Chapter 1 Flashcards
(25 cards)
2 Definitions of Environmental Science
2 systems are considered
A) scientific study of Earth’s environment and how humans fit into it
B) Learning the value of ecosystems and the value of what they provide to humanity
Considers natural and cultural systems
System drivers
Factors or processes that cause systems to either continue or change
Transformational change
A shift in fundamental aspects/processes
Occurs when the drivers are altered
Themes in environmental science (3)
A) Environmental quality
B) Human population and well-being
C) Natural resources
Natural capital
Natural resources (fossil fuels, lumber) + ecosystem services (wetland that cleans water, trees filtering air)
Throughput
the amount of resources we use and dispose of
Ecosystem services
4 types
Services or resources provided by environmental systems
Provisioning resources, supporting services, regulating services, and cultural services
Planetary boundaries
Thresholds of abrupt or irreversible environmental change
Sustainability/sustainable development
Progress that can be sustained for many generations
Triple bottom line
Flourishing environment+just society+prosperous economy
Ecology, profits, and social factors
The goal of environmental science
Types of resources
A) Inexhaustible eg. oxygen
B) Renewable eg. trees
C) Nonrenewable eg. fossil fuels
Science
What does it rest on?
A process for producing knowledge based on observation
Also the cumulative body of knowledge produced by scientists
Rests on the assumption that the world is knowable
What two factors does science depend on?
Skepticism and reproducability
The PRP model
Population Resource Pollution blames human overpopulation for all environmental issues
Population impact model
The number of people is only part of the equation
population x consumption x technology = damage
4 stages of environmental thinking
A) Resource conservation for optimal use (utilitarian conservation)
B) Nature preservation for moral and aesthetic reasons (nature deserves to exists
C) concern for health and ecological consequences
D) Environmental justice and citizenship
Organization of Earth
1) Biosphere
2) Ecosystems
3) Communities
4) Populations
5) Organisms
Biosphere
The portion of Earth where life exists
Very thin layer around the surface of the Earth
How the biosphere is organized
Atmosphere (air), ecosphere (life), hydrosphere (water), and lithosphere (ground).
Environmental science vs ecology
Environmental science is broader and multidisciplinary. Ecology is narrower, and falls under the umbrella of environmental science
Environmental science vs environmentalism
Environmental science is the scholarly study, environmentalism is the social movement
Environment
The natural world as a whole
The living and non-living things on Earth
Features of the biosphere
A) Solar energy dependent
B) Self-sustaining
C) Closed to matter, open to energy
D) Balanced (inputs=outputs)
Why are environmental solutions difficult to make?
A) Interdisciplinary- multiple aspects must be considered
B) Human centered- you have to convince people of the innate value of the environment
C) Humans are increasingly isolated from nature
D) Instant gratification with no regard for consequences
