Chapter 1

Question 1

Environment

Answer 1

all living and nonliving things around us, including continents, oceans, clouds, ice caps, animals, plants, landscapes

Question 2

Environmental science

Answer 2

study of how the natural world works and relationships between humans and the environment

Question 3

Natural resources

Answer 3

substances and energy sources humans take from the environment/rely on

Question 4

Renewable natural resources

Answer 4

resources replenished over short periods (e.g. Sunlight, wind, waves are inexhaustible; timber, water, animal populations, fertile soil take more time and are exhaustible)

Question 5

Nonrenewable natural resources

Answer 5

formed more slowly than used

Question 6

Ecosystem services

Answer 6

services of natural systems (e.g. air/water purification, cycling of nutrients, climate regulation, pollination, waste recycling)

Question 7

Agricultural revolution

Answer 7

people began growing crops/domesticating animals

Question 8

Industrial revolution

Answer 8

shift toward fossil fuels

Question 9

Ecological footprint

Answer 9

cumulative area of land/water needed to provide resources/waste disposal for a person, which increased with industrialization

Question 10

Overshoot

Answer 10

surpassing Earth’s capacity to support our population - humans use renewable resources 68% faster than they are replenished

Question 11

Natural capital

Answer 11

Earth’s store of resources and ecosystem services - should be relying on interest, not principal

Question 12

Interdisciplinary

Answer 12

environmental science relies on techniques of multiple fields, including natural studies and social sciences

Question 13

Science

Answer 13

systematic process for learning about the world/testing knowledge

Question 14

Descriptive science

Answer 14

researching new organisms, materials, systems

Question 15

Hypothesis-driven science

Answer 15

testing hypotheses with the scientific method

Question 16

Scientific method

Answer 16

scientist observes a phenomenon, a question arises, a hypothesis attempts to answer it by making predictions and testing with an experiment (using an independent and dependent variable)

Question 17

Controlled experiment

Answer 17

only the independent variable changes (treatment) and is compared with the control

Question 18

Quantitative data

Answer 18

data expressed in numbers to compare values

Question 19

Manipulative experiment

Answer 19

researcher chooses and manipulates independent variables (not always possible)

Question 20

Natural experiment

Answer 20

search for correlation between naturally occurring phenomena

Question 21

Line graph

Answer 21

shows trends over time (may use multiple lines)

Question 22

Bar graph

Answer 22

compares single measurements between groups

Question 23

Scatter plot

Answer 23

reveals correlations

Question 24

Pie chart

Answer 24

shows percentage breakdowns

Question 25

Peer review

Answer 25

editor/scientists comment/criticize research and judge publication

Question 26

Theory

Answer 26

widely accepted explanation of cause/effect relationships that have been validated by testing (e.g. Evolution, cell theory, atomic theory, plate tectonics)

Question 27

Paradigm

Answer 27

dominant view

Question 28

Ethics

Answer 28

studies good/bad, right/wrong

Question 29

Ethical standards

Answer 29

criteria to make distinctions in ethics

Question 30

Categorical imperative

Answer 30

treat others as you would like to be treated

Question 31

Principle of utility

Answer 31

something is right when it practically benefits most people

Question 32

Relativist

Answer 32

ethics vary with social context

Question 33

Universalist

Answer 33

ethics are consistent everywhere

Question 34

Environmental ethics

Answer 34

application of ethics to human relationships with nonhuman entities (e.g. Must this generation conserve, may some communities be more polluted, may humans drive other species to extinction)

Question 35

Anthropocentrism

Answer 35

evaluates costs/benefits only on their impact on people

Question 36

Biocentrism

Answer 36

values human and nonhuman life

Question 37

Ecocentrism

Answer 37

judges actions based on effect on ecosystems, including humans and nonhuman entities

Question 38

Preservation ethic

Answer 38

John Muir proposed the environment should be protected pristinely

Question 39

Conservation ethic

Answer 39

Gifford Pinochet proposed people should responsibly use natural resources

Question 40

Environmental justice

Answer 40

fair/equitable treatment of people with respect to environmental policy, regardless of income/race/ethnicity (poor people are exposed to more hazards)

Question 41

Sustainability

Answer 41

living within the planet’s means, conserving resources for descendants, maintaining fully functional ecological systems

Question 42

Solutions

Answer 42

replacement energy sources to fossil fuels, soil conservation/better irrigation/organic agriculture, increased efficiency of technology, laws to reduce pollution, identifying endangered habitats/species, better waste management

Question 43

Campus sustainability

Answer 43

help colleges/universities reduce ecological footprints

Question 44

Environmental literacy

Answer 44

most students don’t take environmental science, so lack knowledge