Introduction to environmental systems
- 1. Introduction to Environmental Systems
- 2. Overview Questions What is an “environmental issue?” What are the basic causes of current environmental problems? What does it mean to be an environmentally sustainable society? What is your impact, or “ecological footprint,” on the environment?
- 3. Why study Environmental Systems? To learn… … how nature works. … how the environment affects us and how we affect the environment. … how humans can live sustainably on Earth.
- 4. Key Environmental Problems Habitat destruction and degradation Depletion of renewable and non-renewable resources Pollution Climate change Loss of species biodiversity
- 5. Causes of Environmental Problems Human population growth Wasteful use of resources Poverty Poor environmental accounting Lack of environmental education
- 6. What is Sustainability? Sustainability creates and maintains the conditions under which humans and nature can exist in productive harmony, that permit fulfilling the social, economic and other requirements of present and future generation United States Environmental Protection Agency, http://www.epa.gov/sustainability/basicinfo.htm#sustainability
- 7. What is a sustainable society? “ An environmentally sustainable society meets the basic resource needs of its people in a just and equitable manner without degrading or depleting the natural capital that supplies these resources.” - Living in the Environment; 15 th ed.; G. Tyler Miller, Jr. Think about it ... How does a society achieve sustainability?
- 8. What is an Ecological Footprint? The ecological footprint is a measure of human demand on the Earth's ecosystems. The amount of biologically productive land and water needed to supply an individual with the renewable resources he/she uses and to absorb or dispose of the wastes from such resource use.