EM295–Environmental Management

Human Population

The exponential growth of human population is the fundamental driving force behind the speed and severity of our environmental problems. Demographics of population, strategies for change, and forecasts for the future are examined. Models for successful population reduction programs are discussed.

Water Resources

Water is fundamental to all life and the fresh water supply available to human populations is our most precious resource. The uneven distribution of water, its wasteful use in industry and agriculture, and the environmental degradation caused by various methods of water diversion (e.g. the Aral Sea) are addressed.

Water Pollution

Not only is the water supply limited, but human populations continue to pollute what is available. Detailed discussion is presented concerning waterborne pathogens, oxygen-demanding wastes, acids, salts, metals, inorganic nutrients, petrochemicals, pesticides, solvents, detergents, plastics, suspended sediments, thermal pollution, and radioisotopes. In the context of these potential pollutants, the Lake Sevan problem is discussed.

Tropospheric Air Pollution

We can sometimes choose the water we drink, but we can rarely escape the air we breath. Indoor air pollution, acid precipitation, and photochemical smog are discussed with particular attention paid to the health effects of cigarette smoking and the pandemic pollution of the earth with lead and other metals.

Stratospheric Ozone Depletion

The gases that pollute the air in the troposphere can destroy an important layer of protection in the stratosphere. The emissions responsible for ozone depletion, the chemical mechanism of depletion, and the ecological and human health consequences of depletion are addressed.

Global Warming

While some human emissions lead to ozone depletion in the stratosphere, the same emissions in the troposphere can augment the natural greenhouse effect. The rapidity of this human-induced change is contrasted with natural climate variation. Positive and negative feedback cycles are discussed, and the possible effects of an artificially heated planet are presented.

Soil Degradation

Like water, the topsoil that has developed over thousands of years is a natural resource that is irreplaceable on human timescales. Basics of soil science are presented as background to a discussion of the types, magnitude, and consequences of soil degradation by poor agricultural practices, deforestation, and other human activity.

Energy Resources

A fundamental cause of air, water, and soil pollution is the choice we make in methods of energy production. Renewable and non-renewable resources are discussed along with their environmental impacts. Our need for energy services and not energy per se is stressed, as well as the great potential for energy conservation in reducing our energy production demand.

Solid Waste

Another activity that contributes to a variety of pollution is our production of solid waste. Sources of waste, environmental effects of disposal strategies, and sustainable solutions are presented with an emphasis on reduction, re-use, and recycling.

Biodiversity

The cumulative effect of our poorly-controlled and irresponsible actions is the destruction of habitat leading to the largest mass extinction in Earth’s history (proceeding at a rate greater than during the decline of the dinosaurs). The importance of maintaining biodiversity and the concepts of ecology and conservation are considered in the conclusion of the class to give them special emphasis in the context of the wide range of environmental problems that have been presented.