Environmental

Science
(AS 104)

2. ECOLOGICAL CONCEPTS

AND THE ENVIRONMENT

I. Introduction
Environmental Science provides basic ecological concepts, the ecosystem where life and its vital
functions operate. It also serves as an eye opener on environmental threats such as Rapid
population growth, urbanization, resource depletion and pollution. It also includes prospects for
the future like energy management and biodiversity conservation. Lastly, it also touches current
programs in sustainable development and environmental education.
The objectives of this chapter are to:
 To give students better understanding on basic principles on how nature operates.

 To provide students with better comprehension on how living things interact.

 To help the students understand the impacts of human activities on the environment and
develop awareness in environmental issues and concerns and its possible solutions.

II. Fundamentals of Environmental Science

2.1. Scope and Definition of Environmental Science

Environmental science is a group of science that attempt to explain how life on earth is
sustained, what lead to environmental problems, and how these problems can be solved. This
specifically studies on how parts of nature and human societies operate and interact, understand
the connections and interactions of how we and other species interact with one another and with
the non-living environment and integrates a wide range of disciplines (natural, physical, and
social).

Figure 1. Different interactions and connections of environmental factors (natural, physical, and social).
Source: Thomson Education (2007)
2. Importance of Environmental Science
We depend on our environment. As people can only in an environment with certain kinds
of characteristics and within certain ranges of availability of resources. This course intends to
understand the fundamentals processes on how nature works and understand environmental
problems that require a comprehensive understanding of the factors that shape and regulate
natural and social systems. Ultimately, we can learn on how the environment affects us and the
environment and how we can live more sustainably without degrading our-life support system.

2.3 Major Themes of Environmental Science

Human Population Growth

One of the most important properties of living things is that their abundance changes over
time and space. This is true for our own species as it is for all others, including those that directly
or indirectly affect our lives. Examples can be, (1) provisioning our food resources, (2) materials
for our shelter, (3) causing diseases and other problems that can be associated by the human
population. The Human population grew at a rate unprecedented in history in the 20 th century.
Population growth is the underlying environmental problem.

Figure 2. Timeline of the onset of rapid population growth throughout history. Source: Botkin & Keller (2008).
Urbanization and the Urban World
As the impact of technology is combined with the impact of population, the impact on the
environment is multiplied. In an increasingly urban world, we must focus much of our attention
on the environments of cities on the environment.

Figure 3. Urban expansion of National Capital Region and nearby provinces Source: Taubenbock et al.
(2012)

Sustainability & Environmental Worldviews

Sustainability is a key theme in environmental science where it determines and studies an
amount of a resource that can be harvested at regular intervals indefinitely or it is subjected to
some human use, but a level that leads to no loss of species or of necessary ecosystem functions.

Figure 4. Optimists vs Pessimists. Source: google.com

Worldviews is also important to take note as their views can greatly affect our society such as:
(1) Technological optimists that suggests that human ingenuity will keep the environment
sustainable and (2) Environmental pessimists on the other hand, overstate the problems where
our environmental situation seems to be degraded or in peril.
Ecology

Ecology is the study of how organisms interact with each other in their environment.
Ecology consists of two components, the living and the non-living. Theories and applications in
ecology is vital in the field of environmental science as it correlates with other disciplines in
physical and social aspects and addresses solution for environmental concerns.
Laws of Ecology
In the early 1970s, American Ecologist Barry Commoner identified what he referred to as the
“Four Laws of Ecology.” These laws seem to be as pervasive, almost immutable, as are many of
the laws of physics and mathematics. His laws were based on his observations at the time about
human interactions with nature. It could be effectively argued that they are generally as valid
today as they were then, at the beginning of the contemporary environmental movement. The
laws can be applied not only to ecosystems but also to the atmosphere as well (and more
specifically to the global climate system).

1. Everything is Connected to Everything Else. There is one ecosphere for all living organisms
and what affects one, affects all.

2. Everything Must Go Somewhere. There is no “waste” in nature and there is no “away” to

which things can be thrown.
3. Nature Knows Best. Humankind has fashioned technology to improve upon nature, but such
change in a natural system is, says Commoner, “likely to be detrimental to that system.”
4. There Is No Such Thing as a Free Lunch. Nothing comes from nothing. Exploitation of nature
will inevitably involve the conversion of resources from useful to useless forms.

Figure 5. Tall smokestack for a coal-

burning power plant Source: google.com
The tall smokestack for a coal-burning power plant illustrates all of these laws. Tall stacks were
originally designed to take local pollutants that resulted from manufacturing processes and put
them just high enough into the atmosphere that they would be dispersed to … well, frankly,
anywhere else but locally. The phrase used at the time to describe this process was “The solution
to pollution is dilution.” As the second law states, “everything must go somewhere.” Coal
contains small quantities of mercury that are carried into the atmosphere in the smoke plume and
eventually are deposited far from the power plants. This has led to a mercury pollution problem
in far-flung locations, for example in the Arctic where it poses a threat to polar bears, whales,
and seals and to the Arctic communities who hunt those animals for food. As the first law states,
“everything is connected to everything else.” Thinking about the third law, this pollution
certainly is detrimental to the Arctic’s ecosystem. The fourth law is illustrated by the potential
loss of resources, such as animals in the Arctic, which no longer are uncontaminated sources of
food for humans there.
Chapter Review Test!
Being optimistic is defined as expecting the best possible outcome from any given situation. The
mental attitude of an optimist is more likely to reflect a belief that any result will be positive or
desirable. Optimists tend to exude more confidence when it comes to facing life’s challenges,
and they’re very future-oriented. They also tend to have an internal locus of control, meaning
they’re in control of their decisions and can see how today’s choices can impact tomorrow’s
experiences.
A pessimist is defined as a person who tends to expect only adverse outcomes. Unlike optimists,
they have an external locus of control, meaning they believe external factors such as fate or the
environment will make things impossible.
Pessimists are more likely to dwell on the past and have a hard time believing they can overcome
adversity. This attitude leads to less confidence and the tendency to take the actions of others
personally. Also, when problems present themselves in a pessimist’s life, the individual is more
likely than an optimist to see the issues as pervasive events.

In this world of uncertainty where fake news is everywhere, COVID-19 is still spreading
and the environment is rapidly degrading, are you an optimist or a pessimist? Please
expound your answer. 