BIOL1410 Environmental Science Exam 1 Study Guide
chapter 1 – Science and Sustainability: An introduction to environmental science
What is environmental science
• Environment science is the study of how the natural world works, how the environment affects US, & how we affect it
How environmental science is interdisciplinary
Multiple academic discipline are included:
Natural sciences examine the systems of life
Social sciences address human interaction & institutions
Enviormentalis in is not scientific study rather a social movement dedicated to protecting the world
Natural resources
◦ Renewable natural Resource can replenish over short periods of time
◦ Non renewable natural resources are infinite supply - they form for more slowly then we use them
‣ Inexhaustible renewable natural resources
• Solar energy
• Wind energy
• Wave energy
• Geothermal energy
‣ Exhaustible renewable natural resources
• Fresh water
• Forest products
• Biodiversity
• Soils
‣ Non renewable natural resources
• Crude oil
• Natural gas
• Coals
• Minerals
Ecosystem services
What are they
Ecosystem Services are the benefits humans get from nature. They fall into four categories:
Provisioning Services: Resources like food, water, and medicine.
Regulating Services: Natural processes like climate control, air purification, and pollination.
Supporting Services: Basic functions like nutrient cycling and soil formation.
Cultural Services: Non-material benefits like recreation, spirituality, and aesthetics
Why are them important
They support life, boost economies, protect health, help regulate the climate, and maintain biodiversity. Without them, human survival would be impossible.
Population growth
Effects of agricultural and industrial revolutions
• During the agricultural revolution, people grew crops, domesticated animals, & settled in villages
• Industrial Revolution shifted to a urban society powered by fossil fuels.
Ecological footprints
• An ecological footprint express this consumption by the area of land & water needed to provide the resources a person consume or the waste they generate
Overshoot
an overshoot is surpassing earths capacity to sustainably support us
The scientific method
Hypothesis
a testable attempted explanation to the question called a hypothesis is generated
The hypothesis is used to a generate a prediction a specific statement that can be directly tested
Independent vs dependent variables
The variable that the scientist manipulates is called the independent variable
The variable that is directly affected by the independent variable is the dependent variable
The scientific process
Manipulative vs natural experiments
Definition of a scientific theory
◦ A theory is a broad explanation that joins many hypothesis & is widely supported
How theory can lead to a paradigm shift
• As morescientific knowledge is accumulated & interpretations may change
• Dominant scientific view is calleda paradigm
• A paradigm shift occurs when one of these views changes as a result of new ideas & evidence
Importance of sustainability
environmental science is sustainable away of living so that the earths resources can sustain us well into the future
◦ Conserving resources so they are available for future generations
◦ Developing long term solutions to environmental problems
◦ Maintaining long term solutions to environmental problems
◦ Maintaining our quality of life
Chapter 6 – Ethics, Economics and Sustainable Development
Costa Rica case study
In 1996, the government began paying farmers and ranchers to preserve forest on their land, replant cleared areas, allow forests to regenerate, and establish sustainable forestry systems
Why is the PSA program so successful?
The PSA program recognizes four valuable ecosystem services provided by forests:
▪ Cleansing of water and reduction of erosion.
▪ Richness in biodiversity.
▪ Scenic beauty, which attracts ecotourists.
▪ Carbon sequestration, where carbon dioxide is pulled from the atmosphere
Overall, the program has been considered highly successful.
▪ Forest cover rose from 17% in 1983 to 53% today.
▪ Real, inflation-adjusted income has risen 60%.
▪ 2 million tourists visit the country’s vast system of natural parks each year.
Culture and worldview
Culture is the knowledge, beliefs, values, and learned ways of life shared by a group of people.
▪ A person’s perception of the world and his or place within it is their worldview
How that affects our choices about the environment
Among the most influential factors that shape worldview are spiritual beliefs and political ideology.
▪ For example, your opinion on the role of government will shape whether you want it to intervene in a market economy to protect the environment.
▪ Shared cultural experience is another factor.
▪ Early European settlers to the Americas viewed the environment as a hostile force due to inclement weather and wild animals that destroyed their crops and livestock
Environmental Ethics
The application of ethical standards to the relationship between people and nonhuman entities is environmental ethics
Relativists
Believe that ethics vary depending on the context the problem
Universalists
Define objective notions on the right and wrong that holds across many cultures and contexts
Anthropocentrism
Human centered veiw nonhuman things are given little or no intrinsic value
Biocentrism
Ascribes intrinsic value to both human and nonhuman value
Ecocentrism
Judges actions based on their effects on ecological system including nonliving elements
Instrumental vs intrinsic value
Of something is valued for the pragmatic belief that it brings us has instrumental value
Something is believed to have a right to exist and is valuable for its own sake has intrinsic value
Environmental Justice
Involves applying a standard enviromental policy and practice to all regardless of their income, race, ethincity
Common examples
Protests in warren county north carolina over construction of a toxic waste dump in the county with the state’s highest proportion of African Americans
Construction of uranium mines on navajo lands
Latino farm workers experince health risk from pesticide fertilizer and dust exposure
Low income white americans in appalachia are exposed to air pollution from the coal mining and coal plans
African-American communities in New Orleans live in areas highly susceptible to flooding
Economy and economics
Economy -Social system that converts resources into goods and services
Econmics is the study of how people use potentially scarce resources to provide goods and services that are in demand
Classical economics
Self interested economic behavior can enifit society if its controlled is known as classical economics where under the right conditions, the market place will behave as if guided by an “invisible hand” to benefit society
Neoclassical economics
Describes a conflict between buyers (who want a low price) and sellers (who want higher prices)
Supply vs. Demand
The compromise is the result of supply( the amount of product offered for sale at a given price) and demand (the amount of product people will buy at that price)
Consequences
Neoclassical economics assumes that natural and human resources are either infinite or can be substituted easily when used up.
▪ Fossil fuels can be depleted.
▪ Soil, fish stocks, and forest products can be overexploited.
▪ Inexhaustible resources like water can become contaminated
Assumptions
External costs
External costs affect others besides the buyer and seller
Discounting
A third assumption in neoclassical economics is discounting; where future effects are granted less effect than ones in the present
Economic growth
The fourth assumption is that an increase in production and consumption in goods and services called economic growth is essential in maintaining social order.
Environmental Economics
Issues with the assumptions of classical economics has led to the field of environmental economics, where the goal is to attain sustainability within our economic systems.
Difficulty of assigning monetary value to non-market values
Ecosystem services are said to have nonmarket Values, meaning they are not part of the price of a good or service.
▪ Aesthetics, options, scientific, and educational values
are real even though we do not directly pay for them
Ecolabling
Ecolabeling is the practice of advertising sustainable practices on the labels of certain products to attract more consumers.
Greenwashing
Many businesses are “greening” their operations to reduce costs and attract more consumers. some corporate greening efforts are pursued mostly for public relations, and have little impact
Sustainable development
Sustainable development is a form of economic progress that maintains resources for the future.
Development describes the use of natural resources for economic advancement, not just survival.
▪ Improvements to quality of life
Triple bottom line
pursuing sustainable development means satisfying a triple bottom line of economic advancement, environmental protection, and social equity.
Social goals
Promote social equity, community well-being, fair labor practices, and human rights.
Economic goals
Ensure financial viability, ethical business practices, job creation, and sustainable growth.
Environmental goals
Protect natural resources, reduce pollution, promote energy efficiency, and support climate action.