Basic Concepts

Introduction, General Issues and Key Themes in

Environmental Science

Lecture 1
 Today’s Themes
• 1. Environment
• 2. Environmental Science
• 3. Sustainable Development
• 4. Carrying Capacity
• 5. Global Environmental Issues
1. Environment
 1.1 Two Worlds
• We inhabit two worlds
• One is the natural world of plants, animals, soil, air
and water that preceded us by billions of years and of
which we are a part
• The other is the world of social institutions and
artifacts that we create for ourselves using science,
technology and political organization
• Both worlds are essential to our lives, but attempting
to integrate them successfully causes enduring
tensions
 1.2 Types of Environment
• Natural environment: encompasses all living and
non-living things occurring naturally on Earth
– Includes all Biotic factors i.e. plants, animals,
microorganisms; and Abiotic factors i.e. minerals,
rocks and magma, water bodies, and atmosphere
layers
• Built environment: part of the physical
environment which is built by humans through
science, technology, culture etc
– Includes places and spaces created or modified by
people i.e. buildings, parks, transportation systems etc
 1.3 Environment
• From the French word Envirormer: to encircle or
surround
• Can be defined as (1) the circumstances and
conditions that surround an organism or a group of
organisms; or (2) the social and cultural conditions
that affect an individual or a community
• Basically everything that affects a living organism
• Humans inhabit both natural and built environment,
both components are important for our environment
2. Environmental Science
 2.1 Environmental Science

Environmental science is a group of sciences that

attempt to explain how life on the Earth is sustained,
what leads to environmental problems, and how
these problems can be solved
2.2 Characteristics of Environmental Science

• It’s a Systematic study

• Highly interdisciplinary
• Applicable in the real world
2.3 Difference between Environmental Science
and other Sciences
• It involves many Sciences. Important ones include
ecology, geology, hydrology, climatology,
meteorology, soil science, oceanography and others
already mentioned earlier
• Also involves related non-scientific fields, such as
ethics. It deals with many topics that are subject to
great emotional effects, political debate and strong
feelings which can’t be measured with scientific
information. Hence includes non-scientific fields
which focuses on our values, mentality, culture etc.
 What’s the difference between
Environmental Science, Environmental
Management and Environmental
Engineering?
2.4 Key Themes of Environmental Science
• Human population growth (major contributor to
environmental problems)
• Sustainability (unsustainable use of resources must be
replaced with sustainable practices)
• A global perspective (local changes can have global effects)
• An urbanizing world (have serious environmental
consequences)
• People and nature (changes in one lead to changes in the
other)
• Science and values (environmental issues involve scientific
understandings as well as values and attitude)
 2.5 Key Terms
Environmental Scientists
• Professionals who
information from the physical
sciences and social sciences to:
• Understand how the earth
works
• Learn how humans interact
with the earth
• Develop solutions
environmental problems
Environmentalists
use • Broad group of people
concerned about the impact of
humans on environmental quality
• Believe some human actions are
degrading parts of the earth's life-
support systems for humans and
many other forms of life
to • Come from different economic
groups (rich, middle-class, poor)
and with different political
persuasions (ranging from
conservative to liberal)
Why is this study important?
3. Sustainable Development
 3. Sustainable Development
• Sustainable Development: The World
Commission on Environment and
Development in its Brundtland Report defines
sustainable development as “Development
that meets the needs of the present without
compromising the ability of future generations
to meet their own needs”
 3. Sustainable Development
• Sustainable Development typically means
that a society can continue to develop its
economy and society and also maintain its
environment for an indefinite time
4. Carrying Capacity
 4. Carrying Capacity
• Maximum number of individuals of a species
that can be sustained by an environment without
decreasing the capacity of the environment to
sustain that same amount in the future
• Number of individuals who can be supported in a
given area within natural resource limits, and
without degrading the natural social, cultural and
economic environment for present and future
generations
 4. Carrying Capacity
• The carrying capacity for any given area is not
constant. It can be altered by improved technology,
but mostly it is changed for the worse by pressures
which accompany a population increase
• As the environment is degraded, carrying capacity
shrinks, leaving the environment no longer able to
support even the number of people who could
formerly have lived in the area on a sustainable
basis
5. Global Perspective
 5. Global Perspective
• Major international conventions take place to address
environmental issues e.g. 1972 UN Conference on the
Human Environment in Stockholm
• New issues become part of the agenda as our field of
vision widens
• There are links between poverty, injustice, oppression,
exploitation of humans and the environment
• Global leaders gather to discuss sustainability regularly
i.e. Rio Earth Summit (1992), Johannesburg (2002),
Copenhagen (2009), Paris (2015)