Module 1: Embracing Environmental Science

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