Environmental science Book

Part I	Humans and Sustainability: An Overview	2
1	Environmental Problems, Their Causes, and Sustainability	4
	Living in an Exponential Age	4
1-1	Living Sustainably	5
1-2	Growth and the Wealth Gap	6
1-3	Resources	10
1-4	Pollution	15
1-5	Environmental and Resource Problems: Causes and Connections	17
1-6	Cultural Changes and Sustainability	19
1-7	Is Our Present Course Sustainable?	22
2	Economics, Politics, Ethics, and Sustainability	29
	A.D. 2060: Green Times on Planet Earth	29
2-1	Economic Systems and Environmental Problems	30
2-2	Economic Growth and External Costs	32
2-3	Solutions: Using Economics to Improve Environmental Quality	35
2-4	Solutions: Reducing Poverty	40
2-5	Solutions: Converting to Earth-Sustaining Economies	42
2-6	Politics and Environmental Policy	44
2-7	Environmental Worldviews: Clashing Values and Cultures	49
2-8	Solutions: Living Sustainably	53
Part II	Scientific Principles and Concepts	61
3	Science, Systems, Matter, and Energy	62
	Saving Energy, Money, and Jobs in Osage, Iowa	62
3-1	Science, Technology, Environmental Science, and Critical Thinking	63
3-2	Models and Behavior of Systems	66
3-3	Matter: Forms, Structure, and Quality	68
3-4	Energy: Forms and Quality	72
3-5	Physical and Chemical Changes and the Law of Conservation of Matter	73
3-6	Nuclear Changes	75
3-7	The Two Ironclad Laws of Energy	77
3-8	Connections: Matter and Energy Laws and Environmental Problems	80
4	Ecosystems and How They Work: Connections in Nature	84
	Have You Thanked the Insects Today?	84
4-1	Ecology and Life	85
4-2	Earth's Life-Support Systems	87
4-3	Ecosystem Concepts and Components	89
4-4	Connections: Food Webs and Energy Flow in Ecosystems	94
4-5	Connections: Matter Cycling in Ecosystems	99
4-6	How Do Ecologists Learn About Ecosystems?	105
4-7	Ecosystem Services and Sustainability	107
5	Evolution, Biodiversity, and Community Processes	109
	Why Should We Care About Alligators?	109
5-1	Life and Its Origins	110
5-2	Evolution and Adaptation	115
5-3	Speciation, Extinction, and Biodiversity	117
5-4	Niches and Types of Species	120
5-5	Species Interactions	124
5-6	Ecological Succession	126
5-7	Ecological Stability and Sustainability	130
6	Climate, Weather, and Biodiversity	135
	Connections: Blowing in the Wind	135
6-1	Weather and Climate: A Brief Introduction	136
6-2	Biomes: Climate and Life on Land	141
6-3	Desert and Grassland Biomes	143
6-4	Forest and Mountain Biomes	147
6-5	Saltwater Life Zones	155
6-6	Freshwater Life Zones	162
7	Population Dynamics, Carrying Capacity, and Conservation Biology	168
	Two Islands: Can We Treat This One Better?	168
7-1	Population Dynamics and Carrying Capacity	169
7-2	Reproductive Strategies and Survival	172
7-3	Conservation Biology: Sustaining Wildlife Populations	173
7-4	Human Impacts on Ecosystems: Learning from Nature	174
7-5	Solutions: Working with Nature to Help Ecosystems Heal	176
8	Risk, Toxicology, and Human Health	179
	The Big Killer	179
8-1	Risks and Hazards	180
8-2	Toxicology	180
8-3	Chemical Hazards	180
8-4	Physical Hazards: Earthquakes and Volcanic Eruptions	186
8-5	Biological Hazards: Disease in Developed and Developing Countries	187
8-6	Risk Analysis	192
Part III	Human Population, Resources, and Sustainability	201
9	The Human Population: Growth and Distribution	202
	Slowing Population Growth in Thailand	202
9-1	Factors Affecting Human Population Size	203
9-2	Population Age Structure	208
9-3	Solutions: Influencing Population Size	211
9-4	Case Studies: Slowing Population Growth in India and China	219
9-5	Cutting Global Population Growth	220
9-6	Population Distribution: Urbanization and Urban Growth	220
9-7	Urban Resource and Environmental Problems	223
9-8	Transportation and Urban Development	226
9-9	Some Solutions to Urban Problems	229
10	Air and Air Pollution	236
	When Is a Lichen Like a Canary?	236
10-1	The Atmosphere	237
10-2	Urban Outdoor Air Pollution from Smog	238
10-3	Regional Outdoor Air Pollution from Acid Deposition	242
10-4	Indoor Air Pollution	246
10-5	Effects of Air Pollution on Living Organisms and Materials	249
10-6	Solutions: Preventing and Reducing Air Pollution	252
11	Global Warming and Ozone Loss	259
	A.D. 2060: Hard Times on Planet Earth	259
11-1	The Greenhouse Effect and Global Warming	260
11-2	Past and Future Changes in the Earth's Climate	260
11-3	Global Warming or a Lot of Hot Air? How Serious Is the Threat?	264
11-4	Some Possible Effects of a Warmer World	267
11-5	Solutions: Dealing with the Threat of Global Warming	270
11-6	Ozone Depletion: Is It A Serious Threat?	274
11-7	Solutions: Protecting the Ozone Layer	281
12	Water Resources and Water Pollution	286
	Water Wars in the Middle East	286
12-1	Water's Importance and Unique Properties	287
12-2	Supply, Renewal, and Use of Water Resources	288
12-3	Too Little Water	290
12-4	Too Much Water	300
12-5	Pollution of Streams, Lakes, and Groundwater	303
12-6	Ocean Pollution	314
12-7	Solutions: Preventing and Reducing Water Pollution	317
13	Mineral and Soil Resources	326
	The Great Terrain Robbery	326
13-1	Geologic Processes	327
13-2	Mineral Resources and the Rock Cycle	329
13-3	Estimating Supplies of Nonrenewable Mineral Resources	333
13-4	Increasing Mineral Resource Supplies	334
13-5	Environmental Effects of Extracting and Using Mineral Resources	336
13-6	Soil: The Base of Life	339
13-7	Soil Erosion	343
13-8	Solutions: Soil Conservation	348
14	Solid and Hazardous Waste	355
	There Is No "Away": The Love Canal Tragedy	355
14-1	Wasting Resources: The High-Waste Approach	356
14-2	Producing Less Waste and Pollution: Reducing Throughput	357
14-3	Reuse	362
14-4	Recycling	364
14-5	Case Studies: Recycling Aluminum, Wastepaper, and Plastics	367
14-6	Detoxifying, Burning, Burying, and Exporting Wastes	368
14-7	Case Studies: Lead, Dioxins, and Chlorine	374
14-8	Hazardous-Waste Regulation in the United States	377
14-9	Solutions: Achieving a Low-Waste Society	378
Part IV	Sustaining Biodiversity and Ecological Integrity	383
15	Food Resources	384
	Perennial Crops on the Kansas Prairie	384
15-1	How Is Food Produced?	385
15-2	World Food Problems and Challenges	390
15-3	Increasing World Food Production	395
15-4	Solutions: Sustainable Agriculture	406
16	Protecting Food Resources: Pesticides and Pest Control	411
	Along Came a Spider	411
16-1	Pesticides: Types and Uses	412
16-2	The Case for Pesticides	413
16-3	The Case Against Pesticides	415
16-4	Pesticide Regulation in the United States	419
16-5	Solutions: Other Ways to Control Pests	421
17	Sustaining Terrestrial Ecosystems: Forests, Rangelands, Parks, and Wilderness	426
	How Farmers and Loud Monkeys Saved a Forest	426
17-1	Public Lands in the United States	427
17-2	Managing and Sustaining Forests	429
17-3	Forest Resources and Management in the United States and Canada	436
17-4	Tropical Deforestation and the Fuelwood Crisis	440
17-5	Managing and Sustaining Rangelands	447
17-6	Managing and Sustaining National Parks	450
17-7	Protecting and Managing Wilderness and Other Biodiversity Sanctuaries	454
18	Sustaining Wild Species	462
	The Passenger Pigeon: Gone Forever	462
18-1	The Rise and Fall of Species	463
18-2	Causes of Depletion and Premature Extinction of Wild Species	468
18-3	Solutions: Protecting Wild Species from Depletion and Extinction	479
18-4	Wildlife Management	485
18-5	Fishery Management and Protecting Marine Biodiversity	488
18-6	Case Study: The Whaling Industry	489
Part V	Energy Resources	495
19	Nonrenewable Energy Resources	496
	Bitter Lessons from Chernobyl	496
19-1	Evaluating Energy Resources	497
19-2	Oil	500
19-3	Natural Gas	504
19-4	Coal	505
19-5	Nuclear Energy	508
20	Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy	519
	The Energy-Efficiency and Renewable-Energy Revolution	519
20-1	The Importance of Improving Energy Efficiency	520
20-2	Ways to Improve Energy Efficiency	522
20-3	Direct Use of Solar Energy for Heat and Electricity	530
20-4	Producing Electricity from Moving Water and from Heat Stored in Water	536
20-5	Producing Electricity from Wind	540
20-6	Producing Energy from Biomass	541
20-7	The Solar-Hydrogen Revolution	544
20-8	Geothermal Energy	545
20-9	Solutions: A Sustainable Energy Strategy	547
	Appendixes	A1
1	Publications, Environmental Organizations, and Federal and International Agencies	A1
2	Units of Measurement	A6
3	Major U.S. Resource Conservation and Environmental Legislation	A7
4	Tactics of the Anti-Environmental Movement	A8
5	Mapping Concepts and Connections	A9
6	Individuals Matter: What Can You Do?	A14
	Internet Sources and Further Readings	F1
	Glossary	G1
	Index	I1