Midterms - Problems Flashcards
Ethics?
What ppl are expected to do by society.
Morals?
What ppl are expected to do by themselves.
What is Environmental Ethics? When?
1968 - 1970; intrinsic value to all things. We are expected to follow ethics for earth’s health.
2 events leading up to environmental ethics?
1968 - moon landing
1968 - The Population Bomb by Paul Ehrlich
2 philosophers leading up to environmental ethics?
1916 - Muir; we are made of same things as microscopic things.
1949 - Leopold; it is right to support integrity of the biosphere.
Who proposed the idea of Deep Ecology? When?
Naes (1973)
What is the difference between Biospheric Egalitarianism and Deep Ecology? Which one came first? Why did it change from one to other?
Biospheric Egalitarianism came first. B.E. stated that life has intrinsic value. It was changed into Deep Ecology because the idea that non-organic and lower life forms had self interest was controversial.
Name four points of Deep Ecology.
Deep Ecology was redefined to say that (1) value is independent of human purposes, and that biodiversity is necessary and should not be damaged by human life activities. It states that the (2) human activities are worsening biodiversity. It further states that (3) policies and ideologies must be changed to appreciate life quality (happiness rather than GDP). Finally, it also says that (4) everyone has a personal responsibility to follow these points.
What is the opposite of Biospheric Egalitarianism? (Two Answers)
Anthropocentrism and Atomic Individualism (Human is individual with Self/essence separate from other life forms.)
What is Relationism? What is it related to?
Identity arises from its ecological relation to other things. Related to Deep Ecology.
What is the ancient Greek philosophy regarding Earth? Name 2 philosophers and their thoughts.
Plato: Earth is an organism with sensations.
Aristotle: Earth is interconnected. Slightly anthropomorphized the purpose of earth with human function. (ex. sight).
What is the modern hypothesis regarding Earth?
Earth is a machine.
Who ushered in the modern era? When?
DeCartes in 1650.
Who ushered in a return to “earth as being” hypothesis? What is the name of that hypothesis? What did he do? What was regulating air in his PoV?
Gaia Hypothesis by Lovelock. He was an atmospheric composition pioneer. (Air is like fur for cats, which is regulated by life.)
What is the Hummingbird a metaphor for? Why?
Hummingbird ~ Equilibrium in Environment. Hummingbird works in pollination, and is stopped by caffein released by plant (bitter) if it takes too much honey. Life (hummingbird and flowers) regulates the environment.
Another example of life regulating environment to benefit the whole?
Plankton in ocean releases Me2S, which causes rain to increase ionic composition/balance pH for all animals.
What are Dead Zones?
Anoxic environment near coast of NM and LA where runoff from fertilizers, etc. cause abundance of certain microorganisms that disturbs the balance of organisms, causing depletion in oxygen levels.
Rio De Jeneiros Bay– What happened in 2008, 2010, and 2011? How much $ was allocated? Did it work?
2008: Predicted that 1/3 bay will disappear under garbage. In 4/8 areas, sewage replaced water.
2010: Considered one of the most polluted ecosystem of the world. Pollution from industrial waste, agricultural waste, and domestic waste.
2011: ++ cyanobacteria in water b/c of sewage –> known liver cancer carcinogen produced.
$1 B allocated, corruption made it useless.
What are 4 sources of water pollutants in the US?
- Underground tanks/storage leak oil. Determined by odorous MTBT in drinking water.
- Run-off into river.
- Badly constructed landfills; rain washes off bacteria, metals, etc. to ground.
- Animal production waste, inc. steroids.
What 3 things do wastewater treatments monitor for, and why?
- Nutrients; guard against dead zones.
- Pollutants; make sure pollutants from air isn’t contaminating water. (ex. Mg from coal).
- Marine life; guard against bioaccumulation.
What 5 can be used to disinfect water?
Cl, O3, UV, biotreatment, and filters.
What is the New York Harbor? What is the New York Bight?
Harbor is part of NY Bight. Bight is shallow water along the coast including bottom of LI.
What does NY Harbor contain that is of ecological importance?
Estuaries, where salt water (Atlantic) meets fresh water (Hudson). It is a breeding ground for species.
What are the core areas of interest when talking about NY water pollution?
Hudson River, Upper and Lower Bay, Arthur Kill (Staten Island), Kill van Kull (Staten Island), Jamaica Bay, and East Rv