Chap 1 Test Flashcards

1
Q

Environment

A

The living things (plants/animals) and nonliving things (air/water/sunlight) that surround us

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2
Q

Environmental Science

A

Study of connections in nature; how the earth (nature) works and has survived/thrived; how humans interact w/ environment; how we can live more sustainably

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3
Q

Ecology

A

Branch of biology that focuses on how living organisms interact w/ the living & nonliving parts of their environment

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4
Q

Species

A

Group of organisms that have unique set of characteristics that set it apart from other groups

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5
Q

Ecosystem

A

Set of organisms w/in a defined area of land or volume of water that interact w/ one another & w/ their environment of nonliving matter & energy

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6
Q

Biosphere

A

Parts of earth’s air, water, & soil where life is found

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7
Q

Environmentalism

A

Environmental activism: social movement dedicated to protecting earth’s life and resources; practiced in ethics and politics; supported by science

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8
Q

Biodiversity

A

Biological diversity: variety of genes, species, ecosystems, & ecosystem processes; allows for species to adapt to changing environmental conditions

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9
Q

Chemical/nutrient cycling

A

Scientific principle of sustainability Circulation of chemicals/nutrients needed to sustain life from the environment (from soil/water) through various organisms & back to the environment

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10
Q

Natural capital

A

Natural resources & ecosystem services that keep humans/other species alive & support human economics

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11
Q

Natural Resources

A

Materials/energy provided by nature that are essential or useful to humans

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12
Q

Perpetual/ inexhaustible resource

A

Natural resource that is expected to last forever (solar power since sun is should last for @ least 5 billions years)

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13
Q

Renewable Resource

A

Any resource that can be replenished by natural processes w/in hours to decades as long as ppl don’t use the resource faster than natural processes can replace it (forests, grasslands, fertile topsoil, fishes, clear air, fresh water)

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14
Q

Sustainable Yield

A

Highest rate @ which people can use a renewable resource indefinitely w/out reducing its available supply

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15
Q

Nonrenewable/exhaustible resources

A

Resources that exist in a fixed amount (stock) in the earth’s crust; take millions/billions of years to form through geological process (fossil fuels)

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16
Q

Ecosystem Services

A

Natural services provided by healthy ecosystems that support life & human economies @ no $$ cost

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17
Q

Environmental Degredation

A

Human activities that use renewable resources faster than nature can restore them

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18
Q

Private Lands

A

Land that is owned by individuals/business (often for purposes of growing crops, harvesting timber, mining, housing, etc)

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19
Q

Public Lands

A

Land that is owned jointly by citizens of a country but managed by the government (in US: National Parks, Forests, Wildlife Refuges, etc)

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20
Q

Biocapacity

A

Ability of the earth’s productive ecosystems to regenerate the renewable resources used by a population, city, country, or the world in a given year

21
Q

Ecological Footprint

A

The amount of biologically productive land/water needed to supply a population in an area w/ renewable resources & to absorb/recycle the wastes & pollution such resource use produces

22
Q

IPAT

A

Environmental impact model developled in 1970s by scientists Paul Ehrlich & John Holdren: Impact = Population x Affluence x Technology

23
Q

Exponential Growth

A

Occurs when a quantity increases @ a fixed percentage per unit of time (ex: 0.5% per year)

24
Q

Poverty

A

Condition in which people lack enough $ to fulfill basic needs for food, water, shelter, health care, & education

25
Q

Extreme Poverty

A

1 billion ppl live on equivalent of less than $1.90 a day

26
Q

Malnutrition

A

A lack of protein & other nutrients needed for good health

27
Q

Affluence

A

The state of having wealth that allows for access to better resources but also associated w/ more environmental degradation

28
Q

Doubling Time

A

Amount of time it takes for a population to double in size

29
Q

Rule of 70

A

Doubling time in years = 70 .
% annual natural increase

30
Q

Environmental Worldview

A

Assumptions & beliefs that you hold about how the natural world works & how you think you should interact w/ the environment

31
Q

Environmental Ethics

A

What you believe about what is right/what is wrong in your behavior toward the environment

32
Q

Manufactured Capital

A

Includes the machinery, materials, & factories that people create using natural resources

33
Q

Human Capital

A

Includes the physical & mental talents of people who provide labor, organizational/management skills, & innovation

34
Q

Economics/ Economic Growth

A

An increase in the capacity of a nation, state, city, or company to provide goods & services to people

35
Q

High-throughput Economy

A

Attempts to boost economic growth by increasing the flow of matter & energy resources thru the economic system to produce more goods and services

36
Q

Biosphere based model

A

Ecological economists view human economic systems as subsystems of the biosphere that depend heavily on the earth’s irreplaceable natural resources & ecosystem services

37
Q

Low-throughput model

A

More sustainable economy that works w/ nature by reusing & recycling most nonrenewable matter resources, using renewable resources no faster than natural processes can replenish the, reducing resource waste by using matter & energy resources more efficiently, reducing environmentally harmful forms of consumption, and promoting pollution prevention & waste reduction

38
Q

Full Cost Pricing

A

Principle of Sustainability Including the harmful environmental & health costs of the goods & services into market prices & placing a monetary value on the natural capital that supports all economies

39
Q

Subsidies

A

Tax breaks/payments given to companies by governments to assist them w/ using resources to run their businesses; helps create jobs/stimulate economics but can encourage depletion/degradation of natural capital

40
Q

Gross Domestic Product (GDP)

A

The annual market value of all goods and services produced by all firms and organizations, foreign & domestic, operating w/in a country

41
Q

Green Taxes

A

Lower taxes on labor, income, & wealth, and raise taxes on environmental activities that produce pollution, wastes, & environmental degradation

42
Q

EPA

A

Environmental Protection Agency: independent executive agency of the United States federal government tasked with environmental protection matters

43
Q

DOE

A

Department of Energy: executive department of the U.S. federal government that oversees U.S. national energy policy

44
Q

USFWS

A

US Fish and Wildlife Service: agency w/in the U.S. Department of the Interior dedicated to the management of fish, wildlife, and natural habitats

45
Q

NMFS

A

National Marine Fisheries Service: U.S. federal agency w/in the U.S. Department of Commerce’s National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration that is responsible for the stewardship of U.S. national marine resources

46
Q

OSHA

A

Occupational Safety and Health Administration: a large regulatory agency of the U.S. Department of Labor that originally had federal visitorial powers to inspect and examine workplaces

47
Q

Natural Income

A

Renewable resources (plants, animals, soil, clean air, clean water, etc) provided by earth’s natural capital

48
Q

Nature Deficit Disorder

A

Human costs of alienation from nature: diminished use of the senses, attention difficulties, and higher rates of physical and emotional illness