What is environmental

science?

Ben Vallejo Jr PhD

College of Science
University of the Philippines
Environmental science and ecology

„ Environmental Science: The science that

attempts to document and understand the
relationship between humans and their
environment
„ Ecology: The comprehensive science of the
relationship of organisms and their
environment (Webster’s dictionary definition)
„ What is the difference between the two?
Ecology and environmental science

„ The main difference is that environmental

science focuses on humans and their effects
on the environment.
„ Environmental science will have to
incorporate the social sciences as well as
natural sciences
„ One may view that Env Sci is an applied
aspect of ecology
Scope of environmental science

„ Environmental science is multidisciplinary or

cuts across scientific disciplines
„ It builds upon the basic sciences: physics,
chemistry and biology
„ It covers applied aspects of the basic
sciences
„ It also involves the social sciences and
interfaces with them
History of environmental ideas

„ Environment protection is not 20th or 21st

century idea
„ The Egyptians and Mesopotamians had laws
to protect the environment (health and
sanitation)
„ The Romans had laws to protect wildlife for
use of the Caesars
„ The English kings had laws to regulate
fishing and hunting. This is in Magna Carta
(1216)
History of environmental ideas

„ The King of England banned burning coal in London

in the 1100s. This is the earliest known clean air
law.
„ Sanitation laws were implemented by Henry VIII and
Elizabeth I (1500s)
„ Japanese shoguns and emperors protected sites of
natural beauty (1600-1900)
„ The Kings of Spain implemented the first nature
reserves laws. As a Spanish Colony, the King
declared Cebu a forest reserve in 1876. Cebu was
being deforested
Modern environmentalism

„ When the King decided to pass laws to

protect the environment, it was for his
pleasure.
„ In modern environmentalism the protection
of the environment is for two reasons
1. The future generations argument
2. The argument that nature should be left
intact for it’s own sake
History of environmental ideas

„ US Wildlife reserves were made law under

the term of Teddy Roosevelt (1904)
„ First national parks in India (1910)
„ The Philippine Commonwealth under Quezon
set up a natural park system. Makiling and
Quezon national parks were the first.
The modern environmentalist movement

„ In Victorian England, people moved to the

cities. This resulted in urban blight and
pollution
„ Bills were proposed in Parliament to improve
conditions
„ Industrialization continued and as a result of
World War II, London had one of the worst air
quality in the world
Modern environmentalist movement

„ Use of synthetics, pesticides increased after

World War II
„ Minamata disease (1950s)
„ Rachel Carson publishes “Silent Spring”
(1962) launching the modern
environmentalist movement
„ Environmental issues became household
knowledge
Modern environmentalist movement

„ Folk singer Don McLean records the song

“Tapestry” in 1968. Song inspires activists to put up
Greenpeace
„ In the 1970s environmental issues entered the
political agenda in developed countries. UN
establishes environmental programme
„ In the 1980s environmental issues become political
issues in developed countries. Anti nuclear protests
escalate
„ 1987 French agents sink Greenpeace ship
“Rainbow Warrior” in New Zealand
„ 1988 Ozone hole first detected
Modern environmentalist movement

„ 1991 Gulf War I: Saddam unleashes “environmental

terrorism”
„ 1992 Earth summit
„ 1990s Clean air acts in developing countries
„ 1990s Globalization and environment issues.
Environmentalists claim globalization will hasten
environment degradation
„ 2000 George W Bush elected US President, US
won’t sign Kyoto Protocol. Gloria Arroyo succeeds
Erap in January 2001. Cuts environment funding
„ 2004 Gloria and Bush reelected. What now?
What is Environmentalism

„ As used by organizations such as

Greenpeace: It is a political ideology.
Environmental ideas must take centre
stage in international politics and
economics
„ As used in environmental science: A theory
that says environmental factors have a
large effect on organism traits rather than
heredity does.
Environmental Science theories

„ Environmental science is considered a “frontier

science” in which theories are still being developed
„ Compare this with physics in which most theories
are no longer contested “consensus science”
„ However environmental science is not
pseudoscience since it relies on empirical data
„ An example of a consensus theory is DNA and
genetic information
„ An example of a frontier theory is global warming
 Geology

Management Physics

Mathematics
Chemistry
Statistics

Environmental
Science

Economics Biology/ecology

Politics and
Climate science
Law

Social sciences

Environmental science is multidisciplinary but deals with a central theme

Environmental science practitioners may
deal
„ with basic science concepts
„ with social science concepts
„ with policy and law
„ with technology issues
„ With resource issues
Jobs in environmental science

„ As academics and researchers

„ As technology consultants
„ As public servants
„ As environmental auditors
„ As environmental assessors
„ As environmental advocates
„ As environmental lawyers
Do the jobs pay well?

„ The pay is mid-range

„ There are more jobs in developed countries
because they have larger service and
production economies
„ But jobs are affected by economic conditions
„ In the Philippines jobs are few because our
economy isn’t growing fast