Book 2 Flashcards
What is outgoing radiation from the Earth a mixture of?
Reflected light and radiated heat
What is meant by the term ‘infrared active’?
A compound is infrared active if it absorbs long-wave infrared radiation owing to the way its molecules vibrate
What is meant by the term ‘albedo’?
A numerical measure of the reflectivity of a surface
What are the three astronomical cycles which can affect the amount of solar radiation hitting the Earth?
- Orbital eccentricity
- The tilt of the Earth’s axis
- Precession of the Earth’s axis
Which greenhouse gas makes the greatest contribution to global warming?
Water vapour
What is mean by the term ‘global warming potential’?
The relative contribution of a molecule of a greenhouse gas to atmospheric warming
What does the total warming effect of a greenhouse gas depend on?
- The quantity of the gas in the atmosphere
- How much infrared radiation a molecule of the gas can absorb
- How long the residence time is
What is meant by the term ‘residence time’?
The amount of time a gas stays in the atmosphere
What period of time is the Global Warming Potential (GWP) usually calculated over?
Between 20 and 500 years
What was the level of atmospheric carbon during the Industrial Revolution? What is the level of atmospheric carbon now?
- 280ppm
- 380ppm
What are some of the sources from which carbon moves into the atmosphere?
- Life forms
- Land-based sources (eg volcanic eruptions)
- The oceans
What are the three main ways carbon can be removed from the atmosphere?
- Photosynthesis
- Movement into oceans
- Geological processes which lock it into rocks
What are the two ways that carbon dioxide can be removed from living things?
- Respiration
- Combustion
Approximately how much carbon dioxide is annually sequestered by oceans?
90 Gt (gigatonnes)
Since 1750, approximately how much human-produced CO2 has been sequestered by oceans?
40%
What chemical effect does increased levels of CO2 have on oceans?
They become more acidic
What is the meaning of the term ‘dissociation’?
The breaking up of an ionic compound into its component ions
Increased ocean acidity especially effects which type of species?
How does it affect them?
- Crustaceans
- They make their shells from calcium carbonate - higher acidity inhibits calcification
What is the definition of the term ‘negative feedback’?
Change which serves to moderate change, so that the change is less than it would have been without the feedback
What is the definition of the term ‘positive feedback’?
Change which serves to enhance a change, so that the change is greater than it would have been without the feedback
What are the three Milankovic-Croll cycles?
- Orbital eccentricity
- Tilt of the Earth’s axis
- Precession of the Earth’s axis
What is meant by the term ‘orbital eccentricity’?
The yearly change of the Earth’s orbit from an elliptical shape to a more circular one, and back again
What does the tilt on the Earth’s axis vary between?
22.1 and 24.5 degrees
What is meant by the term ‘precession’?
The ‘wobble’ of the Earth on its axis
Roughly how long is the cycle during which the alignment of the Earth’s axis changes?
23,000 years
What is the overall combined effect of the three Milankovic-Croll cycles?
They impact the global climate as they change the amount of solar radiation received at the Earth’s surface
What is meant by the term ‘tipping point’?
A threshold that, if crossed, causes a system to change from one state to another
What is meant by the term ‘peak oil’?
The point at which global oil production enters its maximum and subsequently reaches a point of terminal decline
What is meant by the term ‘political power’?
An area of study in which the exercise of political power and economic power are seen as interrelated
What is meant by the term ‘utility’?
The satisfaction, or instrumental value, that a consumer derives from consuming a good or service
What is meant by the term ‘Pareto Improvement’?
Any situation that will lead to at least one actor being better off, with neither being worse off
What is meant by the term ‘Pareto Optimality’?
Any point at which it is no longer possible for both actors to increase their utility
What is meant by the term ‘Pareto sub-optimal outcome’?
An outcome where further mutual gains in utility from increased trade are possible
What is meany by the term ‘concession agreement’?
A legal contract whereby one actor grants certain rights of exclusivity to another actor
What is OPEC?
The Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries
What year was OPEC formed?
1960
Which is the largest oil-producing country of the Gulf states?
Saudi Arabia
What is meant by the term ‘Nash equilibrium’?
The point at which no actor can gain by changing strategy
What does the “Prisoner’s dilemma” a model illustrate?
How sub-optimal outcomes can be reached through lack of cooperation, and why cooperation can be difficult to achieve
What is meant by the term ‘scaling up’?
The process of expanding a technology or a system to handle an increased capacity of work ocer a wider spatial area
What is meant by the term ‘carbon footprint’?
The greenhouse gases emitted by an individual, an organisation, or a country, or the greenhouse gases needed to produce a particular product
What is meant by the term ‘low-carbon technologies’?
Technologies that produce useful energy with minimal or zero carbon emissions
What is meant by the term ‘renewable technologies’?
Those technologies which convert constant or recurring environmental energy flows, such as solar energy or wind, into useful energy
What is meant by the term ‘closed system’?
One where energy is exchanged with the system’s environment, rather than with matter
What are the two main types of solar energy technology?
- Solar hot water
- Photovoltaic panels
What is meant by the term ‘photovoltaic effect’?
The generation of an electric current across a junction between two layers of a semi-conductor on exposure to light
What are the elements commonly used in photovoltaic (PV) panels?
- Silicon
- Gallium
- Indium
What element is most commonly used in PV panels?
Silicon
How do wind turbines convert wind into energy?
Via rotational motion
What is tidal power derived from?
The gravitational forces of the Sun-Moon-Earth system
What are the 3 cycles which affect the height of tides?
- The rotation of the Earth on its own axis
- The orbit of the Moon around the Earth
- The orbit of the Earth around the Sun
What are the two most common ways of capturing tidal power?
- Barrages across rivers and estuaries
- Submerged turbines which capture energy from tidal streams
What is the meaning of the term ‘Energy Return on Energy Invested’ (EROEI)?
That to make environmental sense, a device must reutrn more energy during its lifetime than is invested in its manufacture, transport, installation, maintenance and decommissioning
What is the formula for EROEI (Energy Return on Energy Invested)?
EROEI = Energy Return / Energy Invested
How do pumped hydropower stations work?
During periods of low demand, surplus electricity is used to pump water uphill to a reservoir.
During periods of high demand the water can be released to flow downhill.
What is the definition of the term ‘geoengineering’?
It is define as a set of techniques for the intentional large-scale manipulation of environmental processes that affect warming
What is the definition of the term ‘solar radiation management’?
Techniques that aim to increase the planetary albedo
What is the definition of the term ‘carbon dioxide removal’ (CDR)?
Techniques that aim to remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere
What are the three spaces that SRM (solar radiation management) techniques operate in?
- Outer space
- The Earth’s atmosphere
- The Earth’s surface
What are ‘Lagrange points’?
Stable positions near large bodies in orbit
Where are Lagrange points usually found?
Either in the orbits of the Earth and the Sun, or the Moon and the Earth
What are the four main types of carbon dioxide removal (CDR)?
- Terrestrial biological sequestration
- Ocean fertilisation
- Enhanced mineral sequestration
- Carbon capture devices
What is a sorbent?
A material that can trap liquids or gases
What is the precautionary principle?
The idea that lack of full scientific certainty should not be used as a reason to postpone measures to protect the environment
What is meant by the term ‘common but differentiated responsibilities’?
A principle of international law which holds that those who have done the most to cause an environmental problem should do the most to solve it
What is ‘solar radiation management’?
Techniques which aim to increase the planetary albedo by deflecting incoming short-wave radiation
What is meant by the term ‘solar insolation’?
It is a measure of the solar energy received on a given surface area and recorded during a given time
What is the definition of the term ‘food security’?
The goal of providing physical and economic access to safe, sufficient and nutritious food to meet the dietary needs and food preferences for an active and healthy life for all the world’s population
What is the definition of the term ‘comparative advantage’?
An economic principle which holds that particular places specialise in production of goods or services for which they have the greatest cost advantage over other places
What is the definition of the term ‘food sovereignty’?
A perspective that seeks to limit international trade in food and advocate local food production and fair prices for primary producers
What is the ‘Malthusian model’?
The idea that population growth leads to expansion of land used for food production, to resource depletion and ultimately to environmental degradation
What is the ‘Boserupian principle’?
The idea that population growth results in the intensification of production and innovation of the technical means of production
What are the three variables which the environmental impact of food procdution is derived from?
Population (P)
Per capita consumption/affluence (A)
Technology (T)
What is the formula for calculating the environmental impact of food production?
I = PAT
What are the four sources of entitlement to food?
- Production-based entitlement
- Trade-based entitlement
- Own-labour entitlement
- Inheritance and transfer entitlement
What is meant by the term ‘entitlement’?
The set of commodities that can be acquired through the use of various legal channels of acquisition open to that person
What is the proporition of countries which are net importers of food?
Four-fifths
What is meant by the term ‘embodied energy’ (with parrticular reference to food)?
The total amount of energy required to grow, transport, proces and store a particular food
What is way that embodied energy (with regards to food) is expressed?
Megajoules per kilogram - MJ / kg
What is meant by the term ‘maintenance ration’?
The amount of food that must be fed to animals to keep them alive, healthy and productive
Roughly what percentage of raw vegetables are discarded in their journey through the food supply chain, before even reaching the end consumer?
40-50%
What is the meaning of the term ‘trade balance’?
The export earnings of a country, minus the money paid for imports
What is meant by the term ‘Life Cycle Assessment (LCA)’?
A systematic analysis of the environmental impacts of a product through all stages of its life, from cradle to grave
What is meant by the term ‘ABC model’?
A model of social change which holds that people’s attitudes and values drive the kinds of behaviours that individuals choose to adopt
What is meant by the term ‘value-action gap’?
The behavioural gap when an actors’ values and beliefs do not correspond to their agency
What is meant by the term ‘informal economy’?
Economic activity not regulated and recorded by the government, including activities from criminal behaviour to barter, gifts and self-provisioning
What is meant by the term ‘food self-provisioning’?
A non-commercial activity aimed at production of food, within a household, in which people engage primarily for the satisfaction of needs beyond the narrowly economic
What are the three ways of thinking about consumption?
- Commodity exchange
- Gift giving
- Sharing
What is meant by the term ‘crisis of inhabitation’?
The problems created by increasing degradation of the Earth, the effects this has on its ability to sustain our lives and the difficulties of solving this crisis
Roughly how much of the world’s mangrove forest areas have been lost?
About half
What is meant by the term ‘displacement migration’?
Migration which is undertaken when other coping mechanisms are exhausted
What are the three types of environmental refugee?
Type 1 - diaster/unintended catastrophic event eg hurricane, nuclear disaster
Type 2 - eminent domain/purposeful destruction, ecocide eg building a dam, Agent Orange (herbicide used in Vietnam during the war)
Type 3 - incremental deterioration eg deforestation, island inundation
