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Norm Christensen
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“Day in and day out, the average American family uses an amount of energy equivalent to the
work that 3,000 laborers and 400 draft horses would have provided on a large farm 200 years
ago. Most of that energy comes from resources that exist in limited amounts. The energy from
those resources usually undergoes one to several transformations before it can be used. The
kinds of energy resources that people use vary considerably from region to region and within
different economic sectors. In the future, patterns of energy use will depend heavily on the
relative supply of different energy sources. They will also depend on the environmental
impacts associated with the extraction, conversion, delivery, and consumption of these”
― The Environment and You
work that 3,000 laborers and 400 draft horses would have provided on a large farm 200 years
ago. Most of that energy comes from resources that exist in limited amounts. The energy from
those resources usually undergoes one to several transformations before it can be used. The
kinds of energy resources that people use vary considerably from region to region and within
different economic sectors. In the future, patterns of energy use will depend heavily on the
relative supply of different energy sources. They will also depend on the environmental
impacts associated with the extraction, conversion, delivery, and consumption of these”
― The Environment and You
“the environment is all of the physical, chemical,
and biological factors and processes that determine the growth and survival of an organism
or a community of organisms. The long list of all the factors that make up your environment
would include the gases in the air you breathe and the many life forms that nourish and are
nourished by you. Environmental science studies all aspects of the environment.
Ecology is the branch of environmental science that focuses on the abundance and
distribution of organisms in relation to their environment. Earth’s environments have
sustained living organisms for at least 3.8 billion years; they have sustained members of our
own species for well over 100,000 years. Throughout this time, Earth’s environments and the
communities of organisms that depend on them have been constantly changing.
In Earth’s long history, no organism has had a greater effect on the environment than have
humans. Our ability to appropriate Earth’s resources has been a major factor in the rapid
growth in our numbers. Over the past century, we have come to understand that our actions
have significant consequences for the well-being of the community of all living things and for
ourselves in particular. This understanding is the foundation for determining human actions
and behaviors that are sustainable.”
― The Environment and You
and biological factors and processes that determine the growth and survival of an organism
or a community of organisms. The long list of all the factors that make up your environment
would include the gases in the air you breathe and the many life forms that nourish and are
nourished by you. Environmental science studies all aspects of the environment.
Ecology is the branch of environmental science that focuses on the abundance and
distribution of organisms in relation to their environment. Earth’s environments have
sustained living organisms for at least 3.8 billion years; they have sustained members of our
own species for well over 100,000 years. Throughout this time, Earth’s environments and the
communities of organisms that depend on them have been constantly changing.
In Earth’s long history, no organism has had a greater effect on the environment than have
humans. Our ability to appropriate Earth’s resources has been a major factor in the rapid
growth in our numbers. Over the past century, we have come to understand that our actions
have significant consequences for the well-being of the community of all living things and for
ourselves in particular. This understanding is the foundation for determining human actions
and behaviors that are sustainable.”
― The Environment and You
“regulations, wastewater
was managed in treatment facilities and no longer
dumped into streams. Thus, the cost of pollution was
captured in the cost of oil production. indeed, clean
water from these treatment facilities was sold to nearby
farmers for irrigation. on the other hand, these new
technologies spewed large amounts of pollutants into
the air. That air pollution was viewed as a cost of doing
business; its environmental costs were ignored.
oil prices collapsed in the 1980s. at the same time,
air-quality regulations were becoming stiffer. operations
at the Kern river oil field were again tenuous. yet
once again, technological innovation provided a fix.
oil companies built facilities to generate electricity that
were fueled by natural gas, which burns cleaner than
oil. This electricity was a source of revenue. The electric
facilities also supplied steam that was used to increase
production from the wells. in 2000, the Kern river oil
field produced nearly 40 million barrels of oil. however,
this level of production could not be sustained. since
then, production has fallen to less than 30 million barrels
each year (Figure 15.3).
since 1899, over 2 billion barrels of oil have been
extracted from the Kern river oil field. scientists estimate
that this field could yield another 475 million barrels. But
actually producing that much oil will depend on continuing
improvements in technology and high oil prices.
like many of the resources upon which we depend,
oil is being consumed by humans at a rate that is
thousands of times faster than the rate at which it is
being produced. What are the factors that influence the
total amounts of such resources? how do technology
and economic factors affect the availability of those
resources? What are the environmental consequences of
their use? These questions are central to”
― The Environment and You
was managed in treatment facilities and no longer
dumped into streams. Thus, the cost of pollution was
captured in the cost of oil production. indeed, clean
water from these treatment facilities was sold to nearby
farmers for irrigation. on the other hand, these new
technologies spewed large amounts of pollutants into
the air. That air pollution was viewed as a cost of doing
business; its environmental costs were ignored.
oil prices collapsed in the 1980s. at the same time,
air-quality regulations were becoming stiffer. operations
at the Kern river oil field were again tenuous. yet
once again, technological innovation provided a fix.
oil companies built facilities to generate electricity that
were fueled by natural gas, which burns cleaner than
oil. This electricity was a source of revenue. The electric
facilities also supplied steam that was used to increase
production from the wells. in 2000, the Kern river oil
field produced nearly 40 million barrels of oil. however,
this level of production could not be sustained. since
then, production has fallen to less than 30 million barrels
each year (Figure 15.3).
since 1899, over 2 billion barrels of oil have been
extracted from the Kern river oil field. scientists estimate
that this field could yield another 475 million barrels. But
actually producing that much oil will depend on continuing
improvements in technology and high oil prices.
like many of the resources upon which we depend,
oil is being consumed by humans at a rate that is
thousands of times faster than the rate at which it is
being produced. What are the factors that influence the
total amounts of such resources? how do technology
and economic factors affect the availability of those
resources? What are the environmental consequences of
their use? These questions are central to”
― The Environment and You
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