Chapter 1 Flashcards
Anthropocene
Proposed as a new geological epoch for a period in which important geological conditions and processes have been significantly affected by human activities. (pg 15)
Anthropocentric view
Human-centred view in which values are defined relative to human interests, wants and needs. (pg 5)
Biocapacity
The amount of biologically productive area- cropland, pasture, forest, and fisheries - available to meet humanity’s needs (pg. 30, 34)
Crude birth rate (CBR)
Number of births in a population per 1000 individuals per year (pg 17)
Crude death rate (CDR)
Number of deaths in a population per 1000 individuals per year (pg 17)
Crude growth rate (CGR)
Number of people by which a population increases (per 1000 individuals per year) produced by subtracting the crude death rate (CDR) from the crude birth rate (CBR). (pg 17)
Cryosphere
Those parts of the Earth’s surface where water is in the solid form as ice or snow. (pg 5)
Demographic transition
the transition of a human population from high birth rate and high death rate to low birthrate and low death rate (pg 20)
Ecocentric (biocentric) view
The view in which elements of the environment are considered of value based on their own existence, and are considered as having the right to exist; that a natural order governs relationships between living things (pg 5) nature has an intrinsic value
Ecological footprint
The land area a community needs to provide its consumptive requirements for food, water, and other products and to dispose of the wastes from this consumption (pg 30)
Environment
The combination of the atmosphere, hydrosphere, cryosphere, lithosphere, and biosphere, in which all living species and non-living phenomena exist. (pg 5)
Environmental migration
Movement of people motivated to leave their home area as a result of abrupt or long-term negative alterations to their local environment (pg 21)
Epidemiological transition
Change in mortality rates from high to low in a human population (p 20)
Exponential growth
The growth rate seen when a population increases by a certain percentage rather than an absolute amount, producing a J-shaped curve (p17)
Global climate change
Impacts of accumulation of greenhouse gases on the Earth’s climate (p 4, 26)
Gross national product (GNP)
The total value of all goods and services produced for final consumption in an economy; an index used by economists as an index or indicator to compare national economies or periods of time within a single national economy (p 24)
Indicators
Specific facets or parametres of a particular system that tell us something about the state of that system (but do not tell us why). (p 5, 30)
Kuznet curve
Proposes a relationship between income per capita and environmental degradation increases. However, at some level of per capita income this pattern reverses, resulting in enhancement of the environment (p 21)
Living Planet Index
An index that quantifies the overall state of Earth’s ecosystems (p 33)
Migration
A movement, often involving a large group of people or animals from one place to another. Migration of people usually is triggered by a desire to achieve greater economic opportunities or to escape violence or conflict (p 21)
Millennium Ecosystem Assessment
An assessment, carried out by the UN between 2001 and 2005, of the consequences of ecosystem change for human well being that establish the scientific basis for actions needed to enhance the conservation and sustainable use of ecosystems and their contributions to human wellbeing (p 15)
Planetary carrying capacity
The ability of the Earth and its various systems to sustain people and other organisms on the planet, expressed a s number of people (or number of any given species) (pg 25)
Population age structure
A graphic depiction of the distribution of people in various age groups (cohorts) for a given population (p 18)
Replacement-level fertility rate
The fertility rate that will sustain a population at existing level (p 19)
Resilience
The ability of a system to absorb disturbance and still retain its basic function and structure; ability to return to normal after a disturbance (p 13)
Resources
Specific elements of the environment such as trees, fish, and fossil fuels (p 5)
Subsidiarity
A policy and management approach stipulating that decisions should be taken at the level closest to where consequences are most noticeable or have the most direct impact (p 28)
Sustainable development
(Economic) development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs (p 12) think of conservation/utilitarianism
Three waves
“Ways of thinking” or dominant views about environmental management that have developed over the past 150 years. Generally, the first way is characterized by “conservation”, followed by “activism” in the second wave and a focus on “positive solutions” in the third wave (pg 5)
Total fertility rate
The average number of children each woman has over her lifetime. (p 19)
Triple bottom line
Also called the 3Ps (people, planet, profit), goes beyond the traditional private sector focus on profits, return on investment, and shareholder value to include attention to both environmental and social considerations (p 13)
War on Science
Occurs when government leaders seek to control science and government scientists, and/or dismiss the findings and conclusions of independent scientists (pg 8)
Wicked Problems
Issues characterized by changing and complex relationships that are challenging to identify, resulting in difficulty in resolving them because of incomplete and/or contradictory understanding (pg 12)
- Elements of the environment are considered resources when ________. a) humans have the insight to appreciate how they could be used
b) their intrinsic value is recognized
c) these elements have a value to humans
d) all of the above
e) none of the above
d) all of the above
pg 5
The World Wildlife Fund’s Living Planet Index shows the planet’s overall ecological health has been reduced by ________.
a) 10 per cent since 1970
b) 25 per cent since 1970
c) 50 per cent since 1970
d) 25 per cent since 1990
e) 10 per cent since 1990
c) 50 percent since 1970 (p 2)
- The method of creating and applying knowledge where independent reports of several specialists are synthesized into one broader report is ________.
a) interdisciplinary
b) multidisciplinary
c) disciplinary
d) cross-disciplinary
e) transdisciplinary
b) multidisciplinary (p 7)
- The United Nations forecasts that by the year 2050, ______
a) the world’s population will be 9.6 billion
b) India will lag China as the most populous country
) China will have a population of 2 billion
d) the population of Bangladesh will triple to 280 million
e) populations of the world’s less developed countries will double
a) the world’s population will be 9.6 billion (pg 16)
Thomas Malthus did not postulate that ________.
a) population growth was geometric
b) population growth was arithmetic
c) growth in food supply was arithmetic
d) population growth would outstrip food supply
e) All of the above were postulated.
b) population growth was arithmetic.
He said that population growth was geometric.
Which of the following statements about global consumption is false?
a) The richest 20 per cent of the global population consumes about 75 per cent of the planetary resources.
b) North America and Europe account for 12 per cent of the global popu-lation and almost 40 per cent of the private consumption.
c) The poorest 20 per cent of the global population consumes less than 2 per cent of the planetary resources.
d) People in the wealthiest countries use 25 times more energy per capita than the world’s poorest people.
e) Canadians are among the top per capita consumers of energy.
b) North America and Europe account for 12 per cent of the global popu-lation and almost 40 per cent of the private consumption. (p 21, 23)
- Which of the following was not a factor in the successful establishment of Ontario conservation authorities?
a) The provincial government set up 50/50 cost-sharing with municipalities.
b) A majority of municipalities in a watershed agreed to work collaboratively.
c) Local people have the enthusiasm and conviction to financially support an authority.
d) After the province reduced funding, municipalities gained more responsibility in natural resources and environmental management
e) All of the above were factors.
c) Local people have the enthusiasm and conviction to financially support an authority.
- How many people in the developing world live at or below $1.25 a day? a) 1 billion b) 3.2 million c) 4.5 million d) 2 billion e) 3.4 billion
a) 1 billion. pg 25
- Which country is among the top per capita producers of industrial and household garbage and hazardous wastes in the world?
a) China
b) The United States
c) India
d) Canada
e) The Netherlands
d) Canada (p 27)
- Your ecological footprint is the land base required to ________.
a) provide the energy you require
b) meet your material requirements
c) dispose of your wastes
d) all of the above
e) none of the above
d) all of the above (p 30)
- What causes pressure on the carrying capacity of the planet?
a) overconsumption
b) pollution
c) overpopulation
d) all of the above
e) none of the above
d) all of the above (p 25)
- The key to sustainability lies in ________.
a) enhancing resilience of social-ecological systems
b) optimizing isolated components of social-ecological systems
c) ensuring that social-economic systems are maintained
d) focusing mainly on human needs
e) implementation of recycling programs
a) enhancing resilience of social-ecological systems (p 13)
- The number of people on Earth is currently ________. a) 4.2 billion b) 6 billion c) 7.3 billion d) 9 billion e) 10 billion
c) 7.3 billion (p 16)
- A population with a high number of young dependents and a low life expectancy has a population age structure with what shape?
a) columnar
b) flat
c) pyramidal
d) square
e) circular
c) pyramidal (p 19)
- Demographic transition leads to ________.
a) destabilizing of a population
b) higher birth rates
c) higher death rates
d) stabilization of a population
e) an overall population increase
d) stabilization of a population (p 21)
- When did we reach the level of urbanization such that over half of the global human population lives in cities? a) 1756
b) 1890
c) 1955
d) 1980
e) 2008
e) 2008 (p 23)
T or F: Environmental degradation has often been the cause of past societal collapse.
T (p 26)
T or F: 2. Canada is one of the lowest polluters worldwide.
F (p 26-27)
T or F: 3. The aim of Millennium Development Goals is to improve human wellbeing.
T (p 26)
T or F: One Millennium Development Goal is to achieve equalized wealth and resource access worldwide.
F ( p 26)
T or F: The US consumes more energy per capita than Canada.
F (p 23)
T or F: Most of Canada’s natural resources and managed by federal government agencies.
F (p 28)
T or F: The global ecological footprint currently exceeds Earth’s biocapacity.
T (p 30)
T or F: According to Living Planet Index estimates of ecosystem health, tropical LPI is getting higher while temperate LPI is dropping.
F (p 33)
T or F: Lower income countries have a higher per capita ecological footprint than higher income countries.
F (p 30-31)
Define and differentiate between environment and resources.
The environment is all of Earth’s fundamental components (atmosphere, hydrosphere, cryosphere, etc.), while resources are more specific (forests, wildlife, oceans, etc.). (p. 5)
Define the two general perspectives of the environment.
In the anthropocentric view, environmental value is defined relative to human interests, wants, and needs. In the ecocentric view, aspects of the environment are valued simply because they exist and are accepted as having the right to exist. (p. 5)
Name and define five alternative ways of creating and applying knowledge.
Disciplinary understanding is associated with a single academic discipline. In the multidisciplinary approach, separate reports of different specialists are synthesized. In cross-disciplinary research a disciplinary specialist ‘crosses’ the boundaries of other disciplines to enhance their perspective. Interdisciplinary investigations involve specialists crossing other disciplinary boundaries and engaging with other specialists from the very beginning. A transdisciplinary approach seeks a holistic understanding that crosses or transcends boundaries of many disciplines, where the problem or issue is usually not viewed as in the domain of any one discipline or profession. (p. 7)
Explain the five guidelines for a science-based approach to management of resources and the environment.
(1) Focus the science on key issues, and communicate it in a policy-relevant form. (2) Use scientific information to clarify issues, identify potential management options, and estimate consequences of decisions. (3) Clearly and simply communicate key scientific findings to all participants. (4) Evaluate whether or not the final decision is consistent with scientific information. (5) Avoid advocacy of any particular solution. (p. 8)
What are the two key concepts of sustainable development?
The concept of the human needs, especially those of the poor, and the idea of limitations imposed by the state of technology and social organization on the environment’s ability to meet present and future needs, are both key concepts of sustainable development. (p. 12)
What are some findings of the Millennium Ecosystem Assessment?
Environmental degradation is occurring faster than at any time in the past, many of the changes are nonlinear, and once these changes start, the processes of degradation will increase rapidly (p. 15)
State Malthus’s position on population and exponential growth, and explain why his views were initially not popular or accepted.
Thomas Malthus pointed out that human population growth was exponential, whereas the growth in food supply was arithmetic, and this difference would lead to famine, disease, and war. His critics disagreed because population growth was generally thought to be beneficial and new food sources were becoming available through colonial expansion and new agricultural technologies. (p. 17)
What are the eight Millennium Development goals and what is their purpose?
The eight goals are (1) to eradicate extreme poverty and hunger; (2) to achieve universal primary education; (3) to promote greater gender equality and empower women; (4) to reduce child mortality; (5) to improve maternal health; (6) to combat HIV/AIDS, malaria, and other diseases; (7) to ensure environmental sustainability; and, (8) to develop a global partnership for development. Their purpose is to improve human wellbeing. (p. 26)
How do Canada’s government agencies share authority and responsibility for natural resources and the environment?
Authority and responsibility for natural resources and the environment is divided between the federal and provincial governments, with territorial and municipal governments increasingly having a role. As well, Aboriginal peoples are increasing their role commensurate with their being recognized as a new order of government. The provinces manage crown lands and natural resources. The Canadian North and resources found on or under seabeds off the coasts of Canada are also federal jurisdiction. (p. 28)
What are environmental indicators and how are they useful?
Environmental indicators measure environmental change and response, and are used to provide information on environmental problems that enables policy-makers to evaluate their seriousness, to support policy development and the setting of priorities by identifying key factors that cause pressure on the environment, to monitor the effects of policy responses, and to raise public awareness and generate support for government actions. (p. 5, 31)
What is the Living Planet Index?
The Living Planet Index quantifies the overall state of planetary ecosystems by tracking populations of vertebrate species from around the world. Separate indices are produced for terrestrial, marine, and freshwater species, and the three trends are averaged to create an aggregated index. (p. 33
What is the DPSIR indicator framework?
The DPSIR indicator framework (Drivers-Pressures-State-Impact-Response) was developed by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) and is organized around the key casual mechanisms of environmental problems. (p. 32)
What three major failings of government environmental management were identified by Canada’s Commissioner of the Environment and Sustainable Development?
An implementation gap existed, lack of co-ordination and integration is frequent, and performance review processes are often inadequate.
Also see figure 1.16 pg 35 for model of the interaction of biophysical and social systems in resource management.
