Brainscape's Knowledge GenomeTM

Browse over 1 million classes created by top students, professors, publishers, and experts.


See full index

Global Environmental Challenges > Planetary Boundaries & Key Concepts > Flashcards

Planetary Boundaries & Key Concepts Flashcards

1
Q

What is the Anthropocene?

A
  • The current geological age, viewed as the period during which human activity has been the dominant influence on climate and the environment.
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
2
Q

What is meant by the term “Environmental Challenges?

A
  • Any issues or situations that confront humanity with a threat to our well being (in the short and long-term)
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
3
Q

What are Environmental challenges usually associated with?

A
  • Environmental challenges are issues or situations that are related to natural resources in the outside world (and natural resources are almost all of our external world apart from humans)
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
4
Q

Where did most of the Environmental Challenges come from?

A
  • Most come from the scarcity of environmental resources from human overuse of nature’s “source” and “sink” functions
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
5
Q

What are five of the worlds top most urgent environmental challenges?

A
  • Fossil carbon dependence and scarcity ; energy
  • High levels of net primary production (NPP) appropriation by humans (25%)
  • Water – freshwater scarcity; but with many related aspects such as pollution; climate change impacts; ocean pollution
  • Intervention in other major natural cycles, beyond water and CO2 (e.g. P,N)
  • Massive increases in material flows re natural resource use and extraction (disturbance and perturbation)
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
6
Q

What are some examples of major global environmental challenges?

A
  • Climate change - a massive range of impacts
  • Biodiversity loss (deforestation, fisheries);
    species loss 1000 times natural rate
  • Ecosystem services loss
  • Soil loss and food; monoculture and reduced genetic variety
  • Air pollution (especially urban); ocean pollution
  • Related health aspects (of these issues) – incl. mental health
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
7
Q

How were the nine planetary life support systems formed?

A
  • Johan Rockström, director of the Stockholm Environment Institute in Sweden, sat down with a team of 28 luminaries from environmental and earth-systems science.
  • They identified nine “planetary life-support systems” that are vital for human survival. They then quantified how far we have pushed them already, and estimated how much further we can go without threatening our own survival.
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
8
Q

Why are the nine planetary boundaries so important?

A
  • If humanity pushes beyond the boundaries, we risk causing “irreversible and abrupt environmental change” that could make the Earth a much less hospitable place
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
9
Q

What are the first three planetary boundaries?

A
  • Acid Oceans
  • Ozone Depletion
  • Fresh water
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
10
Q

What are the 4th, 5th and 6th planetary boundaries?

A
  • Biodiversity
  • Nitrogen and Phosphorus Cycles
  • Land use
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
11
Q

What are the last three planetary boundaries?

A
  • Climate Change
  • Aerosol Loading
  • Chemical Pollution
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
12
Q

Which of the nine planetary boundaries have been exceeded?

A
  • Climate change, biodiversity and nitrogen fixation have been exceeded.
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
13
Q

What is the limit for Climate change and where are we currently?

A
  • Limit: Atmospheric concentrations of Carbon Dioxide at no more than 350 ppm
  • Currently: Carbon Dioxide levels are at 400 ppm and climbing
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
14
Q

What is the limit for Biodiversity and where are we currently?

A
  • Limit: Maintain 90% of biodiversity

- Currently: Biodiversity has dropped to 84% in parts of the world such as Africa

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
15
Q

What is the limit for the Nitrogen and Phosphorus Cycle and where are we currently?

A
  • Limit: World wide use per year of about 11 teragrams (Tg) of phosphorus and 62 Tg of nitrogen
  • Currently: Up to about 22 Tg per year of Phosphorus and 150 Tg of nitrogen
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
16
Q

Why is the Anthropocene expected to be highly influential of the planet?

A
  • This new epoch of geological time in which human activity is considered such a powerful influence on the environment, climate and ecology of the planet that it will leave a long-term signature in the strata record
    – replacing the Holocene
    ANTHROPO = human
    CENE = era
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
17
Q

What is the limit for the emission of aerosols (microscopic particles) and where are we currently?

A
  • Limit: Global boundary is unknown but regional effects (such as on the South Asian Monsoon) occur when Aerosol Optical Depth (AOD) is more that 0.25
  • Currently: Up to 0.30 AOD over South Asia, but probably well inside (or below) the boundary over most of the globe
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
18
Q

How have humans impacted the world compared to other life forms before us?

A
  • Humanity has greatly influenced the Holocene environment
  • Probably the only species to have ever changed the globe as much, or as fast
  • Climate change and other factors are causing mass extinction of biodiversity (perhaps 20% of all plant and animal species on Earth will be extinct within the next 25 years).
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
19
Q

What is the limit for Land use (deforestation, etc) and where are we currently?

A
  • Limit: Maintain 75% of the planet’s original forests

- Currently: Down to 62%

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
20
Q

What is the limit for Stratospheric Ozone depletion and where are we currently?

A
  • Limit: Less than 5% below pre-industrial level of about 290 Dobson Units (DU)
  • Currently: Still safely inside the boundary except over Antarctica during spring, when levels drop to 200 DU
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
21
Q

What is the limit for Ocean Acidification and where are we currently?

A
  • Limit: When the ocean becomes acidic enough to dissolve the minerals needed for sea creature to make their shells
  • Currently: Still within the boundary, which won’t be crossed if we can stay within the climate boundary of 350ppm of CO2 in the atmosphere
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
22
Q

Why is inter-connectedness important for the boundaries?

A
  • Inter-connectedness is absolutely fundamental; it is not possible to uniquely separate the main issues (the 9 planetary boundaries)
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
23
Q

In using the DPSIR model what would one of the main drivers for Environmental Challenges be?

A
  • It is clear that people are one of, or the, major sources of environmental problems (they create the “drivers” behind the problems)
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
24
Q

What is the limit for Fresh Water use and where are we currently?

A
  • Limit: Can use up to 4000km cubed of fresh water a year

- We use around 2600Km cubed of fresh water per year

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
25
Q

What is the limit for chemical (or otherwise) waste and where are we currently?

A
  • Limit: unknown

- Currently: unknown

26
Q

When was the State of the Planet Declaration created?

A
  • Emerged from a major gathering of experts on global environmental and social issues in advance of the major UN Summit Rio+20 in June 2012.
27
Q

What are the main points in the State of the Planet Declaration?

A
  • We have driven the planet into a new epoch (Anthropocene) where many planetary‐scale processes are dominated by human activities.
  • Society must not delay taking urgent and large‐scale action.
28
Q

What are the two most common goals for society?

A
  • Work towards sustainability

- Increase resilience - community, environmental, human settlements, economic

29
Q

What is sustainable development?

A
  • Development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own need
30
Q

What is Sustainability?

A
  • The maintenance of “natural capital” or keeping natural capital constant. (Herman Daly 1990)
  • That is, no reduction in the level of potential services or benefits to humans from natural resources (or ecosystems)
31
Q

How can we use renewable resources sustainably?

A
  • The rate of harvest should not exceed the rate of regeneration (sustainable yield)
32
Q

How can pollution be minimised?

A
  • The rates of waste generation from projects should not exceed the assimilative capacity of the environment (sustainable waste disposal)
33
Q

How can we use non-renewable resources sustainably?

A
  • Their requires comparable development of renewable substitutes for that resource
34
Q

What is an Ethos?

A
  • The characteristic spirit of a culture, era, or community as manifested in its attitudes and aspirations.
35
Q

An ethos of sustainability must consider social outcomes, what does this mean for humanity?

A
  • Conditions in society should lead to long-term real, positive wellbeing changes across humanity
  • That is, social sustainability, and humanity should consider the effects on well being from technological, economic, environmental and cultural change
36
Q

What are the three pillars of sustainability?

A
  • Environmental sustainability
  • Economic sustainability
  • Social sustainability
37
Q

What is Resilience?

A
  • Resilience is the capacity of a system to survive, adapt, and grow in the face of unforeseen changes, even catastrophic incidents
  • It’s about coping with change
38
Q

What is Resilience thinking?

A
  • Resilience thinking acknowledges disequilibrium and nonlinear, continual change — often as a result of crossing a “tipping point” or threshold — and offers a tool for assessing the dynamic relationships between systems
39
Q

Why is resilience important?

A
  • Promotes the need for new policies and institutions that accommodate uncertainty and anticipate non-linear change (i.e. what we face with the Anthropocene)
  • The need for science and policy to design and implement (environmental) strategies that promote and build adaptive capacity for a complex and rapidly changing world
40
Q

What are the Sustainable Development Goals?

A
  • Universal set of goals, targets and indicators that UN member states will be expected to use to frame their agendas and political policies over the next 15 years (from 2016)
41
Q

How many SDG’s and targets are there?

A
  • 17 goals and 169 targets

- Each goal has a certain number of targets that act as steps to achieving the goal

42
Q

What are the first five SDG’s?

A
  • No Poverty
  • No Hunger
  • Good Health and Well-being
  • Quality Education
  • Gender Equality
43
Q

What are the 6th-10th SDG’s?

A
  • Clean Water and Sanitation
  • Affordable and Clean Energy
  • Decent Work and Economic Growth
  • Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure
  • Reduced Inequalities
44
Q

What are the 11th and 12th SDG’s?

A
  • Sustainable Cities and Communities

- Responsible Consumption and Production

45
Q

What are the 13th-15th SDG’s?

A
  • Climate Action
  • Life Below Water
  • Life on Land
46
Q

What are the 16th and 17th SDG’s?

A
  • Peace and Justice Strong Institutions

- Partnership for the Goals

47
Q

What does DPSIR stand for?

A
  • D = driving forces
  • P = pressures
  • S = Changes in the environment (state)
  • I = Impact of changes in the environment on humans
  • R = The responses of humans to these impacts
48
Q

In the DPSIR model, what are the Driving Forces?

A
  • The human activities, processes and patterns that are the sources of environmental resource and waste flows and their impacts
49
Q

In the DPSIR model, what are the Pressures?

A
  • The material and energy flows (releases and intakes) between human (economic) activity and the natural environment
50
Q

In the DPSIR model, what are the changes in the environment or “State”?

A
  • Tends or changes in biophysical conditions on Earth; the quality and quantity of natural resources
51
Q

In the DPSIR model, what are the Impacts?

A
  • The ultimate effects (cost and benefits) of environmental state (S) change on people
52
Q

In the DPSIR model, what are the Responses?

A
  • Intentional human action and strategies to deal with impacts or changes in pressures and states
53
Q

What is “Systems Thinking”?

A
  • Focuses on how the thing being studied interacts with the other parts of the system and other systems – to affect outcomes.
54
Q

How does “Systems Thinking” work?

A
  • Instead of isolating parts, systems thinking involves expanding its focus to take into account more interactions to understand and predict effects and outcomes
  • Can give very different conclusions from traditional forms of analysis, especially if there is dynamic complexity, or substantial feedback from other sources, internal or external.
55
Q

What does Earth Systems Science focus on?

A
  • Understanding the major Earth “spheres“ - atmosphere, hydrosphere, cryosphere, geosphere, pedosphere, biosphere, and, even the magnetosphere
  • Especially the interactions between these spheres and their effects
  • The impact of human societies on these components
56
Q

Why is Earth Systems Science Important?

A
  • Earth Systems Science transcends disciplinary boundaries to treat the Earth as an Integrated system
  • It needs to bring together researchers across both the natural and social sciences, e.g. ecology and economy
57
Q

How does Earth Systems Sciences work?

A
  • Earth system science takes a holistic view of the dynamic interaction between the Earth’s spheres and their many constituent subsystems (including the human realm or anthroposphere), the resulting organization and evolution of these systems, and their stability or instability
58
Q

Why are “Trans-disciplinary” approaches important for Environmental Challenges?

A
  • Transdisciplinarity is a research strategy that crosses many disciplinary (scientific) boundaries to create a holistic approach. It applies to research efforts focused on problems that cross the boundaries of two or more disciplines (sciences).
59
Q

How does Transdisciplinarity work?

A

Trans-disciplinary approaches not only use more than one discipline but a fusing of theories, methods and expertise across disciplinary boundaries in which each discipline merges with the others in the formation of a whole that is greater than the sum of its parts

60
Q

What is the difference between Trans-Disciplinarity and Inter-Disciplinarity?

A
  • Trans - Disciplinarity: seeks integrated and new shared theory rather than
  • Inter - Disciplinarity: usually a collaboration of scientists from different fields; adding blocks of info

Global Environmental Challenges (7 decks)

Brainscape helps you reach your goals faster, through stronger study habits.
© 2024 Bold Learning Solutions. Terms and Conditions