Introduction to AP Environmental Science

1
Introduction to AP Environmental Science

• Chapter 1

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Grading the first practice FRQ

• Three things that should be considered for every
  FRQ, especially pollution based FRQs
• What
• Cause
• What is the cause of the environmental problem
• How
• Effect
• How exactly is the cause related to the effect
• Who
• Exactly who is affected?

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Todays objective

• Students will understand the origin, nature, and
  extent of current environmental issues

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Environmental Science

• Study of human interaction with earth, how earth
  works, how we deal with environmental problems
• Combines biology, chemistry, geology, geography,
  econ, physics, politics, ethics, demography,
  political science

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Three words commonly misused on the APES exam

• Economic
• Monetary aspect
• Environmental
• All living/nonliving things that affect any
  organism
• Ecological
• Relationships between living things and their
  environment

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Sustainability

• Major theme of the course
• Sustainable society meets basic needs of its
  people in a just and equitable manner without
  degrading the natural capital that supplies these
  resources.
• Leaves resources available for future
  generations.

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What is Natural Capital?

• Natural Capital The natural resources and
  natural services that keep us and other species
  alive AND support our economies.
• Not fixed
• Has changed over millions of years in response to
  environmental changes
• Degradation
• In order to be sustainable we must understand
  that certain human activities degrade natural
  capital

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What is Solar Capital?

• Sun
• Supports natural capital
• Warms earth
• Photosynthesis
• Indirect forms of solar energy
• Wind
• Flowing water
• Biofuels

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NATURAL RESOURCE SERVICES
NATURAL CAPITAL
NATURAL RESOURCES
NATURAL SERVICES


NATURAL RESOURCES
NATURAL SERVICES
NATURAL SERVICES
NATURAL RESOURCES
Air purification
Air
Natural Resources materials and energy in nature
Water purification
Water
Water storage
Soil renewal
Soil
Nutrient recycling
Land
Food production
Conservation of biodiversity
Life (Biodiversity)
NATURAL CAPITAL


Wildlife habitat
Natural Services function of nature (these
essential services are provided at no cost)
Nonrenewable minerals (iron, sand)
Grassland and forest renewal
Waste treatment
Renewable energy sun, wind, water flows
Climate control
Population control (species interactions
Nonrenewable energy (fossil fuels, nuclear power)
Pest Control
Fig. 1-4, p. 9
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How do we degrade natural capital?

• One of the main ways we degrade natural capital
  is simply in our efforts to supply resources to
  an ever growing population!
• Clocks http//www.poodwaddle.com/clocks/worldcloc
  k/

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Types of population growth

• Exponential
• Logistic

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Living in an Exponential Age

• Human population growth J-shaped curve

Figure 1-1
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Exponential vs. Linear

• Exponential growth is currently occurring with
  our population
• Starts increasing slowly, then rapidly
• 10,000 years ago 5 million
• World Pop.Today 7.1 billion
• By 2100 9-10 billion
• Linear growth
• straight line

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Growth Rates

• Growth rate is slowing but still exp. growing
• 1963-2006 2.2
• 2006 1.23
• Today 1.14
• 97 of projected inc. in the worlds pop. will be
  in developing countries
• Growth rate birth rate death rate

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Carrying Capacity

• The maximum size of a population an area can
  support and maintain over a period of time

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Carrying Capacity

• Carrying capacity of the Earth for people is
  around 12 billion. What may affect that number?

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Impact of Human Pop. Growth

• Extinction of organisms 0.1 1 exponential
  rate per year
• Losing habitat leads to less biodiversity
• Ex. Coral reefs, wetlands, grasslands, forests
• What other things could increase the rate of
  extinction besides habitat loss?

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World Population reached
Actually, we hit 7 billion people on October 31st
2011! This is an old estimate
1 billion in 1804
2 billion in 1927 (123 years later)
3 billion in 1960 (33 years later)
4 billion in 1974 (14 years later)
5 billion in 1987 (13 years later)
6 billion in 1999 (12 years later)
World Population May Reach
7 billion in 2013 (14 years later)
8 billion in 2028 (15 years later)
9 billion in 2054 (26 years later)
Fig. 1.3, p. 5
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• Memorize this for the AP test
• World population about 7 billion
• U.S. population about 320 million

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Doubling Time

• Rule of 70
• divide 70 by the percent growth rate and you will
  find how long it takes the population to double.
• 70/1.23(current growth rate approx.) 57 yrs

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What have we learned so far?

• In your notes, summarize todays presentation
• What information did you find new?
• What was most interesting??

Did we meet our objective?
Students will understand the origin, nature, and
extent of current environmental issues
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Todays objective

• Students will understand the origin, nature, and
  extent of current environmental issues

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Populations and Economy

• Developed - highly industrialized
• 20 population, 85 wealth, 88 resources, 75
  pollution and waste, high GNP per capita
• Developing - low to moderate industrialization
• 80 population, 15 wealth, 12 resources, 15
  pollution and waste, low GNP per capita

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Resources

• Renewable - can be replenished in a lifetime
  (wind)
• Potentially renewable - can be renewable if we
  change our current habits (soil)
• Nonrenewable - only a fixed amount on Earth
  (minerals)

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Resources
Perpetual
Nonrenewable
Non- metallic minerals
Metallic minerals
Fossil fuels
Winds, tides, flowing water
Direct solar energy
(iron, copper, aluminum)
(clay, sand, phosphates)
Renewable
Fresh air
Fresh water
Fertile soil
Plants and animals (biodiversity)
Fig. 1.11, p. 11
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Per Captia Ecological Footprint (Hectares of land
per person)
Country
10.9
United States
5.9
The Netherlands
1.0
India
Fig. 1.10a, p. 11
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Calculations

• With a partner, calculate the ecological
  footprint of each of the countries listed.
• Are there any surprises?
• Can you explain the results?

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Total Ecological Footprint (Hectares)
Country
3 billion hectares
United States
94 million hectares
The Netherlands
1 billion hectares
India
Fig. 1.10b, p. 11
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Major Environmental Degradation of Potentially
Renewable Resources

• Urbanization
• Salinization of soil
• Wetland destruction
• Groundwater depletion
• Livestock overgrazing
• Poor soil management
• Deforestation
• Pollution
• Reduction of biodiversity

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Area under curve equals the total amount of
the resource.
Economic depletion (80 used up)
Production rate of resource
Time
Fig. 1.12, p. 13
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Pollutants

• Point source vs. nonpoint source
• concentration - ppm, ppb, ppt
• persistence - degradable, slowly degradable (DDT)
  or nondegradable
• Always less expensive to prevent, instead of
  trying to clean up.

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Causes of Environmental Problems

• Rapid population growth
• wasteful use of resources
• degradation of earths life support systems
• poverty
• failure to encourage environmentally and
  economically sustainable growth
• lack of full cost pricing
• human urge to conquer mother nature

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• Biodiversity Depletion
• Habitat destruction
• Habitat degradation
• Extinction

• Air Pollution
• Global climate change
• Stratospheric ozone depletion
• Urban air pollution
• Acid deposition
• Outdoor pollutants
• Indoor pollutants
• Noise

• Food Supply Problems
• Overgrazing
• Farmland loss
• and degradation
• Wetlands loss
• and degradation
• Overfishing
• Coastal pollution
• Soil erosion
• Soil salinization
• Soil waterlogging
• Water shortages
• Groundwater depletion
• Loss of biodiversity
• Poor nutrition

Major Environmental Problems

• Water Pollution
• Sediment
• Nutrient overload
• Toxic chemicals
• Infectious agents
• Oxygen depletion
• Pesticides
• Oil spills
• Excess heat

• Waste Production
• Solid waste
• Hazardous waste

Fig. 1.13, p. 14
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Major Environmental Problems

• Air Pollution
• Water Pollution
• Biodiversity Depletion
• Food Supply Problems
• Waste Production

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• Rapid population growth
• Unsustainable resource use
• Poverty
• Not including the environmental costs of economic
  goods and services in their market prices
• Trying to manage and simplify nature with too
  little knowledge about how it works

Fig. 1.14, p. 15
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Developing Countries
X
X

Consumption per person (affluence, A)
Technological impact per unit of consumption (T)
Environmental impact of population (I)
X
X

Population (P)
X
X

Developed Countries
Fig. 1.15, p. 15
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What needs to happen to be sustainable

• Switch to pollution prevention, not cleanup
• switch to waste prevention and recycling
• protecting habitats instead of species
• environmental restoration of degraded areas
• lower resource use (less wasteful)
• ZPG - stabilized population

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What have we learned so far?

• In your notes, summarize todays presentation
• What information did you find new?
• What was most interesting??

Did we meet our objective?
Students will understand the origin, nature, and
extent of current environmental issues