Development As modern society developed, many people chose to live in cities. In the United States, as urban centers became crowded, people moved to, and built up, suburbs. The growth of cities and suburbs is tied to the high standard of living that Americans enjoy. Yet this development has environmental effects. Dense human communities produce lots of wastes. If these wastes are not disposed of properly, they affect air, water, and soil resources. In addition, development consumes farmland and divides natural habitats into fragments.
Industrial Growth Human society was transformed by the Industrial Revolution of the 1800s. Today, industry and scientific know-how provide us with the conveniences of modern life—from comfortable homes and clothes to electronic devices for work and play. Of course these conveniences require a lot of energy to produce and power. We obtain most of this energy by burning fossil fuels—coal, oil, and natural gas—and that affects the environment. In addition, industries have traditionally discarded wastes from manufacturing and energy production directly into the air, water, and soil.
FIGURE 6–3 Ecosystem Services The Hennepin and Hopper Lakes wetland is managed by The Wetlands Initiative—an organization dedicated to protecting and restoring Illinois's wetlands. The area, originally drained and leveed for farming in 1900, is shown in the inset before its 2003 restoration. Apply Concepts What ecological services do wetlands provide?
Sustainable Development
What is the relationship between resource use and sustainable development?
In the language of economics, goods are things that can be bought and sold, that have value in terms of dollars and cents. Services are processes or actions that produce goods. Ecosystem goods and services are the goods and services produced by ecosystems that benefit the human economy.
Ecosystem Goods and Services Some ecosystem goods and services—like breathable air and drinkable water—are so basic that we often take them for granted. Healthy ecosystems provide many goods and services naturally and largely free of charge. But, if the environment can't provide these goods and services, society must spend money to produce them. In many places, for example, drinkable water is provided naturally by streams, rivers, and lakes, and filtered by wetlands like the one in Figure 6–3. But if water sources or wetlands are polluted or damaged, water quality may fall. In such cases, cities and towns must pay for mechanical or chemical treatment to provide safe drinking water.
In Your Notebook Describe three ecosystem goods and services you've used today.
Table of Contents
- Formulas and Equations
- Applying Formulas and Equations
- Mean, Median, and Mode
- Estimation
- Using Measurements in Calculations
- Effects of Measurement Errors
- Accuracy
- Precision
- Comparing Accuracy and Precision
- Significant Figures
- Calculating With Significant Figures
- Scientific Notation
- Calculating With Scientific Notation
- Dimensional Analysis
- Applying Dimensional Analysis