise domestic animals, and live in one place, all led to more children surviving 3. Industrial revolution: second big population surge, less then 300 years ago, shift from rural life to urban societly powered by fossil fuels and improved sanitation and medical technology, more food and jobs leads to more people 4. Thomas Malthus: (1766-1834) British economist, believed that unless population growth is controlled by laws or social strictures, there will be too many people for the amount of food that is able to be produced, we need starvation, war and disease to control population, An Essay on the Principle of Population 5. Paul Ehrlich: modern day biologist, also believes that population growth with have disastrous effects on human welfare, The Population Bomb,

humans with unleash famine and conflict that will destroy civilization by the end of the 20th century, believes population growing to fast to sustain E. Resources consumption exerts social and environmental impacts 1. Garrett Hardin: Tragedy of the Commons, believed that all unregulated resources will be depleted, caused problems on ownership of resources 2. Ecological footprint: idea developed by Mathis Wackernagel and William Rees, the environmental impact of an individual or population in terms of the cumulative amount of land and water required to provide the materials needed and disposal space, according to them we are using 30% more resources then are sustainable F. Environmental Science can help us avoid mistakes made by past civilizations 1. Many past civilizations have failed due to loss of natural resources 2. Gives us the power to find the truth about the environment II. The Nature of Environmental Science A. Aim to understand earths natural systems, how humans influence, and are influenced by these systems, and how we can solve problems B. People vary in their perception of environmental problems 1. Many people have different views on what is an environmental problem 2. Based on age, gender, class, race, nationality, employment, and education (DDT example) 3. Closeness to problem changes your awareness C. Environmental science provides interdisciplinary solutions 1. Interdisciplinary: field that includes many different fields of science, borrows techniques from multiple disciplines 2. Natural science: disciplines that study the natural world & social science: disciplines that study human interactions and institutions D. Environmental science is not the same as environmentalism 1. Environmentalism: social movement dedicated to protecting the natural world and humans from undesirable changes brought by human choices 2. Study many of the same issues but do not attempt to remain objective in the same way III. The Nature of Science A. Science: a systematic process for learning about the world and testing our understanding of it, sorts fact from fiction B. The Scientific method is the key element of science 1. Scientific method: technique for testing ideas with observations, assumptions, and interrelated steps, a. assumes the universe functions in accordance with fixed natural laws that do not change from time to time or from place to place, b. all events arise from some cause or causes and in turn cause other events, c. we can use our sense and reasoning abilities to detect and describe natural laws that underlie that cause and effect relationships we observe in nature 2. six step process

a. make observations b. ask questions c. develop a hypothesis (an educated guess that explains a phenomenon or answers scientific question) d. make predictions (specific statements that can be tested) e. test the predictions i. experiment: and activity designed to test the validity of a hypothesis ii. variables: conditions that can change iii. independent variable: the scientist manipulates iv. dependant variable: changes due to experiment v. controlled experiment: scientists controls all aspects vi. control: unmanipulated point of comparison vii. correlation: a casual relationship between variables f. analyze and interpret results 3. There are different ways to test hypotheses a. manipulative experiment: proves strongest evidence but cannot always be used, scientist changes a variable b. natural experiment: no variables are changed, mostly observations, used in many fields involving humans and animals c. ecology: the distribution and abundance of organisms, their interactions with each other and their abiotic environment 4. Scientists in different fields research differently C. The scientific process does not stop with the scientific method 1. Work must be made accessible to community 2. Researches want their work to be peer reviewed but must watch out for bias 3. Present their work at conferences 4. Helps them obtain grants and money by showing off work 5. Work must be able to repeated by a different scientist 6. After all this, a hypothesis becomes a theory, more permanent D. Science may go through paradigm shifts 1. Often times paradigms, or dominant view are abandoned in favor of newer or more accurate ones 2. Everything we know might be inaccurate 3. So much still unstudied IV. Sustainability and the Future of Our World A. Population and consumption lie at the root of many environmental changes 1. Rise in human populations is effect the environment more then ever before & more resources used then ever before 2. 200,000 people added to the population every day but starting to slow 3. wealthier people = more demand on environment B. We face challenges in agriculture, pollution, energy and biodiversity 1. We have successfully expanded production of food but comes at cost of half the planet being used for agriculture, pesticides and chemicals harming natural systems, erosion, climate change, and irrigation destroy 5-

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7 million hectares of fertile land per year 2. Pollutions contribute to millions of deaths a year 3. Scientifically proven that human activity alters composition of atmosphere 4. Carbon dioxide up 31% since 1800s 5. ALL LEADING TO CLIMATE CHANGE 6. Animals fleeing natural lands 7. Biodiversity: biological diversity a. the cumulative number and diversity of living things is declining b. once a species is extinct nothing you can do about it c. according to Edward Wilson worst environmental problem solutions to environmental problems must be global and sustainable 1. all problems changed by globalization (increase of trade, politics, and immigration between nation) 2. Millennium ecosystem assessment a. Past 50 years have been most environmental change in history b. growing demand for food, freshwater, timber, fiber, and fuel c. irreversible loss in diversity d. substantial net gains in human well-being and economic development at the cost of degradation of ecosystems and exacerbation of poverty e. expected to grow significantly worse in first half of century f. to overcome this degradation significant changes in policies, institutions and practices are needed Fortunately, potential solutions 1. Impossible not to change environment 2. Many possible solutions: a. Scientists have promoted soil conservation, high efficiency irrigation, organic agriculture b. Us government has not adapted to more environmentally friendly procedures c. Recycling helping to relive waste d. Alternative renewable energy sources developed to take place of fossil fuels Are things getting better or worse? 1. Bjorn Lomborg believes things are getting better, because we are not running out of energy or less people are starving 2. Maybe we will find a way to make all natural resources meet our need indefinitely based on human ingenuity 3. Ask: whether impact pertain to humans or other organisms, Whether people are thinking in short or long term, whether they are considering all costs Sustainability is a goal for the future 1. Sustainability: how to live within our planets means so that earths resources will sustain us for the future 2. Not depleting natural resources and maintaining fully functioning ecological systems

3. Doesnt require large sacrifices 4. Sustainable development: the use of renewable and nonrenewable resources in a manner that satisfies our current needs without compromising future availability 5. Science helps us devise ways to limit our impact and maintain the functioning or environmental systems which we depend on V. Easter Island A. Island in the middle of the pacific ocean B. When found in 1722 fewer then 2,000 people living meager existence out of caves C. Huge statures everywhere which showed evidence of sophisticated civilizations D. Discovered that originally island was largely populated but cut down all trees which destroyed ecosystem, palm trees were extremely over used by the people and pollen level plummeted which led to lack of vegetation and soil erosion, E. Led to starvation and conflict F. Almost no bird species remain