INTRODUCTION TO

ENVIRONMENTAL
SCIENCE
Prepared by:
Ms. Kristine F. Cantilero
 Learning Objectives
⬩ Define environment
⬩ Understand the fundamental concepts of
environmental science
⬩ Describe its interrelationship with other
sciences
⬩ Define environmental ethics
⬩ Enlighten with environmental attitudes
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 ENVIRONMENT
⬩ the surrounding external conditions influencing
development or growth of people, animal or plants, living
or working conditions, etc. This involves the living objects
in general and man in particular and the physical attributes
or the sum total of condition such as land, water, and air
that support and affect the life in the biosphere.

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 ENVIRONMENT
⬩ Environment can be defined as the circumstances or
conditions that surround an organism or group of
organisms. Alternatively, it can be defined as the
combination of social or cultural conditions that affect the
individual and the community. Since humans inhabit the
natural world along with technological, social and cultural
world, together, these constitute important parts of our
environment.

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 ENVIRONMENT
⬩ The environment is anything around us. It includes energy
from the sun and all the living things and the non-living
things with which we interact. Despite humankind’s many
scientific and technological advances, our lives depend on
sunlight and the earth for clean air and water, food, shelter,
energy, fertile soil, a livable climate, and other components
of planet’s life-support system.

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Interrelationship with
Other Sciences

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 Environmental Science
is a multidisciplinary science because it embraces countless
branches of studies like life science, biology, chemistry,
agriculture, public health, sanitary engineering, etc. It is the
science of physical phenomena in the environment. This field of
study comprises both applied and theoritical facets of human
influence in the world. It converses the reactions, sources,
transport, effect, and possibilities of biological activity thaat
could also affect human to environment and vice versa.
 HEAT WAVES

PEST INFESTATIONS TORNADOES

OTHERS FLOODING

HUMAN ENVIRONMENTAL ENVIRON

LAND USE OTHERS

TOXINS INVASIVE SPECIES

CLIMATE CHANGE
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 Environmental studies enlighten us of the
importance of protection and conservation
in the indiscriminate release of pollution
into the environment. There had been a
great number of environmental issues that
have grown in size and complexity every
day, threatening the survival of mankind on
Earth.
Components of
Environmental
Science

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 Atmospheric Sciences
is a broad field that deals with the study of
the atmosphere, its processes, the effects
other systems have on the atmosphere, and
the effects of the atmosphere on these
other systems. It covers the fields such as
meteorology, climatology, and aeronomy.

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 Ecology
is the scientific study of the relationships
between organisms and their environments.
This involves the diversity, distribution,
amount (biomass), number (population) of
organisms, as well as competition between
them within and among ecosystems.

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 Ecology
It came from a Greek word oikos meaning “the
family of households,” and logy meaning “the
study of,” which was first coined by a
German Zoologist Ernst Haeckel in 1866.

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 Environmental Chemistry
is a scientific discipline focused on the
chemical changes in the environment.
The principal areas covered in the
study are soil contamination and water
pollution.

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 Geosciences
is a scientific study on the earth’s crust
that includes environmental geology,
environmental soil science, and volcanic
phenomena and in some classifications
cover hydrology like oceanography.

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Three Ethical
Perspectives
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Anthropocentric (human-centered)
is the set of ethics that protects and
promotes of human interests or well-being at
the expense of all other factors. Often, it
places an emphasis on short-term benefits
while disregarding long-term consequences.
Anything not providing to people has no value.

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Two Further Divisions of Anthropocentrism
by Peter Vardy
WEAK
ANTHROPOCENTRISM STRONG
ANTHROPOCENTRISM
- believes that human beings
are the center because it is - believes that human beings
only through their perspective are at the center because they
that environmental situations rightfully deserve to be there.
can be interpreted.

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 Bio-centric
is the belief that certain living things
also have value and that all life has
ethical standing. In this sense,
development is opposed if it destroys
life, even if it creates job.

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 Ecocentrism
Is advocated by John Muir, first president of
the Sierra Club where he believes that nature
deserves to exist for its own sake regardless
of the degree of usefulness to humans. The
preservation of ecosystems or other living
things takes priority over human needs.

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The Environmental
Attitudes

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 Development Ethic
is based on individuals and egocentricism.
It assumes that the human race is and
should be the master of nature;
therefore, the earth and its resources
exist for our benefit and pleasure.

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 Preservation Ethic
considers the special value of nature.
Unchanged nature should be protected
for its own inherent value. We should
protect our environment in a pristine
state, because it promotes human
happiness and fulfillment.
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 Conservation Ethic or
Management Ethic
is using natural resources wisely for the greatest good
for the most people. It is also described as a
utilitarian standard that calls for prudent, efficient,
and sustainable resource extraction and use of the
natural resources. It stresses equilibrium of total
development and absolute preservation from resource
use and resource availability.
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 Local
Environmental
Non-Government
Organizations
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ABS-CBN Bantay Kalikasan
⬩ is committed to undertake and catalyse
initiatives by maximizing media resources to
help ensure an actively protected, adequately
rehabilitated, and sustainably developed
environment.

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 Center for Environmental Concerns –
Philippines (CEC-Phils)
⬩ is a non-government organization founded through
the initiatives of organizations representing
fisherfolk, farmers, indigenous people, women,
urban poor, and professional sectors, currently
based in Quezon City, Manila.

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 Center for Environmental Concerns –
Philippines (CEC-Phils)
⬩ CEC-Phils closely works with communities and
organization nationwide, supporting their initiatives
to nurture their ecosystems, defend their common
access to natural resources, and improve their living
and working conditions in the context of a balanced
and healthy environment.

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 Eco link Women’s Network
⬩ Is an alliance of 17 women’s organizations in
Mindanao. Its mission is to promote an atmosphere of
equality in the society where a woman enjoys utmost
political, economic, and cultural liberty.

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 Foundation for the Philippine
Environment
⬩ Envisions itself as a dynamic, relevant, proactive and
growing organization enabling civil society and other
stakeholders towards effective biodiversity
conservation and sustainable development.

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 The Global Environment and Nature
Ecosystems Society (Phil.) Foundation
(GENESYS), Inc.
was formally established in mid 1999 as a non-profit,
non-government organization whose primary purpose is
to manage and implement environment restoration and
prevention projects through the coordination and pooling
of resources among various sectors, groups, and
individuals.
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 Haribon Foundation
⬩ The name Haribon was coined from Haring Ibon or
the Philippine Eagle. It was so named because the
existence of the king of birds is a perfect barometer
of the state of our forests.

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 Haribon Foundation
Haribon is the Philippines pioneer environmental
organization. It practically gave birth to the Philippine
environmental movement. Hatched in 1972, the
organization, and the individuals it trained and nurtured
were instrumental in the formation of other
environmental organizations in the country.

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Philippine Tropical Forest Conservation
Foundation Inc. (PTFCF)
The PTFCF was established under 2 bilateral
agreements between the governments of the USA and
the Republic of the Philippines under the US Tropical
Forest Conservation Act.

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Philippine Tropical Forest Conservation
Foundation Inc. (PTFCF)
These agreements, signed on September 19, 2002,
leveraged a $5.5 million USG appropriate to treat $41.5
million in RP-US debt and divert $8.25 million in peso-
denominated interest payments over 14 years, to the
Tropical Forest Conservation Fund.

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Philippine Tropical Forest Conservation
Foundation Inc. (PTFCF)
The Fund is administered by an NGO-led Board
comprising five representatives of the non-
governmental sector appointed by the RP, two
representatives of the US, two representatives of the RP.

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 Philippine Ocean Heritage
Was created to address the dire need to protect and
conserve the marine environment of the Philippines.
Their mission is to share the wonders of the underwater
world through this website and raise awareness of
marine conservation issues.

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 Rain Forestation Information Portal
It is a network of organizations and individuals form the
academe, people’s organizations, non-government
organizations, and business sector engaged in
environmental conservation, research and development.

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Society for the Conservation of Philippine
Wetlands Incorporated
was established on February 6, 1998 after the Forum on
the National Wetland Action Plan whose primary goal is
to promote the wise use of wetlands in the Philippines.

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Tanggol Kalikasan (Defense of Nature)
Is a non-stock, non-profit and non-governmental
organization involved in public interest environmental
lawyering in the Philippines.

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 The World Wide Fund (WWF)
Philippines is a national organization of the WWF
network. It is also known as Kabang Kalikasan ng
Pilipinas Foundation, Inc., a non-stock, non-profit
organizations registered with the Securities and
Exchange Commission (SEC) and the Philippine
Council for NGO Certification (PCNC).
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 The World Wide Fund (WWF)
Philippines is a national organization of the WWF
network. It is also known as Kabang Kalikasan ng
Pilipinas Foundation, Inc., a non-stock, non-profit
organizations registered with the Securities and
Exchange Commission (SEC) and the Philippine
Council for NGO Certification (PCNC).
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Partnership in Environmental Management
for the Seas of East Asia (PEMSEA)
Continues in its quest on the vision and mission of the
Sustainable Development Strategy for the Seas of East
Asia (SDS-SEA), bringing the region closer to
achieving the targets set under the Haikou Partnership
Agreement and the Manila Declaration.

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Issues in the
Environment

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 Rapid Population Growth
Human populations have grown at an alarming rates in
this century, from 2.5 billion in 1950 to 7.8 billion as of
March 2020. Unless birth rates are balanced with the
death rates, it may reach 10-11 billion by 2050 and 14
billion by 2100. Most of the growth is in developing
countries where resources and services are already
strained by present populations.
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 Rapid Population Growth
A population of over thousands of millions is growing at 2.11 per
cent every year. Over 17 million people are added each year. It
puts considerable pressure on its natural resources and reduces
the gains of development. Hence, the greatest challenge is to
limit the population growth. Although population control does
automatically lead to development, yet the development leads to
a decrease in population growth rates.

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 Poverty
The poverty and environmental degradation have a
connection between them. The vast majority of people
are directly dependent on the natural resources basic
needs such as food, fuel shelter and fodder. Many
people are still below the poverty line.

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 Poverty
Environment degradation has adversely affected the
poor who depend upon the resources of their immediate
surroundings. Thus, the challenge of poverty and the
challenge environment degradation are two facets of the
same challenge. The population growth is essentially a
function of poverty.

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 Food shortage and famines
These are too familiar in many places and may increase
in frequency and severity if population growth, soil
erosion, and nutrient depletion continue at the same rate
in the future as they had in the past. Food security often
is linked to poverty, democracy, and equitable
distribution than it does with the amount of food
available.
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 Agricultural Growth
⬩ People must be acquainted with the methods to
sustain and increase agricultural growth without
damaging the environment. High yielding varieties
have caused soil salinity and damage to physical
structure of soil.

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 Agricultural Growth
Unfortunately, mono-cropping type of farming has posed
serious damage to the environment by converting forests
into huge plantations, polluting the water bodies
surrounding them, and loss of biodiversity. Some
agricultural practices such as the use of toxic and
hazardous chemicals in for fertilization and pest and weed
control create impacts on the quality of air and water.

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 Need to Ground Water
It is essential to rationalize the use of groundwater.
Factors like community wastes, industrial effluents and
chemical fertilizers and pesticides have polluted our
surface water and affected quality of the groundwater.

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 Need to Ground Water

It is essential to restore the water quality of our rivers and

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 Degradation of Land
Worldwide record of degradation of the condition of land
has been noted due to excessive and conventional
farming, mining and quarrying, pollution, infrastructure
development, urban sprawl, and many others. Land
degradation affects people and ecosystems throughout the
planet and is both affected by climate change and
contributes to it.
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 Degradation of Land
Proper measures to conserve genetic diversity need to be
taken. At present most wild genetic stocks have been
disappearing from nature. Wilding including the Asiatic
Lion are facing problem of loss of genetic diversity.

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 Degradation of Land
⬩ The protected areas network like sanctuaries, national
parks, biosphere reserves are isolating populations. So,
they are decreasing changes of one group breeding with
another. Remedial steps are to be taken to check
decreasing genetic diversity.

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 Consequences of Urbanization
Nearly 27 % Indians live in urban areas. Urbanization and
industrialization has given birth to a great number of
environmental problem that need urgent attention. Over
30 percent of urban Indians live in slums. Out of India’s
3,245 towns and cities, only 21 have partial or full
sewerage and treatment facilities. Hence, coping with
rapid urbanization is a major challenge.

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 Water Shortage
Water deficits and contamination of existing water
supplies are threatening the environment in the future for
agricultural production as well as domestic and industrial
uses. Many countries already have serious water shortages
and more than one billion people lack access to clean
water and proper sanitation.

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 Water Shortage
This may lead to violent conflicts over control of natural
resources. Majority of our industrial plants are using
outdated and population technologies and makeshift
facilities devoid of any provision of treating their wastes.
A great number of cities and industrial areas that have
been identified as the worst in terms of air and water
pollution.

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 Water Shortage
. Acts are enforced in the country, but their implement is
not so easy. The reason is their implementation needs
great resources, technical expertise, political and social
will. Again the people are to be made aware of these rules.
Their support is indispensable to implement these rules.

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 Depletion of non-renewable fossil fuels
. Fossil fuels are rapidly depleting due to their overutilization
by the growing population along with growth in
industrialization all over the world. Their use is leading to air
pollution and damage to the environment. Cleaner renewable
energy resources like solar, wind, thermal, and biomass
together with conservation may replace environmentally
destructive energy sources if appropriate technologies are
applied.
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 Deforestation and threat to biodiversity
Deforestation of tropical forests, coral reefs, wetlands and
other biologically rich landscapes is causing an alarming loss
of species and a reduction of biological variety and abundance
that could severely limit our future options. Many rare and
endangered species are threatened directly or indirectly by
human activities like agriculture, building of dams, factories,
highways, mining operations and many others.

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 Improper Disposal of Solid and Hazardous
Wastes
Mountains of solid and hazardous wastes are becoming an
overwhelming problem throughout the world. We produce
millions of tons of these hazardous materials annually and
much of it is disposed of in dangerous and irresponsible
ways.

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Thank you and God
bless!!