Environmental Midterm

Question 1

Differentiate between Environmental Science and Environmentalism.

Answer 1

Environmental Science is the study of how the natural world works and how the environment affects humans, as well as vice-versa; purely science based. Environmentalism is mostly based on people’s opinions and emotional hypotheses.

Question 2

Human population growth was sparked by what recent event?

Answer 2

Industrial Revolution.

Question 3

What is the formula for impact on the environment?

Answer 3

I = P x A x T
Impact = Population x Affluence x Technology

Question 4

What happened to the Easter Islands?

Answer 4

The inhabitants cut trees for various purposes and by 1650 all the trees were gone. Soil became degraded, depleted forest and water resource - sickness and starvation became rampant. Population declined. Contact with civilized world introduced them to venereal diseases.

Question 5

What is Tragedy of the Commons and how does this affect the environment?

Answer 5

Tragedy of the commons meant that everything belonged to everyone so everyone used as much as they wanted. Unregulated exploit of natural resources leads to resource depletion.

Question 6

What is the MDG? What are the effects? What hinders it?

Answer 6

MDG or Millennium Development Goals were adopted by UN nations to reduce extreme poverty and its effect on human-well being.

Measles in Africa has been reduced by 91%, AIDs deaths have declined.

Hindered by lack of family planning.

Question 7

What is ecosystem capital?

Answer 7

This refers to goods and services produced by the environment or ecosystems. i.e. trees for paper and lumber, coal for fuel, etc.

Question 8

What drives humanity’s greatest impact on the environment?

Answer 8

Agriculture, taking up nearly half of the planet’s surface.

Question 9

What’s the difference between cornucopians and cassandras?

Answer 9

Cornucopians think that human ingenuity will solve any problem while Cassandras predict doom and disaster.

Question 10

Describe sustainability.

Answer 10

• leaves future generations with a rich and full Earth
• conserves the Earth’s natural resources
• maintains fully functioning ecological systems

Question 11

What is sustainable development?

Answer 11

The use of resources to satisfy current needs without compromising future availability of resources.

Question 12

What is the triple bottom line of sustainable development?

Answer 12

Environmental goals, economic goals, social goals.

Question 13

Describe the 3 unifying themes of sustainability.

Answer 13

Sustainability: the goal we’re working towards

Stewardship: managing natural resources and human well-being for the common good

Sound science: Understanding how the world works and how humans interact with it.

Question 14

What method is used to test ideas with observations?

Answer 14

The scientific method. (Observation, Questions, Hypothesis, Prediction, Test, Results)

Question 15

What’re the two different methods to test hypotheses?

Answer 15

Manipulative experiments: can show causation, not always possible to use.

Natural or correlational tests: cannot show causation

Question 16

Define natural laws.

Answer 16

Principles by which the universe operates; can be used to define or predict the behaviour of matter and energy.

Question 17

Name some of the effects of globalization.

Answer 17

Improved well-being and health, eased transportation and financial transactions, markets Western lifestyle to the world - their cultures suffer.
Spread of diseases and infections. H1N1, SARS, destruction of the ozone layer, climate change.

Question 18

What is globalization?

Answer 18

The rapid interconnectedness of human activities, ideas, culture and economics.

Question 19

What are the four major types of environmental hazards that affect human health?

Answer 19

Chemical hazards, physical hazards, biological hazards and cultural hazards.

Question 20

______________________ is the connections between environmental hazards and human disease or death.

Answer 20

Environmental health

Question 21

What is epidemiology?

Answer 21

Studies the presence, distribution, and prevention of diseases in populations

Question 22

What is morbidity?

Answer 22

The incidence of disease in a population.

Question 23

What is mortality?

Answer 23

The incidence of death in a population.

Question 24

What is a hazard?

Answer 24

Anything that can cause: injury, death or disease;
damage to personal or public property;
deterioration or destruction of environmental parts

Question 25

What is risk? How is it calculated?

Answer 25

The probability of suffering. Calculated by: Hazard x Vulnerability.

Question 26

What is toxicity?

What is a toxicant?

Answer 26

Condition of being harmful, deadly or poisonous.

Any toxic agent.

Question 27

______ studies the impact of toxic substances on human health.

Answer 27

Toxicology.

Question 28

What is pesticide drift?

Answer 28

Airborne transport of pesticides.

Question 29

How do toxicants affect the food chain?

Answer 29

Via bioaccumulation and biomagnification.
Bioaccumulation : build of up toxicants in animal tissues
Biomagnification: toxicants concentrate in top predators

Question 30

_____ is responsible for 1/4 of mortality in developed countries and 24% of Canadian deaths.

Answer 30

Cancer.

Question 31

What is the most effective method against cultural hazards?

Answer 31

Prevention.

Question 32

Radiation is a physical, chemical, cultural or biological hazard?

Answer 32

Physical.

Question 33

Define pollution and pollutant.

Answer 33

Pollution: any substance that due to its composition or quanitity, has undesirable environmental or health effects.

Pollutant: any material that causes pollution.

Question 34

_____________ are transmitted between humans and animals.

Answer 34

Zoonotic diseases

e.g. - bubonic plague, chicken pox, H1N1, etc

Question 35

What is the hygiene hypothesis?

Answer 35

Immune systems need to encounter microbes and worms in order to develop effectively.

Question 36

What is one of the biggest factor that determines whether one dies of environmental hazards?

Answer 36

Being underweight/malnourished.

Question 37

What is DALY?

Answer 37

Disability-adjusted life year.

Question 38

What percentage of people live in large cities and how is this expected to change?

Answer 38

50%; 75% by 2050

Question 39

What are the four steps in the process of risk assessment?

Answer 39

Hazard Identification
Exposure Assessment
Dose Response Assessment
Risk Characterization

Question 40

Differentiate acute and chronic exposure.

Answer 40

Acute exposure: High exposure for short periods of time to a hazard. Easy to recognize as they stem from discrete events (e.g. ingestion, oil spills, nuclear accident)

Chronic exposure: Low exposure for long periods of time to a hazard. Hard to detect and diagnose; affects organs gradually; cause and effect may not be easily apparent.

Question 41

The type of effects with impacts different from the sum of their constituents (such as mixed chemicals cancelling or amplifying each others’ effects) is called _________ ________.

Answer 41

Synergistic effects

Question 42

____________ causes dehydration.

Answer 42

Rotavirus

Question 43

_______ causes DNA mutations that may lead to severe problems, including cancer.

Answer 43

Mutagens

Question 44

Teratogens cause _____ ______.

Answer 44

birth defects

Question 45

______ overactivates the immune system whereas _____ assaults the nervous system.

Answer 45

Allergens; neurotoxins

Question 46

DDT breaking down to become ____ is called what?

Answer 46

DDE; breakdown product

Question 47

What interferes with the hormone system?

Answer 47

Endocrine disruptors.

Question 48

Name the six types of toxicants

Answer 48

Carcinogens, endocrine disruptors, mutagens, teratogens, allergens, neurotoxins.