资源环境科学专业英语.docx

资源环境科学专业英语.docx

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资源环境科学专业英语

Unit1TheEnvironmentandEnvironmentalProblems

Humanshavealwaysinhabitedtwoworlds.Oneisthenaturalworldofplants,animals,soils,air,andwaterthatprecededusbybillionsofwhichweareapart.Theotheristheworldofsocialinstitutionsandartifactsthatwecreateforourselvesusingscience,technology,andpoliticalorganization.Bothworldsareessentialtoourlive,butintegratingthemsuccessfullycausesenduringtensions.

Whereearlierpeoplelimitedabilitytoaltertheirsurroundings,wenowhavepowertoextractandconsumeresources,producewastes,andmodifyourworldinwaysthatthreatenbothourcontinuedexistenceandthatofmanyorganismswithwhichwesharetheplanet.Toensureasustainablefutureforourselvesandfuturegenerations,weneedtounderstandsomethingabouthowourworldworks,whatwearedoingtoit,andwhatwecandotoprotectandimproveit.

EnvironmentandEnvironmentScience

Environment（fromtheFrenchenvironner:

toencircleorsurround）canbedefinedas

（1）thecircumstanceorconditionsthatsurroundanorganismorgroupoforganisms,or

（2）thecomplexofsocialorculturalconditionsthataffectanindividualorcommunity.Sincehumansinhabitthenaturalaswellasthe“built”ortechnological,social,andculturalworld,allconstituteimportantpartsofourenvironment,

Environmentalscience,then,isthesystematicstudyofourenvironmentandourproperplaceinit.Arelativelynewfield,environmentalscienceishighlyinterdisciplinary,integratingnaturaloftheworldaroundus.Incontrasttomoretheoreticaldisciplines,environmentalscienceismission-oriented.Thatis,itseeksnew,valid,generalizableknowledgeaboutthenaturalworldandourimpactsonit,butobtainingthisinformationcreatesaresponsibilitytogetinvolvedintryingtodosomethingabouttheproblemswehavecreated.

AsdistinguishedeconomistBarbaraWardpointsout,foranincreasingnumberofenvironmentalissues,thedifficultyisnottoidentifyremedies.Remediesarenowwellunderstood.Theproblemistomakethemsocially,economically,andpoliticallyacceptable.Forestersknowhowtoplanttrees,butnottoestablishconditionsunderwhichvillagersindevelopingcountriescanmanageplantationsforthemselves.Engineersknowhowtocontrolpollution,butnothowtopersuadefactoriestoinstallthenecessaryequipment.Cityplannersknowhowtobuildhousinganddesignsafedrinkingwatersystems,butnothowtomakethemaffordableforthepoorestmembersofsociety.Thesolutionstotheseproblemsincreasinglyinvolvehumansocialsystemsaswellasnaturalsciences.

EnvironmentalDilemmas

ImaginethatyouareanastronautreturningtoearthafteralongtriptothemoonorMars.Whatareliefitwouldbetocomebacktothisbeautiful,bountifulplanetafterexperiencingthehostile,desolateenvironmentofouterspace.Althoughtherearedangersanddifficultieshere,weliveinaremarkableprolificandhospitableworldthatis,asfarasweknow,uniqueintheuniverse.Comparedtotheconditionsonotherplanetsinoursolarsystem,temperaturesontheeartharemildandrelativelyconstant.Plentifulsuppliesofcleanair,freshwater,andfertilesoilareregeneratedendlesslyandspontaneouslybygeologicalandbiologicalcycles.

Perhapsthemostamazingfeatureofourplanetistherichdiversityoflifethatexistshere.Millionsofbeautifulandintriguingspeciespopulatetheearthandhelpsustainahabitableenvironment.Thisvastmultitudeoflifecreatescomplex,interrelatedcommunitieswheretoweringtreesandhugeanimalslivetogetherwith,anddependupon,tinylife-formssuchasvirusesandfungi.Together,alltheseorganismsmakeupdelightfullydiverse,self-sustainingcommunities,includingdense,moistforests,vastsunnysavannas,andrichlycolorfulcoralreefs.Fromtimetotime,weshouldpausetorememberthat,inspiteofthechallengesandcomplicationsoflifeonearth,weareincrediblyluckytobehere.Weshouldaskourselves:

whatisourproperplaceinnature?

Whatoughtwetodoandwhatcanwedotoprotecttheirreplaceablehabitatthatproducedandsupportus?

Thesearesomeofthecentralquestionsofenvironmentalscience.

Whiletherearemanythingstoappreciateandcelebrateabouttheworldonwhichwelive,manypressingenvironmentalproblemscryoutforoutattention.Humanpopulationshavegrownatalarmingratesinthiscentury.Nearly6000millionpeoplenowoccupytheearthandweareadding100millionmoreeachyear.Inthenextdecade,ournumberswillincreasebynearlyasmanyasarenowaliveinChina.Mostofthegrowthwillbeinthepoorercountrieswhereresourcesandservicesarealreadystrainedbypresentpopulations.

Somedemographersbelievethatthisunprecedentedgrowthratewillslowinthecenturyandthatthepopulationmighteventuallydropbackbelowitspresentsize.Otherswarnthatthenumberofhumansacenturyfromnowcouldbeforfivetimesmorethanthatofourpresentpopulationifwedon’tactquicklytobirthratesintobalancewithdeathrates.Whethertherearesufficientresourcestosupport6billionhumans-letalone25billion-onasustainablebasisisoneofthemostimportantquestionsweface.Howwemightstabilizepopulationandwhatlevelofresourceconsumptionfuturegenerationswecanaffordareequallydifficultpartsofthischallengingequation.

Foodshortagesandfaminesalreadyaretoofamiliarinmanyplacesandmayincreaseinfrequencyandseverityifpopulationgrowth,soilerosion,andnutrientdepletioncontinueatthesamerateinthefutureastheyhaveinthepast.Wearecomingtorealize,however,thatfoodsecurityoftenhasmoretodowithpoverty,democracy,andequitabledistributionthatitdoeswiththeamountoffoodavailable.Waterdeficitsandcontaminationofexistingwatersuppliesthreatentobecriticalenvironmentalissuesinthefutureforagriculturalproductionaswellasfordomesticandindustrialuse.Manycountriesalreadyhaveseriouswatershortagesandmorethanonebillionpeoplelackaccesstocleanwateroradequatesanitation.Violentconflictsovercontrolofnaturalofnaturalresourcesmayflareupinmanyplacesifwedon’tlearntolivewithinnature’sbudget.

Howweobtainanduseenergyislikelytoplayacrucialroleinourenvironmentalfuture.Fossilfuels（oil,coal,andnaturalgas）presentlysupplyabout80%oftheenergyusedinindustrializedcountries.Suppliesofthesefuelsarediminishingatanalarmingrateandproblemsassociatedwiththeiracquisitionanduse-airandwaterpollution,miningdamage,shippingaccidents,andpoliticalinsecurity-maylimitwhereandhowweuseremainingreserves.Cleanerrenewableenergyresources-solarpower,wind,andbiomass-togetherwithconservation,mayreplaceenvironmentallydestructiveenergysourcesifweinvestinappropriatetechnologyinthenextfewyears.

Asweburnfossilfuels,wereleasecarbondioxideandotherheat-absorbinggasesthatcauseglobalwarmingandmaybringaboutsea-levelrisesandcatastrophicclimatechanges.Acidsformedintheextensivedamagetothebuildingmaterialsandsensitiveecosystems.inmanyplace.

Continuedfossilfuelusewithoutpollutioncontrolmeasurescouldcauseevenmoreextensivedamage.Chlorinatedcompounds,suchasthechlorofluorocarbonsusedinrefrigerationandairconditioning,alsocontributetoglobalwarming.Aswellasdamagingthestratosphericozonewhichprotectsusfromcancer-causingultravioletradiationinsunlight.

Destructionoftropicalforest,coralreefs,wetland,andotherbiologicallyvarietyandabundancethatcouldseverallylimitourfutureoptions.Manyrareandendangeredspeciesarethreateneddirectlyorindirectlybyhumanactivities.Inadditiontopracticalvalues,aestheticandethicalconsiderationssuggestthatweshouldprotectthesespeciesandthehabitatnecessaryfortheirsurvival.

Toxicairandwaterpollutants,alongwithmountainsofsolidandhazardouswastes,arebecomingoverwhelmingproblemsinindustrializedcountries.Weproducehundredofmillionsoftonsofthesedangerousmaterialsannually,andmuchofitisdisposedofindangerousandirresponsibleways.noonewantsthisnoxiousstuffdumpedinhisorherownbackyard,buttoooftenthesolutionistoexportittosomeoneelse’s.wemaycometoapoliticalimpassewhereourfailuretodecidewheretoputourwastesorhowtodisposeofthemsafelywillclosedownindustriesandresultinwastesbeingspreadeverywhere.Thehealtheffectsofpollutiontoxicwastes.Stress,andtheotherenvironmentalillsofmodernsocietyhavebecomeagreaterthreatthaninfectiousdiseasesformanyofusinindustrializedcountries.

Thisandothersimilarlyseriousproblemsillustratetheimportanceofenvironmentalscienceandenvironmentaleducationforeveryone.Whatwearedoingtoourworld,andwhatthatmanymeanforourfutureandthatofourchildrenisparamountconcernasweenterthetwenty-fistcentury.

Unit2PopulationResourcesandEnvironment

PopulationExplosion

Alltoooften,overpopulationisthoughtofsimplyascrowding:

toomanypeopleinagivenarea,toohighapopulationdensity.Between1900andnow,theworld’spopulationhasroughlyquadrupledfromabout1.6billionin1900toabout6billiontodayandiscurrentlygrowingatanannualrateof1.2%,or77millionpeopleperyear.Sixcountriesaccountforhalfofthisannualgrowth:

Indiafor21%,Chinafor12%,Pakistanfor5%,Nigeriafor4%,Bangladeshfor4%,andIndonesiafor3%.By2050,worldpopulationisexpectedtobebetween7.9billion（lowvariant）and10.9billion（highvariant）,withthemediumvariantproducing9.3billion.

Therewouldbear