What is Environmental Science?

• It is a science revealing the relationship between human activities and the environment.

• It explores the effects of environmental changes on human survival and the laws of environmental evolution.

• It researches the technical and management measures to comprehensively prevent and control regional environmental pollution.

What are the Three Environmental Processes?

• Physical Processes

  • Processes shaping and influencing Earth’s physical features, creating constant change

  • Examples: Tectonic Plate Movement, Wind and Water Erosion

• Biological Processes

  • Processes sustaining balance in ecosystems and are vital for organisms to function

  • Examples: Photosynthesis and Hybridization of Plants, Stimuli Response, Transpiration, Reproduction

• Chemical Processes

  • Processes producing or converting new chemical substances essential to humans and the environment

  • Examples: Digestion, Combustion, Osmosis, Phase Changes, Plastic Decomposition, Oil Spills, Acid Rain, Global Warming

What Topics Make Environmental Science Interdisciplinary?

• Species Restoration

  • What should be the reason behind efforts for the restoration of a species’ population?

  • What would be our benefits if certain species will be saved from extinction?

• Resource Management

  • The sustainable utilization of major natural resources (land, water, air, minerals, forests, fisheries, and wild flora and fauna).

  • Resources → Ecosystem Services

    • Provisioning Services

      • Direct Products of an Ecosystem

      • Examples: Food, Water, Oxygen

    • Regulating Services

      • Processes Regulating Natural Systems

      • Examples: Aquifers and Wells, Pollination, Photosynthesis

    • Cultural Services

      • Non-Material Benefits Contributing to the Development and Cultural Advancement of Peoples

      • Example: Aesthetic Inspiration, Cultural Identity, Recreation, Spiritual Experience

    • Supporting Services

      • Life-supporting Processes

      • Example: Photosynthesis, Water Cycle

• Environmental Laws

  • How many environmental laws are there in the Philippines?

  • Are environmental laws properly enforced? Do they have any flawed provisions?

• Sustainability

  • Environment

  • Economy

  • (Social) Equity

What are the Important Steps of the Scientific Method?

• Observation

  • Asking Question(s)

  • Can be observed by any of the five senses (sight, sound, smell, touch, taste)

• Research (using reliable sources in learning background information)

• Hypothesis

  • Predicting what will occur in an experiment

  • “If…then…”

• Experiment and Data Collection

  • Types of Data

    • Qualitative Data (Descriptions)

    • Quantitative Data (Numbers)

  • Types of Variables

    • Independent Variable (changeable)

    • Dependent Variable (measurable)

  • Types of Experiment Groups

    • Experimental Group (one independent variable altered)

    • Control Group (all other groups are compared to this)

• Data Analysis

• Draw Conclusions

• Share Results

What are the Characteristics of Pseudoscience?

• What is Psychobabble?

  • These are words sounding scientific but are used incorrectly or misleadingly

  • Example: “biofeedback, meridian lines, quantum energies” justifying “Energy Therapies”

• What is Anecdotal Evidence?

  • Unverifiable evidence based on personal experiences and events

  • Pseudoscience heavily relies on anecdotal evidence

  • Example: Product Reviews

• Pseudoscience often uses extraordinary claims without extraordinary evidence supporting the claims

  • Example: Product X eliminates all pain without any scientific basis

• Pseudoscientific claims are often unfalsifiable, being incapable of being refuted in principle

  • Example: Traditional Chinese Medicine and Qi are concepts incapable of being scientifically measured or tested

• Pseudoscience is often absent of important scientific research principles:

  • Connectivity to Other Research

    • Connectivity → the extent to which assertions build on existing knowledge

    • Example: “Dilution strengthens potency, water has memory”

  • Adequate Peer Review

  • Self-Correction

    • Example: Astrology