Chapter 1

Question 1

What is the Environment?

Answer 1

Environment is the surroundings or conditions in which a person, animal, or plant lives or operates; the natural world, as a whole or in a particular geographical area, especially as effected by human activity

Question 2

Environmental science is defined as..

Answer 2

an interdisciplinary field of research that investigates the natural world and humanity’s relationship to it

Question 3

Lithosphere

Answer 3

realm of rock; studied in geology (study of rock and physical processes involving rock, e.g. minerals, fossil fuels, volcanism, plate tectonics); Earth science

Question 4

Hydrosphere

Answer 4

realm of water; studied in hydrology (study of water movement and storage, quantity and quality) links to limnology (study of fresh water ecosystems); Geography

Question 5

Atmosphere

Answer 5

realm of air studied in atmospheric science (including climatology, meteorology, air quality); Geography

Question 6

Biosphere

Answer 6

realm of life studied in biology; ecology

Question 7

What two (general) factors led to demise of the Greenland Vikings?

Answer 7

Both natural events and human choices

Question 8

Jared diamond’s five factors that led to Vikings demise?

Answer 8

1. Natural Climate change (mini ice age)
2. Self-inflicted environmental damage (overgrazing, over-harvesting, turf use)
3. Failure to respond to the natural environment (didn’t fish)
4. Hostile neighbours (refused Inuits help)
5. Loss of friendly neighbours (European supplies stopped)

Question 9

What lessons can be learned from the Greenland vikings failure?

Answer 9

To survive, human societies must learn how to interact with their environment in a sustainable way

Question 10

What is Environmental Literacy?

Answer 10

The ability to understand, and clearly articulate, environmental problems

Question 11

Carrying Capacity (definition)(people per hectare?)

Answer 11

-The maximum population size that an area can support indefinitely (100 people per hectare)

Question 12

Ecological footprint (definition)

Answer 12

Area of land needed to provide resources for, and assimilate waste of, a population (e.g. 1 hectare per 100 people)

Question 13

Three pillars of sustainability

Answer 13

• Environmental impacts
• Social impacts
• Economic impacts

Question 14

‘Wicked Problems’

Answer 14

• Complex problems to understand-causes delays
• multiple causes-some natural some anthropogenic
• different stakeholders want different solutions-winners & losers

Question 15

Anthropogenic (definition)

Answer 15

Caused by or related to human action

Question 16

Three main underlying causes of environmental problems?

Answer 16

• Human population size
• Unsustainable resource use
• Pollution

Question 17

Nonrenewable resources

Answer 17

Resources in finite supply or not replenished very quickly

Question 18

Renewable resources

Answer 18

Resources that are infinitely available or easily/quickly replenished

Question 19

Sustainable resource use

Answer 19

Using resources in a way that we can use them indefinitely

Question 20

Social Traps (definiton)

Answer 20

Decisions that produce short-term benefits, but hurt society in the long run

Question 21

Where does energy come from?

Answer 21

All of our energy comes from the sun, except for geothermal and nuclear energy.

Question 22

Energy from the sun includes:

Answer 22

• Direct solar energy
• Anything driven by differential heating of Earth’s surface by the sun (movement of wind and water)
• Photosynthesis, which converts light and carbon dioxide into carbon-based materials, and makes development of fossil fuels possible

Question 23

What are Fossil Fuels?

Answer 23

Carbon based materials (ancient life), deposited hundreds of millions of years ago, can become ‘fossil’ fuels: coal, natural gas, oil

Question 24

Benefits of fossil fuels?

Answer 24

Fossil fuels are immensely efficient sources energy, due to their concentration and abundance of carbon-carbon bonds.

Question 25

What type of carbons are fossil fuels?

Answer 25

Hydrocarbons

Question 26

What is the result of combustion of hydrocarbons? (technical)

Answer 26

• Produces an exothermic chemical reaction

- Produces water vapour, carbon dioxide and heat

Question 27

Advantages of coal?

Answer 27

• cheap
• easy to convert to energy
• easily available

Question 28

Formation of coal?

Answer 28

• ancient swamps (with biomass) become buried over millions of years
• sediment builds up and compresses the highly organic soil (peat).
• Over millions of years pressure builds and converts peat into lignite, a soft coal, and eventually into harder versions of coal (bitumen)

Question 29

Formation of coal?

Answer 29

• ancient swamps (with biomass) become buried over millions of years
• sediment builds up and compresses the highly organic soil (peat).
• Over millions of years pressure builds and converts peat into lignite, a soft coal, and eventually into harder versions of coal (bituminous, anthracite)

Question 30

What is peat?

Answer 30

a brown, soil-like material characteristic of boggy, acid ground, consisting of partly decomposed vegetable matter. It is widely cut and dried for use in gardening and as fuel.

Question 31

Disadvantages of coal?

Answer 31

• Finite resource
• damaging to environment due to C02 production
• Huge external costs

Question 32

Who pays the external costs of coal?

Answer 32

Individuals or governments with tax dollars

Question 33

Burning coal releases?

Answer 33

• C02, CH4, and other greenhouse gases
• acid rain
• mercury
• radioactive materials
• soot
• fly ash

Question 34

2 Reasons our crude oil consumption cannot last?

Answer 34

1. There is a limited amount of fossil fuel; after just100 years of oil extraction, peak oil is nearly passed
2. Extracting, processing, and burning the remaining oil will cause excessive environmental damage (i.e., climate change)

Question 35

Reserves are

Answer 35

the amount of crude oil, natural gas, or other

deposits that is economically feasible to extract.

Question 36

How can we increase energy security and reduce our dependance on fossil fuels? (5 points)

Answer 36

1. Importing energy from multiple sources
2. Reducing energy usage overall
3. Exploiting local energy sources
4. Developing alternative energy sources
5. The petrochemical industry has spent decades developing products from hydrocarbon molecules in crude oil/ WE CAN Developing products usually made from petrochemicals using alternative raw materials

Question 37

Jared Diamonds five factors of success/failure (in society)

Answer 37

1. Natural climate change
2, Failure to properly respond to environmental changes
3. Self-inflicted environmental damage
4. Hostile Neighbours 
5. Loss of friendly neighbours

Question 38

What is biomimicry?

Answer 38

Biomimicry involves using nature a model, mentor, and measure for out systems- using it as an example of how to design our own systems.

Question 39

An example of the Tragedy of the Commons?

Answer 39

Everyone using fossil fuels because it is the best and most efficient way to produce energy- resulting in climate change that will drastically and negatively affect everyone.

Question 40

An example of Time Delay?

Answer 40

Mass fishing, it benefits us now because it allows us to live abundantly but will result in a damaged future ecosystem with not enough fish to feed us.

Question 41

An example of Sliding Reinforcer

Answer 41

Using chemicals in our farming and pastures to kill insects ultimately changing the ecosystem and creating resistant insects and potentially creating stronger pesticides that can harm us or our food.

Question 42

What is the difference between an anthropocentric worldview and a biocentric worldview?

Answer 42

An anthropocentric worldview puts all value on human lives and treats all other animals and living beings as merely having instrumental value- to be used for humans benefit. Whereas a biocentric worldview holds all life at an equal value- every organism has intrinsic value that does not depend on their usefulness to any other being.