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ebook download (eBook PDF) Essential Environment The Science Behind the Stories 5th all chapter
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Renewable Energy Sources 366
13 Atmospheric Science, Air Quality, The Science Behind the Story:
and Pollution Control 278 Comparing Energy Sources 368
Central Case Study Solar Energy 370
Clearing the Air in L.A. and
Mexico City on a smoggy day Wind Power 374
in Mexico City 279 Geothermal Energy 376
Mexico City on a clear day
viii
ix
xii
(a) Inexhaustible renewable (b) Exhaustible renewable natural (c) Nonrenewable natural resources
natural resources resources
Figure 1.1 Natural resources may be renewable or nonrenewable. Perpetually renewable, or inexhaust-
ible, resources such as sunlight and wind energy (a) will always be there for us. Renewable resources such as
timber, soils, and fresh water (b) are replenished on intermediate time scales, if we are careful not to deplete
them. Nonrenewable resources such as minerals and fossil fuels (c) exist in limited amounts that could one day
2 be gone.
If we think of natural resources as “goods” produced by nature, Figure 1.3 The global human population increased after
then it is also true that Earth’s natural systems provide “ser- the agricultural revolution and then skyrocketed as a
vices” on which we depend. Our planet’s ecological systems result of the industrial revolution. Data from U.S. Census Bureau,
purify air and water, cycle nutrients, regulate climate, pollinate U.N. Population Division, and other sources.
plants, and recycle our waste. Such essential services are com- or every person alive in the year 1800, about how
F
C H A P T E R 1 • S c i e n c e a n d S u s ta i n a b i l i t y: A n I n t r o d u c t i o n t o E n v i r o n m e n ta l S c i e n c e
monly called ecosystem services (FIGURE 1.2). Ecosystem ser- many are alive today?
vices arise from the normal functioning of natural systems and GO TO INTERPRETING GRAPHS & DATA ON
are not meant for our benefit, yet we could not survive without
them. The ways that ecosystem services support our lives and
civilization are countless and profound (pp. 35, 97).
Just as we may deplete natural resources, we may de- Population growth amplifies
grade ecosystem services when, for example, we destroy our impact
habitat or generate pollution. In recent years, our depletion of
nature’s goods and our disruption of nature’s services have in- For nearly all of human history, fewer than a million people
tensified, driven by rising affluence and a human population populated Earth at any one time. Today our population has
that grows larger every day. grown beyond 7 billion people. For every one person who used
to exist, several thousand people exist today! FIGURE 1.3 shows
just how recently and suddenly this monumental change has
taken place.
Two phenomena triggered our remarkable increase in
population size. The first was our transition from a hunter-
gatherer lifestyle to an agricultural way of life. This change
began around 10,000 years ago and is known as the agricul-
tural revolution. As people began to grow crops, domesticate
animals, and live sedentary lives on farms and in villages,
they produced more food to meet their nutritional needs and
began having more children.
The second phenomenon, known as the industrial
revolution, began in the mid-1700s. It entailed a shift from
rural life, animal-powered agriculture, and handcrafted goods
toward an urban society provisioned by the mass production
of factory-made goods and powered by fossil fuels (nonre-
newable energy sources such as coal, oil, and natural gas;
pp. 337–338). Industrialization brought dramatic advances in
technology, sanitation, and medicine. It also enhanced food
production through the use of fossil-fuel-powered equipment
and synthetic pesticides and fertilizers (pp. 137, 147).
The factors driving population growth have brought us
better lives in many ways. Yet as our world fills with people,
Figure 1.2 We rely on the ecosystem services that natural population growth has begun to threaten our well-being. We
systems provide. For example, forested hillsides help people must ask how well the planet can accommodate the 9 billion
living below by purifying water and air, cycling nutrients, regulating people forecast by 2050. Already our sheer numbers, unparal-
water flow, preventing flooding, and reducing erosion, as well as by leled in history, are putting unprecedented stress on natural
providing game, wildlife, timber, recreation, and aesthetic beauty. systems and the availability of resources. 3
C H A P T E R 1 • S c i e n c e a n d S u s ta i n a b i l i t y: A n I n t r o d u c t i o n t o E n v i r o n m e n ta l S c i e n c e
consequences is, in turn, also part of environmental science. pursuit. It draws from many different established fields of study
across the natural sciences and social sciences.
Environmental science is
interdisciplinary
Studying our interactions with our environment is a complex about a ban on leaded gasoline. By 1996 all gasoline sold
endeavor that requires expertise from many disciplines, in- in the United States was unleaded, and the nation’s largest
cluding ecology, earth science, chemistry, biology, geography, source of atmospheric lead pollution had been completely
economics, political science, demography, ethics, and others. eliminated.
Environmental science is interdisciplinary, bringing tech-
niques, perspectives, and research results from multiple disci-
plines together into a broad synthesis (FIGURE 1.6).
Environmental science is not the
Traditional established disciplines are valuable because same as environmentalism
their scholars delve deeply into topics, developing expertise Although many environmental scientists are interested in solv-
in particular areas and uncovering new knowledge. Interdis- ing problems, it would be incorrect to confuse environmental
ciplinary fields are valuable because their practitioners con- science with environmentalism or environmental activism.
solidate and synthesize the specialized knowledge from many They are very different. Environmental science involves the
disciplines and make sense of it in a broad context to serve scientific study of the environment and our interactions with it.
the multifaceted interests of society. In contrast, environmentalism is a social movement dedicated
Environmental science is especially broad because it to protecting the natural world—and, by extension, people—
encompasses not only the natural sciences (disciplines that from undesirable changes brought about by human actions.
examine the natural world), but also the social sciences (disci-
plines that address human interactions and institutions). Most
environmental science programs focus more on the natural sci-
ences, whereas programs that emphasize the social sciences
often use the term environmental studies. Whichever approach
FAQ Aren’t environmental scientists also
environmentalists?
one takes, these fields bring together many diverse perspectives Not necessarily. Although environmental scientists search
and sources of knowledge. for solutions to environmental problems, they strive to keep
An interdisciplinary approach to addressing environ- their research rigorously objective and free from advocacy.
mental problems can produce effective solutions for society. Of course, like all human beings, scientists are motivated by
For example, we used to add lead to gasoline to make cars personal values and interests—and like any human endeavor,
run more smoothly, even though research showed that lead science can never be entirely free of social influence. Yet,
emissions from tailpipes caused health problems, includ- although personal values and social concerns may help shape
ing brain damage and premature death. In 1970 air pollution the questions scientists ask, scientists do their utmost to carry
was severe, and motor vehicles accounted for 78% of U.S. out their work impartially and to interpret their results with
lead emissions. In response, environmental scientists, engi- wide-open minds. Remaining open to whatever conclusions
neers, medical researchers, and policymakers all merged their the data demand is a hallmark of the effective scientist.
knowledge and skills into a process that eventually brought 5
C H A P T E R 1 • S c i e n c e a n d S u s ta i n a b i l i t y: A n I n t r o d u c t i o n t o E n v i r o n m e n ta l S c i e n c e
the rats, so even if rats destroyed the forest,
human colonization was still to blame.
Despite the forest loss, Hunt and Lipo
argue that islanders were able to persist and
thrive. Archaeology shows how islanders
adapted to Rapa Nui’s poor soil and windy Were the haunting statues of Rapa Nui built by a civilization that collapsed after devastating
weather by developing rock gardens to pro- its environment, or by a sustainable civilization that fell because of outside influence?
tect crop plants and nourish the soil. Hunt
and Lipo contended that tools that previous
researchers viewed as weapons were actually farm implements; Peruvian ships then began raiding Rapa Nui and tak-
lethal injuries were rare; and no evidence of battle or defensive ing islanders away into slavery. Foreigners acquired the
fortresses was uncovered. land, forced the remaining people into labor, and introduced
Hunt, Lipo, and others also unearthed old roads and thousands of sheep, which destroyed the few native plants
inferred how the statues were transported. It had been thought left on the island. Thus, the collapse of Rapa Nui’s civiliza-
that a powerful central authority forced armies of laborers to roll tion resulted from a barrage of disease, violence, and slave
them over countless palm logs, but Hunt and Lipo concluded raids following foreign contact. Before that, Hunt and Lipo
that small numbers of people could move them by tilting and say, Rapa Nui’s people boasted 500 years of a peaceful and
rocking them upright —the same way we move refrigerators resilient society.
today. Indeed, the distribution of statues on the island sug- Hunt and Lipo’s interpretation, put forth in a 2011 book,
gested the work of family groups. Islanders had adapted to The Statues That Walked, would represent a paradigm shift
their resource-poor environment by becoming a peaceful and (p. 12) in how we view Easter Island. Debate between the two
cooperative society, with the statues providing a harmless out- camps over these complex issues remains heated, however,
let for competition over status and prestige. and interdisciplinary research continues as scientists look for
Altogether, the evidence led Hunt and Lipo to propose that new ways to test the differing hypotheses. This is how science
far from destroying their environment, the islanders had acted as advances, and in the long-term, data from additional studies
responsible stewards. The collapse of this sustainable civilization, should lead us closer and closer to the truth.
they argue, came with the arrival of Europeans, who unwittingly Like the people of Rapa Nui, we are all stranded together
brought contagious diseases to which the islanders had never on an island with limited resources. What is the lesson of Easter
been exposed. Indeed, historical journals of sequential European Island for our global island, Earth? Perhaps there are two: Any
voyages depict a society falling into disarray as if reeling from island population must learn to live within its means—but with
epidemics, its statues tumbling around it. care and ingenuity, there is hope that we can.
C H A P T E R 1 • S c i e n c e a n d S u s ta i n a b i l i t y: A n I n t r o d u c t i o n t o E n v i r o n m e n ta l S c i e n c e
Results
Revise
Predictions paper
Reject
Fail to
C H A P T E R 1 • S c i e n c e a n d S u s ta i n a b i l i t y: A n I n t r o d u c t i o n t o E n v i r o n m e n ta l S c i e n c e
hypothesis
Test reject
hypothesis Peer review
Results
Scientific paper
showing his or her funding source in an unfavorable light may Theories If a hypothesis survives repeated testing by numer-
be reluctant to publish the results for fear of losing funding— ous research teams and continues to predict experimental out-
or worse yet, could be tempted to doctor the results. This situ- comes and observations accurately, it may be incorporated into
ation can arise, for instance, when an industry funds research a theory. A theory is a widely accepted, well-tested explanation
to test its products for health or safety. Most scientists resist of one or more cause-and-effect relationships that has been
these pressures, but whenever you are assessing a scientific extensively validated by a great amount of research. Whereas
study, it is always a good idea to note where the researchers a hypothesis is a simple explanatory statement that may be dis-
obtained their funding. proved by a single experiment, a theory consolidates many re-
lated hypotheses that have been supported by a large body of data.
Note that scientific use of the word theory differs from
Weighing The Issues popular usage of the word. In everyday language when we
Follow the Money Let us say you are a research scientist say something is “just a theory,” we are suggesting it is a
wanting to study the impacts of chemicals released into lakes speculative idea without much substance. However, scientists
by pulp-and-paper mills. Obtaining research funding has been mean just the opposite when they use the term. To them, a
difficult. Then a large pulp-and-paper company contacts you theory is a conceptual framework that explains a phenomenon
and offers to fund your research examining how its chemical and has undergone extensive and rigorous testing, such that
effluents affect water bodies. What are the benefits and draw- confidence in it is extremely strong.
backs of this offer? Would you accept the offer? For example, Darwin’s theory of evolution by natural se-
lection (pp. 48–50) has been supported and elaborated by many
thousands of studies over 150 years of intensive research. Re-
Repeatability The careful scientist may test a hypothesis search has shown repeatedly and in great detail how plants and
repeatedly in various ways. Following publication, other sci- animals change over generations, or evolve, expressing charac-
entists may attempt to reproduce the results in their own ex- teristics that best promote survival and reproduction. Because
periments. Scientists are inherently cautious about accepting of its strong support and explanatory power, evolutionary the-
a novel hypothesis, so the more a result can be reproduced by ory is the central unifying principle of modern biology. Other
different research teams, the more confidence scientists will prominent scientific theories include atomic theory, cell theory,
have that it provides a correct explanation. big bang theory, plate tectonics, and general relativity. 11
Language: English
THE
CLEVEDON
: : CASE : :
BY
NANCY & JOHN
OAKLEY
PHILADELPHIA
J. B. LIPPINCOTT COMPANY
Printed in Great Britain by Wyman & Sons Ltd., London, Reading and Fakenham.
CONTENTS
CHAPTER PAGE
I. A Midnight Visitor 9
II. The Tragedy at White Towers 23
III. A Meeting in the Dark 34
IV. The Silver-headed Hatpin 45
V. Kitty Clevedon and Ronald Thoyne 59
VI. A New Sensation 70
VII. Evidence at the Inquest 80
VIII. The story of a Quarrel 94
IX. What Kitty Clevedon said 105
X. An Invitation from Lady Clevedon 117
XI. A visit from Ronald Thoyne 129
XII. Ronald Thoyne disappears 145
XIII. The Vicar’s story 154
XIV. Kitty sends a Telegram 163
XV. On Ronald Thoyne’s Yacht 172
XVI. The Mystery of Billy Clevedon 185
XVII. More about Billy Clevedon 193
XVIII. The Anonymous Letters 205
XIX. The Hairpin Clue 217
XX. Still more about Billy Clevedon 227
XXI. Why Tulmin blackmailed Clevedon 239
XXII. More Anonymous letters 251
XXIII. Tulmin’s queer story 263
XXIV. The wrath of Ronald Thoyne 275
XXV. The story of Mary Grainger 286
XXVI. Nora Lepley’s explanation 297
XXVII. Who killed Philip Clevedon 306
CHAPTER I
A MIDNIGHT VISITOR