Introduction to

Environmental
Science

In every deliberation, we must consider our

impact on the next seven generations.
- Great Law of the Iroqouis
 Environmental science is
the study of the
interaction of humans
with the natural
environment.
• Climate
• Soil and landforms
• Water sources
• Other living organisms

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During the agricultural
revolution in the fertile
crescent, humans began
farming.

• In Sumeria, similar grain

production to modern
agriculture: 30
bushels/acre.

• Sumerians heavily relied

on irrigation, the
application of water to
soil from another source.
⪢ Salt present in the irrigated water began building up in the soil, causing yields to
decline to a half, then a fourth of original levels.
⪢ Eventually, only salt-tolerant barley could be grown. Sumeria collapsed.

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The salinization of
Sumeria is an
example of:
• The Law of
Unintended
Consequences:
Decisions often have
unexpected effects.
• Resource Depletion:
Consuming natural
materials faster than
they can replenish.

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The Industrial Revolution marked the transition to coal power,
electricity, and factory production.
• What unintended consequences and resource depletion took place?
 Tragedy of the
Commons
⪢ Pamphlet published by an
economist in 1833 describing
a major cause of resource
depletion:
○ Individuals neglect the
well-being of society in the
pursuit of personal gain.

⪢ Commons are resources that

are shared and not owned.
Two small villages both consist of sheep farmers who raise and sell sheep to a
nearby city.

• The first village has an unregulated, shared • The second village passes a law assigning
pasture for grazing. each farmer a fenced section of the
pasture.

Which is more
likely to
experience
resource
depletion?
Pollution in the atmosphere and oceans as well as climate change are
global examples of the tragedy of the commons.
 Natural Resource Classifications
Inexhaustible Renewable
Cannot be used up. Will be replaced, but often at
a slower rate than they are
Sunlight used.

Soil, timber.

Nonrenewable Recyclable Nonrenewable

Not replaced within the Not replaced within the
human time scale. human time scale.

Single-use Can be reused repeatedly

Coal, oil, natural gas Minerals, metals

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The Progressive Era
During the
progressive era, the
Antiquities Act was
passed, allowing
the federal
government to
protect cultural and
natural resources.
National Land Designations
National Parks are to be kept
unaltered from their original
state.
• No fishing, logging, hunting, or
livestock grazing.
National Forests allow
commercial logging and
recreational hunting and fishing.
• Permit required to prevent
overexploitation.
National Wildlife Refuges allow
hunting and fishing with a
permit, but no commercial
activities.
About 92% of public land is in the 12 Western states.
The same year the antiquities act passed, San Francisco
experienced a massive earthquake and fire.
As the city was rebuilt, a new water supply was needed.
The city applied to the federal government to build dams and
reservoirs in the Hetch Hetchy and Lake Eleanor valleys in Yosemite.
• As a national park, a law would have to be passed granting the exemption.
 Environmental Ethics
⪢ Hetch Hetchy was the first
public debate in
environmental ethics –what
moral relationship humans
should have with the
environment.
Anthropocentrism Ecocentrism
Human-centered philosophy Nature-centered philosophy
Human interests and Preserving ecosystems
well-being come first comes first

Advocated to build the dam Advocated to leave the valley

untouched
 The dam was built in 1914 and
is still in use today.

“Where conflicting interests must be

reconciled, the question shall always
be answered from the standpoint of
the greatest good of the greatest
number in the long run.”
-Gifford Pinchot, Chief of the U.S.
Forest Service
 Modern Environmentalism
⪢ The modern environmental
movement, starting in the 1960s,
ushered in a wave of public awareness
and legislation…
⪢ Reducing air and water pollution
⪢ Preserving ecosystems and biodiversity
⪢ Promoting sustainability
⪢ This movement was triggered by a
series of environmental disasters in
19 the previous decades.
In 1946, nuclear bomb testing in the Marshall Islands exposed native
islanders and Navy sailors to radioactive fallout.
• This material was carcinogenic, meaning it increased the risk of cancer.
In 1948, air pollution from a zinc and steel plant caused a dense smog
that sickened thousands in Donora, Pennsylvania.
• Air pollution is the introduction of particles and gases into the atmosphere
that are harmful to living organisms.
In 1962, Rachel Carson
published Silent Spring,
documenting the impacts that
pesticides like DDT were
having on wildlife.
• DDT is persistent, meaning it is
not biodegradable and will not
break down naturally.
Many species of birds,
including the bald eagle,
nearly went extinct.
• Extinction is the complete loss
of a species from the Earth.
In 1968, The Population Bomb is
published, blaming many
environmental problems on human
overpopulation and predicting a global
famine.
• A famine is an extreme shortage of food.
In 1969, oil-soaked debris caught fire in the Cuyahoga River, bringing the
problem of water pollution to the public’s attention.
• Water pollution is the contamination of lakes, rivers, oceans, and groundwater.
In 1978, the city of Love Canal, New York was abandoned and demolished
due to a leaking hazardous waste dump buried underneath it.
• Hazardous waste includes chemicals known to be dangerous to human health.
 Clean
Water Act Environmental Safe Drinking
Restricts Policy Act Water Act CERCLA
pollution of All federal projects Testing and treatment Funds the cleanup
surface must assess standards for tap of hazardous
waters environmental impacts. water. waste sites

1968 1970 1974 1980

1906 1970 1973 1980

Clean Air Endangered Resource

Antiquities
Act Species Act Conservation
Act
Restricts Identifies species and Recovery
Enabled
pollution of at risk of Act
creation of
the extinction and Requires safe
National Parks
atmosphere makes plans for transport and
their recovery storage of
hazardous waste
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The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) was established in 1970
to enforce federal environmental laws.
Global Environmentalism
Following the 1970s, environmentalism began to consider
issues that affected the entire planet:
• Biodiversity loss
• Food production
• Climate Change
• Human population growth
• Economic inequality
between nations
The Demographic Divide
Countries are classified across an economic spectrum:

Developing Developed

Economically poor Economically wealthy

Less educated More educated

Higher fertility rates Lower fertility rates

Lower standard of living Higher standard of living

Lower rates of consumption Higher rates of consumption

 Gross domestic product (GDP) per capita is the monetary
value of the goods and services produced per person per year.
Haiti Dominican Republic

$1272/year $8282/year
 Total fertility rate is the number of children born to an
average woman over her lifetime.
Haiti Dominican Republic

$1272/year $8282/year

2.94 births 2.35 births

 Life expectancy is the number of years an average person will
live.
Haiti Dominican Republic

$1272/year $8282/year

2.94 births 2.35 births

63.4 years 73.9 years

 Consumption is the amount of materials, energy, and services
used per person.
Haiti Dominican Republic

$1272/year $8282/year

2.94 births 2.35 births

63.4 years 73.9 years

36 kWh 1,456 kWh

0.28 tons CO2 / 2.15 tons CO2 /

person / year person / year
Consumption is estimated with an
ecological footprint, the amount of
land needed to support a person or
country.
• Forest products
• Carbon pollution
• Cropland and pastureland
• Build-up land
• Fisheries
Economics and the Environment
Supply and demand predicts that the price of
a resource will…
• Increase when supply is low and/or demand is high.
• Decrease when supply is high and/or demand is low.
A cost-benefit analysis measures the expense
of an action with the benefits it will bring.
• Hidden costs are “paid for” by people other than
the sellers and buyers and are usually not included
in these analyses.
 Case Study: Bhopal
Watch this clip about the 1984 Bhopal
pesticide plant explosion and 2004
“prank” played by the Yes Men to raise
awareness of it.
• Where on the developed/developing
spectrum was India in 1984?
• What costs and benefits did Union Carbide
consider in building the plant in India?
• Explain the change in DOW’s stock price using
principles of supply and demand.
• What costs and benefits did DOW consider
when creating the Human Element ad
campaign instead of sending money to
Bhopal?
 Environmental Worldviews
Planetary Stewardship Environmental
Management Wisdom
• Human needs come
• Humans “rule” the first but we must care • Humans are no more
Earth. for other species too. important than any
• Conserve resources for other species.
• Technology and
ingenuity will prevent future generations • Resources are finite,
when possible. wastes do not “go
the loss of resources.
• Prefer economic away”.
• Economic potential is
growth that does not • Our survival depends
unlimited harm the on sustaining the
environment. Earth.

Anthropocentric Ecocentric