Topic 1.

ECOSYSTEM

What is Ecosystem?
-Is a geographic are where plants,Animals and other organisms as well as weather and
lansscape work together to form a bubble of life.

*Abiotic Components
*Producers
*Consumers
*Decomposers

The Structure of the Ecosystem is Basically a description of the organisms and physical
features of Environment

The Components of Ecosystem from structure point of view:

1.Biotic Component
- include all living organism present in the environment system (plats,animals and other
organisms)
2.Abiotic Component
- Include basis inorganic elements and compounds such as soil,water,oxygen,calcium
carbonates and a variety of organic compounds.

From the Nutrition Point of view,The Biotic components can be grouped into two basic
components.

1.Autotrophic components
- Include green plants which fix the radiant energy of sun and manufacture food from
inorganic substance.
2.Heterotrphic Components
- Include non-green plants and all animals which take food from autotrophs.

There are 3 heads of Biotic Components

1.Producers
2.Consumers
3.Decomposers

Types of Ecosystem

Aquatic Ecosystem

-Freshwater Ecosystem
-Marine Ecosystem
Terrestrial Ecosystem

-Forest Ecosystem
-Greenland Ecosystem
-Mountain Ecosystem
-Desert Ecosystem
-Tundra

Ecosystem
-Forest
-Jungle
-Desert
-Grass
-Polar
-Farm
-Trees
-Garden
-Mountains

Aquatic Ecosystem
-Seaweeds
-River
-Water fall
-Lake
-Pond
-Swamp
-Ocean
-The Sea
-Sand

Ecosystem Importance

*Pollinating crops and other plant species

*Absorbing, diluting, and detoxifying many pollutants and toxic chemicals
*Helping control populations of pests and disease organism
*Slowing erosion and preventing flooding
*Providing biodiversity of genes and species.

Topic 2. Environmental Problems, Their Causes and Sustainability

Sustainability
 - It means our own needs without compromising the ability of future generation to meet
their own needs. In addition to natural resources we also need social and economic
resources. Sustainability is not just environmentalism.

Importance of Sustainability
- improves the quality of our lives
- Protects our ecosystem
- Preserves natural resources for future generations

There are 3 Pillars of Sustainability

- Economy
- Society
- Environment

ECONOMY
- The wealth and resources of a country or region especially in terms of the production
and consumption of goods and services.

SOCIETY
- This is a group of individuals involved in persistent social interactions or a large social
group sharing the same spatial or social territory. Typically subject to the same political
authority and dominant cultural expectations.

ENVIRONMENT
- Environmental protection is the most frequently discussed element. It is concerned with
the reduction of carbon footprints, water usage, non-decomposable packaging, and
wasteful processes as part of a supply chain. These processes can often be
cost-effective, and financially useful as well as important for environmental sustainability.

- Environmental protection focuses on how ecosystems should be both studied and

protected, and how technology can help ensure a greener future.
What is Ecological Footprint Vs. Carbon Footprint?

The major causes of environmental problems are:

*Population Growth
*Wasteful resource use
*Poverty
*Poor environmental accounting
*Ecological ignorance

Major Environmental Problem

*Deforestation
*Desertification
*Loss of Biodiversity
*Disposal of Waste
*Ozone depletion, Greenhouse effect and Global warming

Environmentally Sustainable Society

- An environmentally sustainable community is one that

meets the current and future basic resource needs of its people in a just and equitable
manner without
compromising the ability of future generations to meet their basic needs.

Lesson 3&4 - THE HUMAN POPULATION AND URBANIZATION

Population
- The whole number of inhabitants occupying an area (such as a country or the world) and
continually being modified by increases (births and immigrations) and losses deaths and
emigrations.

Human Population
 - Refers to the number of humans on Earth a number that has changed drastically over
time due to influential factors.

Demography
The study of human populations.
- A discipline with intellectual origins stretching back to the 18th century, when it was first
recognized that human mortality could be examined as a phenomenon with statistical
regularities.

Carrying Capacity
- Carrying capacity estimates involve making predictions about future trends in
demography, resource availability, technological advances and economic development.

Age Structure
- The age structure of a population is an important factor in population dynamics. Age
structure is the proportion of a population at different age ranges. Age structure allows
better prediction of population growth, plus the ability to associate this growth with the
level of economic development in the region.

There are 3 effective ways to slow or stop population growth are:

*Reduce Poverty
*Elevate the status of women
*Encourage family planning and reproductive health care.

URBANIZATION
- Urbanization is the process through which cities grow, and higher and higher
percentages of the population comes to live in the city.
Advantage
*Economic development
*Education
*Job Opportunities
*Transportation
*Technological advancement

Disadvantage
*Huge ecological footprint
*Lack of vegetation
*Water problem

ENVIRONMENTAL PROBLEMS
*Waste water
*Solid Waste
*Inadequate water supply
*Urban sprawl
*Pollution

FIVE WAYS TO MAKE CITIES HEALTHIER AND MORE SUSTAINABLE

*Promoting urban agriculture
*Encouraging healthy diets
*Reducing and managing food waste
*Boosting green spaces for healthier environments and improved lifestyle
*Reconnecting cities with surrounding rural areas.

WHAT FACTORS INFLUENCE THE SIZE OF THE HUMAN POPULATION?

The human population can grow decline or remain fairly stable

• Birth rate, or crude birth rate, is the

number of live births per 1,000 people in a
population in a given year.
• Death rate, or crude death rate, is the
number of deaths per 1,000 people in a
population in a given year.
• Population change of an area = (births +
immigration) - (deaths + emigration)

Women are having fewer babies but not few enough to stabilize the world population

• The total fertility rate (TFR) is the average

number of children born to women in a
population during their reproductive years.
• Between 1955 and 2011, the average
global lifetime number of births of live
babies per woman dropped from 5 to 2.5.
• A TFR of 2.1 will eventually halt the
world’s population growth.

Several factors affect birth rates and fertility rates

*The educational and employment opportunities available for women
*The average age at marriage
*The availability of legal abortions
*The availability of reliable birth control methods.
*Religious beliefs, traditions, and cultural norms.

There are three effective ways to slow population growth

The three most effective ways to slow or

stop population growth are:
– Reduce poverty
– Elevate the status of women
– Encourage family planning and reproductive health care.

Promote economic development

This demographic transition has 4 phases

*Preindustrial
*Transitional
*Industrial
*Postindustrial

Promote economic development

 - Less-developed countries may transition to slower growth if modern technology can
raise per capita incomes by bringing economic development and family planning.

HOW DOES TRANSPORTATION AFFECT URBAN ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACTS?

Cities can grow outward or upward

- Most people living in compact cities such as Hong Kong, China, and Tokyo, Japan, get
around by walking, biking, or using mass transit such as rail or buses. In countries such
as the United States, Canada and Australia, plentiful land and networks of highways
have produced dispersed cities whose residents depend on motor vehicles for most
travel.

Motor vehicles have advantage and disadvantage

• They provide mobility and offer convenient

and comfortable transportation.
• They can be symbols of power, sex
appeal, social status, and success.
• Much of the world’s economy is built on
producing motor vehicles and supplying
fuel, roads, services, and repairs for them.
• Globally, automobile accidents kill
approximately 1.2 million people a year
and injure another 15 million people.

Reducing automobile use is not easy, but can be done

• Raise parking fees and charge tolls on

roads, tunnels, and bridges leading into
cities, especially during peak traffic times.
• Some cities promote car-sharing networks,
which bill members monthly for the time
they use a car and the distance they travel,
and can decrease car ownership.

Some cities promote alternatives to cars

– Bicycles
– Mass-transit rail systems in urban areas
– Bus systems in urban areas
– High-speed rail systems between urban areas (bullet trains)
GOODLUCK