Lesson 1: Introduction to Environmental Science

I. Overview

This lesson provides an overview on environmental science. It starts with the

definition of environmental science and how it relates with other disciplines. Lastly,
this will also deal with the current issues and concerns towards the environment.

II. Targeted Topic Learning Outcome:

At the end of the lesson you should have:

1. Explain what environmental science is, and how it draws on different kinds of
knowledge.
2. List and describe some current concerns in environmental science.

III. Teaching – Learning Activities

Engage --------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Video Analysis: Discuss the given video.

• Click the link and Watch the given video. “What is Environmental
Science? Definition and Scope of the Field”
[Link]

Explore -------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Pose a Question:

How does the study of environmental science affect you? Discuss your
answer

Explain -------------------------------------------------------------------------------

1.1 What Is Environmental Science?

Humans have always inhabited two worlds. One is the natural world of plants,
animals, soils, air, and water that preceded us by billions of years and of which we are
a part. The other is the world of social institutions and artifacts that we create for
ourselves using science, technology, and political organization. Both worlds are
essential to our lives, but integrating them successfully causes enduring tensions.

Where earlier people had limited ability to alter their surroundings, we now have
power to extract and consume resources, produce wastes, and modify our world in ways

1|ENV SCI M.G. LANGCOY

Ad a p t e d f r o m : C u n n i n g h a m , W . P . , & C u n n i n g h a m , M . A. ( 2 0 2 1 ) .
E n v i r o n m e n t a l s c i e n c e : a g l o b a l c o n c e r n . 1 5 t h e d i t i o n . N e w Y o r k , N Y :
M c G r a w - H i l l E d u c a t i o n .
that threaten both our continued existence and that of many organisms with which we
share the planet. To ensure a sustainable future for ourselves and future generations, we
need to understand something about how our world works, what we are doing to it, and
what we can do to protect and improve it.

Environment (from the French environner: to encircle or surround) can be

defined as (1) the circumstances or conditions that surround an organism or group of
organisms, or (2) the complex of social or cultural conditions that affect an individual
or community. Since humans inhabit the natural world as well as the “built” or
technological, social, and cultural world, all constitute important parts of our
environment (fig. 1.1).

Environmental science, then, is the

systematic study of our environment and our
proper place in it. A relatively new field,
environmental science is highly
interdisciplinary, integrating natural sciences,
social sciences, and humanities in a broad,
holistic study of the world around us. In contrast
to more theoretical disciplines, environmental
science is mission-oriented. That is, it seeks new,
valid, contextual knowledge about the natural
world and our impacts on it, but obtaining this
information creates a responsibility to get involved in trying to do something about the
problems we have created.

As distinguished economist Barbara Ward pointed out, for an increasing number

of environmental issues, the difficulty is not to identify remedies. Remedies are now
well understood. The problem is to make them socially, economically, and politically
acceptable. Foresters know how to plant trees, but not how to establish conditions under
which villagers in developing countries can manage plantations for themselves.
Engineers know how to control pollution, but not how to persuade factories to install
the necessary equipment. City planners know how to build housing and design safe
drinking water systems, but not how to make them affordable for the poorest members
of society. The solutions to these problems increasingly involve human social systems
as well as natural science.

As you study environmental science, you should learn the following:

• awareness and appreciation of the natural and built environment;

• knowledge of natural systems and ecological concepts;
• understanding of current environmental issues; and
• the ability to use critical-thinking and problem-solving skills on
environmental issues.

2|ENV SCI M.G. LANGCOY

Ad a p t e d f r o m : C u n n i n g h a m , W . P . , & C u n n i n g h a m , M . A. ( 2 0 2 1 ) .
E n v i r o n m e n t a l s c i e n c e : a g l o b a l c o n c e r n . 1 5 t h e d i t i o n . N e w Y o r k , N Y :
M c G r a w - H i l l E d u c a t i o n .
1.2 Current Conditions

As you probably already know, many environmental problems now face us.
Before surveying them in the following lessons, we should pause for a moment to
consider the extraordinary natural world that we inherited and that we hope to pass on
to future generations in as good—perhaps even better—a condition than when we
arrived.

We live on a marvelous planet

Imagine that you are an astronaut returning to Earth after a long trip to the moon
or Mars. What a relief it would be to come back to this beautiful, bountiful planet after
experiencing the hostile, desolate environment of outer space. Although there are
dangers and difficulties here, we live in a remarkably prolific and hospitable world that
is, as far as we know, unique in the universe. Compared to the conditions on other
planets in our solar system, temperatures on the earth are mild and relatively constant.
Plentiful supplies of clean air, fresh water, and fertile soil are regenerated endlessly and
spontaneously by geological and biological cycles.

Perhaps the most amazing feature of

our planet is the rich diversity of life that
exists here. Millions of beautiful and
intriguing species populate the earth and help
sustain a habitable environment (fig. 1.2).
This vast multitude of life creates complex,
interrelated communities where towering
trees and huge animals live together with, and
depend upon, tiny life-forms such as viruses,
bacteria, and fungi. Together all these
organisms make up delightfully diverse, self-
sustaining communities, including dense, moist forests, vast sunny savannas, and richly
colorful coral reefs.

From time to time, we should pause to remember that, in spite of the challenges
and complications of life on earth, we are incredibly lucky to be here. We should ask
ourselves: what is our proper place in nature? What ought we do and what can we do
to protect the irreplaceable habitat that produced and supports us?

But we also need to get outdoors and appreciate nature. As author Ed Abbey
said, “It is not enough to fight for the land; it is even more important to enjoy it. While
you can. While it is still there. So get out there and mess around with your friends,
ramble out yonder and explore the forests, encounter the grizzly, climb the mountains.
Run the rivers, breathe deep of that yet sweet and lucid air, sit quietly for a while and
contemplate the precious stillness, that lovely, mysterious and awesome space. Enjoy

3|ENV SCI M.G. LANGCOY

Ad a p t e d f r o m : C u n n i n g h a m , W . P . , & C u n n i n g h a m , M . A. ( 2 0 2 1 ) .
E n v i r o n m e n t a l s c i e n c e : a g l o b a l c o n c e r n . 1 5 t h e d i t i o n . N e w Y o r k , N Y :
M c G r a w - H i l l E d u c a t i o n .
yourselves, keep your brain in your head and your head firmly attached to your body,
the body active and alive.”

We face many serious environmental

problems It’s important for you to be aware of
current environmental conditions. With more
than 7.1 billion humans currently, we’re
adding about 80 million more to the world
every year. While demographers report a
transition to slower growth rates in most
countries, present trends project a population
between 8 and 10 billion by 2050 (fig. 1.3).
The impacts of that many people on our
natural resources and ecological systems is a
serious concern.

Climate Change

Burning fossil fuels, making cement,

cultivating rice paddies, clearing forests, and
other human activities release carbon dioxide
and other so-called “greenhouse gases” that
trap heat in the atmosphere. Over the past 200 years, atmospheric CO2 concentrations
have increased about 35 percent. By 2100, if current trends continue, climatologists
warn that mean global temperatures will probably increase 2° to 6°C compared to 1900
temperatures (3.6° to 12.8°F: fig. 1.4 a). Although we can’t say whether specific recent
storms were influenced by global warming, climate changes caused by greenhouse
gases are very likely to result in increasingly severe weather events including droughts,
floods, hurricanes, and tornadoes. Melting alpine glaciers and snowfields could threaten
water supplies on which millions of people depend.

4|ENV SCI M.G. LANGCOY

Ad a p t e d f r o m : C u n n i n g h a m , W . P . , & C u n n i n g h a m , M . A. ( 2 0 2 1 ) .
E n v i r o n m e n t a l s c i e n c e : a g l o b a l c o n c e r n . 1 5 t h e d i t i o n . N e w Y o r k , N Y :
M c G r a w - H i l l E d u c a t i o n .
 Already, we are seeing dramatic climate changes in the Antarctic and Arctic
where seasons are changing, sea ice is disappearing, and permafrost is melting. Rising
sea levels are flooding low-lying islands and coastal regions, while habitat losses and
climatic changes are affecting many biological species. Canadian Environment
Minister David Anderson has said that global climate change is a greater threat than
terrorism because it could threaten the homes and livelihood of billions of people and
trigger worldwide social and economic catastrophe.

Hunger

Over the past century, global food production has more than kept pace with human
population growth, but there are worries about whether we will be able to maintain this
pace (fig. 1.4 b). Soil scientists report that about two-thirds of all agricultural lands
show signs of degradation. Biotechnology and intensive farming techniques responsible
for much of our recent production gains often are too expensive for poor farmers. Can
we find ways to produce the food we need without further environmental degradation?
And will that food be distributed equitably? In a world of food surpluses, the United
Nations estimates that some 925 million people are now chronically undernourished,
and at least 60 million face acute food shortages due to natural disasters or conflicts.

Clean Water

Water may well be the most critical resource in the twenty first century. Already at least
1.1 billion people lack an adequate supply of safe drinking water, and more than twice
that many don’t have modern sanitation (fig. 1. 4c). Polluted water and inadequate
sanitation are estimated to contribute to the ill health of more than 1.2 billion people
annually, including the death of 15 million children per year. About 40 percent of the
world population lives in countries where water demands now exceed supplies, and by
2025 the UN projects that as many as three-fourths of us could live under similar
conditions. Water wars may well become the major source of international conflict in
coming decades.

Energy

How we obtain and use energy is likely to play a crucial role in our
environmental future. Fossil fuels (oil, coal, and natural gas) presently provide around
80 percent of the energy used in industrialized countries. However, problems associated
with their acquisition and use—air and water pollution, mining damage, shipping
accidents, and geopolitics—may limit what we do with remaining reserves. Cleaner
renewable energy resources, such as those now being produced in China including solar
power, wind, geothermal, and biomass, together with conservation, could give us
cleaner, less destructive options if we invest in appropriate technology.

Biodiversity Loss

5|ENV SCI M.G. LANGCOY

Ad a p t e d f r o m : C u n n i n g h a m , W . P . , & C u n n i n g h a m , M . A. ( 2 0 2 1 ) .
E n v i r o n m e n t a l s c i e n c e : a g l o b a l c o n c e r n . 1 5 t h e d i t i o n . N e w Y o r k , N Y :
M c G r a w - H i l l E d u c a t i o n .
 Biologists report that habitat destruction, overexploitation, pollution, and
introduction of exotic organisms are eliminating species at a rate comparable to the
great extinction that marked the end of the age of dinosaurs (fig. 1.4d). The UN
Environment Program reports that, over the past century, more than 800 species have
disappeared and at least 10,000 species are now considered threatened. This includes
about half of all primates and freshwater fish, together with around 10 percent of all
plant species. Top predators, including nearly all the big cats in the world, are
particularly rare and endangered. A nationwide survey of the United Kingdom in 2004
found that most bird and butterfly populations had declined between 50 and 75 percent
over the previous 20 years. At least half of the forests existing before the introduction
of agriculture have been cleared, and much of the diverse “old growth” on which many
species depend for habitat is rapidly being cut and replaced by secondary growth or
monoculture.

Air Pollution

Air quality has worsened dramatically in many areas. Over southern Asia, for
example, satellite images recently revealed a 3-km (2-mile)-thick toxic haze of ash,
acids, aerosols, dust, and photochemical products regularly covers the entire Indian
subcontinent for much of the year. Nobel laureate Paul Crutzen estimates that at least 3
million people die each year from diseases triggered by air pollution. Worldwide, the
United Nations estimates that more than 2 billion metric tons of air pollutants (not
including carbon dioxide or wind-blown soil) are emitted each year. Air pollution no
longer is merely a local problem. Mercury, bisphenol A (BPA), perflurocarbons, and
other long-lasting pollutants accumulate in arctic ecosystems and native people after
being transported by air currents from industrial regions thousands of kilometers to the
south. And during certain days, as much as 75 percent of the smog and particulate
pollution recorded on the west coast of North America can be traced to Asia.

Finding solutions to these problems requires good science as well as individual

and collective actions. Becoming educated about our global environment is the first
step in understanding how to control our impacts on it. We hope this book will help you
in that quest.

There are also many signs of hope

Is there hope that we can find solutions to these dilemmas? We think so. As the opening
case study for this chapter shows, even developing countries, such as China, are making
progress on environmental problems. China now has more than 200,000 wind
generators and 10 million biogas generators (the most in the world). Solar collectors
on 35 million buildings furnish hot water. China could easily get all its energy from
renewable sources, and it may be better able to provide advice and technology to other
developing countries than can rich nations.

6|ENV SCI M.G. LANGCOY

Ad a p t e d f r o m : C u n n i n g h a m , W . P . , & C u n n i n g h a m , M . A. ( 2 0 2 1 ) .
E n v i r o n m e n t a l s c i e n c e : a g l o b a l c o n c e r n . 1 5 t h e d i t i o n . N e w Y o r k , N Y :
M c G r a w - H i l l E d u c a t i o n .
Population and Pollution

Many cities in Europe and North America are cleaner and much more livable now than
they were a century ago. Clean technology, such as the solar panels and wind turbines
now being produced in China, help eliminate pollution and save resources. Population
has stabilized in most industrialized countries and even in some very poor countries
where social security and democracy have been established. Over the last 20 years, the
average number of children born per woman worldwide has decreased from 6.1 to 2.7
(see fig. 1.4). By 2050, the UN Population Division predicts that all developed countries
and 75 percent of the developing world will experience a below-replacement fertility
rate of 2.1 children per woman. This prediction suggests that the world population will
stabilize at about 8.9 billion rather than 9.3 billion, as previously estimated.

Health

The incidence of life-threatening infectious diseases has been reduced sharply in most
countries during the past century, while life expectancies have nearly doubled on
average (fig. 1.5 a). Smallpox has been completely eradicated and polio has been
vanquished except in a few countries. Since 1990, more than 800 million people have
gained access to improved water supplies and modern sanitation. In spite of population
growth that added nearly a billion people to the world during the 1990s, the number
facing food insecurity and chronic hunger during this period actually declined by about
40 million.

Information and Education

Because so many environmental issues can be fixed by new ideas, technologies, and
strategies, expanding access to knowledge is essential to progress. The increased speed
at which information now moves around the world offers unprecedented opportunities
for sharing ideas. At the same time, literacy and access to education are expanding in
most regions of the world (fig. 1.5 b). Many developing countries may be able to benefit
from the mistakes made by industrialized countries and leapfrog directly to
sustainability.

Sustainable Resource Use Around the World

We are finding ways to conserve resources and use them more sustainably. For
example, improved monitoring of fisheries and networks of marine protected areas
promote species conservation as well as human development (fig. 1.5 c).

Habitat Conservation

Brazil, which has the largest area of tropical rainforest in the world, has reduced forest
destruction by nearly two-thirds in the past five years. In addition to protecting
endangered species, this is great news in the battle to stabilize our global climate. Nature
7|ENV SCI M.G. LANGCOY
Ad a p t e d f r o m : C u n n i n g h a m , W . P . , & C u n n i n g h a m , M . A. ( 2 0 2 1 ) .
E n v i r o n m e n t a l s c i e n c e : a g l o b a l c o n c e r n . 1 5 t h e d i t i o n . N e w Y o r k , N Y :
M c G r a w - H i l l E d u c a t i o n .
preserves and protected areas have increased nearly fivefold over the past 20 years,
from about 2.6 million km 2 to about 12.2 million km 2. This represents only 8.2 percent
of all land area—less than the 12 percent thought necessary to protect a viable sample
of the world’s biodiversity—but is a dramatic expansion nonetheless (fig. 1.5 d).

Renewable Energy

As the opening case study for this chapter shows, dramatic progress is being made in a
transition to renewable energy sources. With mass production in China and progress in
thin film technology in the United States, prices for solar panels dropped by 50 percent
in 2010 making them much more competitive with fossil fuels. The European Union
has pledged to get 20 percent of its energy from renewable sources by 2020. Former
British Prime Minister Tony Blair laid out even more ambitious plans to fight global
warming by cutting carbon dioxide emissions in his country by 60 percent through
energy conservation and a switch to renewables.

Carbon Markets and Standards

Cap and trade programs in which limits are established on greenhouse gas emissions
and companies can buy and sell discharge permits have been in place in Europe for
several years and are stimulating both conservation measures and technological
improvements. In 2010, California, which would be the eighth largest economy in the
world, if it were an independent country, established a similar program, the first of its
kind in America.

International Cooperation

8|ENV SCI M.G. LANGCOY

Ad a p t e d f r o m : C u n n i n g h a m , W . P . , & C u n n i n g h a m , M . A. ( 2 0 2 1 ) .
E n v i r o n m e n t a l s c i e n c e : a g l o b a l c o n c e r n . 1 5 t h e d i t i o n . N e w Y o r k , N Y :
M c G r a w - H i l l E d u c a t i o n .
Currently, more than 500 international environmental protection agreements are now
in force. Some, such as the Montreal Protocol on Stratospheric Ozone, have been highly
successful. Others, such as the Law of the Sea, lack enforcement powers. Perhaps the
most important of all these treaties is the Kyoto Protocol on global climate change,
which has been ratified by 191 countries including every industrialized nation except
the United States.

--------- END OF LESSON 1---------

Elaborate -----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Write an essay to discuss your answer. (50 pts)

Explain what environmental science is, and how it draws on different kinds
of knowledge.

Evaluate ------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Please refer to a separate file for your QUIZ 1 ----

Enrichment Activities -------------------------------------------------------------

Think About it! Discuss your answer in an essay. (50 pts.)

List five important environmental issues in your area. What kinds of actions
might you take to improve your local situation?

9|ENV SCI M.G. LANGCOY

Ad a p t e d f r o m : C u n n i n g h a m , W . P . , & C u n n i n g h a m , M . A. ( 2 0 2 1 ) .
E n v i r o n m e n t a l s c i e n c e : a g l o b a l c o n c e r n . 1 5 t h e d i t i o n . N e w Y o r k , N Y :
M c G r a w - H i l l E d u c a t i o n .
Rubrics for Grading

Comprehension Rubrics:

Criteria 4 pts 6 pts 8 pts 10 pts

Answers are partial or Answers are not Answers are accurate Answers are
incomplete. Key points comprehensive or and complete. Key comprehensive,
are not clear. Question completely stated. Key points are stated and accurate and complete.
Content
not adequately points are addressed, supported. Key ideas are clearly
answered. but not well supported. stated, explained, and
well supported.
Organization and Inadequate Organization is mostly Well organized,
structure detract from organization or clear and question is coherently developed,
Organization the answer. development. Structure partially restated. and restates the
of the answer is not question.
easy to follow.
Displays over five Displays three to five Displays one to three Displays no errors in
Writing errors in spelling, errors in spelling, errors in spelling, spelling, punctuation,
Conventions punctuation, grammar, punctuation, grammar, punctuation, grammar, grammar, and sentence
and sentence structure. and sentence structure. and sentence structure. structure.
Does not accurately Much of the given Able to follow the Able to follow the
Ability to follow follow the given instructions were given activity with given activity
instructions instructions missed out. minor flaws accurately

Submitted the output Submitted the output a Submitted the output 2 Submitted the output
Timeliness more than a week after week the deadline days after the deadline before the deadline
the deadline

Models/Illustrations:

Does Not Meet Exceeds

Below Expectations Meets Expectations
Criteria Expectations Expectations
10 pts 15 pts
5 pts 20 pts
Model
Three or more One or two All components are All components are
model is components involved components involved labeled and/or labeled and/or
accurate and in the model are in the model are explained properly. explained properly
includes all missing or missing or and show an extra
essential mislabeled. mislabeled. effort for clarity and
components detail.

Creativity
Model is not at all Model is slightly Model is a product of Model is clearly a
model is connected to the connected to interest the interest of the product of the interest
creative and interest of the student of student. student. of the student and
expresses an and is perceived as oozes of passion and
interest or a burden or drudgery. enthusiasm.
passion of the
student.

Does Not Meet Exceeds

Below Expectations Meets Expectations
Criteria Expectations Expectations
6 pts 8 pts
4 pts 10 pts
Submitted the output Submitted the output Submitted the output Submitted the output
Timeliness more than a week a week the deadline 2 days after the before the deadline
after the deadline deadline

10 | E N V S C I M.G. LANGCOY
Ad a p t e d f r o m : C u n n i n g h a m , W . P . , & C u n n i n g h a m , M . A. ( 2 0 2 1 ) .
E n v i r o n m e n t a l s c i e n c e : a g l o b a l c o n c e r n . 1 5 t h e d i t i o n . N e w Y o r k , N Y :
M c G r a w - H i l l E d u c a t i o n .