Chapter 1 Flashcards
Sustainability
the capacity of the earth’s natural systems that support life and human economic systems to survive or adapt to changing environmental conditions indefinitely.
Satisfying own needs without affecting future generations
Biomimicry
scientific effort to mimic nature’s way of sustaining life on Earth for millions of years
Ex) Gecko tape (sticky toes)
Environment
Everything around you including living and nonliving things.
Environmental Science
study of life systems and connections in the natural environment.
Environmentalism
a social movement dedicated to protecting the earth’s life and its resources. Environmentalism is practiced more in the realms of politics and ethics than in science.
Natural Resources
materials and energy provided by nature that are essential or useful to humans. Includes renewable, nonrenewable, and inexhaustible resources
Natural Services
the benefits nature provides to people. Example: food, water purification
Natural Capital
raw materials (natural resources) + ecosystem services
Ecosystem Services
the natural services provided by healthy ecosystems that support life and human economies at no monetary cost to us. Examples: purification of air, pollination
makes natural resources usable
Renewable Resources
a resource that can be used indefinitely because it is replenished through natural processes. Remain renewable as long as it is used less than it is restored. Example: freshwater, clean air
Nonrenewable Resources
exist in a fixed amount, or stock, in the earth’s crust. Example: Fossil fuels
Inexhaustible Resources
Perpetual resource. Example: Solar energy, geothermal energy
Environmental Degradation
Degradation of normally renewable natural resources and natural services mostly from population growth and increased resource use per person.
Agricultural Revolution
humans learned how to grow and breed plants and animals for food, clothing. more reliable source of food, lived longer, and produced more children who survived to adulthood.
Industrial Revolution
invented machines for the large-scale production of goods in factories. Helped people live longer and be healthier
Tragedy of the Commons
When people use open-access resources that aren’t owned by anyone and shared unsustainably. Cumulative effect of people using a shared resource unsustainanbly
Ecological Footprint
a rough measure of the total environmental impacts of individuals, cities, and countries on the earth’s natural resources, natural capital, and life-support system.
Point Sources
single identifiable source. Example: factory discharge pipe
Nonpoint Sources
combination on sources
Exponential Growth
occurs when a quantity increases at a fixed percentage per unit of time, such as 0.5% or 2% per year. Starts slow but after a few doublings a huge number results
Sustainable Yield
the highest rate at which people can use a renewable resource indefinitely without reducing its available supply
Biocapacity
The ability of an ecosystem to produce renewable resources
