GE15

• Environment


  The surroundings or conditions in which a person, animal, or plant lives or operates
• Environmental Science


  The systematic study of our environment and our proper place in it. A highly interdisciplinary, integrating natural sciences, social sciences, and humanities in a broad, holistic study of the world around us.
• Kinds of Knowledge that Contribute to Solutions in Environmental Science

  • Ecology
  • Chemistry
  • Urban Planning
  • Sociology
  • Political Science
  • Engineering
  • Economics
• Goal: Clean Energy Future

  • Ecology: How does energy production affects populations?
  • Chemistry: How can we make better batteries?
  • Urban Planning: What urban designs can reduce energy use?
  • Sociology: How do people adopt new ideas?
  • Political Science: Which policies lead to sustainable solutions?
  • Engineering: Can we design better vehicles?
  • Economics: What are the benefits and costs of energy sources?
• Environmentalism


  It encompasses environmental health and protection and depicted as an ideology, philosophy, and social movement, including all aspects covering the changing environment of the Earth.
• History of Environmentalism


  • Coal Smoke Abatement Society
  • International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) in 1948
  • Clean Air Act 1956
  • World Wildlife Fund (WWF)
  • Green Revolution in Agriculture 1966
  • NEPA (1969) National Environmental Policy Act
  • USEPA (United States Environmental Protection Agency)
  • Greenpeace 1971
• Coal Smoke Abatement Society


  Was established in response to coal combustion leading to heavy smoke in industrial cities.
• International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) in 1948


  Was created to protect and preserve nature in its original form.
• Clean Air Act 1956

  Was formed following the London Smog Episode (Great Smog of London) 1952. It initially aimed to limit air pollution by controlling the emission of air pollutants.
• World Wildlife Fund (WWF)


  Was created to protect animals and places from human developmental activities.
• Green Revolution in Agriculture 1966

  Was initiated to understand the negative impacts of uncontrolled and unregulated use of pesticides and fertilizers on the environment.
• NEPA (1969) National Environmental Policy Act


  Aimed to ensure environmental health by negotiation policies and acts.
• USEPA (United States Environmental Protection Agency)


  Was created in 1970 to monitor human activities that are negatively impacting the environment of the Earth.
• Greenpeace 1971


  A campaign of committed individuals who tried to stop the American Nuclear Weapon test.
• Environmental Ethics and Principles

  • Profound respect for nature
  • Maintain a harmonious relationship with other species
  • Take responsibility for the impact on nature
  • Local and indigenous environmental knowledge should be respected
  • Plan for the long term
• Environmental ethics: 'The discipline that studies the moral relationship of human beings to the environment.'
• What is the value of the environment?
• What moral responsibility do we have in dealing with the major environmental problems that result from our resource consumption?
• Which needs should be given the highest priority in our decision making?
• Energy


  Provides the force to hold matter together, tear it apart, and move from one place to another
• Types of energy


  • Kinetic Energy
  • Potential Energy
  • Chemical Energy
• Kinetic Energy


  The energy in moving objects
• Kinetic Energy


  • To run, cycle, climb and move the mouse for a computer
• Potential Energy


  The stored energy, latent and ready to use
• Potential Energy


  • When a child swinging on a swing reaches the top of the arc
  • Throwing a ball into the air at the highest point
• Mechanical Energy


  Energy that results from movement or the location of an object. It is the sum of kinetic energy and potential energy.
• Mechanical Energy


  • A moving car
  • A car moving up a mountain
  • A book sitting on a table
• Radiant Energy


  Light energy
• Radiant Energy


  • The Sun
  • Lightbulbs
  • Computer screens
  • Plants converting light energy into chemical energy (food)
• Sound Energy


  Energy from sound
• Sound Energy


  • Shouting
  • Guitars being plucked
  • Bike brakes
• Thermal Energy


  Energy from natural heat
• Thermal Energy


  • Energy from the Earth's surface
• Gravitational Energy


  The force which keeps us on the ground
• Gravitational Energy


  • Cycling downhill is faster than cycling uphill
  • Ski jumpers always come back to earth
• Nuclear Energy


  Energy stored inside tiny atoms
• Thermodynamics


  The study of how energy is transferred in natural processes (through photosynthesis & respiration)
• First law of thermodynamics

  Energy is conserved; it is neither created nor destroyed under normal conditions. Energy may be transformed, but the total amount does not change.
• Second law of thermodynamics

  With each successive energy transfer or transformation in a system, less energy is available. Energy is degraded to lower-quality forms, or it dissipates and is lost, as it is used.
• Levels of ecological organization

  • Biosphere
  • Ecosystem
  • Community
  • Population
  • Species