Chapter 4: People and Nature Flashcards
acid rain
is the wet deposition of acids upon Earth through the natural cleansing properties of the atmosphere. The term acid rain also includes acid mists, acid fogs, and smog. Acid rain occurs as the water droplets in clouds absorb certain gases that later fall back to Earth as acid precipitation.
anthropocene
the current geological era in Earth’s history in which the extent of human activities from agriculture to industrialization to urbanization have had far-reaching effects on Earth’s ecosystems.
biopiracy
is the commercial exploitation of biological materials, that is living matter, including anything from genetic cell lines to plant or animal substances, and patenting that material without compensating the peoples whose knowledge revealed the value of them or on whose territory it was discovered.
biomass
the total mass of organisms in a given area of volume
bioprospecting
the scientific or commercial practice of searching for a useful application, process, or product in nature, often in extreme environments such as deserts, rain forests, and cold places like the Arctic and Antarctic.
climate change
a change in the state of the climate that can be identified (e.g., using statistical tests) by changes in the mean and/or the variability of its properties, and that persists for an extended period, typically decades or longer
columbian exchange
the interaction between the Old World (Europe) and the New World (the Americas) initiated by the voyages of Columbus.
conservation
holds that natural resources should be used thoughtfully and that humans should serve as stewards, not exploiters, of the natural world.
cultural ecology
is the study of how human society has adapted to environmental challenges like aridity and steep landscapes through technologies such as irrigation and terracing and organizing people to construct and maintain these systems.
deep ecology
is an approach to nature revolving around two key components: self-realization and biospherical egalitarianism.
deforestation
The permanent clearing and destruction of forests.
demographic collapse
the phenomenon of near genocide of native populations
desertification
is the spread of desert conditions resulting from deforestation, overgrazing, and poor agricultural practices, as well as reduced rainfall associated with climatic change.
ecofeminism
holds that patriarchy—a system of social ideas that values men more highly than women—is at the center of our present environmental malaise. Because patriarchy has equated women with nature, it has promoted the subordination and exploitation of both.
ecological imperialism
The introduction of exotic plants and animals into new ecosystems
ecosystem
a community of different species interacting with each other and with the larger physical environment that surrounds it
ecotheology
a reevaluation of the Western relationship to nature. The term came into prominence in the late twentieth century—mainly in Christian circles, though it has since spread across religious boundaries—in association with the scientific field of ecology. Ecotheology recognizes the value of other creatures and God’s intent for the cosmos as the basis for developing ethical models that take into account politics, economics, and practical issues in the quest for intelligent environmental policies
ecotourism
responsible travel that conserves or improves the local environment as well as supports the well-being of the people who inhabit it.
environmental ethics
is a philosophical perspective that prescribes moral principles as guidance for our treatment of nature.
environmental justice
considers the pollution of neighborhoods by, for example, factories and hazardous waste dumps to be the result of a structured and institutionalized inequality that is pervasive in both the capitalist core and the periphery.
global warming
an increase in world temperatures and change in climate associated with increasing levels of carbon dioxide (CO2), methane and other trace gases.
greenhouse gases
result from human activities such as the burning of fossil fuels, cement production, and deforestation.
greening
adding biomass including grasses as well as trees—due to increasing rainfall.
nature
is a social creation as much as it is the physical universe that includes human beings.
political ecology
stresses that human–environment relations can be adequately understood only by relating pat- terns of resource use to political and economic forces, particularly the way that national states and capitalist economic practices can lead to, as well as exacerbate, environmental degradation.
preservation
advocates that certain habitats, species, and resources should remain off- limits to human use, regardless of whether the use maintains or depletes the resource in question.
romanticism
a philosophy that emphasized the interdependence of humans and nature
society
is the sum of the inventions, institutions, and relationships created and reproduced by human beings across particular places and times
sustainable development
seeks a balance among economic growth, environmental impacts, and social equity.
technology
physical objects or artifacts (e.g., the plow);
■ activities or processes (e.g., steelmaking);
■ knowledge or know-how (e.g., biological engineering).
transcendatalism
A branch of American romanticism. It encouraged people to attempt to rise above nature and the limitations of the body to the point where the spirit dominates the flesh and a mystical and spiritual life replaces a primitive and savage one.
virgin soil epidemics
the population at risk has no natural immunity or previous exposure to the disease within the lifetime of the oldest member of the group
virtual water
The water embedded in the production of the food or other things we consume
