...Fundamental Principles of Environmental Science Rebecka McCollough ENV/100 December 18, 2012 Crystal Stawiery Fundamental Principles of Environmental Science Even though we think we cannot do without material things, we need to conserve our natural resources because depletion of renewable resources will kill our planet. If we do all we can to ensure environmental sustainability and the rejuvenation of natural resources, as a society we can ensure a prosperous future for our children and grandchildren. Environmental science is the study of various factors that affect our environment. Some of these factors are global warming, pollution, overpopulation, and over consumption of natural resources. According to Berg and Hager (2009), “The focus of environmental science is identifying, understanding, and solving problems that we as a society have generated.” As a society, we want material things to show our status in society. Many times we do not focus on at what cost it is to our environment to have these things. We need to stop focusing on the wants and start focusing on the needs. Water is a resource that we need; a television is a material want. If we stop and look at what resources an individual needs to survive, we would find that it is very low. We need shelter to live in, water to drink, and food to eat. As technology advances in our country, it attributes to the depletion of our natural resources...
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...My teacher was a big influence on my life, and she had a permaculture garden in her two-acre yard, and is dedicated to raising awareness about environmental issues -- she helped build and design greenhouse, started a gardening workshop, and started after school Environmental Science workshop . My scout master was on the other side of the spectrum. He grew crops and believed Global Climate Change is a hoax. It was a world of difference when they talked about growing food. My AP Environmental Science teacher -- Ms. Houser, rambled on and on about how she planted this one tree next to these plants for reasons x, y, and z. My scout master blathered about the quality of soil, pesticide, and the cost of water. Ms. Houser wanted us to be interested in class and help make a rain garden outside. My scoutmaster wanted the price of beans to go up in the grocery store, so he could get more money. Ms. Houser was conscious of her impact on the environment. Whereas My scoutmaster didn’t feel connected to the environment; he saw it as a way of making a profit. The native plant...
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...University of Phoenix Material Environmental Science and Human Population Worksheet Using the textbooks, the University Library, or other resources, answer each of the following questions in 100 to 200 words. 1. What would you include in a brief summary on the history of the modern environmental movement, from the 1960s to the present? In a brief summary on the history of the modern environmental movement from the 1960s to the present, its focus was on a few prominent environmental issues and disasters. The environmental movement has evolved significantly in the last five decades. Today, many of the rallying points of the environmental movement have become ingrained into American society. Air and water quality standards are regulated for the public good, endangered and threatened species are protected, and chemicals and products go through a rigorous testing process to determine potential health and environmental threats. Today the environmental movement in America is divided into three levels: local, national, and international 2. Explain the primary concern over exponential population growth. What promotes exponential population growth? What constrains exponential population growth? 3. What is carrying capacity? Compare predictions for human population growth in developed countries versus developing countries. What will occur if carrying capacity is exceeded? ...
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...Principles of Environmental Science Jennia McCray Env/100 June 30, 2011 Professor Elshorafa Principles of Environmental Science Environmental Science is a multidisciplinary field that combines information from many different punitive areas of study, such as biology, geography, chemistry, geology, physics, economics, sociology (mostly demography or the study of populations), cultural anthropology, natural resources, management, agriculture, engineering, law, politics, and ethics. Environmental science and nature’s environmental problems we faces are generally complex and are not as simple as the meaning portrays. The goals of environmental scientists are to try to form basic principles about how the natural world operates. They then use these principles to develop applicable solutions, mostly derived from scientific knowledge, to address environmental problems. Using scientific evaluation is the key to successfully achieving a solution to any environmental problem. Before this, you must completely understand what science is opposed to what it is not. Science is not just a body of knowledge, as some see it to be, but much rather a collection of facts about the natural world. In addition, science is also a systematic way to investigate the natural world, what we refer to as the dynamic process. Science looks to decrease the conspicuous complexity of earth to general principles, those principles help to make predictions, solve problems and create new insights. These principles...
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...Principles of Environmental Science Pamela Ram Bharwani ENV/100 07/08/2013 Angila Romious principles of environmental science Study shows that Environmental science is how different element of the environment interact; which is the chemical, biological, and the physical'. it has three main fundamental sets of component which is physical ( energy of something), chemical ( substance, man-made or natural), biological ( living things). Various aspects of physics , biology, hydrology, chemistry , economics, other social sciences and law and topical environmental issues like climate change, soil contamination, conservation, ozone depletion, groundwater, use of natural resources, waste management, air and noise pollution , encompasses within environmental science. it's a research involving air, soil, food and water to better understand the environment and protect it. it's a work that basically performs in a private, governmental and public organization monitoring waste disposal, it include technical proposals and writing risk assessment . The relationship between science and technology affect environmental problems and solutions in today’s society in a lot of different ways. It usually goes like this: Someone uses the power of science to create a very nice thing that causes unintended environmental problems, for example: a car. If enough or a lot of people care about that problem, then again someone will use the power of science, to make something to fix or reduce...
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...University of Phoenix Material Environmental Science and Human Population Worksheet Using the textbooks, the University Library, or other resources, answer each of the following questions in 100 to 200 words. 1. What would you include in a brief summary on the history of the modern environmental movement, from the 1960s to the present? In the 1960’s the general population started to become more concerned with the environment’s health and well-being, and became a huge social movement. In 1960 Earth Day was created and laws were passed to control air pollution. There were other laws passed, too, such as the endangered species act in the 70’s. The Environmental Protection Agency was created to enforce the laws that were passed in the 70’s as well. In the 80’s Ronald Reagan was elected to presidency and was more business oriented and allowed companies to overlook the environment protection laws. In the 90’s issues such as global warming became a huge concern to the nation. Overall, there were a lot of good things that came out of the laws set into place in the 60’s and 70’s, including that the water and the air was some of the cleanest ever reported. 2. Explain the primary concern over exponential population growth. What promotes exponential population growth? What constrains exponential population growth? The biggest concern over exponential population growth is the fear that eventually the amount of people will over power our planet and our...
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...My discussions with my mother about natural landmarks of her Chinese homeland inspired my interest in environmental science. Her descriptions of the picturesque mountains of Wulingyuan and turquoise lakes of Jiuzhaigou served as a source of my fascination with the beauty of nature. However, I was thoroughly disappointed when I visited Guangzhou, which was drowned in breaths of gray exhaust pipe smoke and cigarette puffs. Intrigued by the blatant difference, I began to explore various environmental issues during my free time. In junior year, I enrolled in AP Environmental Science to expand my knowledge about the impact of humans on the earth. The most memorable project from the class was the EcoColumn in which I observed organisms’ interconnected...
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...Environmental Science and Human Population Worksheet 1. What would you include in a brief summary on the history of the modern environmental movement, from the 1960s to the present? The modern environment movement began on April 22, 1970 largely due to the release of the book The Silent Spring that is written by an environmentalist name Rachel Carson. Overtime, I think the environment has improved tremendously from where and how it all began. With the help of the National Resources Defense Council, many things started happening for the betterment of the environment. Many Acts and laws were passed such as the Environmental Protection Agency, the Clean Air Act and the Endangered Species Act. The National Resources Defense Council has created acts and laws that have help to stop the mistreatment of the environment as well as the senseless killings of some of our wildlife that are still effective to this very day. 2. Explain the primary concern over exponential population growth. What promotes exponential population growth? What constrains exponential population growth? The primary concern over exponential growth is, the more people there are and the more resources we use will eventually lead to the Earths downfall thus leaving us with a weak environment. The population on Earth has grown over the past few decades and with that, growth come the more frequent use of unnatural resources. There are more people using and trying to advance technology and while it seems like a...
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...Phase 5 Individual Project SCI201-1404B-15 Environmental Science and Sustainability Keara Cole Instructor: Debra Ladner December 22, 2014 The environmental law I chose to write about is the Clean Air Act of 1970. This law sets the goals and standards that's needed for good air quality here in the United States of America. It is required by law, that the Clean Air Act as well as other environmental laws be periodically reviewed to make adjustments when needed. A huge amount of amendments in the 1990's toughened air quality standards and placed new emphasis on market forces to control air pollution, causing many major companies in other countries, though not directly under U.S. Laws, to clean up their pollution standards to continue trade with the USA. This environmental law was set in place due to the deplorable air quality caused by many manufacturing waste/air born byproducts, unnaturally causing many health issues and environmental issues. These issues caused certain strands of cancer, deletion of natural resources due to global warming, acid rain, and damage to the stratospheric ozone layer. As a result, many companies were forced to revamp their waste management programs, ultimately causing better living conditions for all. Violating this law comes with some agonizing penalties. According to the Environmental Protection Agency website, there are a number of examples of companies paying steep fines for breaking this law. One such example is Metal Dynamics...
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...AISHATU .M. LAWAL 6TH April 2016 THE USE OF QUANTITATIVE KNOWLEDGE IN NATURAL AND ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES. Natural and Environmental Science is a vast interdisciplinary study within Mathematics, Science and Mechanics which integrates physical, biological and information sciences to the study of the environment and the solutions to environmental issues. It developed during the insight from the areas of Medicine and Natural Antiquity. Quantitative reasoning is vital to the understanding of environmental processes. As mentioned earlier Environmental Science is an integration of different branches of science and in the area of Physics, Chemistry and even Biology. Mathematics is essential and plays a very important role in this discipline. In the biological and ecological aspect of environmental science, there is a subtopic known as the Carrying Capacity in an Ecosystem. Carrying capacity of a biological specie in an ecosystem is the maximum population size such specie can reach in that ecosystem and survive indefinitely with the necessities available. This is calculated by rationalizing the specie per square meter in a hectare of the ecosystem land. Mathematics is also used in environmental science in the aspect of solar and wind energy conversion, where the direct current is converted to alternating current. Also there are energy conversion rates which are as follows: The solar energy conversion rate is 1,800,000 (kcal/ m2/year). Ecosystem Efficiency = 0.012%, Energy...
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...The definition of environmental science is the study of the environment and the quest for the solution to environmental problems such as pollution, global warming, and disappearing resources. The subfield of environmental science that is interesting is ecology. Ecology is the study of the interactions of organisms and some physical aspect of their environment. An example is the study of how two individual populations of two different organisms impact their environment through a symbiotic or competitive relationship. The relationship between science and technology affect global problems in today’s society. As the development of technology increases, the impact on the environment also increases. The advancement of science and technology help increase the material lives of humans. Medical technology progression has extended the length of the human life and lower infant and child mortality rates that have dramatically increased the world population. This increase in the population leads to a decrease in natural resources that were also depleted. To compensate for the increase population rates, more land has to be cleared to make room for the population and thus destroying the environment and depleting its available resources beyond repair. The movement of people, goods, money, and information has drastically increased since the late 1980s due to technological advancements. This globalization has changed the nature of our society. This globalization has also led to...
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...Demographic Transition Santoya Rodriguez Environmental Science April 5, 2013 Demographic Transition Introduction Demography is a science that rarely makes general theories. Demographic transition refers to the logical sequence of historical phases every population passes as they become modernized (Azia, n.d). The basic principle of demographic transition is that there is an informal connection between modernization and a decline in fertility and mortality. In other words, as societies progress from pre-modernized to a modernized society they experience lower death and lower birth rates. Most of human history was characterized by high crude death rates (CDR). In fact, they averaged 40 or per thousand in most populations. High CDR was caused by a number of factors; however, epidemics and other social conditions were the most common causes. However, as seen in North America and Europe during the 19th century, as epidemics and other social conditions are improved, death rates decline. This particular pattern of change in mortality factors is called the epidemiologic transition, which represents one aspect of the demographic transition (Wright & Boorse, 2011). Four Phases of Demographic Transition In Phase I of demographic transition, a population is characterized by high CBR that is being controlled by equally high CDR. It is known as the most primitive of the phases because there is a high fluctuating CBR and CDR, which results in little to no population growth (Azia, n.d)...
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...Abstract The topic I have chosen to write about for my final project is water resources. Water resources are very important because without water this world as we know it wouldn’t be in existence. We all need water for daily survival and we need to do whatever we can to help keep our water resources clean and from drying out. I will discuss in details issues we are currently facing and how nonliving and living factors contribute to this issue, positive and negative human effects. My paper will also include a sustainability and mitigation plan and provide benefits and challenges regarding water resources. My paper will also help individuals to understand the importance of water resources and without putting too much effort into it they can do their part to help. Problems with water resources There are so many problems we are facing today regarding water resources such as the misuse of water, overpopulation, fresh water and lack of drinking water. If we do not slow down and play close attention to our water resources and stop taking it for granted that our resources will always be in existence then there is no hope for our future generations. According to an article written on wikibooks website it stated that two of the most serious problems facing humans today are shortages of fresh water and the lack of safe drinking water. Humans use six times as much water today as we did a hundred years ago. As the number of people on Earth continues to rise, our...
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...SC4730 Environmental Science Unit 1 Lab 1: Environmental Awareness 1) Please indicate your city, state, latitude, and longitude. City: Los Angeles State: California Latitude: +34.05420 Longitude: -118.24100 2) What are the pollen count, wind velocity, and wind direction for you area? How does this contribute to allergic reactions? Pollen Count: Elm, Grass, and Ragweed. Wind Velocity: 3 MPH Wind Direction: South East 3) What type of soil do you have in your city? What is your distance to the closest farm? What crops are produced there? What fertilizers are applied and when? Soil: Fill soil and alluvium soil. Distance to nearest farm: 45 Miles Crops: Cherries Fertilizer Type: Pharmasoil Fertilizer Application Schedule: Once a year. 4) What is the major biome and vegetation type in your area? Biome: Mediterranean Vegetation: Agoseris Grandiflora, Mountain Dandelion 5) What is the genus and species of two dominant plants and two dominant animals in your area (no pets)? Dominant Plant 1: Dominant Plant 2: Dominant Animal 1: Dominant Animal 2: 6) What was the total rainfall in your area last year? Rainfall in 2013: 0.03 inches 7) Are there any animals in your area on the threatened or endangered species list? Plants? List using the genus and species as well as common name and indicate if they are threatened or endangered. 8) Name two species of native plants (those that were not introduced into the area). Is their range restricted...
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...Reducing My Environmental Footprint Kaplan University SC225-02 Environmental Science Professor Christina Kamnikar Prepared by: Using the carbon footprint calculator was a very interesting beginning to this assignment. Learning what your footprint is makes it “real” seeing actual numbers related to what you do helps to understand the footprint. After all this is not something we can go outside and see every day, being the invisible mysterious object that countries, politicians and even climate scientist have a hard time defining and identifying the causes and solutions. Plugging in the numbers to the calculator and seeing the results for mine was surprising. The U.S. average is 42,957 and my household with two adults and two cars came out to 26,086. Now I must point out that at this time being unemployed has a benefit to the environment. I have very limited mileage on my Jeep the last year and a half, so that helped my household numbers a lot. We recently purchased a new refrigerator that is energy star approved and that replaced one that was twenty years old. Mother Nature made us replace our furnace a few years ago. We had a flood that left 4.5 feet of water in the basement and causing us to have to replace our oil burning furnace and hot water source. Again it was over twenty years old and we have already seen a huge savings in fuel bills and with the new furnace I am sure a reduction in our carbon footprint. We live in a rural section and you have...
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