Chapter 1: Science and the Environment



Unit 1: Science and the Environment

This chapter presents an overview of environmental science and the history of humans in the environment. To solve environmental problems, we must be able to identify causes and describe solutions. This chapter also examines environmental science in a social and economic context.

Part 1: Understanding our Environment

Part 1 describes the fields that contribute to environmental science. It also explores the history of humans in the environment and discusses the major problems threatening the environment today.

OBJECTIVES:

1. Define environmental science, and compare environmental science with ecology.

2. List the 5 major fields of study that contribute environmental science.

3. Describe the major environmental effects of hunter-gatherers, The Agricultural Revolution, & The Industrial Revolution.

4. Distinguish between renewable and nonrenewable resources.

5. Classify environmental problems into 3 major categories.

KEY TERMS:

1. environmental science

2. ecology

3. environmentalism

4. agriculture

5. natural resource

6. pollution

7. fossil fuel

8. biodiversity

What is Environmental Science?

What is meant by the term environment, and what does it include?

Goals of Environmental Science

•

•

Environmental scientists study 2 things:

1.

2.

Environmental Science is an INTERDISCIPLINARY science. It encompasses many branches of science

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Scientists as Citizens, Citizens as Scientists

Environmental scientists are often asked to share their findings with the world.

-often after the observations of nonscientists – YES….THIS INCLUDES YOU!

What would be an example of an observation that you, as a citizen, would make which could lead to an environmental scientists coming to do further investigation?

ACTIVITY: “THIS ENVIRONMENT IS WORTH SAVING” POSTER

Our Environment Through Time

Humans have been altering the environment since we first appeared ______________ years ago.

The 3 major ways we have used the environment are:

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|Hunter-Gatherers |The Agricultural Revolution |The Industrial Revolution |

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Question for thought: Do you think that we are in a different revolution, which should be called the Informational Revolution, or are we still in the Industrial Revolution? Why do you feel this way?

WRITING ACTIVITY:

The Industrial Revolution has changed the standard of living of most of the people on Earth. But have all the changes associated with the Industrial Revolution improved our quality of life? Think about the different effects the Industrial Revolution has had on our environment as well as our quality of life. On a separate sheet of paper, make a list of the both the positive and negative effects of the Industrial Revolution. Once you have finished your list, write a short, persuasive essay stating whether or not the Industrial Revolution has been a good thing or a bad thing. Use examples from your list to support your argument. Please turn this in.

Spaceship Earth

Earth is a __________ system.

This means that only _________ from the sun can enter and only _________ can leave.

There are also problems associated with Earth being a closed system. They are:

•

•

There are environmental issues at the ___________, ____________, and ___________ levels.

The human population has grown faster than ever before. What are some reasons you think the human population has been able to continue to grow at such a high rate?

READING ACTIVITY: Gaia Hypothesis

What Are Our Main Environmental Problems?

Environmental problems are generally grouped into one of three main categories:

1.

2.

3.

Resource Depletion

Natural resources are either considered _______________ or _______________.

|Nonrenewable |Renewable |

|Resources |Resources |

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|A nonrenewable resource is one that __________ be re-made or re-grown at a|A renewable resource is one that _________ be re-made or re-grown in a |

|scale comparable to its consumption. |short period of time. |

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|Examples |Examples |

|Nuclear Energy |Solar |

|Nuclear fission uses _________ to create energy. It is _______________ |Energy from the _________. |

|because once the uranium is used it is __________! | |

| |Geothermal |

|Coal, Petroleum, and Gas |Energy from the ________ ________. |

|Coal, petroleum, and gas are considered _______________ because they | |

|cannot be _______________ in a short period of time. These are called |Wind |

|___________ ___________. |Energy from the ___________. |

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|How is Coal made? |Biomass |

| |Energy from __________ or living matter. |

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| |Water or Hydroelectric |

| |Energy from the _________ of water. |

|How are Oil and Gas made? | |

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The 3 main types of pollution are ______________, ______________, and _______________.

Pollution can adversely affect health, survival, and activities of ALL organisms.

Most pollution is produced by human activity. Consider air pollution.

There are 2 main types of pollutants:

1.

2.

CORNER ACTIVITY ABOUT POLLUTION

Remember that biodiversity is the variety of life in an area. When there are environmental problems, this biodiversity is negatively affected. Currently, there are hundreds of millions of species occupying this earth. However, ________% of the species that ever existed on earth are now ______________. This means that those hundreds of millions that are currently here only represent ____% of the organisms ever to live on earth over the 4.6 billion years that the earth has been here.

Why are the organisms we share the earth with considered natural resources?

List some things that you depend on other organisms for?

Why is it important that we preserve these organisms?

BIODIVERSITY PICTURE ACTIVITY

Part 2: The Environment and Society

Part 2 explores the relationship between economics and the environment and discusses the role of critical thinking in science.

OBJECTIVES:

1. Describe the “Tragedy of the Commons.”

2. Explain the law of supply and demand.

3. List three differences between developed and developing countries.

4. Explain what sustainability is, and describe why it is a goal of environmental science.

KEY TERMS:

1. law of supply and demand

2. ecological footprint

3. sustainability

It may seem easy that if there is an environmental problem that all an environmental scientist has to do is come in and solve it. However, there is much more to solving environmental problems than just that. We have to consider human societies. Things to consider about human societies are

1.

2.

3.

a.

We share some common resources like a park or the ocean. So then, how do we decide how to share common resources?

“The Tragedy of the Commons”

• An essay published in 1968, by ____________ ____________.

• He argued that there is a conflict between the ________-________ interests of individuals and the _________-________ welfare of society.

• He emphasized that are ____________ pressures on how we use our resources.

“THE TRAGEDY OF THE COMMONS” READING AND GAME ACTIVITY

Economics and the Environment

$33,000,000,000,000 ($33 trillion): this amount, according to one scientist, is the value of the products and services provided by the Earth’s ecosystems every year. Can you think of a list of services that Earth’s ecosystems provide? Think about the following questions.

Do economics play a role in environmental science?

Is the earth “worth something”? Is it valuable?

Why is money associated with ecosystems?

Do we pay for services or get them free? If they are free, are they really free?

What is the cost of using a service from the ecosystem?

Turn to page 35. Read the CENTRAL CASE. In a one paragraph response, answer the following prompt: “Describe how opening more factories in Tijuana became a cost for beachfront business owners in southern California.”

Supply and Demand (pg 37)

In addition to social pressures on how we use our resources, there are also ___________

pressures.

One basic rule of economics is the ___________________________________.

Look at Figure 1 on page 37. Answer the following questions:

1. What is the demand curve?

2. What is the supply curve?

3. In economics, the point where supply and demand are in balance is known as.________________.

Many environmental solutions have to take the relationship between supply and demand into account. If demand goes _______, supply goes __________.

Cost and Benefits (pg 37)

The cost of solving an environmental problem is also an issue. In order to determine how much it will cost to solve an environmental issue, a __________________________ will be conducted. This will determine whether or not the issue is actually “worth” solving. This cost can vary depending on who is actually conducting the analysis. Why do you think that is?

Risk Assessment

One of the cost of any action is the risk of an undesirable outcome. ________________________ is a major part of any cost-benefit analysis. Risk assessment is one tool that helps us do what?

Developed and Developing Countries

There is an unequal distribution of ___________ and ______________ around the world. These influence the environmental problems associated by a society and also influences the choices it makes about those problems. Because of this, countries are either ______________ or _______________.

Now close your book. With the person next to you, place the following descriptions in the proper column on the NEXT PAGE. You may want to write in pencil in case you mess up.

lower average incomes slower population growth stronger social support systems

rapid population growth higher average incomes diverse industrial economies

simple and agriculture-based economies

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|Developed Countries |Developing Countries |

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Population and Consumption

Almost all environmental problems can be traced back to 2 root causes:

1.

2.

Local Population Pressures

When the population in an area grows rapidly, there may not be enough natural resources for everyone in the area to live a healthy, productive life. What happens as people struggle for survival in these areas?

* *

* *

* *

Of the 4.5 billion people in developing countries, ____________________ have access to ______________, ________________, and __________________. What if you lived there?

Consumption Trends

Where is this a problem? In developed or developing countries? ___________________ Why?

People use up, waste, or pollute resources faster than they can be renewed, replaced, or cleaned up. Think about all the things you have used today. Can any of it be considered wasteful?

Ecological Footprints

• A way to express the differences in consumption between nations.

• It estimates the land used for crops, grazing, forest products, and housing.

• It includes the ocean area used to harvest seafood.

• It includes the forest area to absorb the air pollution caused by fossil fuels.

Determine your ecological footprint:



What are 5 ways you can personally reduce your ecological footprint?

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

Environmental Science in Context

Environmental problems are _______________.

They are not __________ to solve.

They can often be ______________ depending on who is conducting the survey.

It can be hard to balance a ___________ need vs. a need for __________ as a whole.

You have to think ______________ and _____________ about the issue.

ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES IN YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD CRITICAL THINKING ACTIVITY

A Sustainable World (pg. 21)

Most people want to live in a _______________ world.

o The main goal of environmental science.

o A world that is not ____________.

o Our world is ________ from sustainable.

o Society as a whole has to make decisions with this goal in mind.

o Achieving a sustainable world requires everyone’s ______________.

o Our environmental problems are _______________ and require careful ________________ and ______________.

Unit 1 Wrap-Up & Review

For each Main Ideas below, write down 1 supporting detail you learned from that particular idea.

➢ Environmental science is an interdisciplinary study of human interactions with the living and nonliving world. One important foundation of environmental science is the science of ecology.

o Supporting Detail: ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

➢ Environmental change has occurred throughout Earth’s history.

o Supporting Detail: ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

➢ Hunter-gatherer societies cleared grassland by setting fires & may have contributed to the extinction of some large mammals.

o Supporting Detail: ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

➢ The agricultural revolution caused human population growth, habitat loss, soil erosion, and the domestication of plants and animals.

o Supporting Detail: ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

➢ The Industrial Revolution caused rapid human population growth and the increased use of fossil fuels. Most modern environmental problems began during the Industrial Revolution.

o Supporting Detail: ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

➢ The major environmental problems we face today are resource depletion, pollution, & loss of biodiversity.

o Supporting Detail: ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

➢ “The Tragedy of the Commons” was an influential essay that described the relationship between the short-term interests of the individual and the long-term interests of society.

o Supporting Detail: ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

➢ The law of supply and demand states that when the demand for a product increases while the supply remains fixed, the cost of the product will rise.

o Supporting Detail: ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

➢ Environmental problems in developed countries tend to be related to consumption. In developing nations, the major environmental problems are related to population growth.

o Supporting Detail: ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

➢ Describing how sustainability can be achieved is a primary goal of environmental science.

o Supporting Detail: ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

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Environmental

Science

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