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environmental issues > exam 2 > Flashcards

exam 2 Flashcards

1
Q

externalizing costs

A

costs generated by producers but carried by society as a whole, how companies make profit

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2
Q

materials throughput

A

the amount of a product a company can produce within a specific timeframe, beginning with raw materials and spanning all the way through finished product completion

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3
Q

planned obsolescence

A

the practice of designing products to break quickly or become obsolete in the short to mid-term

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4
Q

perceived obsolescence

A

when customers believe that a product is no longer useful or no longer holds value, so they purchase the newer model/upgrade

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5
Q

ecosystem resilience

A

the ability of an ecosystem to maintain its normal patterns of nutrient cycling and biomass production after being subjected to damage caused by an ecological disturbance

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6
Q

biodiversity

A

a measure of all of the plant, animal & microbial species in an area or on Earth

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7
Q

composting

A

can reduce waste sent to the landfill and product and offer farmers and gardeners a useful product, can be done successfully on both large and small scales

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8
Q

pronatalist

A

society advocates and encourages couples to have children

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9
Q

greenwashing

A

the act of making false or misleading statements about the environmental benefits of a product or practice, process of conveying a false impression or misleading information

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10
Q

monoculture

A

a single variety (genetically identical individuals) of a single crop
is planted over a large land area

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11
Q

watershed

A

a geographic area within which all water drains to the same point

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12
Q

indicator species

A

an organism that serves as a measure of the environmental conditions that exist in a given locale, its presence, absence or abundance reflects a specific environmental condition

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13
Q

eutrophication

A

the gradual increase in the concentration of phosphorus, nitrogen, and other plant nutrients in an aging aquatic ecosystem

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14
Q

human population growth spurts

A

two growth spurts: agricultural revolution (10,000 years ago) and industrial revolution (1700s), worldwide population growth rates are declining but the overall number is still positive, so world population is still increasing

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15
Q

green revolution

A

an effort to eliminate hunger by improving crop performance through use of chemical pesticides and fertilizers, modern irrigation and equipment, as well as high-yield varieties of crops

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16
Q

ecosystems services

A

essential ecological processes that make life on Earth possible, indirect and direct contributions of ecosystems to human well-being

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17
Q

conservation vs preservation

A

conservation is the proper use of natural resources through responsible use, preservation is the protection of natural resources through restriction of human activities

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18
Q

food chain vs food web

A

a food chain outlines who eats whom while a food web includes all food chains and connections in an ecosystem

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19
Q

extant

A

a species is present

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20
Q

extinct

A

all members of a species are dead

21
Q

extirpation

A

a species ceases to exists in a particular area but continues to exist somewhere else

22
Q

worldwide population growth rate

A

rate is decreasing but overall increasing (not exponential growth)

23
Q

age structure diagrams

A

use diagrams to predict the future growth potential of a population males to females vs age

24
Q

strategies for slowing down population growth

A

educating women on birth contraceptives, providing contraceptives, providing information and health care access

25
Q

population growth and ecological footprints

A

high population = high ecological footprint, environmental impact depends on the size of the population

26
Q

waste incineration

A

the burning of solid waste under controlled conditions
pro: eliminates trash
cons: releases air pollution

27
Q

challenges with recycling plastics

A

in many areas, only 1 or 2 plastics can be recycled, most are single use, people are unsure of how to recycle, recycling materials often end up in landfills anyways

28
Q

alternative waste strategies

A

landfills are the most predominant so alternatives include compost, incineration, and recycling

29
Q

fast fashion and human/ecological impacts

A

does not promote decent work conditions, fosters a culture of discrimination and harassment, impact fashion contributes to environmental pollution in several ways, the production processes require 43 million tonnes of chemicals a year, one of the largest uses of water

30
Q

CAFOs

A

concentrated animal feeding operations- livestock is raised in a confined space with the focus on growing as many animals as possible in a small space, which contributes to global warming

31
Q

pesticides, herbicides, and fertilizers and human/ecological impacts

A

when exposed to humans, they can cause cancers, respiratory issues, or other related illnesses, contain carcinogens, can contaminate water sources, soil, and air leading to pest resilience and environmental damage

32
Q

farm like an ecosystem

A

ex.) the three sisters
1. Beans are allowed to grow on corn and help recharge the soil
2. Squash works as a ground cover that reduces weeds and retains moisture, their prickly leaves help keep pests from the corn
3. Some native americans began fertilizing the soil with fish prior to planting the corn

33
Q

true cost

A

seeks to determine the true cost of a good or service by including the cost of negative externalities, such as pollution, and the negative effects it has on people and the environment, accounts for all external costs

34
Q

water percentages

A

water scarcity impacts 40% of the world,
water accounts for 70% of natural disaster deaths
the agricultural sector,
accounts for 69% of all groundwater abstractions,
domestic uses account for 22% of all groundwater abstractions,
Industrial purposes account for 9% of all groundwater abstractions

35
Q

water and climate change

A

climate change’s impacts on water scarcity: increased evaporation rates, more intense rain events leading to flooding, more intense droughts

36
Q

point source vs nonpoint source pollution

A

point source: any single identifiable source of pollution from which pollutants are discharged, regulated by the clean water act
nonpoint source: cannot specifically find the source of pollution, not managed by regulation but by “best management practices”

37
Q

water pollution

A

when harmful substances, often chemicals or microorganisms, contaminate a body of water, water quality degrades and renders it toxic to humans and the environment

38
Q

campus forestry tour

A

see handout from campus tour

39
Q

haitian forests

A

forests of Haiti were cleared to make way for coffee and sugar plantations, many of these trees along with the coffee and sugar crops were sold overseas, most of the remaining forest provided fuel for heating haitian homes and cooking meals, less than 2% of the original haitian forests remains today, 6% of the land has no soil remaining

40
Q

forests and human health

A

forests protect from diseases by protecting biodiversity, protect air quality and water quality, increase mental wellbeing and help with recovery

41
Q

everglades issues and solutions

A

issues: humans drained much of the wetland and reordered the landscape and pollution has disrupted nutrient cycles
solutions: comprehensive everglades restoration plan: goal is to restore some of the natural flow of water through the everglades,
restoration ecology: the science that deals with the repair of damaged or disturbed ecosystems (indicator species such as the wood stork are monitored as a gauge of success in the restoration efforts)

42
Q

macro-invertebrates/aquatic invertebrates

A

any animal lacking a backbone and large enough to see without the aid of a microscope/ with the naked eye

43
Q

community ecology

A

the study of all the populations, including plants, animals, and other species living and interacting in an area

44
Q

niche specialist vs niche generalist

A

niche specialist: species with very specific habitat or resource requirements that restrict where it can live - often highly adapted to acquire their resources and can outcompete others that might be trying to utilize the same resources (ex. koala, orchid mantis, wood stork)
niche generalist: species with a broad niche that is easily adaptable to many environmental conditions - very flexible, are very proficient at switching from one resource to another (ex. alligator, cockroach, raccoon)

45
Q

biodiversity hotspots vs cold spots

A

hotspot: areas with high biodiversity and endemic species value, and high threat
coldspot: - areas with low biodiversity and few species altogether

46
Q

intrinsic value vs instrumental value

A

intrinsic: the value a species or entity has itself in that ecosystem, sense of belonging naturally
instrumental: annual value of ecosystem services, valued for the end results gained from it conditional

47
Q

threats to ecosystems and species

A

habitat destruction, invasive species, population growth, pollution, climate change, overexploitation (HIPPCO)

48
Q

hellbender threats and solutions

A

threats: pollution and silt buildup
solutions: prevent people from destroying habitats that hellbenders occupy

environmental issues (2 decks)

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