17. Conservation strategies

Question 1

Conservation of resources

Answer 1

management of the human use of natural resources to provide the maximum benefit to current generations while maintaining capacity to meet the needs of future generations.

Question 2

Recycling

Answer 2

the concentration of used or waste materials, their reprocessing, and their subsequent use in place of new materials.

Question 3

Reuse

Answer 3

this involves extending the life of a product beyond what was the norm in the past, or putting a product to a new use and extending its life in this way.

Question 4

Quotas

Answer 4

involving agreement between countries to take only a predetermined amount of a resource. Quotas may change on an annual or longer time period basis.

Question 5

Rationing

Answer 5

very much a last resort management strategy when demand is massively out of proportion to supply. For example, individuals might only be allowed a very small amount of fuel and food per week.

Question 6

Subsidy

Answer 6

financial aid supplied by government to an industry for reasons of public welfare, the balance of payments etc.

Question 7

Recycling deserts

Answer 7

areas where rates of recycling are well below the national or regional average.

Question 8

Overfishing

Answer 8

a level of fishing resulting in the depletion of the fish stock.

Question 9

Tragedy of the commons

Answer 9

the idea that common ownership of a resource leads to over-exploitation as some nations will always want to take more than other nations see as their fair share.

Question 10

Total allowable catch

Answer 10

the maximum quantity of fish that can be caught each year.

Question 11

Landfill

Answer 11

a site at which refuse is buried under layers of earth.

Question 12

Incineration

Answer 12

a waste treatment technology that involves the combustion of organic materials and/or substances. Incineration and other high-temperature waste treatment systems are described as ‘thermal treatment’.

Question 13

Product stewardship

Answer 13

a system of environmental responsibility whereby producers take back a product, recycling it as far as possible, after the customer has finished with it.

Question 14

Substitution

Answer 14

the use of common and thus less valuable resources in place of rare, more expensive resources. An example is the replacement of copper by aluminium in the manufacture of a variety of products.

Question 15

Carbon credit

Answer 15

a permit that allows an organisation to emit a specified amount of greenhouse gases; also called an emission permit.

Question 16

Carbon trading

Answer 16

a company that does not use up the level of emissions it is entitled to, can sell the remainder of its entitlement to another company that pollutes above its entitlement.

Question 17

Community energy

Answer 17

energy produced close to the point of consumption.

Question 18

Microgeneration

Answer 18

generators producing electricity with an output of less than 50 KW.