GINS 3020B Test 2 Definitions

Question 1

Development

Answer 1

Human use environmental resources at expense of future generations.

Question 2

Conservation

Answer 2

Environmental management for sustainability. To maintain resources over time.

Question 3

Preservation

Answer 3

Environmental management for protection and preservation, for its own sake.

Question 4

Ontology

Answer 4

A philosophical concept that is asking about the nature of being. What exists? What is the nature of being?

Question 5

Epistemology

Answer 5

How do you know? What counts as knowledge?

Question 6

Paradigms

Answer 6

What is your world view? Paradigms are beliefs, not truths. No way to demonstrate that one paradigm is more credible than another.

Question 7

Thomas Theorem

Answer 7

“If men define situations as real, they are real in their consequences.” Our material world is impacted by our subjective realities. The definition of situations suggest that people do not make decisions based on rational, real conditions, but rather on their subjective interpretations of reality.

Question 8

Climate denialism

Answer 8

Outright rejection is weakening, now more nuanced. Not happening at a level that we need to do anything. Denial that humans can do anything. Climate science skepticism.

Question 9

Climate nihilism

Answer 9

Nothing has meaning or value. Acceptance of the state of the world.

Question 10

Climate pragmatism

Answer 10

Practical action. Realistic policy changes to work towards progressive change. No grandiose solutions. Localize approaches and remedies.

Question 11

Political ecology

Answer 11

Political ecology is a framework for understanding socioenvironmental interactions and “systems” dynamics. It is an approach a set of idea, and a “lens” through which to consider human/environment relations.

Question 12

Social construction

Answer 12

Any category, condition, or think that exists or is understood to have certain characteristics because people socially agree that it does.

Question 13

Frontier Economics

Answer 13

Anthropocentric. Progress = Economic Growth/Profit. Production oriented. Use natural resources to benefit humans. No reliance on ecological balance. Ex: Forest transition curve.

Question 14

Environmental Protection

Answer 14

Anthropocentric. Trade-offs between economic growth/environments. Business as usual paradigm + clean up.

Question 15

Resource Management

Answer 15

Looks at dynamics of interconnectedness of the trees instead of cold calculation of trees harvested and replanted. Also sees trees as way to help people financially. Earth is a closed ecological system sustainable development economic growth with environmental protection emphasis on long-term planning.

Question 16

Eco-Development

Answer 16

Earth is a closed ecological system. Nature has intrinsic value. Moral instilling of environmental concerns. Ecocentric.

Question 17

Deep Ecology

Answer 17

Deep ecology is preservation and biocentric. This idea is that humanity should never infringe on nature or its processes.

Question 18

Forest Transition Theory

Answer 18

A model that predicts a period of deforestation in a region during development, when the forest is a resource or land is cleared for agriculture, followed by a return of forest when the economy changes and population outmigrates and/or becomes conservation-oriented.