ES101 Chapter : Environmental Reading Notes .docx
Document Summary
Exponential growth (rice chess game and folding paper) A quantity increases at a constant rate per unit of time: example: 2% a year. Growth is deceptive: starts slow, after a few doublings, it grows to huge numbers, each doubling is more than the total of all earlier growth. Human activities: premature extinction of the earths species. Fast rate of 0. 1% - 1% a year. Exponential growth in burning fossil fuels and clearing forests will change the earths climate this century. Exponential growth plays a key role in 5 environmental issues: population growth, resource use and waste, poverty loss of biological diversity, global climate change. Everything that effects a living organism (any unique form of life) A biological science: studies relationships between living organisms and their environment. Social movement dedicated to protecting the earths life support system for us and other species. Includes direct sunlight and indirect forms of renewable solar energy (wind power, hydropower {flowing water} and biomass.
