Definitions - general Flashcards
What is adaptation?
Action taken by humans to reduce their vulnerability or exposure to impacts.
What are causes?
Reasons for the form/character of a phenomenon – for example why a process occurs or why a phenomenon displays its characteristic features.
What are challenges?
Difficult, large-scale problems that require solutions.
What are characteristics?
The key features and properties of a phenomenon.
What are conflicts?
Issues over which two or more groups of people disagree.
What are consequences?
The results of an action, change or process. These may be many and various and can be positive or negative in their geographical impacts.
What does contrasting mean?
Where two or more phenomena differ from one another in one or more significant ways.
What is distribution?
The geographical locations of specified phenomenon/phenomena, most often shown on a map. A distribution may or may not present as a recognisable pattern.
What is dynamic equilibrium?
A state of balance in a constantly changing natural system, the operation of which attempts to balance inputs with outputs.
What does economic refer to?
Connected with the economy and therefore related to production, distribution and consumption of goods and services. Conventionally measured in money terms and connected with employment, industry, income and human welfare.
What does environmental mean?
Concerned with the environment – water, air and land, and the organisms which occupy it (including humans) and natural resources obtainable from it.
What are factors?
The underlying causes of a phenomenon and the elements which influence it.
What are impacts?
The results/outcomes of events, actions or processes on people and the environment. They can be positive or negative.
What are implications?
What happens or might happen as a result/consequence of specific events, actions or processes.
What are issues?
Matters which cause concern to people about which there may be differing views, and which may be sources of conflict.
What is lifestyle?
The way in which people normally live their lives. Lifestyles vary both within and between places.
What is management?
The design and implementation of policies and strategies to run human systems and influence natural systems in order to minimise or reduce impacts or problems and enhance outcomes. Management involves deliberation, planning and action.
What is mitigation?
Any actions or measures taken to reduce or offset the adverse impacts or severity of a process or event.
What is negative feedback?
A cyclical sequence that decreases/diminishes an initial change in a natural system and tends to return the system to a state of equilibrium or balance.
What are opportunities?
Situations where change might be achievable and a better situation reached.
What are patterns?
Regularities in the occurrence or distribution of phenomena. Geographically, often shown on a map.
What does political refer to?
Concerned with the distribution and exercise of power over human affairs, the promotion of different viewpoints and policies, the resolution of any such differences and the consequent decisions and their implementation.
What is positive feedback?
A cyclical sequence that increases or amplifies an initial change in a natural system.
What are problems?
Difficulties, risks or issues that worry people and indicate that responses are required.
What is a process?
A sequence of actions, changes or functions that causes a change to take place and bring about a result.
What is resilience?
The ability to withstand and recover quickly from difficulties, disruption, adversity or crisis.
What is response?
The ways in which people react to events or possible events – some responses are individual, some are collective; some are planned, some are unplanned.
What is scale?
The area or scope of a phenomenon or focus of study – for example: local, regional, national, international and global.
What does social refer to?
Connected with people, their quality of life, health, education, lifestyles and welfare.
What are strategies?
Overarching views and approaches designed to manage a system, problem or issue.
What does sustainable mean?
That which is capable of being maintained into the foreseeable future without prejudice to its own continuation and damage to the environment.
What is a system?
A set of interrelated components that work together in which there are inputs and outputs of energy and materials. Natural systems tend towards dynamic equilibrium which balances inputs and outputs of energy and materials.
