Environmental science review
What is an Environmentally Sustainable Society?
Environmental Science is an Interdisciplinary Study
A. Environmental Science
Studies how the earth works, our interaction with the earth, and the methods/procedures we use to deal with environmental problems.
1. The biosphere is the natural world: plants, animals, soils, air, and water.
2. The culturesphere is defined by technological, economic, cultural, and political aspects of our world.
B. Environment & Ecology
1. Environment Considers everything that affects a living organism
2. Ecology Studies the relationship between living organisms and their environment
C. Environmentalism
Is a social movement dedicated to protecting life support systems for all species.
D. Life and economies depend on solar capital (energy from the sun) and natural capital (Earth’s resources and ecological services).
1. Capital is wealth; solar capital/energy creates renewable energy such as wind power, hydropower from flowing water, and biomass that is solar energy that has been changed to chemical energy and stored, in a biological form, such as wood.
2. Natural capital includes natural resources such as air, water, soil, wildlife, minerals, etc. and natural services
a. Biological income from fish, grasslands, and underground water can be sustained, IF we don’t deplete it.
b. Man, as a newcomer species is endangering quality of life from us and other species.
Natural Capital = Natural Resources + Natural Services
E. Man must protect our solar and natural capital and live off the resources they provide.
1. For an environmentally sustainable society we must not compromise the needs of future generations.
2. One view is that man must live sustainably by eliminating waste and discontinuing the depletion and degradation of resources.
3. A different view is that man can overcome these problems with ingenuity, economic growth, and technology.
F. Sustainability
The ability of the
Environmental Science is an Interdisciplinary Study
A. Environmental Science
Studies how the earth works, our interaction with the earth, and the methods/procedures we use to deal with environmental problems.
1. The biosphere is the natural world: plants, animals, soils, air, and water.
2. The culturesphere is defined by technological, economic, cultural, and political aspects of our world.
B. Environment & Ecology
1. Environment Considers everything that affects a living organism
2. Ecology Studies the relationship between living organisms and their environment
C. Environmentalism
Is a social movement dedicated to protecting life support systems for all species.
D. Life and economies depend on solar capital (energy from the sun) and natural capital (Earth’s resources and ecological services).
1. Capital is wealth; solar capital/energy creates renewable energy such as wind power, hydropower from flowing water, and biomass that is solar energy that has been changed to chemical energy and stored, in a biological form, such as wood.
2. Natural capital includes natural resources such as air, water, soil, wildlife, minerals, etc. and natural services
a. Biological income from fish, grasslands, and underground water can be sustained, IF we don’t deplete it.
b. Man, as a newcomer species is endangering quality of life from us and other species.
Natural Capital = Natural Resources + Natural Services
E. Man must protect our solar and natural capital and live off the resources they provide.
1. For an environmentally sustainable society we must not compromise the needs of future generations.
2. One view is that man must live sustainably by eliminating waste and discontinuing the depletion and degradation of resources.
3. A different view is that man can overcome these problems with ingenuity, economic growth, and technology.
F. Sustainability
The ability of the