Introduction to Environmental Science Flashcards
What does the environment include?
- Water and air
- Climate
- Soil and landforms
- Presence of other living landforms
What is the study of the interaction of humans with the natural environment?
Environmental science
Why is environmental science interdisciplinary?
It includes concepts and ideas from multiple fields of study.
What is a resource that can be replenished within a human lifetime?
Renewable
What is a resource that is replenished extremely slowly if at all?
Nonrenewable
What is the estimated supply of coal
861 billion tons
What is pollution that will break down eventually over time?
Biodegradable pollution
What is pollution that doesn’t break down?
Nonbiodegradable pollution
What is the number of different species present in one specific ecosystem?
Biodiversity
What is the complete loss of a species, that can be accelerated by human actions?
Extinction
How many known major extinctions have occurred in the history of Earth?
Five
What is the background rate for mammal extinctions?
1 mammal every 200 years
What is the discipline that studies the moral relationship of human beings to the environment?
Environmental ethics
What does anthropocentrism mean?
Human centered
