MILLER/SPOOLMAN

LIVING
IN THEYENVIRONMENT
LOS HUMANOS
SUSTENTABILIDAD

17TH

CAPTULO 1
Los problemas ambientales, sus
causas y Sustentabilidad

Estudio de caso: una visin de un

mundo ms sustentable en 2060
Una transicin en las actitudes humanas hacia el
medio ambiente, y un cambio en el comportamiento,
pueden conducir a un futuro mucho mejor para el
planeta en 2060
Es una
historia o
puede ser
nuestro futuro?

sostenibilidad: es la capacidad de los sistemas naturales de la tierra y los

sistemas culturales humanos para sobrevivir, prosperar y adaptarse para el futuro
a largo plazo.

1- Qu son los tres principios de

la sostenibilidad?
Concepto 1A: La naturaleza se ha
sostenido por miles de millones de
aos mediante el uso de la energa
solar, la biodiversidad y el ciclo de
nutrientes.
Concepto 1B: Nuestras vidas y
economas dependen de la energa
del sol y de los recursos naturales y
los servicios naturales (capital
natural) proporcionados por la
tierra.

Ciencia Ambiental es un estudio de

las conexiones en la Naturaleza
Medio Ambiente:
Todo lo que nos rodea.
"El medio ambiente es todo lo que no soy yo."
La ciencia del medio ambiente: ciencia
interdisciplinaria que conecta informacin e ideas de
Ciencias naturales: la ecologa, la biologa, la
geologa, la qumica ...
Ciencias sociales: geografa, poltica, economa
Humanidades: la tica, la filosofa

Qu aprendemos de las Ciencias

Ambientales?

Cmo lidiar con los problemas ambientales

Las estrategias de supervivencia Natural

siguen tres principios de sustentabilidad
1. La dependencia de la energa solar

El sol proporciona calor y combustibles (fotosntesis)

2. Biodiversidad

Asombrosa variedad y adaptabilidad de los sistemas

naturales y especies

3. Circulacin qumica

La circulacin de productos qumicos del medio

ambiente para los organismos y luego de vuelta al
medio ambiente
Tambin conocidos como ciclo de los nutrientes

From Simple Cell to Homo Sapiens

La ciencia del
medio ambiente
es un estudio
interdisciplinario
de las
conexiones
entre el sistema
de soporte vital
de la tierra y las
actividades
humanas.
Fig. 1-2, p. 7

Three Principles of Sustainability

La sustentabilidad tiene ciertos

componentes clave
El capital natural: apoyado por el capital solar
Recursos naturales: uso de materiales tiles y energa de
la naturaleza
Los servicios naturales: procesos naturales importantes,
como la renovacin de aire, agua y suelo
La degradan del capital natural por los humanos
Soluciones cientficas necesarias para la sustentabilidad del
medio ambiente

El capital natural =
Recursos Naturales + Servicios Naturales

Fig. 1-4, p. 9

El ciclo de los nutrientes (Ciclos Biogeoquimicos)

Fig. 1-5, p. 10

Degradacin del Capital Natural

Podemos proteger nuestras selvas tropicales o

Fig. 1-6, p. 10
destruirlas?

Recursos de la Tierra
Recursos
Cualquier cosa que obtenemos de medio ambiente
para satisfacer nuestras necesidades
Algunos directamente disponible para su uso: la luz
del sol
Algunos no estn directamente disponibles para su
uso: el petrleo

Recursos perpetuo
Energa solar

Algunas fuentes son renovables.

Recursos renovables
Desde varios das hasta varios cientos de aos para
renovar
Por ejemplo, los bosques, las praderas, el aire fresco,
el suelo frtil

El rendimiento sostenible
Tasa ms alta a la que podemos usar un recurso
renovable, sin reduccin de la oferta disponible

.. y otros no
Recursos no renovables

Los recursos energticos

Recursos minerales metlicos
Los recursos minerales no metlicos

SOLUTIONS:
Reduce, Reuse, Recycle

Reusar

Fig. 1-7, p. 11

Reciclar

Fig. 1-8, p. 12

Un abismo de riqueza entre

pases ricos y pobres

Los pases difieren en niveles de

insostenibilidad
Crecimiento econmico: aumento de la produccin
de bienes y servicios de un pas
CMO SE MIDE?
Producto interno bruto (PIB): valor anual del
mercado de todos los bienes y servicios producidos
por todas las empresas, nacionales y extranjeras, que
operan dentro de un pas
CAMBIOS EN EL CRECIMIENTO DEL PAS POR PERSONA
El PIB per cpita : una medida del desarrollo
econmico

Los pases difieren en niveles de

insostenibilidad (2)
El desarrollo econmico: el uso de crecimiento
econmico para elevar el nivel de vida
Los pases ms desarrollados (MDC): Amrica del
Norte, Australia, Nueva Zelanda, Japn, la mayor
parte de Europa
Los pases menos desarrollados (PMD): la mayora
de los pases de frica, Asia, Amrica Latina

Pases por Ingreso Nacional Bruto per Cpita

Supplement 8, Fig 2

PERSPECTIVA GLOBAL:
Cules son las tendencias mundiales?

2- Cmo estn nuestras huellas

ecolgicas afectando a la Tierra?
Concepto 2: A medida que crecen nuestras huellas
ecolgicas, estamos agotando y degradando ms del
capital natural de la Tierra.

Estamos viviendo de manera no

sostenible
La degradacin ambiental: desperdiciando,
agotando y degradando el capital natural de la Tierra
Sucede a un ritmo acelerado
Tambin se llama degradacin del capital natural

Da del Exceso de la Tierra

En solo ocho meses la humanidad agota
el presupuesto anual de la Tierra
El 20 de agosto ha marcado el Da del Exceso de la
Tierra para el 2013, siendo la fecha en que la
humanidad ha agotado el presupuesto de la
naturaleza para este ao. Nos encontramos ahora en
sobregiro. Durante el resto del ao mantendremos
nuestro dficit ecolgico recurriendo a las reservas
de recursos locales, y acumulando ms dixido de
carbono en la atmsfera.

Degradacin del capital natural

Fig. 1-9, p. 13

Contaminacin:
Fuentes y Tipos
Las fuentes de contaminacin
Las fuentes puntuales

Por ejemplo, las chimeneas

Las fuentes no puntuales

Por ejemplo, pesticidas
disueltos en el aire

Principales tipo de contaminantes

Biodegradable

Se descomponen con el
tiempo

No degradable

no se puede descomponer

Unwanted effects of pollution

Fuente-puntual de Contaminacin del Aire

Fig. 1-10, p. 14

Fuente-No Puntual de Contaminacin del Agua

Fig. 1-11, p. 14

Efectos no deseados de la
Contaminacin

interrumpir / degradar el sistema de

soporte de vida para los animales
daos a la fauna, la salud humana y a la
propiedad
crear molestias, por ejemplo, ruidos,
olores desagradables, sabores, lugares de
inters

SOLUTIONS:
How do we control pollution?
Pollution cleanup (output pollution control)
cleaning up or diluting pollutants after we have produced
them

Pollution prevention (input pollution control)

reduces or eliminates the production of pollutants

Overexploiting Shared Renewable

Resources: Tragedy of the Commons
Three types of property or resource rights
Private property
Common property
Open access renewable resources

Tragedy of the commons

Common property and open-access renewable
resources degraded from overuse
Solutions

The Tragedy of the Commons

Or: the challenge of common-pool resources

Or: why the sum total of individual rational choices
can lead to perverse (and socially sub-optimal)
outcomes
Credits: cow images from http://www.woodyjackson.com/

Imagine a field of grass shared by 6 farmers, each with one

cow

A few facts: Each cow currently produces 20 liters of milk per day The carrying
capacity of the commons is 8 cows. For each cow above 8, the milk production
declines by 2 liters (due to overgrazing, there is less grass for each cow: less
grass, less milk!).

20 liters

20 liters

20 liters

20 liters

20 liters

20 liters

Total daily milk production for the commons: 120 liters

Do the farmers sit back and stay at 6 cows? Not if they are individual profit
maximizers (here simplified as milk production maximizers)

20 liters

20 liters

20 liters

20 liters

20 liters

20 liters

Total daily milk production for the commons: 120 liters (6 cows)

Do the farmers sit back and stay at 6 cows? Not if they are individual profit
maximizers (here simplified as milk production maximizers)
Ill get another cow

40 liters

20 liters

20 liters

20 liters

20 liters

20 liters

Total daily milk production for the commons: 140 liters (7 cows)

We are now at the carrying capacity -- do they stop? No.

Then Ill get another cow too

40 liters

20 liters

20 liters

40 liters

20 liters

20 liters

Total daily milk production for the commons: 160 liters (8 cows)

They are now at the maximum total milk production. But do they stop? No

36 liters

36 liters
Ill get another cow

18 liters

18 liters

36 liters

18 liters

Total daily milk production for the commons: 162 liters (9 cows)

32 liters

16 liters

16 liters

32 liters

32 liters

32 liters

My cow is now less productive,

but 2 will improve my situation

Total daily milk production for the commons: 160 liters (10 cows)

28 liters

14 liters

Ill get another cow

28 liters

28 liters

28 liters

28 liters

Total daily milk production for the commons: 154 liters (11 cows)

Well, everyone else is getting

one, so me too!

24 liters

24 liters

24 liters

24 liters

24 liters

24 liters

Total daily milk production for the commons: 144 liters (12 cows)

Well, I can still increase milk

production if I get a third cow

30 liters

20 liters

20 liters

20 liters

20 liters

20 liters

Total daily milk production for the commons: 130 liters (10 cows)

Ecological Footprints: A Model of

Unsustainable Use of Resources
Ecological footprint: the amount of biologically
productive land and water needed to provide the
people in a region with indefinite supply of
renewable resources, and to absorb and recycle
wastes and pollution
Per capita ecological footprint: per person
Unsustainable: footprint is larger than biological
capacity for replenishment

Patterns of Natural Resource Consumption

Fig. 1-12a, p. 15

Patterns of Natural Resource Consumption

Fig. 1-12b, p. 15

Natural Capital Use and Degradation

Fig. 1-13, p. 16

Global Human Footprint Map

Supplement 8, Fig 7

IPAT is Another Environmental

Impact Model
I=PxAxT

I = Environmental impact
P = Population
A = Affluence
T = Technology

IPAT Illustrated

Fig. 1-14, p. 17

Case Study: Chinas New Affluent

Consumers
Leading consumer of various
foods and goods
Wheat, rice, and meat
Coal, fertilizers, steel, and
cement

Second largest consumer of oil

Two-thirds of the most
polluted cities are in China
Projections for next decade
Largest consumer and
producer of cars

Natural Systems Have Tipping

Points
Ecological tipping point: an often irreversible shift in
the behavior of a natural system
Environmental degradation has time delays between
our actions now and the deleterious effects later
Long-term climate change
Over-fishing
Species extinction

Tipping Point

Fig. 1-15, p. 19

Cultural Changes Have Increased

Our Ecological Footprints
12,000 years ago: hunters and gatherers
Three major cultural events
Agricultural revolution
Industrial-medical revolution
Information-globalization revolution

Current need for a sustainability revolution

Technology Increases Population

Fig. 1-16, p. 19

1-3 Why Do We Have

Environmental Problems?
Concept 1-3 Major causes of environmental
problems are population growth, wasteful and
unsustainable resource use, poverty, and exclusion of
environmental costs of resource use from the market
prices of goods and services.

Experts Have Identified Four Basic

Causes of Environmental Problems
1.
2.
3.
4.

Population growth
Wasteful and unsustainable resource use
Poverty
Failure to include the harmful environmental costs
of goods and services in market prices

Exponential Growth of Human Population

Fig. 1-18, p. 21

Affluence Has Harmful and

Beneficial Environmental Effects
Harmful environmental impact due to
High levels of consumption
High levels of pollution
Unnecessary waste of resources

Affluence can provide funding for developing

technologies to reduce
Pollution
Environmental degradation
Resource waste

Poverty Has Harmful

Environmental and Health Effects
Population growth affected
Malnutrition
Premature death
Limited access to adequate sanitation facilities and
clean water

Extreme Poverty

Fig. 1-19, p. 22

Harmful Effects of Poverty

Fig. 1-20, p. 22

Effects of Malnutrition

Fig. 1-21, p. 23

Prices Do Not Include the Value of

Natural Capital
Companies do not pay the environmental cost of
resource use
Goods and services do not include the harmful
environmental costs
Companies receive tax breaks and subsidies
Economy may be stimulated but there may be a
degradation of natural capital

Environmentally Unfriendly Hummer

Fig. 1-22, p. 24

Different Views about Environmental

Problems and Their Solutions
Environmental ethics: what is right and wrong with how we
treat the environment
Planetary management worldview
We are separate from and in charge of nature

Stewardship worldview
Manage earth for our benefit with ethical responsibility to be
stewards

Environmental wisdom worldview

We are part of nature and must engage in sustainable use

1-4 What Is an Environmentally

Sustainable Society?
Concept 1-4 Living sustainably means living off the
earths natural income without depleting or
degrading the natural capital that supplies it.

Environmentally Sustainable Societies Protect

Natural Capital and Live Off Its Income
Environmentally sustainable society: meets current
needs while ensuring that needs of future
generations will be met
Live on natural income of natural capital without
diminishing the natural capital

We Can Work Together to Solve

Environmental Problems
Social capital
Encourages
Openness and communication
Cooperation
Hope

Discourages
Close-mindedness
Polarization
Confrontation and fear

Case Study: The Environmental

Transformation of Chattanooga, TN
Environmental success story: example of building their social
capital
1960: most polluted city in the U.S.
1984: Vision 2000
1995: most goals met
1993: Revision 2000

Chattanooga, Tennessee

Fig. 1-23, p. 26

Individuals Matter
510% of the population can bring about major
social change
We have only 50-100 years to make the change to
sustainability before its too late
Rely on renewable energy
Protect biodiversity
Reduce waste and pollution

Three Big Ideas

1. We could rely more on renewable energy from the
sun, including indirect forms of solar energy such as
wind and flowing water, to meet most of our
heating and electricity needs.

Three Big Ideas

2. We can protect biodiversity by preventing the
degradation of the earths species, ecosystems,
and natural processes, and by restoring areas we
have degraded.

Three Big Ideas

3. We can help to sustain the earths natural chemical
cycles by reducing our production of wastes and
pollution, not overloading natural systems with
harmful chemicals, and not removing natural
chemicals faster than those chemical cycles can
replace them.