CHAPTER 1 ENVIRONMENTAL PROBLEMS, THEIR CAUSES, AND SUSTAINABILITY Chapter Outline

11 !hat are three prin"iple# $% #u#taina&ilit'( A. Environmental science is a study of connections in nature. 1. Environment includes all living and nonliving things with which an organism interacts. 2. Environmental science studies how the earth works, our interaction with the earth, and ways to deal with environment problems and live more sustainably. 3. Ecology studies relationships between living organisms, and their interaction with the environment. 4. Environmentalism is a social movement dedicated to protecting life support systems for all species. . !ature"s survival strategies follow three principles of sustainability. 1. #ife depends on solar energy. 2. iodiversity provides natural services. 3. $hemical%nutrient cycling means that there is little waste in nature. $. &ustainability has certain key components. 1. #ife depends on natural capital, natural resources and natural services. 2. 'any human activities can degrade natural capital. 3. &olutions are being found and implemented. 4. &ustainability begins at personal and local levels. (. &ome resources are renewable and some are not. 1. )umans depend upon resources to meet our needs. 2. A perpetual resource is continuously renewed and e*pected to last +e.g. solar energy,. 3. A renewable resource is replenished in days to several hundred years through natural processes +forests, grasslands, fish populations, freshwater, fresh air, and fertile soil,. 4. &ustainable yield is the highest rate at which a renewable and non-renewable resource can be used indefinitely without reducing its available supply. .. &ome resources are not renewable. A. !onrenewable resources e*ist in fi*ed /uantities. a. E*haustible energy +coal and oil,. b. 'etallic minerals +copper and aluminum,. c. !onmetallic minerals +salt and sand,. 0. &ustainable solutions1 2educe, reuse, recycle. E. 2ich and poor countries have different environmental impacts. 1. (eveloped countries include the high income ones, such as the 3.&. and $anada. 2. (eveloping countries include the low income ones, such as $hina and 4ndia. 1)* H$+ are $ur e"$l$,i"al %$$tprint# a%%e"tin, the earth( A. 5e are living unsustainably. 1. Environmental, or natural capital, degradation is occurring. 2. 5e have solutions to these problems that can be implemented. . 6ollution comes from a number of sources. 1. 6oint sources are single, identifiable sources +e.g., smokestack,. 2. !onpoint sources are dispersed and often difficult to identify +e.g., lawn runoff,. 3. 5e can clean up pollution or prevent it. 4. 6ollution cleanup is usually more e*pensive and less effective. .. 6ollution prevention reduces or eliminates the production of pollutants. $. 7he tragedy of the commons1 overe*ploiting shared renewable resources.

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4nstructor"s 'anual for Environmental Science, 14th edition

4n 1:0;, the biologist <arrett )ardin called the degradation of openly shared resources the tragedy of the commons. 2. 2educing degradation. a. 2educe use by government regulations. b. &hift to private ownership. (. Ecological footprints1 our environmental impacts. 1. Ecological footprint is the amount of biologically productive land and water needed to supply a person or country with renewable resources and to recycle the waste and pollution produced by such resource use. 2. 6er capita ecological footprint is the average ecological footprint of an individual in a given country or area. 3. Ecological deficit means the ecological footprint is larger than the biological capacity to replenish resources and absorb wastes and pollution. 4. )umanity is living unsustainably. .. =ootprints can also be e*pressed as number of Earths it would take to support consumption. 0. $ase study1 A vision of a more sustainable world in 2909. E. 46A7 is another environmental impact model 1. 4n the early 1:>9s, scientists 6aul Ehrlich and ?ohn )oldren developed the 46A7 model. 2. 4 +environmental impact, @ 6 +population siAe, * A +affluence%person, * 7 +technology"s beneficial and harmful effects,. =. $ase &tudy1 $hina"s new affluent consumers. 1)- !h' .$ +e ha/e en/ir$n0ental pr$&le0#( A. E*perts have identified four basic causes of environmental problems1 1. 6opulation growth. 2. 3nsustainable resource use. 3. 6overty. 4. E*cluding environmental costs from market prices. . 7he human population is growing e*ponentially at a rapid rate. 1. )uman population is increasing at a fi*ed percentage so that we are e*periencing doubling of larger and larger populations. 2. )uman population in 299: was about 0.; billion. 3. ased on the current increase rate there will be :.0 billion people by 29.9. 4. 5e can slow population growthB see $ore $ase &tudy. $. Affluence has harmful and beneficial environmental effects. 1. 5ealth results in high levels of consumption and waste of resources. 2. Average American consumes 39 times as much as the average consumer in 4ndia. 3. C&hop-until-you-dropD affluent consumers are afflicted with a disorder called affluenAa. 4. Affluence has provided better education, scientific research, and technological solutions, which result in improvements in environmental /uality +e.g., safe drinking water,. (. 6overty has harmful environmental and health effects. 1. 6overty occurs when the basic needs for ade/uate food, water, shelter, health, and education are not met. 2. Ene in every five people live in e*treme poverty +FG1.2.%day,, and more are susceptible. 3. 6overty causes harmful environmental and health effects. a. Environmental degradation caused by need for short-term survival. b. 'alnutrition. c. 4nade/uate sanitation and lack of clean drinking water. d. &evere respiratory disease +inade/uate ventilation of heat sources,. e. )igh rates of premature death for children under the age of . years. E. 6rices of goods and services due not include harmful environmental and health costs. 1. A company"s goal is often to ma*imiAe the profit. 2. Eften consumers do not know the damage caused by their consumption. 3. <overnment subsidies may increase environmental degradation. 4. 7here are ways to include harmful costs of goods and services. a. &hift from environmentally harmful to beneficial government subsidies. b. 7a* pollution and waste heavily while reducing ta*es on income and wealth. 8 2913 rooks%$ole 6ublishing, a (ivision of $engage #earning

$hapter 11 Environmental 6roblems, 7heir $auses, and &ustainability =.

6eople have different views about environmental problems and their solutions. Each individual has their own environmental worldviewHa set of assumptions and values reflecting how you think the world works and what your role should be. 2. Environmental ethics are beliefs about what is right and wrong with how we treat the environment. 3. 6lanetary management worldview holds that we are separate from and in charge of nature. 4. &tewardship worldview holds that we can and should manage the earth for our benefit, but that we have an ethical responsibility to be caring and responsible managers. .. Environmental wisdom worldview holds that we are part of, and dependent on, nature and that nature e*ists for all species, not Iust for us. 1)1 !hat i# an en/ir$n0entall' #u#taina&le #$"iet'( A. Environmentally sustainable societies protect natural capital and live off its income. 1. 4ncrease reliance on renewable resources. 2. 6rotect earth"s natural capital. . 5e can work together to solve environmental problems. 1. 7rade-off solutions provide a balance between the benefits and the costs. 2. 4ndividuals matter especially in success of bottom-up grassroots action. 1.

O&2e"ti/e#
1)1 !hat are three prin"iple# $% #u#taina&ilit'( CONCEPT 1)1A !ature has sustained itself for billions of years by relying on solar energy, biodiversity, and nutrient cycling. CONCEPT 1)1B Eur lives and economies depend on energy from the sun +solar capital, and natural resources and natural services +natural capital, provided by the earth. 1. (efine natural "apital. 'ake a list of several local e*amples of depleting or degrading behaviors that impact our environment. AnalyAe which of these behaviors humans are currently shifting away from. (efine #u#taina&le #$"iet'. 2. (escribe how natural #er/i"e# work to recycle materials. (raw the relationship between solar energy, nutrient "'"lin,, and &i$.i/er#it'. 6rovide a specific nutrient "'"lin, e*ample. 3. (istinguish between the following terms1 perpetual, rene+a&le, and n$nrene+a&le re#$ur"e# and specify the importance of re.u"e, reu#e, and re"'"le for the n$nrene+a&le re#$ur"e#. 1)* H$+ are $ur e"$l$,i"al %$$tprint# a%%e"tin, the earth( CONCEPT 1)* As our ecological footprints grow, we are depleting and degrading more of the earth"s natural capital. 1. (istinguish between p$int and n$np$int #$ur"e# of pollution. (escribe two local e*amples of each type and suggest recommend solutions to reduce or eliminate these problems. 2. (istinguish between p$lluti$n pre/enti$n and p$lluti$n "leanup. Evaluate the effectiveness of these two approaches in decreasing p$lluti$n. #ist four causes of environmental problems. 3. <ive 3 e*amples of resources that have been degrade due to the tragedy of the commons. 4. $alculate your e"$l$,i"al %$$tprint at www.myfootprint.org and evaluate the long-term conse/uences of continuing to live in your current style. 1)!h' .$ +e ha/e en/ir$n0ental pr$&le0#( CONCEPT 1)-A 'aIor causes of environmental problems are population growth, wasteful and unsustainable resource use, poverty, and not including the harmful environmental costs of resource use in the market prices of goods and services. CONCEPT 1)-B Eur environmental worldview plays a key role in determining whether we live unsustainably or more sustainably. 1. 5hat is affluenAaJ #ist several behaviors that you have observed that are signs of affluenAa. 5hat are the long-term conse/uences of continued high levels of consumptionJ 2. (escribe several environmental problems associated with poverty. (istinguish between .e/el$pe. "$untrie# and .e/el$pin, "$untrie#. 1)1 !hat i# an en/ir$n0entall' #u#taina&le #$"iet'(

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CONCEPT 1)1 #iving sustainably means living off the earth"s natural income without depleting or degrading the natural capital that supplies it. 1. (efine #u#taina&le 'iel.. (escribe the relationship between #u#taina&le 'iel. and environmental .e,ra.ati$n. (escribe the Ctragedy of the commons.D 2. (efine &i$.i/er#it'. riefly describe your community"s &i$.i/er#it'. AnalyAe the relationship between &i$.i/er#it' and human life.

3e' Ter0#
affluence +p. 1>, biodiversity +p. >, capital +p. ;, ecological footprint +p. 13, ecology +p. 0, ecosystem +p. >, environment +p. 0, environmental degradation +p.11, environmental ethics +p. 1:, environmental science +p. 0, environmental wisdom worldview +p. 29, environmental worldview +p. 1:, environmentalism +p. >, environmentally sustainable society +p. 29, e*ponential growth +p. 10, less developing countries +p. 14, more developed countries +p. 14, natural capital +p. ;, natural income +p. 29, natural resources +p. ;, natural services +p. ;, nonpoint sources +p. 12, nonrenewable resource +p. 19, nutrient cycling +p. >, organisms +p. 0, per capita ecological footprint +p. 13, perpetual resource +p. 19, planetary management worldview +p. 29, point sources +p. 12, pollution +p. 12, pollution cleanup +p. 12, pollution prevention +p. 12, poverty +p. 1>, principles of sustainability +p. >, recycling +p. 19, renewable resource +p. 19, resource +p. 19, reuse +p. 19, species +p. >, stewardship worldview +p. 29, sustainability +p. ., sustainable yield +p. 19,

Di#"u##i$n T$pi"#
1. 2. 3. 4. .. 0. 5hat are the 3! population proIections and how might these population changes influence sustainabilityJ (efine poverty and specify several geographic areas struggling with poverty. (iscuss several causes of poverty. &uggest possible strategies to address the current situation. (iscuss the current research, development, and distribution of new technologies in the 3nited &tates that can contribute to living more sustainably +e.g., alternate fuel sources,. &tate of the world1 3se the annotated bibliography of current resources to summariAe the state of the world and the most important areas of environmental concern. 5hat is one form of pollution or environmental degradation, and describe its e*istence in different countries, choosing one incident as a case study. )ow have cultural views of the human-environment relationship influenced a sustainable-Earth worldviewJ (iscuss attitudes toward natureB distribution of labor, power, and wealthB relationships between the se*esB social structureB and political style. )ow has energy consumption and use of materials throughout history changed in relation to increases in population siAeJ

>.

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$hapter 11 Environmental 6roblems, 7heir $auses, and &ustainability ;. 5hat variables influence a person"s /uality of lifeJ 5hat are the minimum re/uirements for each person to have a CgoodD /uality of lifeJ 5hat is a Cgood lifeDJ (oes increased resource consumption improve /uality of lifeJ 5hat is the history of conflict among pollution control, environmental degradation, and employment in the 3nited &tatesJ #ist possible cases of interest such as the automobile industry and fuel efficiency standards, the spotted owl and the logging industry, and offshore drilling and the oil industry. 4s the 3nited &tates overpopulatedJ 5hat is the difference between people overpopulation and consumption overpopulationJ (o you feel a part of or apart from natureJ (o you think technology can solve our environmental problemsJ (o you think human ingenuity, technology and substitutes for materials that are being used up /uickly can create a good life for Earth"s peopleJ 5hen poor economic growth accompanies population growth, poverty increases. )ow does the use or misuse of natural%renewable resources affect povertyJ )ow does this poverty affect the environmentJ )ow can the use of common property affect resourcesJ 5hy is a 3.&. citiAen"s Cecological footprintD so much larger than that of someone in a less developed countryJ 5hat are some technological resources that compromise the environment, and some that are environmentally beneficialJ

:.

19. 11. 12. 13. 14.

1.. 10.

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Attitu.e# an. Value A##e##0ent

1. 2. 3. 4. .. 0. >. ;. :. Are we living on our planet in a sustainable mannerJ 4s the world overpopulatedJ )ave you e*perienced countries that you felt to be overpopulatedJ )ave you seen videos of countries that you felt to be overpopulatedJ 4s your local community overpopulatedJ 5hat do you feel are the costs and benefits of the population siAe of your communityJ (o you feel that the siAe of the human population is one of the top environmental issuesJ &hould something be done to reduce povertyJ 5ill a reduction in poverty help our planet be more sustainableJ (o you think the rate of resource consumption is too highJ (o you consume too many resourcesJ &hould your ecological footprint be regulatedJ (o you think it"s important to change your consumption patternsJ 5hat kinds of changes do you think would improve the /uality of life on EarthJ

19. 5hat kinds of changes are you willing to make to decrease your resource consumptionJ 11. 5ould decreasing your resource consumption improve your own /uality of lifeJ 12. 5hat kinds of changes do you think industrialiAed countries might make to improve the /uality of lifeJ 13. 5hat is your environmental worldviewJ

!e& Re#$ur"e#
Center %$r Su#taina&le E"$n$0' Ecological footprint /uiA. http1%%www.myfootprint.org% Earth 411 $r, Environmental and sustainability resources. http1%%earth:11.org% Online C$00unit' %$r the En/ir$n0ent 'any resources. http1%%www.envirolink.org% Center %$r E"$litera"' Educational sources on &ustainable living http1%%www.ecoliteracy.org% Earthea#' 'any resources. http1%%www.eartheasy.com%

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$hapter 11 Environmental 6roblems, 7heir $auses, and &ustainability

>

Di,ital Inte,rati$n C$rrelati$n t$ 5l$&al En/ir$n0ent !at"h

$onsumption Ecological =ootprint Environmental 6hilosophy Everpopulation 6overty &ustainability

C$rrelati$n t$ E6pl$re M$re

&ustainability

Re/ie+
C$re Ca#e Stu.' 1. (escribe the authors" vision of a more sustainable world by 2909. 7he loss of biodiversity has been slowed to a trickle. Ecosystems are gradually cleansing themselves of pollution. Energy waste has been cut in half. 7he threat of future climate change is decreasing. =arming practices do not deplete water or soil. 7he human population is starting to decline, after peaking at a lower number than once proIected. Se"ti$n 1)1 2. 5hat are the two key concepts for this sectionJ (efine sustainability. (efine environment. (istinguish among environmental science, ecology and environmentalism. (istinguish between an organism and a species. 5hat is an ecosystemJ 5hat are three principles of sustainability that nature has usedJ 5hat is solar energy and why is it important to life on earthJ 5hat is biodiversity and why is it important to life on earthJ (efine nutrients. (efine chemical or nutrient cycling and e*plain why it is important to life on the earth. 7he key concepts for this section are1 o !ature has sustained itself for billions of years by relying on solar energy, biodiversity, and nutrient cycling. o Eur lives and economies depend on energy from the sun +solar capital, and natural resources and natural services +natural capital, provided by the earth. &ustainability is the ability of the earth"s various natural systems and human cultural systems and economies to survive and adapt to changing environmental conditions indefinitely. 7he environment is everything around us. Environmental science is an interdisciplinary study of how humans interact with living and nonliving parts of their environment. Ecology is the biological science that studies how organisms, or living things, interact with one another and with their environment. Environmentalism is a social movement dedicated to protecting the earth"s life-support systems for all forms of life. Every organism is a member of a certain species1 a group of organisms that have distinctive traits and, for se*ually reproducing organisms, can mate and produce fertile offspring. An ecosystem is a set of organisms within a defined area or volume interacting with one another and with their environment of nonliving matter and energy. !ature has sustained itself with solar energy, biodiversity, and chemical cycling. &olar energy warms the earth and provides energy for plants to produce nutrients. All life on earth depends upon solar energy.

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4nstructor"s 'anual for Environmental Science, 14th edition

iodiversity is the variety of organisms, the natural systems in which they live and the natural services that they provide. !utrient cycling is the circulation of nutrients, or chemicals necessary for life, from the environment +mostly from soil and water, through organisms and back to the environment

(efine natural capital. (efine natural resources and natural services and give two e*amples of each. (escribe how we can degrade natural capital and how finding solutions to environmental problems involves making trade-offs. E*plain why individuals matter in dealing with the environmental problems we face. !atural capitalHthe natural resources and natural services that keep us and other forms of life alive and support our economies. !atural resources are materials and energy in nature that are essential or useful to humans. 7hese resources are often classified as renewable +such as air, water, soil, plants, and wind, or nonrenewable +such as copper, oil, and coal,. !atural services are processes in nature such as purification of air and water, which support life and human economies. !atural capital degradation occurs when the natural resources and services are hurt. &olutions to natural degradation, such as reducing energy consumption, reducing resource use and advocating a reduction in population growth, may re/uire economic changes and life-style modifications. 4ndividuals matter because data suggests that it takes only .K19L of the population of a community, country, or the world to bring about maIor social change, and significant social change can occur in a much shorter time than most people think. 5hat is a resourceJ (istinguish between a perpetual resource and a renewable resource and give an e*ample of each. 5hat is the sustainable yield of a renewable resourceJ (efine and give two e*amples of a nonrenewable resource. (istinguish between recycling and reuse and give an e*ample of each. 5hat percentage of the non-renewable metals and plastics that we use could be recycled or reusedJ (istinguish between more-developed countries and less-developed countries and give an e*ample of a high-income, middle-income and low-income country. A resource is anything obtained from the environment to meet our needs and wants such as solar energy, fresh air, fertile soil, wild edible plants, petroleum, iron, underground water, and cultivated crops. &olar energy is called a perpetual resource because it is renewed continuously and is e*pected to last at least 0 billion years as the sun completes its life cycle. A renewable resource can be replenished in days to several hundred years through natural processes as long as it is not used up faster than it is renewed. E*amples include forests, grasslands, fish populations, freshwater, fresh air, and fertile soil. &ustainable yield of a renewable resource is the highest rate at which it can be used indefinitely without reducing its available supply. !onrenewable resources, such as coal and oil, e*ist in a fi*ed /uantity, or stock, in the earth"s crust and take millions to billions of years to renew. 2ecycling involves collecting waste materials and processing them into new materials, for e*ample cans that are collected and reprocessed. 2euse means using a resource over and over in the same form, for e*ample glass bottles that are collected, washed, and refilled many times. Eighty to :9L of the non-renewable metals and plastics that we use could be recycled or reused. 7he 3nited !ations classifies the world"s countries as economically more developed or less developed based primarily on their average income per person. )igh-income countries include the 3nited &tates, $anada, ?apan, Australia, !ew Mealand, and most countries of Europe. 'iddleincome countries include $hina, 4ndia, raAil, 7hailand, and 'e*ico. #ow-income countries include $ongo, )aiti, !igeria, and !icaragua.

4.

Se"ti$n 1)*

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$hapter 11 Environmental 6roblems, 7heir $auses, and &ustainability ..

5hat is the key concept for this sectionJ (efine and give three e*amples of environmental degradation +natural capital degradation,. About what percentage of the earth"s natural or ecosystem services have been degraded by human activitiesJ (efine pollution. (istinguish between point sources and nonpoint sources of pollution and give an e*ample of each. (istinguish between pollution cleanup and pollution prevention. (escribe three drawbacks to solutions that rely mostly on pollution cleanup. 5hat is the tragedy of the commons and what are two ways to deal with itJ 7he key concept for this section is1 o As our ecological footprints grow, we are depleting and degrading more of the earth"s natural capital. Environmental degradation is when the use of a renewable resource e*ceeds its natural replacement rate, causing the available supply to shrink. E*amples include climate change, soil erosion, a/uifer depletion, decreased wildlife habitats, species e*tinction, and declining ocean fisheries. According to the 299. 3! Millenium Ecosystem Assessment, about 09L of the earth"s natural or ecosystem services have been degraded. 6ollution is contamination of the environment by a chemical or other agent, such as noise or heat, that is harmful to health, survival, or activities of humans or other organisms. 6oint sources are single, identifiable sources, such as the smokestack of a coal-burning power or industrial plant, a factory drainpipe, or the e*haust pipe of an automobile. !onpoint sources are dispersed and often difficult to identify. E*amples include pesticides blown from the land into the air and the runoff of fertiliAers, pesticides, and trash from the land into streams and lakes. 6ollution cleanup involves cleaning up or diluting pollutants after they have been produced, for e*ample water filters used to clean contaminated groundwater. 6ollution prevention reduces or eliminates the production of pollutants, for e*ample air purifying technologies used on smoke stacks for cleaner e*haust. (rawbacks to solutions that rely on pollution cleanup include1 o 4t is only a temporary bandage as long as population and consumption levels grow without corresponding improvements in pollution control technology. o $leanup often removes a pollutant from one part of the environment only to cause pollution in another. =or e*ample, we can collect garbage. o Ence pollutants become dispersed into the environment at harmful levels, it usually costs too much to reduce them to acceptable levels. 7he tragedy of the commons is the environmental degradation of openly shared renewable resources. Ene solution is using a shared renewable resource at a rate well below its estimated sustainable yield by using less of the resource, regulating access to the resource, or both. Another possible solution is to convert open-access renewable resources to private ownershipB this is not practical for global resources such as the atmosphere and the oceans. 5hat is an ecological footprintJ 5hat is a per capita ecological footprintJ $ompare the total and per capita ecological footprints of the 3nited &tates and $hina. 3se the ecological footprint concept to e*plain how we are living unsustainably in terms of the number of planet earths that we need to sustain ourselves now and in the future. An ecological footprint is the amount of biologically productive land and water needed to indefinitely supply the people in a particular country or area with renewable and non-renewable resources and to absorb and recycle the wastes and pollution produced by such resource use. A per capita ecological footprint is the average ecological footprint of an individual in a given country or area. 7he 7otal Ecological =ootprint +million hectares, and &hare of <lobal Ecological $apacity +L, for the 3nited &tates is 2,;19 +2.L,, and for $hina is 2,9.9 +1;L,. 6er $apita Ecological =ootprint +hectares per person, in the 3nited &tates is :.> and in $hina is 1.0. En average each person in the 3.&. consumes a lot more then someone in $hina. 7o indefinitely sustain the resource use of the current human population, we would need the e/uivalent of 1.3 planet earths. 4f we continue on our current path, by around 293. we will need 2 planet earths. 8 2913 rooks%$ole 6ublishing, a (ivision of $engage #earning

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4nstructor"s 'anual for Environmental Science, 14th edition

>.

5hat is the 46A7 model for estimating our environmental impactJ E*plain how we can use this model to estimate the impacts of the human populations in less-developed and more-developed countries. (escribe the environmental impacts of $hina"s new affluent consumers. 46A7 is a simple model showing how population siAe +6,, affluence or resource consumption per person +A,, and the beneficial and harmful environmental effects of technologies +7, help to determine the environmental impact +4, of human activities. 5hile the ecological footprint model emphasiAes the use of renewable resources, this model includes the per capita use of both renewable and nonrenewable resources. 4n most developing countries, the key factors in total environmental impact +=igure 1->, top, are population siAe and the degradation of renewable resources as a growing number of poor people struggle to stay alive. $hina"s new affluent consumers are following the 3.&. in environmental impacts e*cept $hina has more people embracing high-consumption practices.

Se"ti$n 1);. 5hat are the two key concepts for this sectionJ 4dentify four basic causes of the environmental problems that we face. 5hat is e*ponential growthJ )ow many people are in the world todayJ )ow many people are added each yearJ )ow many people may be here by 29.9J 5hat is affluenceJ )ow do Americans, 4ndians, and the average people in the poorest countries compare in terms of average consumption per personJ 5hat are two types of environmental damage resulting from growing affluenceJ )ow can affluence help us to solve environmental problemsJ 5hat is poverty and what are three of its harmful environmental and health effectsJ (escribe the connection between poverty and population growth. (escribe three maIor heath effects suffered by many of the world"s poor. 7he key concepts for this section are1 o 'aIor causes of environmental problems are population growth, wasteful and unsustainable resource use, poverty, and not including the harmful environmental costs of resource use in the market prices of goods and services. o Eur environmental worldview plays a key role in determining whether we live unsustainably or more sustainably =our basic causes of environmental problems are1 o 6opulation growth. o 6overty. o Affluence based on wasteful and unsustainable resource use. o E*clusion of harmful environmental costs from the market prices of goods and services. E*ponential growth occurs when a /uantity such as the human population or pollution increases at a fi*ed percentage per unit of time, for e*ample 2L per year. E*ponential growth starts off slowly. ut after only a few doublings, it grows to enormous numbers because each doubling is twice the total of all earlier growth. 7here are currently about > billion people with about ;3 million being added each year. y 29.9 there may be :.0 billion people. Affluence means wealth, or purchasing power. 7he average American consumes about 39 times as much resources as the average 4ndian and about 199 times as much as the average person in the poorest countries. Affluence can support high levels of consumption which can waste and degrade resources. Affluence can allow for better education, which can lead people to become more concerned about environmental /uality. 4t also provides money for developing technologies to reduce pollution, environmental degradation, and resource waste. 6overty occurs when people are unable to meet their basic needs for ade/uate food, water, shelter, health, and education. 7hree problems associated with poverty include1 o (egradation of forests, soil, grass lands, fisheries, and wildlife as people try to meet their basic needs. 8 2913 rooks%$ole 6ublishing, a (ivision of $engage #earning

$hapter 11 Environmental 6roblems, 7heir $auses, and &ustainability

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#imited access to ade/uate sanitation facilities and clean drinking water. &evere respiratory disease that people get from breathing the smoke of open fires or poorly vented stoves. As the population grows the number of people struggling with poverty increases. 'any of the world"s poor suffer from malnutrition, which can lead to death from normally nonfatal ailments such as diarrhea and measles, from respiratory disease and from premature death for children under the age of .. o o

:. E*plain how e*cluding from the prices of goods and services the harmful environmental costs of producing them affects the environmental problems we face. 5hat is the connection between government subsidies, resource use, and environmental degradationJ 5hat are two ways to include the harmful environmental and health effects of the goods and services that we use in their market pricesJ 5hat is an en/ir$n0ental +$rl./ie+J 5hat are environmental ethicsJ (istinguish among the planetary management, stewardship, and environmental wisdom worldviews. E*cluding the harmful environmental costs in the prices of goods and services can hurt the environment because the consumer does not realiAe the value being lost. <overnment subsidies can cause the consumer not to realiAe the value of the product or service, causing the resource to be depleted or degrade. 7wo ways to include the full cost of goods are to shift from environmentally harmful to beneficial government subsidies and to ta* pollution and waste heavily while reducing ta*es on income and wealth. Environmental worldview is a set of assumptions and values reflecting how you think the world works and what you think your role in the world should be. Environmental ethics are beliefs about what is right and wrong with how we treat the environment. 7he planetary management worldview holds that we are separate from and in charge of nature, that nature e*ists mainly to meet our needs and increasing wants, and that we can use our ingenuity and technology to manage the earth"s life-support systems, mostly for our benefit, indefinitely. 7he stewardship worldview holds that we can and should manage the earth for our benefit, but that we have an ethical responsibility to be caring and responsible managers, or stewards, of the earth. 4t says we should encourage environmentally beneficial forms of economic growth and development and discourage environmentally harmful forms. 7he environmental wisdom worldview holds that we are part of, and dependent on, nature and that nature e*ists for all species, not Iust for us. Se"ti$n 1)1 19. 5hat is the key principle for this sectionJ 5hat is an environmentally sustainable society. 5hat is natural income and what does it mean to live off of natural incomeJ 5hat are two pieces of good news about making the transition to a more sustainable societyJ ased on the three principles of sustainability, what are the three best ways to make a transition to sustainability as summariAed in this chapter"s three big ideasJ E*plain how we can use the three principles of sustainability to get us closer to the vision of a sustainable earth described in the $ore $ase &tudy that opens this chapter. #iving sustainably means living off the earth"s natural income without depleting or degrading the natural capital that supplies it. An environmentally sustainable society meets the current and future basic resource needs of its people in a Iust and e/uitable manner without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their basic needs !atural income means the renewable resources such as plants, animals, and soil provided by the earth"s natural capital. #iving off of natural income means not depleting or degrading natural capital. 7wo pieces of good news are that we have the ability to create a sustainable future by making good environmental choices now, and that people alive today are part of the 21st century"s transition generation who have the ability to create a sustainable future. 7hree best ways to make a transition1

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4nstructor"s 'anual for Environmental Science, 14th edition 2ely more on renewable energy from the sun, including indirect forms of solar energy such as wind and flowing water, to meet most of our heating and electricity needs. o 6rotect biodiversity by preventing the degradation of the earth"s species, ecosystems, and natural processes. o (o not disrupt the earth"s natural chemical cycles by overloading them with harmful chemicals or by removing natural chemicals faster than the cycles can replace them. Answers may vary but some e*amples are reducing energy consumption and relying more heavily on solar energy, reducing resource use and recycling when possible, and advocating a reduction in population growth. o

8 2913 rooks%$ole 6ublishing, a (ivision of $engage #earning