Chapter t 1 and 2 Exam Flashcards
Biocapacity
the capacity of a given biological area to generate an on-going supply of renewable resources and to absorb its spillover wastes.
Three Scientific Principles of Sustainability
Solar Energy, Biodiversity, Chemical or Nutrient Cycling
Solar Energy
sun warms the planet, gives plants nutrients, + therefore gives animals the plant nutrients they need, etc.
Biodiversity
the variety of genes, species, ecosystems, and ecosystem processes. Provides ways for species to adapt + prevents them from getting too large.
Chemical or Nutrient Cycling
the circulation of chemicals or nutrients needed to sustain life in the environment (mostly from water and soil) through various organisms and back to the environment. We recieve energy constantly from the sun, but nothing new is produced chemically, so it must be cycled.
Natural Capital
the natural resources and ecosystem services that keep humans and other species alive and that support human economies.
Natural Income
is the yield obtained from natural resources
Natural Resources
materials and energy provided by nature that are essential or useful to humans.
Renewable Resource
any resource that can be replenished by natural processes within hours to decades, as long as humans do not use the resource faster than it can be regenerated.
Sustainable Yield
the highest rate at which people can use a renewable resource indefinitely without reducing its available supply.
Nonrenewable Resource (exhaustable)
exist in a fixed amount (or “stock) in the Earth’s crust. (ex - fossil fuel)
Inexhaustible Resource
a resource that is perpetual - ex. Solar energy
Ecosystem Services
natural services provided by healthy ecosystems that support life and human economies at no human monetary cost to us. (ex - forests purify water and air and prevent erosion)
Three Social Science Principles of Sustainability
Full Cost Pricing (Economics), Win-win solutions (Politics), Responsibility (Ethics)
Full-Cost Pricing (Economics)
include the harmful environmental and health costs of producing and using goods and services in their market prices.
Win-win Solutions (Politics)
political scientists look for compromises that will benefit the largest amount of people and the environment
Responsibility (Ethics)
it is our responsibility a people to treat the planet in ways that will leave it healthy for future generations.
Sustainability
the capacity of the Earth’s
natural systems that support life and human social
systems to survive or adapt to changing environmental conditions indefinitely.
Subsidy
a benefit given to an individual, business, or institution, usually by the government. It can be direct (such as cash payments) or indirect (such as tax breaks).
More Economically Developed Countries (MEDC)
industrialized nations with high average incomes per person
Less Economically Developed Countries (LEDC)
all other nations
Environmental Degradation / Natural Capital Degradation
the depleting of nature’s natural capital. (ex - shrinking forests, climate
change, and pollution.)
Ecological Footprint
the amount of biologically productive land and water needed to supply a population in an area with renewable resources and to absorb and recycle the wastes and pollution such resource and use produces. (per
capita ecological footprint is the ecological footprint in a specific area.)
Exponential Growth
When a quantity increases at a fixed percentage per unit of time, such as 0.5% or 2% per year.