Chapter 1

Introduction:

Developing vs. Developed (Industrialized) Nations

Developing

Closely tied to environment

Adjust to environment

Developed

Detached from Environment

Make their own environment

More Travel

More informed with world events

Easter Island… Revisited??

Polynesians colonized the area between 400 and 800 AD

Area was abundantly forested

Deforestation caused erosion

Led to fish kills

Land was unsuited for agriculture

Workers revolted led to anarchy

I.Section 1.1

  1. 4 Global Trends of Particular Concern:
  2. Population Growth

a)Exponential

b)Demand for earth’s resources increases with affluence

c)How can earth support a doubling population and still increase standard of living?

d)Carrying Capacity (Draw graph)

  1. Degradation of Soils

a)Causes?

(1)______, ______, ______, ______

  1. Global Atmospheric Changes

a)Must consider global scale

b)Example: CO2 (see diagram pg 8)

(1)280 ppm in 1990

(2)370ppm in 1999

(3)Increase of 0.4% per year

(4)CO2 makes up 0.028% of atmosphere

(5)* So…the slightest change makes a big difference!! (fig.1.7)

  1. Loss of Biodiversity

a)Defined: diversity of living things (on earth, ecosystem, etc.)

b)Question: What happens when biodiversity is lost?

(1)

(2)

(3)

c)Biodiversity is decreasing because:

(1)Increase in habitat alteration

(2)Pollution

(3)Pressures for exploitation

II.Section 1.2 Three Unifying Themes

  1. Sustainability: can we continue without running out?
  2. Sustainable yield:

a)Can be continuous

b)Reproduction > death rates

c)Example: Forestry

(1)a spp. of tree takes 100 years to reach maturity. Cut trees in box 1 in year 1 and so on. By the time you get to box 100, the trees in box 1 will be ready to cut the next year. (draw here)

  1. Sustainable Society

a)one that lives in balance with the natural world for many generations by neither

(1)depleting resources

(2)exceeding sustainable yield

(3)producing pollutants in excess of nature’s ability to absorb them

  1. Sustainable Development

a)A form of development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs

b)Environmental vs. Development

(1)industrial countries are more concerned with environmental issues while developing countries are concerned with economic development. Why?

(a)More env education in developed nations

(b)Citizens of developing nations are more concerned with survival (economic and health)

c)3 Disciplines

(1)Socially Desirable

(a)-Equity

(b)-Empowerment

(c)-Social cohesion

(d)-Cultural identity

d)Economically Feasible

(1)-growth

(2)-efficiency

(3)-max. use of resources

e).Ecologically Viable

(1)preservation

(2)-live within c.c.

(3)-pollution solutions

***.Sustainable Solution- all three of these combined***

Draw sustainable solution graph here:

  1. Stewardship: ethical/moral framework that informs our actions
  2. Environmental Stewardship

a)We have a responsibility to present and future generations

b)We are responsible for caring for something that is not ours.

c)Env. Stewards: hunters, fishers, foresters Why?

d)Env. Racism:

(1)in US-> toxic waste in non-white neighborhoods, roads, etc.

(2)In World-> greater separation between classes,

(a) International debt

(i)low income countries borrow $ from wealthy countries and can’t pay it back

(a)govt uses it for weapons, ill fated projects (Kenya’s Irrigation system)

(b)Poor are most affected

(c)Should we wipe out their debt?

  1. Sound Science: The basis for understanding how the world works and how human systems interact with it.

A. Scientific Method:

Assumptions:

a)What we perceive is reality

b)Follow natural laws that are constant

c)Every result has a cause

d)Thru observation, manipulation, reason, we can discover laws of the universe

1. Observation

e)facts gained when confirmed by more than 1 observation

  1. Experimentation

a)setting up situations to make more cause and effect observations

  1. Hypothesis

a)educated guess

  1. Theories

a)a well est. understanding of how things happen

  1. Natural Laws or Concepts

B. Scientific Controversy (why?)

  1. New discoveries
  2. Difficult to say one thing is a cause

(1)Many vested interests

(2)Subjective judgments

C. Scientific Community

b)Number 1 authoritative source

c)A collective body

d)Journal Articles!!!! Know them…love them!

III.Environmentalism

  1. History:
  2. 1890 no area in US was uninhabited
  3. Early 1900’s: - National parks created

a)John Muir founded Sierra Club and popularized idea of wilderness

  1. Post WWI– env. crisis because of technology -> Dust Bowl
  2. Depression– conservation provided work for unemployed (1930-36)
  3. Post WWII- no limits on tech. No conservation.

IV.The Spotted Owl Controversy (pg 14)

  1. explain
  2. players:
  1. priorities of each player
  1. possible solution

V.Modern Env. Movement

  1. * Rachel Carson’s Silent Springs
  2. spoke of dire consequences of pollution
  3. Bald Eagles kill due to use and bioconcentration of DDT
  4. Early 1960’s – militant env. movement formed
  5. 1970’s – EPA formed

a)Green Peace

b)Numerous laws passed

  1. Stats: 70% of all US citizens say they are environmentalists

VI.Critics of Environmentalism

  1. In beginning, it was easy to see who the “Bad Guys” were
  2. Point Sources- specific producers of pollution
  3. Today we all contribute to pollution
  4. Diffuse Sources- innumerable small sources which no single person or agency is responsible for
  5. So…its impossible to place blame
  6. WE ARE ALL THE “BAD GUYS”