ENVIRONMENTAL

SCIENCE
INTRODUCTION
WHAT PEOPLE THINK OF
ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE
 Science of the Environment
 Surrounding
 People
 Plants, animals, rocks, rivers, seas, etc.
 Concepts, food, energy, human population,
biodiversity, resources, legislative measures and
climate change
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Definition

 scientific study of the nature and how it is

affected by humanity
 interdisciplinary academic field
 biological, physical and chemical sciences

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Importance

 environmental problems are both

national and global problems
 development results in industrial growth
 concerned with discovering ways to live
more sustainably

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Importance

 natural resources should bring a combo

of benefits to a country
 biodiversity must be true to its form as it
means an assortment of life on Earth

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Importance

organisms and humans bank on each

other to get by
lack of consciousness

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Major components

Ecology
Geoscience
Atmospheric Science
Environmental Chemistry

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Major Components

 Ecology (oikos, in the house and logos, to study)

is the study of organisms and the environment
interacting with one another
 Geoscience (geos, earth) is concern with the
study of geology, soil science, volcanoes, and the
Earth’s layers as they relate to the environment

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Major Components

 Atmospheric science is the study of the Earth’s

atmosphere
 Environmental chemistry is the study of the changes
that chemicals make in the environment, such as
contamination of the environment, degradation of
chemicals beneficial to the organisms, and the
transport of chemicals upon the plants and animals of
the immediate environment
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7 Environmental Principles

 1. Nature knows best

 2. Everything is connected to everything else
 3. Everything changes
 4. Ours is a finite Earth
 5. Everything goes somewhere
 6. Nature is beautiful
 7. Principle of ecological balance
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Nature knows best

 most essential and encompasses all the other

principles
 comprehend nature and obey by the rules
nature
 one must not go against the natural processes
 make certain a continuous and non-stop or
steady supply of resources
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Nature knows best

nutrient cycling
nutrients pass from the environment to
the organisms and back to the
environment at the end of organisms’
lifeline
disruption = imbalance
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All forms of life are important

 each organism plays a fundamental role in

nature
 niche
 all living things are invaluable in the
maintenance of homeostasis in the
ecosystem
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All forms of life are important

 butterflies = pollination
 the elephants, the whales, the alligators
 wriggling creature (e.g. earthworm)
 snakes = role in limiting the rat
 spiders = role in limiting the mosquitoes

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Everything is connected to everything
else

 all biotic and abiotic components interact with

each other to make sure that the system is extant
 any outside interference may cause an imbalance
and the decline of life of the system
 organisms are linked to one another through their
feeding habit/level

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Everything is connected to everything
else

physico-chemical factors are influenced by

the terrestrial environment
deforestation may bring catastrophe

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Everything changes

 the only permanent thing in this world is change

 may be linear, cyclical or random
 linear change: the evolution of species
 cyclical change: intervals and the cadences
(sequences) in floral and faunal life stages
 random change: killer eruption of Mt. Pinatubo
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Everything must go somewhere

when a piece of waste is thrown away,

it disappears and ends up somewhere
gases released may disperse and
ends up somewhere

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Ours is a finite earth

 Earth resources: renewable and nonrenewable

 renewable resources are those that can easily be
replaced or replenished by natural cycles
 non-renewable resources are those that cannot
be replenished or replaced through natural cycles
 population: 7.7 billion
 Philippines: 109 million by the end of 2019
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Nature is beautiful and we are stewards
of God's creation

 Humans have dominion over God’s creations

 Christian Bible: Book of Genesis
 Christianity, Buddhism, and Islam ask everyone
to respect everything that has life and the order
of nature
 Development vs Environment

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