Environmental Science

Question 0

Ecological footprint

Answer 0

Land needed to provide resources assimilate waste of a population

Question 1

Anthropogenic

Answer 1

Caused by or related to human action

Question 2

Carrying Capacity

Answer 2

Population size that an area can support indefinitely

Question 3

Sustainable

Answer 3

A method of using resources in such a way that we can continue to use them indefinitely.

Question 4

Empirical Science

Answer 4

A scientific approach that investigates the natural world through systematic observation and experimentation

Question 5

Applied Science

Answer 5

Research whose findings are used to help solve practical problems

Question 6

Environmental Literacy

Answer 6

A basic understanding of how ecosystems function and of the impact of our choices on the environment.

Question 7

Trade-offs

Answer 7

The imperfect and sometimes problematic responses that we must at times choose between when addressing complex problems

Question 8

Triple bottom line

Answer 8

The combination of the environmental, social, and economic impacts of our choices

Question 9

Renewable Energy

Answer 9

Energy that comes from an infinitely available or easily replenished source.

Question 10

Biodiversity

Answer 10

The variety if species on Earth.

Question 11

Non-renewable Resources

Answer 11

Resources whose supply is finite or not replenished in a timely fashion.

Question 12

Social Traps

Answer 12

Decisions by individuals or groups that seem good at the time and produce a short-term benefit, but that hurt society in the long run.

Question 13

Tragedy of the Commons

Answer 13

The tendency of an individual to abuse commonly held resources in order to maximize his or her own personal interest.

Question 14

Time Delay

Answer 14

Actions that produce a benefit today set into motion events that cause problems later on.

Question 15

Sliding Reinforcer

Answer 15

Actions that are beneficial at first but that change conditions such that their benefit declines over time.

Question 16

World views

Answer 16

The window through which one views one’s world and existence.

Question 17

Environmental Ethic

Answer 17

The personal philosophy that influences how a person interacts with his or her natural environment and thus affects how one responds to environmental problems.

Question 18

Anthropocentric Worldview

Answer 18

A human-centered view that assigns intrinsic value only to humans

Question 19

Instrumental Value

Answer 19

The value or worth of an object, organism, or species is based on its usefulness to humans.

Question 20

Biocentric Worldview

Answer 20

A life-centered approach that views all life as having intrinsic value, regardless of its usefulness to humans

Question 21

Intrinsic Value

Answer 21

The value or worth of an object, organism, or species is based on its mere existence

Question 22

Ecocentric Worldview

Answer 22

A system-centered view that values intact ecosystems, not just the individual parts.

Question 23

Sustainable

Answer 23

Capable of being continued without degrading the environment

Question 24

Economics

Answer 24

The social science that deals with allocate scarce resources.

Question 25

Ecosystem Services

Answer 25

Essential ecological processes that make life on Earth possible

Question 26

Ecological Footprint

Answer 26

The land needed to provide the resources for and assimilate the waste of a person or population

Question 27

Natural Capital

Answer 27

The wealth of resources on Earth

Question 28

Natural Interest

Answer 28

Readily produced resources that we use and still leave natural capital behind to replace what we took

Question 29

IPAT model

Answer 29

An equation (I=P x A x T) that identifies three factors that increase human impact (I) directly: population size (P), affluence (A), and technology (T).

Question 30

Internal Cost

Answer 30

Those costs– such as manufacturing costs, labor, taxes, utilities, insurance, and rent– that are accounted for when a product or service is evaluated for pricing.

Question 31

External Cost

Answer 31

Costs that are not taken into account when a price is assigned to a product or service.

Question 32

True Cost

Answer 32

Including both internal and external costs when setting a price for a good or service.

Question 33

Closed-loop System

Answer 33

A production system in which the product is folded back into the resource stream when consumers are finished with it, or is disposed of in such a way that nature can decompose it

Question 34

Cradle-to-Cradle

Answer 34

Management of a resource that considers the impact of its use at every stage of the process

Question 35

Discount Future Value

Answer 35

To give more weight to short-term benefits and costs than to long-term ones.

Question 36

Environmental/Ecological Economics

Answer 36

New theories of economics that consider the long-term impact of our choices on people and the environment

Question 37

Sustainable Development

Answer 37

Economic and social development that meets present needs without preventing future generations from meeting their needs.

Question 38

Green Business

Answer 38

Doing business in a way that is good for people and the environment

Question 39

Service Economy

Answer 39

A business model whose focus is on leasing and caring for a product in the customer’s possession rather than on selling the product itself (selling the service that the product provides).