The document discusses the evolution of environmental science, highlighting the historical impact of human interaction with natural resources, from ancient agricultural practices leading to salinization in Sumer to modern environmental crises. It emphasizes key events and legislation that shaped conservation efforts and the environmental movement, including the establishment of the EPA and various environmental protection acts. Additionally, it contrasts different worldviews regarding environmental management, illustrating how these perspectives influence policies and address global challenges such as resource depletion and climate change.

1. Introduction
to
Environment
al Science
In every deliberation, we must consider our
impact on the next seven generations.
- Great Law of the Iroquois

2. 2
 Environmental science is the study of the interaction of humans with
the natural environment.
• Climate, soil, water, air, other organisms.

3. 1.
Environmental
History
Fertile crescent through present
day.

4.  During the agricultural
revolution in the fertile
crescent, humans began
farming.
• In Sumeria, similar grain
production to modern
agriculture: 30
bushels/acre.
• Sumerians heavily relied
on irrigation, the
application of water to
soil from nearby rivers.

5. 5
⪢ When the irrigation water evaporated, minerals were left behind, causing
salinization or an increase in salt content.
⪢ Few crops could be grown in the salinized soil. Sumeria collapsed.

6. 6
 The salinization of
Sumeria is an
example of:
• The Law of
Unintended
Consequences:
Decisions often have
unexpected effects.
• Resource Depletion:
Consuming natural
materials faster than
they can replenish.

7.  The Industrial Revolution marked the transition to coal power,
electricity, and factory production.
• What unintended consequences and resource depletion took place?

8. Tragedy of the
Commons
⪢ Pamphlet published by an
economist in 1833 describing a
major cause of resource
depletion:
○ Greed; individuals pursuing
personal wealth at the expense
of the society as a whole.
⪢ Commons are resources that
are shared and not owned.

9.  Two small villages both consist of sheep farmers who raise and sell sheep to a
nearby city.
• The first village has an unregulated,
shared pasture for grazing.
• The second village passes a law
assigning each farmer a fenced
section of the pasture.
Which is
more likely
to
experience
resource
depletion?

10.  Two small villages both consist of sheep farmers who raise and sell sheep to a
nearby city.
• The first village has an unregulated, shared
pasture for grazing.
Which is
more likely
to
experience
resource
depletion?
The first village due
to people
overgrazing
(tragedy) the
shared pasture
(commons).

11.  Overexploitation of natural resources, pollution, and climate change
are all modern examples of the tragedy of the commons.

12. The Progressive Era
 The Progressive
Era began at the
turn of the 20th
century.
• Greater emphasis
on conserving
resources and
protecting land.

13. Inexhaustible
Cannot be used up.
Sunlight
Natural Resource
Classifications
Renewable
Will be replaced, but often at
a slower rate than they are
used.
Soil, timber.
13
Nonrenewable
Not replaced within the
human time scale.
Single-use
Coal, oil, natural gas
Recyclable Nonrenewable
Not replaced within the human
time scale.
Can be reused repeatedly
Minerals, metals

14. The Progressive Era
 During the
progressive era, the
Antiquities Act was
passed, allowing
the federal
government to
protect cultural and
natural resources.

15. National Land Designations
 National Parks are to be kept
unaltered from their original
state.
• No fishing, logging, hunting, or
livestock grazing.
 National Forests allow
commercial logging and
recreational hunting and fishing.
• Permit required to prevent
overexploitation.
 National Wildlife Refuges allow
hunting and fishing with a permit,
but no commercial activities.

16. About 92% of public land is in the 12 Western states.

17.  The same year the antiquities act passed, San Francisco
experienced a massive earthquake and fire.
 As the city was rebuilt, a new water supply was needed.

18.  The city applied to the federal government to build dams and
reservoirs in the Hetch Hetchy and Lake Eleanor valleys in Yosemite.
• As a national park, a law would have to be passed granting the exemption.

19. Anthropocentrism
 Human-centered philosophy
 Human interests and well-
being come first
 Advocated to build the dam
Ecocentrism
 Nature-centered philosophy
 Preserving ecosystems comes
first
 Advocated to leave the valley
untouched

20.  The dam was built in 1914 and
is still in use today.
“Where conflicting interests must
be reconciled, the question shall
always be answered from the
standpoint of the greatest good
of the greatest number in the
long run.”
-Gifford Pinchot, Chief of the U.S.
Forest Service

21. Modern
Environmentalism
⪢ The modern environmental
movement, starting in the 1960s,
ushered in a wave of public awareness
and legislation…
⪢ Reducing air and water pollution
⪢ Preserving ecosystems and biodiversity
⪢ Promoting sustainability
⪢ This movement was triggered by a
series of environmental disasters in
the previous decades.
21

22.  In 1946, nuclear bomb testing in the Marshall Islands exposed native
islanders and Navy sailors to radioactive fallout.
• This material was carcinogenic, meaning it increased the risk of cancer.

23.  In 1948, air pollution from a zinc and steel plant caused a dense smog
that sickened thousands in Donora, Pennsylvania.
• Air pollution is the introduction of harmful particles and gases into the
atmosphere.

24.  In 1962, Rachel Carson
published Silent Spring,
documenting the impacts
that pesticides like DDT were
having on wildlife.
• DDT is persistent, meaning it is
not biodegradable and will not
break down naturally.
 Many species of birds,
including the bald eagle,
nearly went extinct.
• Extinction is the complete loss
of a species from the Earth.

25.  In 1968, The Population Bomb is
published, blaming many
environmental problems on human
overpopulation and predicting a global
famine.
• A famine is an extreme shortage of food.

26.  In 1969, oil-soaked debris caught fire in the Cuyahoga River, bringing the problem of
water pollution to the public’s attention.
• Water pollution is the contamination of lakes, rivers, oceans, and groundwater.

27.  In 1978, the city of Love Canal, New York was abandoned and demolished
due to a leaking hazardous waste dump buried underneath it.
• Hazardous waste includes chemicals known to be dangerous to human health.

28. 28
Antiquities
Act
Enabled
creation of
National Parks
Clean
Water
Act
Restricts
pollution
of surface
waters
Clean Air
Act
Restricts
pollution
of the
atmosphe
re
Safe Drinking
Water Act
Testing and
treatment
standards for tap
water.
Endangered
Species Act
Identifies
species at risk
of extinction
and makes
plans for their
recovery
Resource
Conservation
and Recovery
Act
Requires safe
transport and
storage of
hazardous
waste
Environmental
Policy Act
All federal projects
must assess
environmental
impacts.
1906
1968
1970
1970
1973
1974
1980
1980
CERCLA
Funds the
cleanup of
hazardous
waste sites

29.  The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) was established in 1970
to enforce federal environmental laws.

30. Global Environmentalism
 Following the 1970s, environmentalism began to consider
issues that affected the entire planet:
• Biodiversity loss
• Food production
• Climate Change
• Human population growth
• Economic inequality
between nations

31. 2.
Developed and
Developing
Countries
The economic and demographic
divide.

32. The Demographic Divide
 Countries are classified across an economic spectrum:
Economically poor
Less educated
Higher fertility rates
Lower standard of living
Lower rates of consumption
Economically wealthy
More educated
Lower fertility rates
Higher standard of living
Higher rates of consumption
Underdeveloped Developed
Developing
Transitioning

33.  Gross domestic product (GDP) per capita is the monetary
value of the goods and services produced per person per year.
Haiti
$1272/year
Dominican Republic
$8282/year
 Gross domestic product (GDP) per capita is the monetary
value of the goods and services produced per person per year.

34.  Total fertility rate is the number of children born to an
average woman over her lifetime.
Haiti
$1272/year
2.94 births
Dominican Republic
$8282/year
2.35 births

35.  Life expectancy is the number of years an average person will
live.
Haiti
$1272/year
2.94 births
63.4 years
Dominican Republic
$8282/year
2.35 births
73.9 years

36.  Consumption is the amount of materials, energy, and services
used per person.
Haiti
$1272/year
2.94 births
63.4 years
36 kWh
0.28 tons CO2 /
person / year
Dominican Republic
$8282/year
2.35 births
73.9 years
1,456 kWh
2.15 tons CO2 /
person / year

37.  Consumption is estimated with an
ecological footprint, the amount of
land needed to support a person or
country.
• Forest products
• Carbon pollution
• Cropland and pastureland
• Build-up land
• Fisheries

38. Economics and the Environment
 Supply and demand predicts that the price of a
resource will…
• Increase when supply is low and/or demand is high.
• Decrease when supply is high and/or demand is low.
 A cost-benefit analysis measures the expense of
an action with the benefits it will bring.
• Hidden costs are “paid for” by people other than the
sellers and buyers and are usually not included in
these analyses.

39. Case Study: Bhopal
 Watch this clip about the 1984 Bhopal pesticide
plant explosion and 2004 “prank” played by the
Yes Men to raise awareness of it.
• Where on the developed/developing spectrum was
India in 1984?
• What costs and benefits did Union Carbide consider
in building the plant in India?
• Would the chemicals released from the accident be
considered persistent? Hazardous? Why?
• Explain the change in DOW’s stock price using
principles of supply and demand.
• What costs and benefits did DOW consider when
creating the Human Element ad campaign instead of
sending money to Bhopal?

40. 3.
Worldviews
The way you look at the world:
attitudes, values, and
expectations.

41. Environmental Worldviews
Planetary
Management
• Humans “rule” the
Earth.
• Technology and
ingenuity will prevent
the loss of resources.
• Economic potential is
unlimited.
Stewardship
• Human needs come
first but we must care
for other species too.
• Conserve resources for
future generations
when possible.
• Prefer economic
growth that does not
harm the environment.
Environmental
Wisdom
• Humans are no more
important than any
other species.
• Resources are finite,
wastes do not “go
away”.
• Our survival depends
on sustaining the
Earth.
Anthropocentric Ecocentric

42.  Government policy is driven by these
worldviews, and is implemented through
three primary tools:
Laws
Explicitly
permit or
prevent certain
actions.
Taxes
Require
payments to
discourage
certain behaviors
or fund other
programs.
Tax breaks can
encourage other
behaviors.
Subsidies
Direct
payments to
reward certain
actions.

43.  Planetary Management
worldview policies
prioritize short-term
economic growth.
• Permitting drilling in Alaska
National Wildlife Refuge
• Expansion of oil pipelines
• Reduction in automotive
fuel standards.
• Removal of caps on carbon
emissions.

44.  Stewardship worldview
policies try to balance
economic growth with
sustainability.
• Winding down fossil fuel
subsidies in favor of wind,
solar, and geothermal ones.
• Revision of Clean Air Act
regulations to include new
pollutants.
• Subsidies for public transit and
efficient building construction.

45.  Environmental Wisdom
policies prioritize
environmental protection
over economic growth.
• Carbon neutrality for
electricity generation by
2050.
• Banning of certain types and
applications of plastics.
• Taxing all carbon emissions.