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UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHERN
MINDANAO
Introduction to
Environmental Science
Chapter 1
Angelo R. Agduma
Asraf K. Lidasan
Renee Jane A. Ele
Bona Abigail H. Husain
The Nature and Scope of Environmental Science
• ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE
multi/interdisciplinary academic field that studies
the environment and how it is affected by
natural ang human processes.
All aspects
Human impacts
Solutions
Toward Transdisciplinary
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Environmental Science
• HUMAN IMPACTS on the WORLD
• Since humans are organized into
groups, ES must deal with social
organizations, politics, economics,
ethics, and philosophy.
• ES is a mixture of of traditional
science, societal values, and
political awareness
Interdisciplinary
• 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
Natural Resources and Environmental Management 4
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Relationship of Environment and Human Life Style
and Governance
• ENVIRONMENT
• Usually, understood to mean the surrounding conditions that affect
people and other organisms
• Broader sense, everything that affects an organism during its lifetime
• ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES
• Concerns about science, nature, health, employment, profits, politics,
ethics, etc.
• Ex. Air pollution problems may involve several local units of government
(states, provinces, nations [The Earth Summit, COP])
Let’s dig deep into this!
What are the Most Pressing Environmental Issues of Our Time?
How are they connected to your field and in General?
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Let’s dig deep into this!
Environmental Health
“in its broadest sense, . . . is the segment of public health that is concerned with
assessing, understanding, and controlling the impacts of people on their
environment and the impacts of the environment on them” (Moeller, 2011, p. 3).
It includes environmental issues such as air pollution, climate change, water,
sanitation, etc.
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Environmental Health and the Role of
Human Behavior
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Population
As of 08/15/2025 08:48am
The current population of World in 2025 is 8,240,626,927 (PH: 116,903,166).
Over half of the world population now lives in urban areas, they also account for 75% of global
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energy consumption (UN-Habitat 2009) and 80% of global carbon emissions.
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“The Tragedy of the Commons”
The tragedy of the commons refers to a situation in which individuals with access to a
public resource (also called a common) act in their own interest and, in doing so,
ultimately deplete the resource (Garrett Hardin, 1968).
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The Tragedy of the Commons describes the likelihood of a common area being exploited
for short-term economic gain. 14
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An Ecosystem Approach to Study ES
• Ecosystem is a region in which organisms and the physical environment form
an interacting unit.
• Ex. Weather affects plants, plants affect animals, animals spread plant seeds,
plant secure the soil, and plants evaporate (transpire) water, which affects the
weather.
• An ecosystem approach requires a look at the way the natural world is
organized.
• Where do rivers flow? What are the prevailing wind patterns?, What are the typical plants
and animals in the area?, How does human activity affect nature?
• Your Task! Recognize and understand the natural interactions that take place
and to integrate these with the uses humans must make of the natural world.
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The Environmental Decision-Making Process
• Environmental Issues/Problems
• People’s problems
• Occur because people use
natural resources
Argument! Let’s Discuss.
“Regulation (Policy) is necessary to
protect resources vs regulation
hinders valuable use of resources”
“Some are against change; others
recognize that change must occur.
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What are you for? Environment vs Economy?
• COMPROMISE Not this But this
• ONLY way to resolve
conflicts
• RECOGNITION of the
validity of opposing points
of view is essential
• ENVIRONMENTAL
SCIENCE seeks to find that
middle ground
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Technology vs Environment
• Technology makes
activities uncomplicated
and makes life easier
• Increased use of fuel
• Ecosystem destroyed
• Depletion of natural
resources
• Spread of diseases
• Increased pollution
• Spread of toxic substances
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Towards Environmental Technology
• “green” or “clean” technology
• Help solve environmental concerns (conserve, monitor or reduce
the negative impact of technology on the environment)
• Through: Shift towards a more sustainable, low carbon economy
• Renewable energy
• Smart technology (Internet of Things (IoT))
• Electric vehicles
• Direct Air Capture
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Environmental Technology
• The Global Environment Monitoring System for
Air (GEMS Air) tracks the state of the environment in real
time at the global, national and local levels.
• Freshwater Ecosystem Explorer, which provides a
detailed look at the state of lakes and rivers in every
country on Earth.
• International Methane Emissions Observatory (IMEO).
Methane is a potent greenhouse gas, responsible for at
least a quarter of today’s global warming.
• United Nations Biodiversity Lab 2.0, a free, open-source
platform that features data and more than 400 maps
highlighting the extent of nature, the effects of climate
change, and the scale of human development
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Awareness to Environmental Issues:
Local and Global
15 Biggest Environmental Problems of 2024 | [Link]
• While the climate crisis has many factors that play a role in the
exacerbation of the environment, some warrant more attention
than others.
• Biggest environmental problems of our lifetime, from deforestation
and biodiversity loss to food waste and fast fashion.
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1. Global warming from fossil fuel
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2. Poor governance
• According to economists like Nicholas Stern, the climate crisis is a
result of multiple market failures.
• Economists and environmentalists have urged policymakers for
years to increase the price of activities that emit greenhouse
gases (one of our biggest environmental problems),
• The lack of which constitutes the largest market failure, for
example through carbon taxes, which will stimulate innovations
in low-carbon technologies.
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3. Food waste
• A third of the food intended for human consumption – around 1.3
billion tons – is wasted or lost. This is enough to feed 3 billion
people.
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4. Biodiversity loss
• Sixth mass extinction of
wildlife on Earth is
accelerating
• More than 500 species of
land animals are on the brink
of extinction and are likely to
be lost within 20 years
• Without human destruction
of nature, this rate of loss
would have taken thousands
of years
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5. Plastic pollution
• In 1950, the world
produced more
than 2 million tons of
plastic per year. By
2015, this annual
production swelled
to 419 million tons
and exacerbating
plastic waste in the
environment.
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6. Deforestation
• Every hour, forests the size
of 300 football fields are cut
down.
• By the year 2030, the planet
might have only 10% of its
forests; if deforestation isn’t
stopped, they could all be
gone in less than 100 years.
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7. Air pollution
• Air pollution in South
Asia – one of the most
polluted areas in the
world – cuts life
expectancy by about 5
years
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8. Melting ice caps and sea level rise
• The climate crisis is warming the
Arctic more than twice as fast as
anywhere else on the planet.
• Today, sea levels are rising more
than twice as quickly as they did
for most of the 20th century as a
result of increasing temperatures
on Earth.
• Seas are now rising an average
of 3.2 mm per year globally and
they will continue to grow up to
about 0.7 metres by the end of
this century.
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9. Ocean acidification
• Once pH levels reach too low, marine organisms such as oysters,
their shells and skeleton could even start to dissolve.
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10. Agriculture
• Global food system is responsible for up to one-third of all human-
caused greenhouse gas emissions, of which 30% comes from
livestock and fisheries.
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11. Food and water insecurity
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12. Fast fashion and textile waste
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13. Overfishing
• Comes with detrimental
effects on the
environment, including
increased algae in the
water, destruction of
fishing communities,
ocean littering as well as
extremely high rates of
biodiversity loss.
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14. Cobalt mining
• As a key component of
battery materials that
power electric vehicles
(EVs), cobalt is facing a
sustained surge in demand
• The world’s largest cobalt
supplier is the Democratic
Republic of Congo (DRC),
where it is estimated that
up to a fifth of the
production is produced
through artisanal miners.
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15. Soil degradation
• Erosion
• Pollution
• Acidification
• Drought
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ENVIRONMENTALISM
• Environmental Science is a field of study
focused on understanding the
environment through scientific methods.
• Environmentalism is a movement aimed
at protecting the environment, often
through advocacy and activism.
• Environmentalists often engage in advocacy,
education, and direct action to influence public
policy and behavior.
• Are you and environmentalist or
environmental scientist?
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Summary
• ES is an interdisciplinary academic field studying the components,
processes and impacts on the environment.
• Each region of the world has certain environmental issues that are of
primary concern because of mix of population, patterns of resource
use, and culture
• The process of environmental decision making must take all aspects
into account and arrive at acceptable compromise
• Technology has negative impact to the environment, but can also be
harnessed to reduce the negative impacts humans have on the
environment
• Environmental awareness is essential; it is the first step to saving earth
from degradation.
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