Fundamental concepts of Environmental

Geology
(Keller, EA. 2000, eight edition)

1. Population growth
The number one environmental problem is
increase in human population.
2. Sustainability (mapan )
Sustainability is the environmental objective
3. Systems
Understanding the earths systems and their changes is
critical to solving environmental problems. The earth
itself is an open system with respect to energy, but
essentially a closed system with respect to materials

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 4. Limitation of resources
The earth is the only suitable habitat we have, and its
resources are limited
5. Uniformitarianism
The physical processes modifying our landscape today have
operated throughout much of geologic time. However, the
magnitude and frequency of these processes are subject to
natural and artificial induced change
6. Hazardous earth processes
There have always been earth processes that are hazardous
to people. These natural hazards must be recognized and
avoided where possible and their threat to human life and
property minimized.
7. Geology as a basic environmental science
The fundamental component of every persons environment
is the geologic component, and understanding our
environment requires broad-based comprehension and
appreciation of the earth sciences and related disciplines.
8. Our obligation to the future
The effects of land use tend to be cumulative, and therefore
we have an obligation to those who follow us.
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 1. Population growth
Gareth Harden :
Total environmental impact of population = product of impact per person
x the population

Population increases; impact increases; more resources

are needed.
World population
1830 1930: Human population doubled from 1b-2b
2000 : 6.2 billion people on earth; 6.6 billion (2007); Malaysia (27 M)
Population bomb: exponential growth-very dynamic
process
Human population increases 1.4% annually
Problems:-
Pollution of ground and surface waters; hazardous waste; exposure
of people and human structures to natural hazards
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World population clock (17 Jan 2008):
6,647,371,170

World 6,753,860,103
00:35 GMT (EST+5) Jan 15, 2009

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One family, one child policy in China

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"Please for the sake of your country,
use birth control.

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200 million lives

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 1. Population growth (cont)
The present population is already over the
comfortable carrying capacity for the planet.

The role of education is paramount; greatest

hope for population control

Pessimistic scientists:
Population growth will take care of itself thru disease and
catastrophes (famine lack of food)

Optimistic scientists:
Hope we will find better ways to control the population of
the world within the limits of our available resources,
space and other environmental needs.
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BUBONIC PLAGUE (BLACK DEATH)
A disease spread by rats that causes fever,
swellings on the body and usually death

25-30m

Bacterial disease plague caused by the

1340 bacterium Yersinia pestis

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 2. Sustainability
The World Commission on Environment and Development
defined sustainable development in 1987:

Sustainable Development is a form

of progress that ensures human
development and that meets the
needs of the present without
compromising the ability of future
generations to meet their own
needs
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+ Respecting the limits of
environment, resources
& biodiversity

+ Policy based on strong

scientific evidence + Sustainable economy
+ good governance (opportunity for all)
+ ensuring a strong, + Polluter pays principle
healthy & just society + Efficient resource use
+Sistem sosial, + tax (landfill tax; waste tax)
perundangan, politik dan + new tax structure to
pelajaran encourage population control
and wise use of resources

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 3. Systems
A system:
Any defined part of the universe that we select
for study
Eg. A planet; a volcano; an ocean basin, river
The Earth as a system
A system with 4 parts
Atmosphere (air); hydrosphere (water); biosphere
(life); lithosphere (rock,soil); others:-
humanosphere; oxysphere; cryosphere
Responsible for the surface features of the earth
Any change in magnitude/frequency of processes
in one part causes changes in the other parts.
Principle of environmental unity
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KYOTO UNIVERSITY JAPAN

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 Principle of environmental unity
(Everything affects everything else)
3. Biosphere
types of atmosphere 2. Precipitation (affect local hydrosphere)
animals/plants
with new 1 * Steeper slope (affect
environment lithosphere)
*erosion
*rate/types of sediments
Produced types of rocks
created wind

Mountain uplift
Ocean

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 3. Systems (cont)
Earth is not static; rather, it is dynamic
Material and energy are constantly changing
OPEN system
True with respect to energy
earth receives energy from the sun and radiates
energy back into space
Exchange of matter
Meteors fall to earth, and small amount of earth
material escapes into space as gas

Earths material is recycled within the

system
CLOSED system
Water and rock cycles
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 EARTH & ITS SYSTEMS
Earth Universe system
Sun
source of earths energy
Seasons: winter, summer,
spring, autumn
Moon: tides
Atmosphere
79% N2; 20% O2; 1% Argon,
other gases (CO2)
Hydrosphere
Oceon, atmosphere, gwater,
rivers, lakes, swamps,
glaciers
Biosphere
Organisms
Lithosphere / astenosphere
Cryosphere
 3. Systems (cont)
FEEDBACK -- system response

Two types of feedback

NEGATIVE feedback: inducing the system to

approach steady state (GOOD)
Eg. Erosion to river system steady state

POSITIVE feedback: vicious cycle

Eg. Offroad vehicle use high erosion rate

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 +ve?
-ve?

Shadow 25
 Growth Rate
Exponential growth (slow to fast)
2 important measures:
(1) the Growth Rate (%)
(2) Doubling time

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 Doubling time
Time for the quantity of whatever is
being measured to double
Rule of thumb: 70 growth rate
For example, given Canada's net
population growth of 0.9% in the year
2006, dividing 70 by 0.9 gives an
approximate doubling time of 78 years.
Thus if the growth rate remains constant,
Canada's population will double from its
current 33 million to 66 million by 2084.
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 3. Systems (cont)
Predicting changes in systems
INPUT OUTPUT ANALYSIS
Method for analyzing change in open systems
3 types of change:--
INPUT = OUTPUT
Steady state; not net change occurs
EG: (1) University students
(2) Incoming solar radiation = outgoing radiation
INPUT<OUTPUT
Use of resources such as fossil fuels or groundwater
Fuel or water completely used up
INPUT>OUTPUT
The stock will increase
Buildup of heavy metals in lakes
Pollution of soil and water
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 3. Systems (cont)
AVERAGE RESIDENCE TIME (ART)
is a measure of the time it takes for the total stock
or supply of the material to be cycled through a
system.
ART = Total size of the stock
the average rate transfer through the
system
Example:
If a reservoir holds 100 million cubic meters (m3) of water
and both the average input and output are 1m3/sec.
ART = 100 million m3
1m3/sec
= 100 million seconds (3.2 yrs)
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 average rate of transfer
Size of stock/pool through the system

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dwzwy-geologi-Jan2009
Waktu rata-rata suatu
material untuk bergerak
dalam satu putaran
sistem

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 4. Limitation of resources

Two fundamental truths

1. the earth is indeed the only place to live
that is now accessible to us

2. our resources are limited, and while

some resources are renewable, many are
not.

dwzwy-geologi-Jan2009 32
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 Two major views on natural resources

1. finding resources is not so much a problem

as is finding ways to use them

Efficient and intelligent use of materials

We know more about extracting minerals than we did

in the past
Find new resources faster
Mining lower grade of minerals

Recycling of resources can help us meet the needs of

the future.
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Old computer into gold

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Smelting plant in Japan

Zinc (99.995%)

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 2. A finite definite limit resources cannot support an
exponential growth of people forever. And we
are in a resource crisis due to:--

Improvements in medical technology contributing

to over population

Ever increasing gross national product based on

obsolescence (design not to last long) and waste.

The finite nature of the minerals

Increased risk of damage to the environment as a

result of overpopulation, waste, deforestation,
burning of fossil fuels, overuse of resources
(water, energy, soil, minerals, animals, forests)
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 Resources
Sumber mineral tak pernah habis tetapi
economically depleted
Biaya mengekstrak dan penggunaan mineral yang
tersisa melebihi nilai ekonomi mineral tersebut.

Ada 6 pilihan untuk mengatasi masalah

sumber:--
Cari lagi (eksplorasi)
Recycle atau reuse
Waste less
Use less
Cari bahan/teknologi pengganti
Tunggu berjuta-juta tahun untuk mendapatkan sumber
yang baru
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Economically depleted = apabila 80% dari
kandungan mineral tersebut telah diekstrak keluar
dan digunakan. Biaya bertambah untuk
mengeluarkan dan memproses mineral yang
masih tertinggal (20%)

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RESOURCE SNAKE
(Nilai Relatif Sumber Mineral )
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Recycling

Ingot solid piece of metal shaped like a brick

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 Wrong method of recycling !!! ????

Pencurian kabel"

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 5. Uniformitarianism
The present is the key to the past
James Hutton
1785
Fundamental concept of earth sciences
The process that we observe today also
operated in the past
The present is the key to the future
Effects of human activity on natural earth
processes
Increase the frequency & magnitude

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6. Hazardous earth processes
People lives in dangerous area
Earth processes cause loss of
life/property damage
Flooding; earthquakes; volcanic; landslides;
mudflows
Earth scientists identified potentially
hazardous processes make info
available to planners/decision makers
avoiding/minimizing the threat to
human life/property
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7. Geology as a basic environmental
science
All geology can be considered environmental
Be aware of contribution from other fields:
Biology, chemistry, env law, architecture, and
engineering, economic, etc.
Strong interdisciplinary interest
Most projects are complex
Physical; biological; human use & interest
Physical factors -- geography; geologic processes;
hydrologic processes; rock and soil types; climatology
Biologic factors nature of plant and animal; changes in
biologic condition
Human use and interest factors land use, economics,
aesthetics
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 Example
The planning, construction, and operation of
sanitary landfill site:--

Physical factors:
Physical location, topographic; soil type & hydrologic
condition
Biologic processes:
Decay of organic refuse; contamination to biologic
realm;
Human interests:
Good engineering practice and compliance with laws
and regulations

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 8. Our obligation to the future
Prehistoric people: minimum impact
Hunted Game !!!
Memburu dan kadang-kadang diburu
Agriculture / land-use / infrastructure
development maximum impact

The effects of land use tend to be

cumulative, and therefore we have an
obligation to those who follow us
(sustainable development).

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 TAMAT

Courtesy of:
Assoc. Prof. Dr. Wan Zuhairi Wan Yaacob
Geology Department 50
The National University of Malaysia