ES 1 Flashcards
fermi paradox
should be lots of life even if there’s no clear evidence
drake equation
attempts to calculate other life in the cosmos
what are the 3 top responses to the fermi paradox?
1) rare earth hypothesis
2) common earth hypothesis
3) the great filter
*all lead to the same conclusion
rare earth hypothesis
Earth is either unique or too unusual for complex life elsewhere
common earth hypothesis
life in the universe is common we just haven’t found it yet
-uses Drake equation
the great filter
-must be a set of obstacles that stop evolution
-filters ex: space too big, simple life common, intelligent species don’t last long
pluralism
valuing different approaches
logical fallacies
mistakes in critical thinking
type 1 error
false positive (dangerous)
type 2 error
false negative (dangerous)
indirect sources/proxy sources
studying one thing to understand something else
indicator species
pop size tells us something about ecosystem conditions
qualitative methods
non-numeric method for understanding what people believe and do
quantitive methods
numeric, can count
directional change
species extinctions can only happen once
correlation vs. causation
correlation = apparent relationship bw 2 variables
causation = actual relationship bw 2 variables
emergent properties
env system properties that only become known at larger scales
-scale of a mile
merchants of doubt
people paid to sow doubt in a community
triangulation
-using 2+ methods to address the same question
-more reliable than just 1
-also called mixed methods research
2nd law of thermodynamics
total entropy or disorder will always increase in a closed system
earth’s mass extinctions (5 but now 6)
-dnd-ordovican
-late devonian
-end glualalupian/permian
-end triassic
-end cretaceous
pleistocene epoch
age of mammals, 11 major ice ages and interglacial periods
what started the first wave of 6th mass extinction?
the great migration
paleolithic
stone age
holocene
-1st cities
-emergence of diverse cultures
when did the anthropocene start?
started around the great acceleration (from WWII)
cherry picking
pointing to info while ignoring other info
hodgsen vs. turco
2 diff perspectives:
-hodgsen=dramatic constant change (dynamic)
-turco=earth dampens change (equilibrium)
eternal return
seeing nature as cyclical
western history
seasons, cycles, gods were angry when bad things happened
19th century
universal environmental change
carl linnaeus
argued for ordered nature
james huttons
theory of the earth (rock layers)
charles lyell
-uniformitarianism
-same processes that shaped life on earth continues today
george cuvier
-catastrophism
-earths history shaped by rare, unpredictable, transformative events
phyletic gradualism
large changes due to smaller changes over time
punctured equilibrium
rare events may lead to rapid changes or long periods of calm
gaia hypothesis
-5 atmospheric indicators
-negative feedback towards equilibrium
chaos theory
-2 initial conditions
-positive feedbacks influence change
-future depends on now
succession
disturbed ecosystems eventually go back to normal
I=PAT
I=impact
P=population
A=affluence (consumption)
T=technology
the malthusians
-pop leads to hunger
-tech and affluence can alter rate of change but not affect the outcome
-malthus got it wrong bc looking forward rather than backward
how does India push back on pop vs. consumption?
-it’s not pop, it’s consumption
-people in India emit less
envi kuznets curve
-amount increases after initial period, total envi impact decreases w/ increasing wealth
-fails to consider international trade
-no simple result
george marsh
“impacts” are driving force of disturbance
albedo
ability of a surface to reflect light
keeling curve
tracks rise of global co2
how fast is the arctic melting?
4x
carbon budget
est amount of co2 world can emit while maintaining global temp rise (2 degrees)
el niño
trade winds blow W, reduces upwelling, sea surface temps rise, affecting global temps
attribution science
math models to determine whether extreme events are caused by humans
3 options to deal with cc
mitigation, adaption, suffering
montreal protocol
-aimed to phase out ozone depleting chemicals
-social and cultural prob
abusive fallacy
-name calling
-bc one person said it, it must be true
dilution effect
-controversial in health ecology
-diverse ecosystems create situations where it’s less likely to get spillover
-complex math
spillover
movement of pathogens from one species to another
biodiversity levels of organization (smallest to largest)
-gene
-individual
-pop
-species
-ecosystem
-biome
biodiversity hotspot
-34 regions
-density of endemic species
-species richness differs
dichotomy/false dilemma
either one thing or the other
6th mass extinction
-large groups of birds/amphibians under risk of extinction
-HI first then CA
thomas mathus
“pop would make it hard for economics to grow”
-pessimist
adam smith
-“free trade will optimize production”
-talked about regulation
progressive era
series of reform movements
the elephant curve
-poverty and wealth had income growth, middle class didn’t
utilitarianism
how much can I take out while keeping env sustainable (max sustainable yield)
robert costanza
-not everything is replaceable
-thought experiment
lack of tolerance for cognitive dissonance
-contradictory thoughts, attitude, or evidence
-2 things can be valid
economies of scale
as supply increases, price decreases
confirmation bias
-favoring info that supports prior beliefs
political backsliding
-access to democratic decision-making is being reduced over time due to unequal voting rights/flawed institutions
republic
government of the people
federalism
-power shared bw various members
-states are the sovereigns (police power)
-supreme clause
-env issues questions states rights
constitutional basis for federal env laws
-commerce clause
-treaty power
-property power
public trust doctrine
states have some authority to conserve resources for people of the state
5 standards of regulation
1) command and control
2) tech or design
3) performance based
4) market based
5) voluntary
*CA bill 32 combines all to reduce GHG
regional risk factors for emerging diseases?
habitat frag, pop size and growth, urbanization, migration, war, etc.
ad hominem
logical fallacy: is an attack on someone’s character or qualities
ecological guild– ex: large carnivores
group of creatures that exploit similar resources in similar ways
ecological vs environmental economics
environmental= traditional approaches- look at env the same way they do anything else
ecological= lens of change- actively work to improve ecosystems
cognitive dissonance
logical fallacy: a state of having contradictory thoughts, attitudes, or evidence. For many people, this can be so confusing or even disorienting that they reject it, choosing instead to embrace a single belief
just transition
finding ways to help people shift to a low or no carbon society
supremacy clause
federal laws are supreme, even though states are seen as “sovereign”
appeal to authority
logical fallacy: “Because this person said it, it must be true”
managed retreat
buffering communities from coastal threats, if done in an orderly and
planned way
What historic event in 2014 led to the poisoning of an entire community’s water supply and is a key example of an environmental justice issue?
lead poisoning in Flint, Michigan
hasty generalization
-problem of induction
-I have an experience of something so I’m just gonna draw a conclusion from that
-claim based on few examples
slippery slope
if you do one thing, another (and prob worse) thing is gonna follow
EPAs definition of env justice fails to account for…
why we are in this problem to begin with
3 Climate justice conclusions…
-risk
-vulnerability
-resilience
whataboutism
- a diversion or distraction
- “yeah that’s bad but what about this thing? that’s bad too”
how much of pop lives on coast?
40% (less than 10% total land)
why are insurance companies retreating?
-increased claims
-regulatory difficulties
-withdrawal of reinsurance firms from markets
holdrens formula
-adaption
-mitigation
-suffering
what was the most powerful law passed w/o question
ESA
Kat Macay TA talk
-Red tail monkey project
-aerospace (carbon emissions)
-now works for FORVIS (counting carbon)
Alicia TA talk
-Wild salmon center internship
-makes maps
-salmon pop decreasing in NW bc of pebble mine
Eleri Griffiths TA talk
-Worked at NASA
-SE coast ecological conservation (ghost forests= dead wet in wetlands)
Chloe Swick TA talk
-env economics & policy
-studying whales from space
-outlaw ocean project
Tatiana Bak TA talk
-env toxicology
-coastal resource management
-waste free waves (debris in Chumash sanctuary)
Micheal TA talk
-Historical ecology & biogeography
-El Niño (why some fish show up where not supposed to)
