Environmental Science

Download as pdf or txt
Download as pdf or txt
You are on page 1of 18

ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE

ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE

► Field of science that studies the interactions


of the physical, chemical, biological
components of the environment and the
relationship and effects of these components
with the organism in the environment.
► Interrelation among the biotic and abiotic
factors of ecosystem.
A few of the major challenges that are the topics for environmental science
include:
1. Global climate change
2. Management of Earth’s water resources
3. Energy and mineral resource depletion
4. Meeting the food, fiber and clothing needs of a growing world population
5. Air pollution and acid rain deposition
6. Stratospheric ozone depletion
7. Water pollution
8. Soil erosion, fertility depletion and contamination
9. Deforestation
10. Habitat destruction on land and in the oceans.
11. The spread of infectious diseases, including those caused by organisms that
have developed antibiotic resistance
12. Long term sustainability of the global and national economies.
SUSTAINABILITY
►WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE
BETWEEN ECOLOGY AND
ECOSYSTEM?
ECOLOGY VS. ECOSYSTEM

► ECOLOGY
► Branch of biological science dealing with the interactions
between organisms and environment.

► ECOSYSTEM
► Is the aggregate of all organisms living in the community and
all the nonliving with which they interact.
LEVELS OF ORGANIZATION
► Individual Organism- all living things are included. The individual
organisms act reciprocally with the abiotic factors of the environment,
which limit their contribution.
► Population- group of individuals of the same species, which inhabit
the same geographic area.
► Community- the whole of the organism living in a specific area. It
includes organisms of different species.
► Ecosystem- dynamic entities composed of the biological community
and the abiotic environment.
► Biosphere- total portion of the planet
Reasoning in Science
► Scientific Reasoning- intellectual method to get the truth.
► Inductive Reasoning-- reaching a conclusion based upon a number of
observations going from the SPECIFIC to GENERAL.

brightly colored snake brightly colored frog

POISONOUS
► Deductive Reasoning- GENERAL TO SPECIFIC
INDUCTIVE AND DEDUCTIVE REASONING
HYPOTHESIS
THEORY SCIENTIFIC
LAW

Tentative solution or
generalization to a
General truth Universally
problem.
about the natural accepted
world but not yet
universally
accepted.
SCIENTIFIC METHOD- combination of the creative
reasoning and testing of hypothesis

► Identify the Problem


► Gather Specific Data and Information
► Formulate a Hypothesis
► Plan and conduct experiments and series of
observation
► Formulate conclusion/Generalization
► Communicate the result
► Apply the result
SCIENTIFIC ATTITUDE- a way of looking at things governed by facts
based on observation
► A belief that problems have solutions.
► A respect for the power of theoretical structure.
► The “THIRST of KNOWLEDGE, an Intellectual Drive.
► Ability to separate fundamental concepts from the irrelevant or unimportant.
► Ability to suspend judgment
► An appreciation of probability and statistics
► An automatic preference for a scientific explanation
► An understanding that all knowledge has tolerance limits
► Awareness of assumptions
► Determinism
► Empathy for the Human condition
► Empiricism
► Loyalty to Reality
► Parsimony
► Precision
► Respect for quantification and appreciation of
mathematics as language of science
► Respect for scientific paradigms
► Scientific manipulation
► Skepticism
► Willingness to change opinion
LIMITATIONS OF SCIENCE
1. Science can’t answer questions about value.
2. Science can’t answer questions of morality.
3. The scientific method is limited in that it cannot
deal with the unique.
4. Science can’t question the supernatural.

You might also like