Eco;ogy & Sustainable Development Prof.I.Kolbay

Lecture 1

Topic: Introduction to the course Ecology & Sustainable Development

Section objectives:

1. Subject and primary tasks of ecology

2. Ecological units' life levels organization

3. Commoner's principles of ecology

4. World views and ethical perspectives on environment

5. Ecology structure, approaches and objects

6. Connection ecology to other disciplines

7. Importance of ecology

8. Sustainable Development

1. Subject and primary tasks of ecology

Ecology - the interrelationships among organisms and between organisms, as well as how organisms interact with their environment. 

This means that ecologists might study the behavior of a single species to see how it interacts with other organisms and the environment.  Or, an ecologist might study many different species that either depend on each other (a foodweb, for example), or compete with each other for food and space.  Ecologists can be people who are mainly out in the field doing surveys and research, or in front of a computer modeling complex interactions between populations, for example.

From Greek: "oicos" means "home" and "logos" means "study". This term was introduced by E. Heckel in 1868. Ecology was developed as separated biological science in 1920s and as integrated science in 1950s.

! For comparison: Economics: “oicos” means “home” and “nomos” means “managing” (“Managing the house”).

Bernard Show about Ecology:

The reasonable man adapts himself to the world; the unreasonable one persists intrying to adapt the world to himself.

Therefore all progress depends on the unreasonable man.

Some ecologists focus on theory, such as developing models that predict how a population of a species will fluctuate, or how likely it is to go extinct.  Theoretical ecology is generally heavy on math, computers, and a real understanding of the interactions that cause the things we can observe in the outside world.

Other ecologists are field ecologists.  They collect data from the field, maybe through plant surveys, or bird counts, or measuring pollutant levels in a water body and relating it to algae levels.  They are generally outside more, and rely on the work of theoretical ecologists to help them explain the observations they make.

Applied ecology includes fields such as conservation biology, in which theory and field work is applied to conservation problems, like species extinction, nature reserve design, and even education.  Restoration ecology is another applied field that focuses on how to bring back some of the habitats that have been removed for a variety of reasons.  Again, restoration ecology relies on the work of field and theoretical ecologists to guide their projects.

Environment - anything outside the individual organism in which the organism lives and which affect or could affect that organism, other organisms or life in general.

Environment - is the set of conditions experienced by an organism or a group of organisms.

Environmental science seeks to understand the nature of the environment and its impact on organisms.

Sustainable development is development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs

Sustainable development: progress in human well-being that we can extend or prolong

over many generations, rather than just a few years.

Sustainable development is defined as actions that satisfy the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.

The benefits of sustainable development must be available to all humans, not just to the members of a privileged group.

IPAT model (Paul Ehrlich 1970s):

I = P × A × T , where

I – Environmental Impact

P – Population (Number of people)

A – Affluence (Consumption of resources per capita)

T – Technology (Environmental degradation and pollution)

Sustainability = Environmental Issues + Economic Issues + Social Issues

Primary tasks of ecology:

- to study how organisms act together.

- to study how organisms are adapted to their environment.

- to develop the rational ways in which people use natural resources.

- to find ways in which people can protect natural resources.

History Since 1960s - interest of public & governments in protecting environment

- establishment of Earth Day - April 22, 1970

- creation of EPA (Environmental Protection Agency) - 1970.

- Clean Air Act - 1970, 1977, 1990.

- Clean Water Act - 1972, 1977.

- Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer, 1987: phasing out the production of CFCs

- Kyoto protocol -1997, industrialized countries (except USA): to reduce emissions of greenhouse gases.

- International Earth Summits (1992 - Rio-de-Janeiro, 2002 – Johannesburg, 2009 – Copenhagen).

Human condition

Humans’ life on Earth - the planet that we call home:

Past: life was hard and short for all people

20 century: progress in medicine, agriculture, industries life becomes easier but not for everybody:

1983: 25% lived in luxury and had a greater life expectancy

21 century: - fast growing population consumes the resources (land, water, fuel) faster than nature can replace them; - resources are not distributed evenly.

Environmental Attitudes

Development approach = anthropocentric

- Human race - master of nature

- Earth and its resources exist solely for our benefit and pleasure

Preservation approach = ecocentric

- Nature has intrinsic value apart from human uses

- Keeping large parts of nature intact

Conservation approach – in between 2 ideas

- Promotes human well-being

- From Conservation to Sustainable Development

Classifying the Modern Environmental Problems