Exam 1 Flashcards
6 key themes of environmental science
- human pop growth
- increased urbanization
- sustainability
- people and nature
- a global perspective
- science and values
what type of population growth do developed countries experience
logistic
what type of population growth do developing countries experience
exponential
2 types of overpopulation
people overpopulation, consumption overpopulation
problems with overpopulation
strains resources, creates pollution, reduces quality of life
megacities
cities with a pop of 10 million +
problem with urbanization
it creates special environmental problems
heat island effect
vegetation is replaced with roads and building causing the areas to heat up
urban sprawl
city grows and spreads out
sustainability
meeting the needs of the present generation without compromising the needs of future generations
sustainable development and 3 key components
sustainable economic development
ecology, economy, equity
challenges to sustainable development: different world view
anthropocentric, biocentric, ecocentric
biocentric vs ecocentric
biocentric: prioritizes all life
ecocentric: prioritizes ecosystems
Tragedy of the commons
when people only act in their own self interest the environment suffers
overusing a shared resource
social trap
decision that produces a short term benefit, but harms society in the long run
time delay
action that produces immediate benefits but leads to problems in the future
sliding reinforcers
actions that are beneficial at first, but over time benefits decline
what is the biggest challenge to sustainable living
wealth inequality
people and nature
people affect nature and nature effects people
principle of envtl unity
we affect nature globally because everything in nature is interconnected
science and values
science and ethics go hand and hand
scientific method 5 steps
- develop question
- form a hypothesis
- conduct an experiment
- collect data
- analyze and interpret results
theory
explanation for why a phenomena occurs supported by multiple hypothesis
Law
mathematical expression for how a phenomena occurs
theory vs law
theory explains why
law explains how
accuracy
how close a measured value is to an accepted value
precision
how close a set of measured values are to eachother
mono lake case study 2 takeaways
the activists were correct
beware of bias, always apply scientific method
what happened to mono lake
river feeding into lake was diverted causing salinity to increase and the lake to shrink
what was the first era of conservation marked by
the disappearance of eastern forests
1st era of conservation: new science concepts
evolution by natural selection (darwin)
1st era of conservation: naturalist writers
Ralph Waldo Emerson: transcendentalism. rejection of material goals, happiness through nature
Henry David Thoreau: Walden. simple living
1st era of conservation: new conservation institutions
Central Park NY
Yellowstone National Park
what was the second era of conservation marked by
western settlement hitting the pacific ocean
what 2 thing were crucial to western settlement
transcontinental railroad and the Homestead Act
what 2 animals faced mass exploitation in the second era
bison and passenger pigeon
2nd era of conservation: new science concepts
biotic succession and ecology
gave us the tools to manage finite resources
2nd era of conservation: naturalist writer
John Muir: preserve nature for nature’s sake
2nd era of conservation: John Muir vs Gifford Pinchot
John Muir: preservationist
Gifford Pinchot: conservationist
2nd era of conservation: new conservation institutions
US Forestry Service
National Wildlife Refuge System
Antiquities Act
what was the US Forestry Service for
managing land wisely
what did the Antiquities Act do
empowers the president to designate national monuments
what was the third era of conservation marked by
the dustbowl
what caused the dustbowl
settlers replaced grass with wheat, droughts, topsoil blew away
3rd era of conservation: new science concepts
ecosystem: communities of organisms and their abiotic environment
3rd era of conservation: writers
Aldo Leopold: Sand County Almanac, merged science and ethics
Marjory Stoneman Douglas: The Everglades River of Grass
3rd era of conservation: new science institutions (4)
Civillian Conservation Corp
Soil Conservation Service
US Fish and Wildlife Service
TVA
what does the soil conservation service do
agriculture conservation
what does the US Fish and Wildlife Service do
enforces US wildlife protection laws
what 3 things does the TVA do
navigation, flood control, electrical power
what was the fourth conservation era marked by
the recognition of pollution
Cuyahoga River caught on fire
4th era of conservation: new concept
environmental analysis: the study of the impact of pollutants on the environment
4th era of conservation: naturalist writers
Paul Erlich: population bomb
Rachel Carson: Silent spring
What is Rachel Carson known for
against indiscriminate use of pesticides esp DDT
4th era of conservation: new institutions
Wilderness Act of 1964
Environmental protection agency (EPA)
what did the wilderness act of 1964 do
sets aside areas in protected lands, like national parks, to be untouched by humans
what does the EPA do
protect human and environmental health
what are the models for the shift in thought on the wilderness
Puratin model: viewed wilderness as something sinister
Lockean model: conquer and capitalize off wilderness
Romantic model: romanticizes nature, views it as peaceful and serene
what was the fifth era of conservation marked by
the loss of biodiversity from habitat loss
5th era of conservation: new science concept
computer-based tech to study the environment like GIS
5th era of conservation: naturalist writer
EO Wilson: diversity of life
biophilia
biophilia
desire to be close to nature
EO Wilson: half earth book significance
introduced the radical idea that half of earth’s land should be protected
5th era of conservation: new institutions (6)
National biological service
Society for conservation biology
Earth Summit
Climate change warning from UN
Kyoto protocol
Paris Agreement
what does the society for conservation biology do
professional organization that studies the biodiversity crisis
Paris Agreement significance
international treaty to reduce greenhouse gas emissions to limit climate change
trump removed us from it twice
what was the Earth Summit meeting
meeting about sustainable development
what are genes
made of DNA, found on chromosomes within cells, produce recognizable traits
sentience
capacity to suffer and enjoy life
descent with modification (Darwin) 2 main points
- species alive today descended from ancestral species
- natural selection is a mechanism for evolution
natural selection 4 steps
- organisms produce excessive offspring
- offspring compete for limited resources
- some offspring have genes that give them an advantage
- those offspring survive and pass down their genes
what two things is the theory of natural selection based on
- species produce excessive offspring
- individual variation is abundant within a species
what was the 6th era of conservation marked by
the recognition of human driven envtl change (habitat loss, climate change)
6th era of conservation: new concepts
climate-adaptive conservation
6th era of conservation: writer
David Wallace Wells: The Uninhabitable Earth: Life After Warming
6th era of conservation: new institutions
UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration
UN Global Biodiversity Framework
