Environmental Science and Ecology: Human Impact, Revolutions, and Sustainability

Environmental Science

The study of the impact of humans on the environment.

Ecology

The study of interactions of living organisms with one another and with their environment.

Interdisciplinary

Many different fields contribute to Environmental Science (ex: biology

Hunter-Gatherers

People who collected plants

Nomadic

Early hunter-gatherer groups that moved from place to place.

Over hunting

Led some large animals to extinction.

Agriculture

The practice of growing

Agricultural Revolution

Started in many different parts of the World 10

Slash and Burn

A method of agriculture that replaces natural habitat with farmland.

Soil Loss

One of the consequences of replacing natural habitat with farmland.

Floods

A consequence of replacing natural habitat with farmland.

Water Shortages

A consequence of replacing natural habitat with farmland.

Industrial Revolution

A shift in the 1700s from using energy from animal muscle power and falling water to fossil fuels (coal

Quality of Life

Improved during the Industrial Revolution due to better sanitation

Closed System

The Earth is a closed system with limited resources

Human Population Growth

Both Agricultural and Industrial Revolutions allowed human population to grow faster than it did before.

Resource Depletion

Overuse of natural resources (naturally formed).

Renewable Resources

Resources that can be quickly replaced.

Nonrenewable Resources

Resources that are not replaced in our lifetime.

Pollution

Substances that are harmful to living organisms

Biodegradable

Substances that break down.

Non-degradable

Substances that do not break down.

Loss of Biodiversity

The loss of a variety of organisms

Natural Resource

Organisms that we depend on for food

Root Causes of Environmental Problems

The human population is growing too quickly for the environment to support and people are using up