Environmental Science

• Environmental Science


  An interdisciplinary study of how humans interact with living and nonliving parts of their environment
• Disciplines involved in Environmental Science

  • Natural Sciences
  • Social Sciences
  • Humanities
• Goals of Environmental Science

  • To learn how nature works
  • To understand how we interact with the environment
  • To find ways to deal with environmental problems and live more sustainably
• Ecology


  The biological science that studies how organisms, or living things, interact with one another and with their environment
• Species


  A group of organisms that have distinctive traits and, for sexually reproducing organisms, can mate and produce fertile offspring
• Ecosystem


  Set of organisms within a defined area or volume interacting with one another and with their environment of nonliving matter and energy
• Three Scientific Principles of Sustainability

  • Solar Energy
  • Biodiversity
  • Chemical Cycling
• Solar Energy


  • Sun's energy warms the planet and provides energy
  • Plants use this energy to produce nutrients
• Biodiversity


  • Variety of genes, species, ecosystems, and ecosystem processes
  • Interactions among species is vital
  • Keeps and controls the population from growing too large
  • Adapting of species to environmental changes
  • Emergence of new species to replace extinct ones
• Chemical Cycling


  • Circulation of nutrients from the environment and back to the environment
• Waste= useful resources
• Key Components of Sustainability

  • Natural Capital
  • Human activities can degrade natural capital
  • People finding solutions to the environmental problems
  • Making compromises or trade-offs
• Natural Capital


  Natural Resources+ Ecosystem Services
• Natural Resources


  • Inexhaustible Resources: Solar Energy
  • Renewable Resources: Forests, Grasslands, Fishes, Clean air, Freshwater (Sustainable yield)
  • Nonrenewable Resources (Exhaustible): Oil, Natural Gas, Coal, Metals
• Ecosystem Services


  Natural Services provided by healthy ecosystems that support human economies at no monetary cost
• Ecosystem Services provided by a Forest

  • Purify air and water
  • Reduce soil erosion
  • Regulate climate
  • Recycle nutrients
• Human activities can degrade natural capital through pollution
• People finding solutions to environmental problems


  Through education and action
• Making compromises or trade-offs


  Between industries and government
• Sustainable Development Goals are also known as the Global Goals
• The Sustainable Development Goals were adopted by the United Nations in 2015
• Aims of the Sustainable Development Goals

  • Action to end poverty
  • Protect the planet
  • Ensure that by 2030, all people enjoy peace and prosperity
• Sustainable Development Goals


  • Goal 1: No Poverty
  • Goal 2: Zero Hunger
  • Goal 3: Good Health and Well-Being
  • Goal 4: Quality Education
  • Goal 5: Gender Equality
  • Goal 6: Clean Water and Sanitation
  • Goal 7: Affordable and Clean Energy
  • Goal 8: Decent Work and Economic Growth
  • Goal 9: Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure
  • Goal 10: Reduced Inequalities
  • Goal 11: Sustainable Cities and Communities
  • Goal 12: Responsible Consumption and Production
  • Goal 13: Climate Action
  • Goal 14: Life Below Water
  • Goal 15: Life on Land
  • Goal 16: Peace, Justice, and Strong Institutions
  • Goal 17: Partnerships for the Goals
• Ethics


  A branch of philosophy that is derived from the logical application of human values
• Frontier Ethic


  An attitude which assumes that the earth has infinite supply and is anthropocentric (human centered)
• Environmental Ethics


  A field of applied ethics that considers the moral basis of environmental responsibility, including humans as part of the natural community rather than managers of it
• Sustainable Ethics


  An environmental ethic based on the way people treat the earth as its resources are limited, recognizing that humans are part of nature and affected by natural laws
• Three Ethical Perspectives


  • Bio-centric
  • Anthropocentric
  • Ecocentrism
• Environmental Attitudes


  • Development ethic
  • Conservation ethic
  • Preservation ethic
• Moral Extensionism


  Describes an increasing consideration of moral value in other living things- or even nonliving things
• Connections between Faith, Conservation, and Justice


  • Many faiths support environmental conservation
  • Environmental justice combines civil rights and environmental protection
  • Environmental racism distributes hazards inequitably
• 7 Principles of Nature

  • All forms are important
  • Nature knows best
  • Everything is connected to everything else
  • Everything changes
  • Everything must go somewhere
  • Ours is a finite earth
  • Nature is beautiful and we are stewards of God's creation
• Biome


  A specific geographical area defined by the type of flora and fauna that live in it, often with a similar climate, animals, and plants
• Major Biomes of the World

  • Freshwater Biomes
  • Marine Biomes
  • Forest Biomes
  • Grassland Biomes or Savannas
  • Woodlands or Shrublands or Chaparral
  • Taiga or Boreal Forest
  • Tundra
  • Desert
• Aquatic Biomes


  • Freshwater Biomes
  • Marine Biomes
• Freshwater Biomes


  Biomes with salt content (or salinity) of less than 0.05%
• Types of Freshwater Biomes

  • Lentic Freshwater biomes (water is not flowing, e.g. lakes and ponds)
  • Lotic Freshwater biomes (contain freely flowing water, e.g. rivers and streams)
• Marine Biomes


  Biomes that cover about three-fourths of the Earth's surface, including oceans, coral reefs, and estuaries
• Zones of Oceans


  • Intertidal
  • Pelagic
  • Abyssal
  • Benthic
• Oceans contain the richest diversity of species even though it contains fewer species that there are on land