GEN 233-333

Environmental Problems
Assoc. Prof. Dr. Benay
TUNÇSOYAdana, 20ϮϯͲϮϬϮϰ
Living in An Exponential Ages
The environmental problems we face:
- population growth
- wasteful use of resources
- destruction and degradation of wildlife
habitats
- extinction of plants and animals
- poverty and pollution
=> are interconnected and are
growing exponentially
=> We have to discuss these questions:
• How fast is the human population increasing?
• What are the principal types of pollution? How can
pollution be reduced and prevented?
• What are the earth’s main types of resources? How
can they be depleted or degraded?
• What are natural resources? What is a
sustainable society?
• Are the resources enough for the increasing
population?
1. Sustainable Livining
• Sustainability is the ability of a special system to survive and
function over time.
• During this period, the system satisfies the needs of its
inhabitants without depleting natural capital.
 Ideas to Practice Sustainable Living
• Become a member of a community garden
• Practice minimalism
• Change the lights in your house
• Become more efficient with your errands
• Start using natural cleaners
• Spend more time reading and playing games
• Try to get on a more natural sleep schedule
• Reduce, Reuse and Recycle
• Walk, bike or carpool to work
• Unplug device when not in use
• Buy right-sized house
• Remodeling with some green building choices
• Share with friends or borrow
• Use daylight as much as possible
• Stop unwanted mail
• Practice keeping a “zero energy balance” budget
• Change your washing habits
• Choose renewable energy
• Buy products with less packaging
• Ditch the plastic
• Skip single-use items
• Replace all possible disposables
• Carry your own reusable shopping bags
• Use Sustainable Technologies
• Make your own
• Have tree-free home
2. Population Growth
The fact of World Population:

• It has more than doubled in 10 years, from

7.003 billion in 2011 to 7,875 billion in
2021, and
• it may reach 8,031,8 billion in 2023
according to the yearly change ratios.
Human population in Turkey
However;
• What is Economic Growth?
• ŸVirtually all countries seek economic growth = an increase in their
capacity to provide goods and services for people’s final use.
• Ÿ Such growth is normally achieved by increasing the flow or
throughput of matter and energy resources used to produce goods
and services
• ŸThis increase is accomplished by population growth (more
consumers and producers), more consumption per person, or both
3. Wasteful use of resources
Types of natural resources
On the basis of origin, natural resources may be
divided into two types:
• Biotic — Biotic resources are obtained from the biosphere (living and
organic material), such as forests and animals, and the materials that
can be obtained from them.
• Fossil fuels such as coal and petroleum are also included in this
category because they are formed from decayed organic matter.
• Abiotic – Abiotic resources are those that come from non-living, non-
organic material.
• Examples of abiotic resources include land, fresh water, air, rare-earth
elements, and heavy metals including ores, such
as gold, iron, copper, silver, etc.
Considering their stage of development, natural
resources may be referred to in the following ways:
• Potential resources — Potential resources are those that may be used
in the future—for example, petroleum in sedimentary rocks that, until
drilled out and put to use remains a potential resource
• Actual resources — Those resources that have been surveyed,
quantified and qualified, and are currently used in development, such
as wood processing, and are typically dependent on technology
• Reserve resources — The part of an actual resource that can be
developed profitably in the future
• Stock resources — Those that have been surveyed, but cannot be
used due to lack of technology—for example, hydrogen
On the basiss off recoveryy rate, natural resources
can be categorized as follows:
• Renewable resources — Renewable resources can be
replenished naturally.
• Some of these resources, like sunlight, air, wind,
water, etc. are continuously available and their
quantities are not noticeably affected by human
consumption.
What about in
n Turkey?

From Republic of Turkey, Ministry of Energy and natural Resources, 2021

• Non-renewable resources – Non-renewable
resources either form slowly or do not
naturally form in the environment. Minerals
are the most common resource included in
this category.
• From the human perspective, resources are
non-renewable when their rate of
consumption exceeds the rate of
replenishment/recovery; a good example of Udachnaya pipe, an open-
pit diamond mine in Siberia.
this are fossil fuels
• Some resources naturally deplete in amount
without human interference, the most
notable of these being radioactive elements
such as uranium.
• Of these, the metallic minerals can be re-
used by recycling them, but coal and
petroleum cannot be recycled.
Natural resources by country
• There are 2 kinds of the resources availability for
humans:
• 1. Directly available: solar energy, fresh air, wind, fresh
surface water, fertile soil, wild edible plants
• 2. Needs some effort (undirectly available): petroleum
(oil), iron, groundwater, modern crops