Environmental Issues

Ch 07
 What does environmental issues mean?
 Environmental issues are defined as:
 problems with the planet's systems (air, water, soil, etc.)
that have developed as a result of human interference or
mistreatment of the planet/environment.
• Environmental issues are:
– any such issues created due to human activities and cause
harm to the environment.
• Environmental issues are harmful effects of human activity on
the biophysical environment.
3 main categories of environmental issues :
• Resource Depletion
• Pollution
• Loss of Biodiversity
 Resource Depletion

 Natural Resource : any natural material used by humans such as

wood, water, soil, air, plants, animals,….
 Two types:
 Renewable- can be replaced relatively quickly by a natural
process
 Nonrenewable- forms at a much slower rate than the rate at
which it is consumed
Perpetual Resource – will continue forever – sun, wind, ...
• Once the supply of a nonrenewable resource has been used up, it
may take millions of years to replenish(restock) it. most common
are minerals and fossil fuels
Resource depletion- a resource is depleted…when a large fraction of
it has been used up. E.g. copper mines
 Pollution

 Pollution: any undesired change in the air, water, soil that

adversely affects the health, survival or activities of humans and
other organisms
 Two main types:
 Biodegradable pollutants-
– ORGANIC MATERIAL/pollutants that can be broken down by natural
processes.
– Examples – food waste, sewage, leaves, newspaper, cotton clothing,…
 Non-degradable pollutants
– INORGANIC MATERIAL/pollutants that cannot be broken down by natural
processes
– Examples – mercury, lead, most plastics, glass, synthetic clothing,…
 Loss of Biodiversity

 Biodiversity :refers to the number and variety of species that live in an

area. It includes the number of plants, animals, and microorganisms from
the Earth’s vastly different ecosystems such as coral reefs, grasslands,
tundra, polar ice caps, deserts and rainforests.
 Extinction: is a natural process , whereby all members of a species die
– Mass extinction - large-scale extinction
 Loss of biodiversity: refers to the extinction of human, plant or animal
species worldwide. It also includes the decrease in the number of a
species in a certain habitat
 Problem: Extinction of species due to humans
• Organisms that share the world with us can be considered natural
resources
• Important to preserve organisms due to their potential economic,
ecological, scientific, aesthetic, and recreational value.
 What do we get from biodiversity?
• Oxygen, Food, Clean Water, Medicine, Aesthetics, Ideas
 polar bears were recently
classified as “endangered”

Threatened and Endangered Species

Threatened species – likely to become endangered
Endangered species – in danger of extinction
 The Tragedy of the Commons
• I want to tell you a story. It takes place in a small pasture in the English
country, where everyone is allowed to bring their cattle for grazing. The land
doesn't belong to anyone in particular, so it's considered 'common' land, and
you can bring as many of your cattle as you like. Over time, more and more
farmers bring more and more of their cattle here to graze, since they can do
so without having to take care of the land themselves. However, as more and
more cattle graze in this small pasture, the land becomes less and less able to
support the grazing. And, since cattle are grazing there all the time, the grass
that is eaten doesn't get a chance to grow back, and, eventually, the pasture
becomes bare and unusable. Now, this once bountiful resource that was
available to everyone has been depleted and is usable by no one.
• This scenario describes the ”tragedy of the commons”.
• In other words, pasture without an owner, which can be used by everyone,
were in considerably worse shape than which had an owner.
• As far as the pasture which had an owner were concerned. This didn’t happen
because it was in the best interest of the owner to exploit their property
sustainably.
The Tragedy of the Commons (Cont’d)

• Published in 1968 by Garret Hardin, this theory states that

– individuals acting rationally and independently according to their own self-
interest will deplete a shared resource, ------ even if it is contrary to the best
interest of the group.
• The individual farmers in our story were acting rationally and
independently for themselves, because for them, it was beneficial to
bring as many cattle as possible to the free grazing area. ------But
because each individual acted in this way, the group suffered as a
whole because the pasture became unusable as the shared resource
was depleted.
• Hardin's essay was actually based on this very story, which was
published by an economist named William Forster Lloyd back in 1833.
• Hardin took this idea and ran with it.
• He felt that this was a problem faced in many social aspects because
each individual gains a direct benefit from exploiting a common
resource while only experiencing a minimal cost.
 Examples

• The tragedy of the commons is often brought up when people discuss

environmental issues.
• For example, in fishing, if fishing provides an income, then each fisher would
have his or her own best interest in mind and try to catch as many fish as
possible even if all the other fishers are doing the same thing. As this behavior
continues, the shared resource (the fish) is eventually depleted and the group as
a whole (the global population) suffers.
• Another example often cited is deforestation of the rain forests.
• While clear cutting trees for grazing pasture or development may directly benefit
those who own and use the land, the cost of losing that rainforest land is more
widely distributed.
• Pollution is similar. As an individual, it may be beneficial to drive yourself to work
each day in a car that produces greenhouse gas emissions, but because the air is
'common' and shared by everyone, the overall public has to deal with that
pollution each person contributes.
• We can also apply this theory to non-environmental issues, such as vandalism.
Vandalism serves to benefit a small number of individuals acting in their own self-
interest. But because it tends to occur in public places, the larger general public
has to bear the cost of seeing the vandalism, as well as cleaning it up.
The Tragedy of the Commons

 A tragedy of commons explains

the overexploitation, carelessness, greediness and the short-
term benefits at any cost--- behavior of human beings.
 Aristotle said “What is common to the greatest number gets the
least amount of care.” Everyone loves their personal things and
use them efficiently but exploits the things that belongs to
others. Tragedy of commons is something related to this
thought.
 Many environmental calamities, from exhausted fisheries to
climate change, are caused by nations and individuals using
resources without heeding the long-term consequences.
 Solution To Tragedy Of Commons
Tragedy of the Commons describes the overuse or degradation of freely
available resources such as ocean pollution, abuse of national parks, air
pollution, etc. No one individual owns these free-access resources
Limiting access to these resources is one possible way to protect them
Reducing the population might also allow these resources to be used
below estimated sustainable yields
Converting free-access resources to private ownership is another
possible means to protect them
Private owners may not actually protect the resources
Global resources such as oceans, air, and migratory birds cannot be
divided up and made private property
Access to the resources is eliminated/reduced for many people
Governments have laws and treaties that regulate access to commonly
owned resources
 If no one takes responsibility for
cleaning up a beach, how will it look?
 Developed Countries vs. Developing Countries
 Developed Countries
 Developing Countries
Developed countries enjoy a higher
standard of living, including:  Poverty produces harmful
 a longer life expectancy environmental effects
 a decrease in infant mortality  Soil, water, and forests are depleted
 greater food production than food needs  Pollution levels are high.
 decreased air and water pollution  Infant mortality rate is 8 times higher
 a decrease in poverty overall than in developed countries
• highly industrialized  Wages are very low with poor
working conditions as the norm
• high incomes
• high standards of living
• less industrialized
• Slower population growth • average income is low
• good medical care • standard of living is low
• Include US, Canada, • agriculture based economies
Japan, and the countries • faster population growth
of Western Europe • poorer medical care

These have different consumption patterns

and affect the environment in different ways.
 Population and Consumption
Most environmental problems can be traced back to 2 root causes……
 Population pressures ----human population is growing too quickly for
the local environment to support
 Consumption trends----people are using up, wasting, or polluting many
natural resources faster than they can be renewed, replaced, or cleaned
up
 The major environmental problems in developing countries are related
to population growth.
 Environmental problems in developed countries tend to be related to
consumption.
Comparison of Developed and Developing Countries,
2008
 Population and Consumption (cont’d)

 Local population pressures---in severely overpopulated regions

– When the population in an area grows rapidly, there may not
be enough natural resources for the everyone to live a
healthy, productive life.
– In severely overpopulated regions, forests are stripped bare,
topsoil is exhausted, and animals are driven to extinction.
– In these areas, malnutrition, starvation, and disease can be
constant threats.
– In developing countries, millions of people are starving.
– Yet these human populations tend to the grow the fastest.
– Food production, education, and job creation cannot keep
pace with the population growth, so each person gets fewer
resources as time goes by.
 Population and Consumption (cont’d)

 Consumption Trends in wealthy( developed) countries

– improved pollution controls, population has stabilized or is
growing slowly
– To support the higher quality of life, developed countries are
using much more of Earth’s resources.
– Developed nations use about 75 percent of the world’s
resources, although they make up only 20 percent of the
world’s population.
– This rate of consumption creates more waste and pollution per
person than in developing countries.---(as they use 75percent
o f resources so the waste that accompanies that resource use
creates more pollution as by products, wastes, remains etc).
– American consumption of resources that is causing the higher
level of damage to the planet.
Causes of Environmental Problems
 Activity
• Watch this video and give relationship
between human population and resource
consumption.
• Make a note of it and share on Google
classroom.
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?
v=V2_LxCLwO2E