Environmental Studies

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Environmental Studies

• Lecturers/ Damian Nesbeth
• Tutors Nikki Bramwell, Raymond Martin,
• Debbie Devonish, Nadia
  Spence
• Email dnesbeth_at_utech.edu.jm nbramwell_at_utech
  .edu.jm rmartin_at_utech.edu.jm
• ddevonish_at_utech.edu.jm
• nspence_at_utech.edu.jm
• Tel [phone] Ext. 2364-5
• Room 3C1 / Biology Staff Room

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Environmental Studies

• General Objectives

• 1. Understand the way natural ecosystems
  function.
• Appreciate the ways in which human populations
  disrupt the functioning of the natural ecosystem
  and thus cause environmental
  problems.
• 3. Propose and evaluate solutions to current
  environmental dilemmas.

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What is the Environment?

• Environment
• - all living non-living external factors that
  affect an organism

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What is Environmental Science?

• Environmental Science
• - study of humanitys relationship with other
  organisms and the non-living environment which
  integrates knowledge from many disciplines, e.g.,
  
• engineering politics technology

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Environmental Scientists

• Monitor the quality of the environment
• Interpret the impact of human activity on
  terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems
• Develop strategies for restoring ecosystems.
• Help planners develop and construct buildings,
  transportation corridors and utilities.

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Studying Environmental Science Helps Us to
Understand

• How Earth works
• 2. How we affect Earths life support systems
• 3. How we can help solve current environmental
  problems

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Natural Capital/Natural Resources

• Goods and services provided by the Earth through
  natural processes are known as natural capital or
  natural resources.
• These support all economies and life.

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Natural Resources

• The 2 main types of natural resources are
• Renewable theoretically lasts forever
• Non-renewable exhaustible, finite

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Environmental Sustainability

• - ability of the environment to function
  indefinitely

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Why is environmental sustainability important?

• It means meeting the needs of humans at present
  without endangering the welfare of future
  generations of people
• Therefore it is relevant at the individual,
  community, national, regional global levels

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DO YOU THINK THERE IS ANYTHING WRONG WITH THE
ENVIRONMENT WE LIVE IN TODAY?
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Current Unsustainable Human Behaviours Include

• Unchecked use of non-renewable resources
• Renewable resources being used faster than nature
  can replenish them
• Pollution of the environment
• Human population growth

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Pollution

• an undesirable change that can adversely affect
  humans or other living organisms
• Persistence how long a pollutant stays in
  air, water, soil or an organism

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Pollution contd

• The 2 main types of pollutants are
• Degradable
• Non-degradable

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Environmental Issues
The following are some environmental issues
facing Earth.
Species endangerment and extinction
Land Degradation
Water Shortage and Pollution
Global Warming
Ozone Depletion
Acid Deposition
Improper Solid Waste Disposal
Urbanisation
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What is the issue here?
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What is the issue here?
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What is the issue here?
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Environmental Ethics

• - a discipline that studies moral conviction
  about or commitment to, one type of behaviour
  over another as it relates to the environment

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Worldviews
There are two major environmental worldviews.

• These are
• cornucopianism
• environmentalism

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Cornucopianism

• stems from a western tradition
• anthropocentric (people-centred) environmental
  philosophy
• man has dominion over the earth
• Earths supplies infinite

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Environmentalism

• a response to the threat to the natural
  environment
• ecocentric (the environment has intrinsic value
  apart from its value to human ends)
• addresses environmental problems and methods that
  can be employed to solve them

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Sustainable Development

• also called environmentally sustainable economic
  development
• encourages economic growth in a way that meets
  the needs of current and future generations
• discourages environmental harmful practices or
  encourages sustainable economic growth

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Environmental Law

• enactments that ensure that the environment is
  protected
• provides legal basis for protecting endangered
  species, critical habitat, other natural
  resources and humans

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National Environment Planning Agency

• Established as a legal entity in 1991.
• Operates under the following acts
• NRCA Act 1991
• Beach Control Act (1956)
• Watersheds Protection Act (1963)
• Wildlife Protection Act (1945)
• Provides policy framework for environmental
  management.

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National Environment Planning Agency contd

• Some NEPA activities are
• - environmental education
• - environmental monitoring
• - project planning and monitoring
• - issuing environmental permits and
  licences
• http//www.nepa.gov.jm/

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National Environment Planning Agency contd
Management Tools Promoted by NEPA -
Conservation - Conservation Biology -
Environmental Management Systems - Natural
Resource Valuation
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Conservation vs.Conservation Biology contd

• Conservation
• - careful use of natural resources
• - e.g., fuel wood, wild meat, wild plants

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Conservation vs.Conservation Biology

• Conservation Biology
• - multidisciplinary science that investigates
  human impacts on biological diversity
• - attempts to prevent species extinction
• - develops compromises between
• species protection and human needs

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Natural Resource Valuation

• Process of placing monetary values on natural
  environmental resources, their services and
  effects.
• Allows for more accurate representation of the
  costs associated with development.

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Environmental Management Systems (EMS)

• Management tool that enables organisations,
  institutions and businesses to address the impact
  of their goods and services on the environment.
• An EMS may include
• ways to recycle office paper
• more efficient waste management systems
• plans to phase out or replace certain chemicals
  or materials (NEPA, 2005)

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Environmental Management Systems (EMS)

• Example Environmental Audits for Sustainable
  Tourism (EAST) Project.
• (1997 Funded by USAID)
• After instituting EMS five Jamaican hotels
  reduced
• Energy use by 12
• Water consumption by 50,000,000 gallons
• Energy use by 1,665,000 kWh.
• (Dollar value USD 330,000 per annum)
• .