Environmentalism Is a social movement dedicated to protecting life support systems for all species. D. Life and economies depend on solar capital (energy from the sun) and natural capital (Earth''s resources and ecological services). 1. Capital is wealth; solar capital/ energy creates renewable energy such as wind power, hydropower from flowing water, and biomass that is solar energy that has been changed to chemical energy and stored, in a biological form, such as wood. 2. Natural capital includes natural resources such as air, water, soil, wildlife, minerals, etc. and natural services a.
Biological income from fish, grasslands, and underground water can be sustained, IF we don''t deplete it. b. Man, as a newcomer species is endangering quality of life from us and other species. Natural Capital = Natural Resources + Natural Services E. Man must protect our solar and natural capital and live off the resources they provide. 1. For an environmentally sustainable society we must not compromise the needs of future generations. 2. One view is that man must live sustainably by eliminating waste and discontinuing the depletion and degradation of resources. 3.
A different view is that man can overcome these problems with ingenuity, economic growth, and technology. F. Sustainability The ability of the Earth''s various natural systems and human cultural systems and economies to survive and adapt to changing environmental conditions indefinitely. 1 . A shift towards sustainability for a society ultimately depends on the actions of individuals within that society. 2. Living sustainably means living off natural income. How can environmentally sustainable societies grow economically? A. Population Growth Human population growth continues to be more rapid than the earth can support.
About 211,000 people per day Exponential Growth B. Economic growth provides people with the goods and services needed. 1. Gross domestic product (GDP), also called gross national income (GNI), is the market value for goods and services produced within a country. 2. Standard of living is the GDP divided by the total population at midyear. 3. Changes in economic growth: measured by per capita GDP Comparison of Developed and Developing Countries, 2008 developed countries have high industrialization and high per capita income. Developing countries have moderate to low income, they represent about 97% of the projected increase in world population. Economic developments reflect good and bad economic news. Poverty produces harmful environmental effects. Soil, water, and forests are depleted. Pollution levels are high. Infant mortality rate is 8X higher than in developed countries. Wages are very low with poor working conditions as the norm. 2. Developed countries enjoy a higher standard of living, including: A longer life expectancy, A decrease in infant mortality, Greater food production than food needs, Decreased air and water pollution, A decrease in poverty overall D. Globalization leads to a world socially, economically, and environmentally more interconnected. 1.
Technology, international trade, and human mobility allow people to interact with others. 2. Environmentally sustainable development rewards sustainable activities and discourages harmful activities. How are our ecological footprints affecting the Earth? A. Resources A resource is anything obtained from the environment to meet our needs . B. Ecological Resource Anything required by an organism for normal maintenance, growth, and reproduction Ex. Food, water, shelter, and habitat C. Economic Resource Anything obtained from the environment to meet human needs and wants Food, Water , Shelter, Transportation, Communication, Recreation D.
Renewable (Perpetual) resources - resources that can be replaced rapidly through natural processes. Examples: direct solar energy, winds, tides, and flowing water E. Potentially renewable resources - resources that can be replaced rapidly through natural processes. Examples: fresh air, fresh water, fertile soil, plants and animals (biodiversity). F. Biodiversity 1 . Genetic biodiversity - varies in the genetic make-up among individuals within a single species. 2. Species diversity - variety among the species or distinct types of living organisms found in different habitats of the planet. 3.
Ecological diversity - variety of forests, deserts, grasslands, streams, lakes, oceans, wetlands, and other biological communities. G. Renewable resources must not be used up faster than they are able to be replaced Ex. Grasslands, fresh water, air, fertile soil, etc. H. Sustainable yield - the highest rate at which a potentially renewable resource can be used indefinitely without reducing its available supply. l. Environmental degradation occurs when the use of resources exceeds the rate at which it can be replaced. Degradation of Normally Renewable Natural Resources and Services J. Non- Renewable Resource
Resource that exist in a fixed quantity in the earth''s crust can be completely used up on the human time scale. Examples: energy resources (oil, coal, natural gas, etc. ), metallic mineral resources (copper, iron, aluminum, etc. ), and nonmetallic minerals (salt, clay, sand, phosphates, etc. ) L. Solutions for an economically depleted resource, which include: Trying to find more of the resource the resource in the same form Reduce - Produce less -> waste less (MOST ENERGY EFFICIENT) Reuse - using a resource over and over in the same form Recycling - collecting and reprocessing a resource into a new product (LEAST ENERGY
EFFICIENT) Reserves - known deposits from which a useable mineral can be profitably extracted at current process More solutions... Trying to develop a substitute for the resource Waiting millions of years for more to be produced M. Property or Resource Rights Three types of property or resource rights 1. Private property Individuals/firms own the rights to the land, minerals, or other resources. 2. Common property Large groups of individuals own the rights to certain resources 3. Open access renewable resources Owned by no one and available for use by anyone at little or no charge (clean air, nderground water supplies, open ocean) N.
Tragedy of the Commons Describes the overuse of degradation of freely available resources. Ex. Ocean pollution, abuse of national parks, air pollution, etc. No one individual owns these free-access resources. Possible Solutions... 1. Limiting access to these resources is one possible way to protect them. Possible Solutions... 2. Reducing the population might also allow these resources to be used below estimated sustainable yields. Possible Solutions... 3. Converting free-access resources to private ownership is another possible means to protect them. Private owners may not actually protect the resources.
Global resources such as oceans, air, migratory birds cannot be divided up and made private property. Access to the resources is eliminated/reduced for many people 4. Governments have laws and treaties that regulate access to commonly owned resources. O. Ecological Footprint What is our ecological footprint, our impact on the environment? 1. The per capita ecological footprint is the biologically productive land and water needed to supply renewable resources and absorb waste for each individual. 2. Currently each persons ecological footprint is 20% greater than can be sustained ndefinitely.
As a result, we have polluted air and water, waste overload, poorer health, less biodiversity, etc. 3. We need four more planet Earths to meet the consumption levels of the U. S. What is pollution and what can we do about it? A. Pollution Pollutants are chemicals at high enough levels in the environment to harm people or health, survival or activities of humans or other living organisms. Where do pollutants come from, and what are their harmful effects? 1 . Pollution enters the environment through natural (volcanic eruption) or anthropogenic activities (burning coal).
Pollution tends to occur in or near urban and industrial areas. Where do pollutants come from, and what are their harmful effects? 2. Point sources Single, identifiable sources Examples: automobiles (tail pipe), industrial plants (smoke stack) Where do pollutants come from, and what are their harmful effects? 3. Non-point sources Dispersed and difficult to identify. Examples: 1. Pesticides sprayed into the air may be carried from their source. 2. Fertilizer runoff enters streams away from the source. Where do pollutants come from, and what are their harmful effects? 4. Types of pollutants Biodegradable pollutants
Harmful materials that can be broken down by natural processes Non-degradable Harmful materials that cannot break down. Where do pollutants come from, and what are their harmful effects? 5. Three unwanted effects of pollutants: a. They can disrupt or degrade life-support systems of any organism. b. They damage human health, wildlife, and property. c. They can produce nuisances in noise, smells, tastes, and sights. Harmful Impacts of Pollutants 6. Three factors determine how severe the harmful effects of pollution are: a. Chemical nature - how active and harmful it is to living organisms b. Concentration - the amount per unit of volume. Persistence (degradability) - how long it stays in the air, water, soil, or body. Air quality : Pollutants/lmpact Solutions : What can we do about pollution? 7. We have two basic approaches to pollution a. Pollution prevention/lNPUT pollution control - reduces or eliminates the production of pollutants b. Pollution cleanup/OUTPUT pollution control - cleans up or dilutes pollutants after they have been produced. 8. Three major problems with pollution Clean-up a. Temporary - without long term pollution control technology (ex. Catalytic converter) b. Usually transfers a pollutant to another location (ex.
Burning garbage/ burying it) c. Too Costly- it is expensive to reduce pollution to an acceptable level. Prevention is less expensive in the long run. Pollution for thought... Currently 99% of government spending goes to clean-up and only 1% to prevention Why do we have environmental problems? Poverty causes people to use potentially renewable resources unsustainable for short-term survival. People live in areas with a greater risk of natural disasters. People generally work in unsafe and unhealthy conditions for low wages. Life expectancy is reduced There are no government sponsored health plans or retirement plans.
Problem 3: Pove rty People die from preventable causes, Malnutrition, Normally non fatal infectious disease, Lack of clean drinking water, Respiratory problems Affluence Affluence is the addiction to over consumption of material goods. Symptoms include - High debt, Declining health, Increased stress, More bankruptcies Solutions include - Admitting the problem, Shopping less, , Avoiding mallsShopping addicts Affluence of developed countries can lead to... Environmental improvements, Money is available for technological improvements, Compared to 1970, air and water are cleaner Money was spent on environmental mprovements.
Is our present course sustainable? Environmental news centers on improvements in the quality of life and protecting the environment. But, there are many serious problems not addressed and/or ignored. Is our present course sustainable? If degradation of the environment is not halted, sustainable development is not possible. 1. The technological optimists tell us not to worry. 2. Environmental pessimists see the problem as hopeless. Environmental Worldviews and Sustainability Environmental worldviews - how people think the world works, what they think their ole in the world should be, and what they see as right and wrong environmental behavior.
The basic planetary management beliefs of the world... 1. We are the Earth''s most important species, and we are in charge of the rest of nature. 2. There is always more. Planetary Management 3. All economic growth is good, more economic growth is better, and the potential for economic growth is essentially limitless. The basic earth-wisdom worldview beliefs of the world... (Stewardship) 1. Nature exists for all of the Earth''s species, not just for people. 2. There is not always more. Earth Wisdom Worldview 3.
Some forms of economic growth are environmentally beneficial and should be encouraged, but some are environmentally harmful and should be discouraged. 4. Our success depends on learning to cooperate with one another and with the rest of nature to learn how to work with the earth. The key to creating a sustainable society: Earth Wisdom - Learning as much as we can about how Earth sustains itself and adapts to ever-changing environmental conditions and integrating such lessons Four Scientific Principles of Sustainability To live more sustainably, we must: 1. Identify how the earth has sustained itself 2.
Apply this information to our lifestyles and economies. 3. Use economic rewards to encourage more sustainable forms of economic growth. 4. Use economic penalties to discourage unsustainable forms of economic growth Current Population Change comes from dedicated, committed people; 5-10% ofa population can bring major social change. Guidelines for working with the Earth: 1. Never leave the earth worse than you found it 2. Take only what you need 3. Dono harm 4. Sustain diverse living organisms. 5. Maintain earth''s capacity for self-repair and adaptation. 6. Do not waste; do not pollute 7. Decrease population; reduce poverty
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