Environmental science: systems and solutions/ Michael L. McKinney, Robert M. Schoch, Logan Yonavjak

SECTION 1 The Environment and People
Introduction A Guide to the Environment
CHAPTER 1 Environmental Science: An Overview
What Is Environmental Science?
Avoiding ¿Information Overload¿
Building a Sustainable World
1.1 The Environment as a System: An Overview
What Is a System?
Three Key Traits of the Environmental System
Society in the Environmental System
1.2 What Is Environmental Impact?
Exponential Growth
Exponential Growth of the Human Population
Exponential Growth of Consumption
Exponential Growth of Environmental Impact
1.3 A Brief History of Environmental Impact
1.4 The Environment as a Commons
1.5 Saving the Commons
Reducing Consumption: Defusing the Bomb of the North
1.6 Promoting Sustainability by Paying True Costs
Reducing Population: Defusing the Bomb of the South
1.7 The Role of the Individual
Values on the Here and Now: Why We Avoid True Costs
A Solution: Values beyond the Self
1.8 Toward a Sustainable World
Visualizing a Sustainable World
Study Guide
Case Study 1-1: Systems and Chaos Theories: Ways to Study Complexity
Case Study 1-2: What Are Your Values? Would You Decline $600,000 to Save a Rainforest?
CHAPTER 2 Human Population Growth
2.1 World Population Changes over Time
Starting Slow: The Lag Phase
The Agricultural (Neolithic) Revolution: Beginning Exponential Growth
Carrying Capacity
Growth Rate and Doubling Time of the World¿s Human Population
2.2 Distribution of the Earth¿s Human Population
2.3 Age Structures
Life Expectancies and Infant Mortality Rates
Total Fertility Rates
Aging of the World Population
2.4 The Consequences of Overpopulation
2.5 The Population of the United States and Canada
2.6 Solving the World¿s Population Problem
Industrialization, Economic Development, and the Demographic Transition
Problems with the Demographic Transition Model
Contraceptives, Abortion, and Reproductive Rights
Female Education and Status
Economic Incentives, Disincentives, and Government Regulation of Childbearing
Population Control around the World
Study Guide
Case Study 2-1: Thomas Malthus, the Original Population Pessimist
Case Study 2-2: Disease and Global Population: The Plague and AIDS
Fundamentals 2-1: Fundamentals: Human Population Equations and Statistics
SECTION 2 The Environment of Life on Planet Earth
CHAPTER 3 The Biosphere: Populations, Communities, Ecosystems, and Biogeochemical Cycles
3.1 Water, Air, and Energy¿Three Major Aspects of the Physical Environment
3.2 Biosphere Interactions: Populations
Population Dynamics
Growth of Populations
Population Stability: Regulation of Growth
The Real World: Complex Interaction of Abundance Controls
Population Decline
Human Impact on Population Growth and Decline
Population Range
3.3 Biosphere Interactions: Communities and Ecosystems
Community Structure
Community Diversity
Community Change through Time
Human Disturbance of Communities
Ecosystems and Community Function
Ecosystem Productivity
Matter Cycling through Ecosystems
3.4 Biogeochemical Cycles: An Introduction
Biogeochemical Cycles: Major Features
Energy Flows
Study Guide
Case Study 3-1: What Is Ecology?
Case Study 3-2: Captive Breeding
Case Study 3-3: Does Extinction Reduce Ecosystem Productivity? How Experimental Ecology Answers Key Questions
CHAPTER 4 The Distribution of Life on Earth
4.1 Evolution of the Biosphere
Evolution through Natural Selection
Diversification of the Biosphere
4.2 What Is Biodiversity?
Measuring Biodiversity
Global Biodiversity: How Many Species?
Biodiversity Today: A Rare Wealth in Time
4.3 Biomes and Communities
Terrestrial Biomes
Aquatic Biomes
Study Guide
Case Study 4-1: Hellbenders and Alligators: The Asia-U.S. Connection
Case Study 4-2: Conservation and the Geography of People
CHAPTER 5 The Dynamic Earth and Natural Hazards
5.1 Workings of Planet Earth Today
Earth and Its Neighboring Planets
Present-Day Structure of the Earth
Plate Tectonics
The Composition of Matter on the Earth
Rocks: Their Origin and the Rock Cycle
The Surface of the Earth: Climate and Weather
Rotation, Orbits, and Seasons
5.2 Origin and Physical Development of the Earth
Origin of the Solar System and Earth
Origin of the Oceans
Origin of the Atmosphere
5.3 Natural Hazards
Earthquakes and Volcanoes
Land Instability
Weather Hazards
Fires
Coastal Hazards
Study Guide
Case Study 5-1: El Niño and Integrated Earth Systems
Case Study 5-2: Predicting Earthquakes
Case Study 5-3: Hurricane Katrina: A Natural Disaster Enhanced by People:
SECTION 3 Resource Use and Management
CHAPTER 6 People and Natural Resources
6.1 Kinds of Resources
6.2 People Managing Resources
6.3 What Is Resource Management?
6.4 Sustaining Resource Use: Preservation, Conservation, and Restoration
A Brief History of Preservation, Conservation, and Restoration
6.5 Who Cares? The Many Values of Natural Resources
6.6 Patterns of Resource Depletion
How Matter Resources Are Depleted
How Energy Resources Are Depleted
Bubble Pattern of Depletion
6.7 Problems with Past Resource Management
Net Yield of Nonrenewable Resources
Maximum Sustainable Yield of Renewable Resources
6.8 Conservation: Reducing the Need for Resources
Ways to Conserve: Efficiency, Recycling, and Substitution
6.9 Resource Economics
Resource Overuse: Ignoring Environmental Costs
Economics of Recycling
6.10 Jobs and Life in a Sustainable World
Study Guide
Case Study 6-1: How to Exceed Maximum Sustained Yield: Overfishing the Oceans
Case Study 6-2: Is This Recycled or Not?
Case Study 6-3: Measuring Consumption: What Is Your Ecological Footprint?
CHAPTER 7 Fundamentals of Energy, Fossil Fuels, and Nuclear Energy
7.1 An Overview of the Current Global Energy Situation
7.2 Power Plants¿Supplying the People with Electricity
Hard versus Soft Energy Technologies
7.3 The Fossil Fuels
Oil
Coal
Natural Gas
Can Fossil Fuel Supplies Increase on a Human Timescale?
Why We Must Stop Burning Fossil Fuels
7.4 Nuclear Power
Principles of Nuclear Power
Uranium Resources
7.5 Advantages and Disadvantages of Nuclear Power
The Safety Record of Nuclear Power
Drawbacks of Nuclear Power
Chernobyl and Three Mile Island
Safer Nuclear Reactors
Disposal of Nuclear Wastes
Decommissioning Nuclear Reactors
Global Nuclear Power Today and in the Future
Study Guide
Case Study 7-1: The United States: Sources and Consumption of Energy
Case Study 7-2: The Hidden Costs of Foreign Oil Dependence
Case Study 7-3: The Arctic National Wildlife Refuge
Fundamentals 7-1 Energy, Work, Power, and Thermodynamics
Fundamentals 7-2: Common Measures of Energy and Power
CHAPTER 8 Renewable and Alternative Energy Sources
8.1 Hydropower
Environmental Advantages and Disadvantages of Hydroelectric Energy
8.2 Biomass
Raw Sources of Biomass Energy
Environmental Advantages and Disadvantages of Biomass Energy
8.3 Solar Energy
Direct Use of Solar Energy and Passive Solar Designs
Active Solar Techniques
The Economics of Active Solar Collectors
Electricity from the Sun
Photovoltaics
The Economics of Photovoltaics
Environmental Advantages and Disadvantages of Solar Energy
8.4 Wind Power
8.5 Geothermal Energy
The Disadvantages of Geothermal Energy
8.6 Ocean Energy
8.7 Energy Storage
Electrical Energy Storage
8.8 Energy Conservation
Reducing Consumption of Fossil Fuels
Energy Efficiency at a National Level
Improving Energy Efficiency
Encouraging Energy Savings¿Voluntary versus Mandatory Measures
Study Guide
Case Study 8-1: The Natural Gas Transition to a Solar-Hydrogen Economy
Case Study 8-2: Improving the Fuel Economy of Gasoline-Powered Vehicles
CHAPTER 9 Water Resources
9.1 Water and the Hydrologic Cycle
Water: A Most Unusual Substance
The Hydrologic Cycle
9.2 Water Demand
9.3 Water Supply
Regional Water Shortages: Inequalities in the Hydrologic Cycle
A Global Water Shortage?
Types of Water Resources
9.4 Increasing Our Water Resources
Increased Efficiency
Desalination
Wastewater Reclamation
Dams and Reservoirs
Canals
9.5 Social Solutions to Water Scarcity
Economics of Sustainable Water Use
Legal Control of Water Use
Which Are Better: Economic or Legal Solutions?
Study Guide
Case Study 9-1: The Global Safe Drinking Water Crisis
Case Study 9-2: The Colorado River r
Case Study 9-3: Ogallala Aquifer
CHAPTER 10 Mineral Resources
10.1 Types of Mineral Resources
10.2 Relative Demands and Values of Mineral Resources¿An Overview
10.3 Mineral Deposits, Ores, and Reserves
10.4 Environmental Degradation Due to Mineral Exploitation
10.5 Trends in Mineral Use
10.6 The Economics of Mineral Consumption: What Accounts for the Prices of Minerals?
10.7 Dealing with Mineral Scarcity
Expanding the Resource Base
Recycling
Substitutability
Reducing Consumption: Conservation and Durability
Study Guide
Case Study 10-1: Trading a Mountain for a Hole in the Ground
CHAPTER 11 Conserving Biological Resources
11.1 Measuring What¿s at Risk
Estimating the Unknown
11.2 Biodiversity Loss
Current Biodiversity Loss: Another Mass Extinction?
11.3 What Causes Biodiversity Loss?
Habitat Disruption
Introduced Species
Overhunting
Secondary Extinctions
Minimum Viable Populations
Community and Ecosystem Degradation
Are Diverse Communities More Easily Disturbed?
11.4 Stopping Extinctions
Reasons to Stop Extinctions: The Many Values of Biodiversity
Which Species to Save?
How to Save Species
Laws Protecting Endangered Species
Species Recovery: Breeding and Reintroduction
Sustainable Uses of Biodiversity
Study Guide
Case Study 11-1: Invasion of the Zebra Mussels
Case Study 11-2: Are Habitat Conservation Plans the Answer? The California Gnatcatcher Example
CHAPTER 12 Land Resources and Management
12.1 Managing Public Lands
An End to Subsidized Abuse of Public Land?
The National Park System
National Forests: Land of Many Uses
12.2 NEPA and Environmental Impact Statements
12.3 Managing Private Lands for Biodiversity Preservation
Selecting Preserves
Designing Preserves
Preserve Networks
Sustainable Management of Preserves
12.4 Marine Preserves
12.5 Managing Lands to Reduce Urban Impacts
Causes of Sprawl
Consequences of Sprawl
Curbing Sprawl
Study Guide
Case Study 12-1: Should Snowmobiles be Allowed in Yellowstone National Park
Case Study 12-2: The Restoration of Mead Quarry
Case Study 12-3: Should We Rethink Lawns and Golf Courses
CHAPTER 13 Food and Soil Resources
13.1 Food as a Biological Resource
Hunger
Feeding the World Today
Food for the Future
Agricultural Food Production and Supplies
13.2 The Effects of Agriculture
Modern Agriculture¿s ¿Solutions¿: Fertilizers, Pesticides, and Herbicides
The Green Revolution
Beyond the Green Revolution¿¿Higher Yields through Sustainable Agriculture
Traditional and Sustainable Methods of Coping with Agriculture¿s Effects.
Biotechnology and Genetically Modified (GM) Crops
Fisheries
13.3 The Soil of the Earth
What Is Soil?
Global Assessment of Soil Degradation
Stopping Soil Degradation
Study Guide
Case Study 13-1: Subsistence Growers and Sustainable Agricultural Practices
Case Study 13-2: Genetically Modified Foods and Crops
Case Study 13-3: Aquaculture
SECTION 4 Dealing With Environmental Degradation
CHAPTER 14 Principles of Pollution Control, Toxicology, and Risk
14.1 What Is Pollution?
History of Pollution
14.2 Controlling Pollution
Myths of Pollution Control
Deciding How Much Control: Being Realistic
Implementing Pollution Controls
International and National Aspects
14.3 Toxicology: The Science of Poisons
Effects of Toxic Substances
Toxic Risk Assessment
14.4 Pesticides: Pollutants Made to Kill
The History of Pesticide Use
Problems with Chemical Pesticides
Reducing Chemical Pesticide Use
14.5 Legal Aspects of Toxic Substance and Pesticide Control
Toxic Torts
The Precautionary Principle Revisited
Study Guide
Case Study 14-1: Should We Use Animals to Test Products? Which Animals?
Case Study 14-2: Environmental Hormones¿A Growing Threat
Case Study 14-3: To Worry or Not to Worry? Chlorine, Dioxin, and PCBs
CHAPTER 15 Water Pollution
15.1 Damages and Suffering
15.2 Water Purification in Nature
15.3 Pollution: Overwhelming Natural Purification
Composition and Properties of Water Pollutants
Sources of Water Pollutants
Fate of Pollutants
15.4 Slowing Pollution: Reduction, Treatment, and Remediation
Source Reduction: Efficiency, Recycling, and Substitution
Treating Wastewater
Remediation: Cleaning Up Polluted Waters
15.5 Legal and Social Solutions
Legal Solutions
Cleaner Rivers and Lakes
Cleaner Drinking Water
Social Solutions
Future of U.S. Water Pollution Control
Clean Water outside the United States
Global Water Security
Study Guide
Case Study 15-1: The Milwaukee Incident
Case Study 15-2: The New York City Watershed Protection Plan
CHAPTER 16 Air Pollution: Local and Regional
16.1 Local and Regional Air Pollution
Particulates
Sulfur Oxides
Nitrogen Oxides, Ground-level Ozone, and Volatile Organic Compounds
Carbon Monoxide
Lead
International Trends
Weather and Air Pollution
16.2 Legal and Social Solutions
Legal Solutions
Economic Solutions
16.3 Indoor Air Pollution
Sources and Types of Indoor Pollutants
16.4 Noise Pollution
Measuring Noise
Control of Noise
Health Damage from Noise
Control of Noise
16.5 Electromagnetic Fields
Study Guide
Case Study 16-1: Smog: Causes and Cures
Case Study 16-2: Is Asbestos a Classic Example of ¿Environmental Hypochondria¿?
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CHAPTER 17 Global Air Pollution: Destruction of the Ozone Layer and Global Climate Change
Ozone Depletion
Ozone in Nature
Human Assaults on the Ozone Layer
Effects of Increased Ultraviolet Radiation Reaching the Earth¿s Surface
Global Climate Change
The Greenhouse Effect
Is Earth Really Warming Up?
Consequences of Global Warming
General Strategies for Dealing with Global Warming
Global Light Pollution: A Developing Problem
Effects on Animals and Plants
Curbing Light Pollution

Case Study 17-1: Methyl Bromide and the Ozone Layer
Case Study 17-2: The Benefits of CO2
Case Study 17-3: Global Warming and Disease
CHAPTER 18 Municipal Solid Waste and Hazardous Waste
Defining Solid Waste
Alternative Paradigms for Waste Management
Traditional Means of Waste Management
Garbage as a Source of Revenue for Poorer Communities
Dealing with Rubbish and Other Waste in the Near Future
Waste Disposal and Recycling in the United States
Industrial Ecosystems
Hazardous Waste
Superfund
The Bhopal Disaster
Toxics Release Inventory
Technologies for Dealing with Hazardous Waste

Case Study 18-1: Tires
Case Study 18-2: Paper versus Plastic
Case Study 18-3: E-Waste and Technotrash
Environmental Issues: Social Aspects and Solutions
CHAPTER 19 Environmental Economics
Economics versus Environmental Science?
Sustainability Produces More Jobs
Environmental Economics: Blending the Dichotomy
What Is Sustainable Growth?
Measuring Sustainable Growth
Economics of Sustainable Growth
Externalities: Market Failures and the Environment
Tragedy of the Commons: Depletion and Pollution
Solution: Internalizing Environmental Externalities
What¿s the Environment Worth? Cost Problems
Pay Up! Persuasion, Regulation, Motivation
Economic Incentives to Sustain the Environment
The Low Cost of Sustainability
Poverty and the Global Environment
Origins of Global Poverty
Eliminating Global Poverty
Developing a Sustainable Economy

Case Study 19-1: Would You Be a Green Investor?
Case Study 19-2: Cookstoves in Poor Nations: Small is Beautiful (and Sustainable)
Case Study 19-3: The World Trade Organization: Wealth versus Environment and Justice?
CHAPTER 20 Historical and Cultural Aspects of Environmental Concerns
An Historical Perspective on American Environmentalism
The First Century of American Environmentalism
Environmentalism since World War II
Are Western Societal Values to be Blamed for Current Environmental Problems?
Western Values and Social Institutions
Sustainable Development/Sustainable Growth
Addressing Environmental Concerns by Refocusing Western Political-Economic Structures
Environmental Law
Law and the Environment¿A General Overview
International Environmental Law
Environmental Law and Regulation in the United States
Decision Making in the Public Arena

Case Study 20-1: The North American Bison
Case Study 20-2: Animal Rights
Case Study 20-3: Global Population and Ethical Considerations
Epilogue: Environmental Literacy
Appendix English/Metric Conversion Table
Glossary
Index