Ch. 1 Key Terms

Question 1

environmental science

Answer 1

environmental science is an interdisciplinary study of the environment

Question 2

ecology

Answer 2

environmental change has occured throughout earths history

Question 3

agriculture

Answer 3

hunter-gatherer societies cleared grassland by setting fires and contributed to the extinction of some large animals

Question 4

natural resources

Answer 4

the agricultural revolution caused human population growth, habit loss, soil erosion, and the domestication of plants and animals

Question 5

pollution

Answer 5

the industrial revolution caused rapid human population growth and the increased use of fossil fuels. most modern environmental problems began during the industrial revolution

Question 6

biodiversity

Answer 6

the major environmental problems we face today include resource depletion, pollution, and loss of biodiversity

Question 7

law of supply and demand

Answer 7

the tragedy of the commons was an influential essay that described the relationship between the short term interests of the individual and the long-term interests of society

Question 8

ecological footprint

Answer 8

the law of supply and demand states that when the demand for a product increases while the supply remains fixed, the cost of the product will increase

Question 9

sustainability

Answer 9

sustainability in the condition in which human needs are met in such a way that a human population can survive indefinitely at a standard of living similar to the current one