Chapter 1 Flashcards
-what constitutes the environment? -What fields of study collaborate under the umbrella of environmental science -etc
What is the Environment?
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
Environmental science is defined as..
an interdisciplinary field of research that investigates the natural world and humanity’s relationship to it
Lithosphere
realm of rock; studied in geology (study of rock and physical processes involving rock, e.g. minerals, fossil fuels, volcanism, plate tectonics); Earth science
Hydrosphere
realm of water; studied in hydrology (study of water movement and storage, quantity and quality) links to limnology (study of fresh water ecosystems); Geography
Atmosphere
realm of air studied in atmospheric science (including climatology, meteorology, air quality); Geography
Biosphere
realm of life studied in biology; ecology
What two (general) factors led to demise of the Greenland Vikings?
Both natural events and human choices
Jared diamond’s five factors that led to Vikings demise?
- Natural Climate change (mini ice age)
- Self-inflicted environmental damage (overgrazing, over-harvesting, turf use)
- Failure to respond to the natural environment (didn’t fish)
- Hostile neighbours (refused Inuits help)
- Loss of friendly neighbours (European supplies stopped)
What lessons can be learned from the Greenland vikings failure?
To survive, human societies must learn how to interact with their environment in a sustainable way
What is Environmental Literacy?
The ability to understand, and clearly articulate, environmental problems
Carrying Capacity (definition)(people per hectare?)
-The maximum population size that an area can support indefinitely (100 people per hectare)
Ecological footprint (definition)
Area of land needed to provide resources for, and assimilate waste of, a population (e.g. 1 hectare per 100 people)
Three pillars of sustainability
- Environmental impacts
- Social impacts
- Economic impacts
‘Wicked Problems’
- Complex problems to understand-causes delays
- multiple causes-some natural some anthropogenic
- different stakeholders want different solutions-winners & losers
Anthropogenic (definition)
Caused by or related to human action
Three main underlying causes of environmental problems?
- Human population size
- Unsustainable resource use
- Pollution
Nonrenewable resources
Resources in finite supply or not replenished very quickly
Renewable resources
Resources that are infinitely available or easily/quickly replenished
Sustainable resource use
Using resources in a way that we can use them indefinitely
Social Traps (definiton)
Decisions that produce short-term benefits, but hurt society in the long run
Where does energy come from?
All of our energy comes from the sun, except for geothermal and nuclear energy.
Energy from the sun includes:
- 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
What are Fossil Fuels?
Carbon based materials (ancient life), deposited hundreds of millions of years ago, can become ‘fossil’ fuels: coal, natural gas, oil
Benefits of fossil fuels?
Fossil fuels are immensely efficient sources energy, due to their concentration and abundance of carbon-carbon bonds.