2. 1-3 WHAT IS POLLUTION
Pollution – contamination of the environment by a
chemical, noise, or heat that is harmful to humans or
other organisms .
3. POLLUTION TYPES
1. Point sources (smoke stack)
2. Nonpoint sources (water runoff)
Preventing pollution is more effective and
less costly than cleaning up pollution.
4. 1-4 WHY DO WE HAVE ENVIRONMENTAL PROBLEMS?
Major causes of environmental
problems…
Exponential population growth
Wasteful and unsustainable resource use
Poverty
Failure to include environmental costs of goods
and services in market prices
5. Fig. 1-1, p. 1
Hunting
and gathering
Agricultural revolution
Industrial revolution
Black Death—the Plague
Industrial
revolution
Fig. 1-10, p. 16
?
2-5 million
years
13
12
11
10
9
8
7
6
5
4
3
2
1
0
8000 6000 4000 2000 2000 2100
B.C. A.D.
6. Fig. 1-12, p. 17
Number of people
(% of world's population)
0.93 billion (14%)
1 billion (15%)
1 billion (15%)
1.1 billion (16%)
2 billion (29%)
2 billion (29%)
2.5 billion (37%)
Enough food
for good health
Adequate
housing
Adequate
health care
Clean drinking
water
Electricity
Enough fuel for
heating and cooking
Adequate
sanitation facilities
Lack of
access to
7. ENVIRONMENTAL EFFECTS OF AFFLUENCE
Harmful effects
High per-capita consumption and waste of
resources – large ecological footprints
Advertising – more makes you happy
Affluenza
Beneficial effects
Concern for environmental quality
Provide money for environmental causes
Reduced population growth
8. DIFFERENT ENVIRONMENTAL VIEWS
Environmental ethics – beliefs about what is right or
wrong with how we treat the environment.
Environmental worldview – set of assumptions and
values reflecting how you think the world works and
what you think your role in the world should be
9. ENVIRONMENTAL WORLDVIEW:
1. Planetary management worldview - people are
separate from nature and we are in charge of it
10. ENVIRONMENTAL WORLDVIEW:
2. Stewardship worldview – people should manage the
earth for our benefit but we have a responsibility to be
caring and responsible managers
11. ENVIRONMENTAL WORLDVIEW:
3. Environmental wisdom worldview - we are part of and
dependent on nature, nature exists for all species not just
people
12. HOW CAN WE LIVE MORE SUSTAINABLY
Three Big Ideas:
1. Rely more on renewable energy like
solar energy
2. Protect biodiversity
3. Do not disrupt earth’s natural
chemical cycles
