Sci/256 Environmental Science Worksheet

1. What would you include in a brief summary on the history of the environmental movement?

In the early 1960’s many people were unaware of the terms environment and it meant little as a political or social issue. At about the same time, several major environmental events occurred, such as oil spills along the coasts of Massachusetts and southern California, and highly publicized threats of extinction of many species, including whales, elephants, and songbirds (Botkin & Keller, 2011). Once particular events happen then people become more aware. Many people felt a need and desire to recognize the importance of these issues and bring public attention to them. Environmentalists and anti-environmentalists came into existence however there was a lack of scientific evidence to prove many of their claims. This in turn created an environmental movement in which become social and political. The major focus of the movements is protection and conservation.

2. Explain the main point concerning exponential growth and whether it is good or bad. Compare exponential growth to a logistic growth curve and explain how these might apply to human population growth. What promotes exponential growth? What constrains population growth?

Exponential growth occurs if a population has a constant birth rate through time and is never limited by food or disease. However the population growth is determined by the birth rate. Logistic curve in a population showing exponential growth, the individuals are not limited by food or disease. However, in most real populations both food and disease become important as conditions become crowded. The Earth can only support so much in what we call the carrying capacity. Population growth can be constrained by providing and educating on various forms of birth control.

3. Compare predictions for human population growth in developed countries versus developing countries. Why is it difficult to predict the growth of Earth’s human...