Environmental Science 122

Course Outline

1.         Introduction to Ecology

            a.         Principles of Sustainability

            b.         Overview of Major Environmental Issues

2.         Populations

            a.         Population Concepts

                        i.         Pyramids of Biomass

                        ii.        Limits of Tolerance

                        iii.       Population Balance

            b.         Global Human Population

                        i.         Current Population Explosion

                        ii.        Growth in Developed and Developing Nations

                        iii.       Population Profiles and Demographic Transition

                        iv.       Addressing the Human Population Problem

3.         Production and Distribution of Food

            a.         Agricultural History

            b.         Green Revolution

            c.         Corporate Food Production

            d.         Increasing Food Production

            e.         Causes of Hunger

            f.         Sustainable Agriculture

4.         Water Resources and Pollution

            a.         Human Impacts on Water

            b.         Water Use

            c.         Increasing Our Water Supply

            d.         Pollution of Water

5.         Municipal Solid Waste

            a.         Historic Waste Handling

            b.         Current Waste Handling

            c.         Reducing Waste Volume

6.         Energy

            a.         Conventional Fossil Fuels

            b.         Conservation

            c.         Alternative Fossil Fuels

            d.         Climate Change and Global Warming

            e.         Alternative Energy Sources

            f.         Renewable Energy Sources

Your final mark will be determined using the following:

Tests               35%

Quizzes           15%

Activities        40%

Articles           10%