Element 1 Foundations In Environmental Management Flashcards
List the 3 media that make up the environment
The three media that make up the environment are
Air
Water
Land
What is the green house effect?
Carbon dioxide
Water vapour
Methane
Chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs)
Intercept, absorb reflected infrared radiation then reflect it back to earth. This process retains some of the solar heat and its called the green house effect
What is global warming?
When green house gases build up in the atmosphere, more heat is trapped near earth’s surface. Ocean temperatures rise, so more water vapour enters the atmosphere and the earth’s surface temperature rises more.
This is global warming
What are the reasons organisations need to manage environmental impacts
Moral
Legal
Financial
Identify three legal and economic effects that could occur following a pollution incident
Legal and economic effects that could occur following a pollution incident include
costs of fines
cleanup costs
compensation payments
indirect costs from loss of credibility and support in the market
Explain why achieving sustainable development is difficult
Achieving sustainable development requires for objectives to be met
effective protection of the environment
prudent use of nature resources
maintaining of stable levels of growth
Social progress
These are often conflicting objectives for example:
Prudent use of natural resources
Eg no more fossil fuel
Social progress
Eg developing countries are more likely to lead to more damage to the environment but social progress is and objectives of sustainable development
State the international laws that cover protection of the ozone layer
The Montreal protocol on substances that deplete the ozone layer
State international laws for The protection of wetlands
The ramsar convention on wetlands of international Importance
Define BPEO
Bpeo is defined as the outcome of a systematic consultative and decision-making procedure which emphasizes the protection and conservation of the environment across land air and water
The bpeo procedure establishes for a given set of objectives the option that provides the most benefits or the least damage to the environment as a whole at acceptable cost in a long-term as well as a short term
Around the world, what types of activities are environmental permits often required for
Environmental permits are often required for:
discharge to groundwater
keeping treating and disposing of waste
emissions of pollutions to air operations
where more than one activity includes a permit (where an integrated permit is used)
Give four examples of pollutants that have a local impact
Noise light odour waste
Identify two of the main substances that have been implicated in global climate change and describe the key human sources of these substances
Carbon dioxide and methane man-made sources include
vehicle exhaust emissions
power generators
home heating
aircraft
ships
landfill sites
meat production
Outline the main causes of stratospheric o zone depletion and identify 4 potential impacts of depletion of the ozone layer
The main causes are the emissions of substances such as chlorofluorocarbons used in refrigerants
propellants
halogens
fire suppressants
pesticides
Describe the main elements of a hydrological cycle
Precipitation
infiltration of soil
seepage through land percolation
transpiration
evaporation
Describe the main effects of tropical deforestation on rivers and coastal systems
Run off rain water
Potential for damage to river banks through increased flow rates
Sediment loading leading to the destruction of aquatics habitats
Levels of nutrients leading to eutrophication
Sedimentation deposition leading to destruction of the coral reef
