CHAPTER 1 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE
[Link] OF ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE
Environmental Science is an interdisciplinary academic field that integrates physical, biological and information
sciences to the study of environment, and the solution of environmental problems.
Environmental studies incorporate more of the social sciences for understanding human relationships,
perceptions, and policies towards the environment.
Environmental science came live as a substantive, active field of scientific investigation in the 1960s and 1970s driven
by:
The need for a multidisciplinary approach to analyze complex environmental problems;
The arrival of substantive environmental laws requiring specific environmental protocols and investigation; and
The growing public awareness of a need for action in addressing environmental problems.
In common usage, “environmental science” and “ecology” are often used interchangeably, but technically ecology refers
only to the study of organisms and their interaction with each other and their environment. Ecology could be considered
a subset of environmental science, which also could involve purely chemical or public health issues.
B. GLOBAL ENVIRONMENT
Environmental History
There is no universally accepted definition of environmental history. In general terms, it is a history that tries to
explain why our environment is like it is and how humanity has influenced its current condition, as well as commenting
on the problems and opportunities of tomorrow.
Global Environment encompasses broad, worldwide environment factors that are beyond the scope or control of any
community or nation:
Climate change
Natural disasters
Mass conflict and violence
Migration
Infectious disease
Natural environment
Air quality
Water quality
Soil quality
How does mass conflict and violence affect the global environment?
C. POPULATION GROWTH
Population growth is the increase in the number of individuals in a population. Global human population growth
amounts to around 83 million annually, or 1.1% per year. The global population has grown from 1 billion in 1800 to 7.8
billion in 2020. It is expected to keep growing, and estimates have put the total population at 8.6 billion by mid-2030, 9.8
billion by mid-2050 and 11.2 billion by 2100. Many nations with rapid population growth have low standards of living,
whereas many nations with low rates of population growth have high standards of living.
The "population growth rate" is the rate at which the number of individuals in a population increases in a given
time period, expressed as a fraction of the initial population. Specifically, population growth rate refers to the change in
population over a unit time period, often expressed as a percentage of the number of individuals in the population at
the beginning of that period.
Understanding:
The exponential growth pattern occurs in an ideal, unlimited environment
Population growth slows as the population reaches the carrying capacity of the environment.
The two types of population growth patterns may occur depending on specific environmental conditions:
An exponential growth pattern (J curve) occurs in an ideal, unlimited environment.
A logistic growth pattern (S curve) occurs when environmental pressures slow the rate of growth
Exponential Growth
Exponential population growth will occur in an ideal environment where resources are unlimited
In such an environment there will be no competition to place limits on a geometric rate of growth
Initially population growth will be slow as there is a shortage of reproducing individuals that may be widely
dispersed
As population numbers increase the rate of growth similarly increases, resulting in an exponential curve
This maximal growth can be seen in populations that are very small or in regions that are newly colonized by a
species
Logistic Growth
Logistic population growth will occur when population numbers begin to approach a finite carrying capacity
The carrying capacity is the maximum number of a species that can be sustainably supported by the
environment
As a population approaches the carrying capacity, environmental resistance occurs, slowing the rate of growth
This results in a sigmoidal growth curve that plateaus at the carrying capacity
Logistic growth will eventually be seen in any stable population occupying a fixed geographic space
D. ATMOSPHERIC CHANGES
The Earth’s atmosphere is changing. Scientific measurements have documented shifts in chemical composition
throughout the lower atmosphere, as well as substantial alterations in chemical compositions in the upper atmosphere.
Both of these findings have important for terrestrial life and human societies.
Natural and Human Influences
Some of these changes have a natural origin. Variations in the intensity of solar radiation influence the energy
balance, chemistry, and dynamics of the atmosphere, as do fluctuations in the intensity of the solar wind and of cosmic
rays from space.
Volcanic eruptions inject dust, ash and variety of chemical compounds into the atmosphere. Such natural events
can be either periodic or episodic; their effects, while often dramatic, normally pose little threat to the equilibrium of the
Global Earth system