Chapter 1 Flashcards
Environment:
The biological and physical surroundings in which any given living organism lives
Environmental Science:
Interdisciplinary field of research that draws on natural and social sciences and humanities to understand natural world and our relationship to it
Examples of applied science:
ecology, geology, chemistry, engineering (also environmental science)
Empirical science:
investigates natural world thru systematic observation and experimentation (environmental science)
applied science:
Research whose findings used to solve practical problems.
environmental literacy
basic understanding how ecosystems function and impact of our choices on environment
Wicked problems:
response to any environmental problem involves trade offs. No one response will be ultimate solution
Triple bottom line
combination of environmental, social, and economic impacts of our choices
Trade offs
imperfect and sometimes problematic responses to complex problems
Sustainable development
development that meets current needs w/o compromising ability of future generations to do same
carrying capacity
population size that area can support indefinitely
ecocide
willful destruction of the natural environment
ecological footprint
land needed to provide resources and assimilate waste produced by a person or population
anthropogenic
caused by or related to human action
sustainable
method of using resources in a way that we can use them indefinitely
renewable energy
energy that comes from infinitely available or easily replenished source
biodiversity
the variety of species on Earth
natural ecosystems
live within their means. Each organism contributes to ecosystem’s overall function.
4 characteristics of sustainable ecosystem
renewable energy
use matter conservatively and sustainably (reuse, recycle)
population control
depend on local biodiversity
nonrenewable resources
supply is finite or not replenished in timely fashion
social traps
decisions that seem good at time, produce short term benefit, but hurt society in long term
tragedy of the commons
tendency to abuse commonly held resources to maximize own personal interest
time delay
actions that produce benefit today set into motion events that cause problems later
sliding reinforcer
actions that are beneficial at first, change conditions such that their benefit declines over time
worldview
the window thru which we view our world and existance
environmental ethic
personal philosophy that influences how person interacts with natural environment and thus affects how we respond to environmental problems
anthropocentric worldview
assigns intrinsic value only to humans
instrumental value
value or worth based on usefulness to humans
biocentric worldview
all life having intrinsic value, regardless of usefulness to humans
intrinsic value
value or worth based on mere existence
ecocentric worldview
values intact ecosystems, not just individual parts
