Critical Thinking

Practice!! Practice!! Practice!!

 Definition: (old text, so no source)
 Evaluating information, arguments and opinions in a
systematic and careful way, based on the
 validity & quality of evidence
 level of bias
 assumptions used
 implications involved
 Consider alternate points of view!
 New ideas and information
 Mistakes can & will happen!
 Sift through information to find the reliable, most accurate
and valuable while discarding the invalid, biased or useless

 Reliability of available information

 Internet, Newspapers, Scientific journals
Chapter 1 Intro to ENV
Environmental Science

 Environment

 Science

 Interrelatedness
 Interrelatedness —Wolves of
Yellowstone NP, USA

 If the wolves disappear,

what would increase?
 Song birds?
 Elk?
 Ground water?
 Beavers?
 None of the above?
In 1800s, wolves were slowly killed off. . . .
no one really noticed a change. . .

In 1990s, wolves were repopulated. . . . What happened?

Interrelatedness —Wolves of
Yellowstone NP, USA

 Change in policy
 Change in behavior
 Economic & Environmental
improvement
 water for agriculture
 insurance programs for cattle
 Interrelatedness —Wolves of
Yellowstone NP, USA

Would they have noticed that change when it was happening?

 Interrelatedness —
Wolf Example
Would the farmers have believed you or cared if you warned them?

What if I told you that by 2070. . .

So, do I have a story to tell you!! I will take all semester. It will involve
YOUR health, your children’s health, the world.
Let’s start with. . . . Did you fly anywhere this year? Did you drive today?
Did you eat beef? How much did you throw out?
Interrelatedness of the
Ecosystems and Environment
—wolf example
 Please watch to get the idea!

 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ysa5OBhXz-Q
 Ecosystem Approach

 How do we study environmental issues and solve

environmental problems?
 Natural vs. political borders
 Inter-relatedness
 Human uses of natural resources
 Ecosystem
 System, scale, boundaries, interactions
 An area where organisms interact with their surroundings (physical and
social) to form a specific system, different from nearby systems. . .
 Grassland slowly transitioning to Forest. . .
Ecosystem Approach:
Political vs.
Environmental Borders
Mekong River Basin
 China, Myanmar, Thailand,
Laos, Cambodia, Vietnam
 Industry
 Power generation
 Transport
 Municipal water supply
 Agricultural irrigation
 Fishing
 1995 Mekong River
Commission
Sustainability &
Sustainable Development
 Promotes development to increase standard of living
& alleviate poverty

--While it--

 Protects the health of ecosystems & natural resources

Social

Bearable Equitable
Sustainable
Environment Economic
Viable
What are the current Global Issues?

“Humanity has the ability to make development sustainable.”

— World Commission on Environment and Development (Brundtland Commission)

 Population Growth
 Maintaining Functional Ecosystems
 Ecosystem services: provisioning, regulating, cultural, supporting
 Food & Water Security
 Health
 Nutrition & starvation, pollution, infectious diseases, accidents, cancer and
coronary heart disease
 Energy
 Main source of CO2 is from fossil fuel use  renewable, non-CO2 energy
 Environmental Governance
 Laws and Policy, monitoring & enforcement
 Urbanization and Globalization
Ecosystem Services
 2005, The Millennium Ecosystem Assessment
 Supporting Services
 Photosynthesis, soil formation, nutrient cycling, water
cycling
 Provisioning services
 Resources such as food, fiber, genetic resources, natural
medicines, freshwater
 Regulating services
 Activities that affect air quality, water flow, erosion control,
water purification, climate control, disease regulation,
pest regulation, pollination, natural hazards
 Cultural services
 Spiritual, religious, aesthetic values & recreational uses

 Degradation overall
Society Actions Environment
& Economy
 From: World Economic Forum Global Risks Perception 2021
(Society Breakers!!)
http://reports.weforum.org/global-risks-report-
2021/survey-results/the-global-risks-landscap
e-2021
/

5 of 10 ENV 6 of 10 ENV

6 ENV Likely to
Occur are also
Highest Impact
 From: World Economic Forum Global Risks Perception 2022
(Society Breakers!!)
Risk= Likelihood x Impact
or. . . Probability x Consequence

https://www3.weforum.org/docs/WEF_The_Global_Risks_Report_2022.pdf
 Descriptions of ENV Risks

From: World Economic Forum Global Risks Perception 2022

There have
been
Successes!!
Main Points—concepts within:
 Critical Thinking
 Interrelatedness of the environment
 Environmental science
 Study of the environment, humanities place in it, and humanities
impact on it
 Involves science, economics, ethics, politics and more, in arriving
at solutions to environmental problems
 Ecosystem Approach
 Because ecosystems do not coincide with political boundaries, a
regional approach to solving environmental problems is ideal.
 This should be done at the ecosystem level
 So, we study environmental issues within the natural borders
(ecosystems), rather than within political ones, to share resources
(funding, experts, facilities. . . )
 Ecosystem Services