Introduction to Environmental Science • It draws on many fields of knowledge.
Science:
A systematic process for learning about the world and testing our
understanding of it.
A dynamic process of observation, testing, and discovery
Science is essential: a.) To sort fact from fiction.
b.) Develop solutions to the problems we face
Scientific Method:
A technique for testing ideas with observations
• A scientist makes an observation and asks questions of some
phenomenon
• The scientist formulates a hypothesis, a statement that attempts to
explain the scientific question. A consistently supported hypothesis
becomes a theory, a well-tested and widely accepted explanation
• The hypothesis is used to generate predictions, which are specific
statements that can be directly and unequivocally tested.
• The test results either support or reject the hypothesis
Environment:
The complex set of physical, geographic, biological, social, cultural and
political conditions that surround an individual or organism and that
ultimately determines its form and nature of its survival.
• All the things around us with which we interact:
• Living things
• Animals, plants, forests, fungi, etc.
• Nonliving things
• Continents, oceans, clouds, soil, rocks
• Our built environment
• Buildings, human-created living centers
• Social relationships and institutions
Environmental Science:
• a field that deals with the study of interaction between human
systems and natural systems.
Example:
• A community decides to use coal for electricity, as it is the
cheapest source available. (Economics)
• The coal must be mined from under the soil. (Geology)
• The coal must be transported to the population center by
road or rail. (Engineering)
• When it is burned at a power plant, air pollution is released.
Some of that pollution is converted to acid in the
atmosphere. (Chemistry)
• This falls as acid rain somewhere downwind. (Meteorology)
• The acid stresses plants by affecting their nutrient
absorption. (Ecology)
• Laws are passed requiring the plant to install pollution
scrubbers. (Politics)
Environment  impacts ➔ Humans
• It has an applied goal: developing solutions to environmental
problems
Environmentalism
• A social movement dedicated to protecting the natural world
Importance of Environmental Science
1. To realize that environmental problems are global
2. To understand the impacts of development on environment
3. To discover sustainable ways of living
4. To utilize natural resources efficiently
5. To shed light on contemporary concepts such as how to conserve
biodiversity
6. To learn and create awareness about environmental problems at local,
national and international levels
Ecological Footprint:
• The environmental impact of a person or population
• Overshoot: humans have surpassed the Earth’s capacity
Current Environmental Issues
1. Pollution
2. Climate Change
3. Global Warming
4. Deforestation
5. Overpopulation
6. Industrial and Household Waste
7. Acid Rain
8. Ozone Layer Depletion
9. Genetic Engineering
10. Urban Sprawl

Sustainability is a search for ecological stability and human progress that

can last over the long term.

Sustainable development is “meeting the needs of the present without

compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.”

2 Main Categories of Environmental Ethics:

Anthropocentrism literally means “human-centered”.

• This set of ethics protects and promotes of human interests
or well-being at the expense of all other factors.
• Often places an emphasis on short-term benefits while
disregarding long-term consequences.

Eco centrists believe that nature deserves to exist for its own sake
regardless of degree of usefulness to humans.
• The preservation of ecosystems or other living things takes
priority over human needs.