Environmental Science Flashcards
What is an environment?
All Living Matter
All Non living matter (rocks, wind, sunlight, etc)
Essentially, an environment is the sum of our surroundings
Human Interactions
Social Institutions and Business
Environmental Science vs Environmental Studies/Systems
Environmental Science is the actual study of the environment and environmental studies and systems is the study which includes but is not limited to protesting for or against a certain environmentally affecting activity.
Environmental Science is what kind of field?
an Interdisciplinary field. Environmental Science is a balance of how humans affect the environment and how in return the environment affects us.
Natural Resources
Those things that are essential for human survival and growth. Human based Environmental Science is about Natural Resources.
Renewable Resources
Resources that can be replenished or are always present ex: Sunlight, Timber, Water
Non Renewable Resources
Resources that either cannot be replenished or take a very long time to renew. Ex: Oil, Coal, Minerals
Tragedy of the Commons
Unregulated use of resources leads to resource depletion
What civilizations have called due to environmental decline?
Easter Island, Greenland Norse, Anasazi of North America, Mayan, Modern Russia
What is an Environmental Disaster?
Subjective based upon societal views and opinions. But some examples are DDT, MSMA, and Toxic Dumping
How do we solve environmental problems?
We use Science to sort fact from fiction. A systematic process of checks and balances that uses a wide body of knowledge to explain the world around us.
What are the two types of Scientific Designs/Experiments?
Manipulative Experiments and Natural Experiments
Manipulative Experiments
Experiments performed in ‘lab’ settings. They yield the most results, but aren’t always indicative of what happens in the real world.
Natural Experiments
Experiments performed outside/the field. Great design for what happens in nature, but results are not always pretty.
With enough applications, a hypothesis can become a _______.
Theory. A theory is a widely accepted explanation. However, theories can change.
Paradigm Shift
change in thinking
What are the major paradigm shifts?
The Agricultural Revolution and The Industrial Revolution
The Agricultural Revolution
Began about 10,000 years ago. People stopped gathering and began moving into a more agricultural life. Domesticated animals, farms, crops and villages begin during this period.
The Industrial Revolution
Began in the mid-1700s. People start moving away from the agricultural way of life and begin moving into urban areas. Mass production, fossil fuels and cities are born from this era. Along with them come fertilizers, pollution and pesticides.
What is the greatest barrier of Science?
The Assumption of Knowledge
What problems do we currently face?
Population vs. resource consumption.Our population growth is out of control and our rate of resource consumption is higher than our population growth. Humans are the biggest problem to the environment.
Thomas Mathus (1766-1834)
British Economist who wrote a paper stating that unless population growth is controlled with laws. people will outgrow food supply until starvation, war, and famine returns it to balance.
Paul Ehrlich (1932- )
American biologist whose 1968 book The Population Bomb. predicted that the world’s population explosion would lead to disaster by the end of the 20th century.
Ecological Footprint
The impact a person or population makes on the environment. Takes in consideration the amount of productive land it takes to support your resource addiction. Can be country based.
Agriculture
Since the Agricultural Revolution, we have witnessed the rise of pesticides and synthetic fertilizers, land erosion and pollution that we have seen a shift in our food production and the way we eat. Resulting in Fat Americans
Pollution
Water, Soil, and Air are all affected by pollution and there are few places on our planet that are pollution free.
The World Health Association estimates that a _______ people die every year of pollution effects.
MILLION
Why is there a lack of biodiversity?
Human actions have driven a numerous amount of species to go extinct. We are currently in a mass extinction period where we are losing species of critter everyday.
Cornucopians
Hopeful. They think that the current status of the environment is getting better due to human intervention . Humans can fix anything
Cassandras
There is no hope. They think that we have reached a point of no return and predict disaster.
Sustainability
No net loss of resources. We should try to keep the environment just like we found it and avoid compromising future availability.
Triple Bottom Line
Our solutions must meet environmental, economic, and social goals at the same time.
