quiz #3

Question 1

what are the different ways of combatting climate change?

Answer 1

1) mitigation: reduce CO2 emissions
- international agreements have limited success

Question 2

define biodiversity: list some causes of biodiversity loss

Answer 2

variability among living organisms and the ecological complexes of which they are part
- conversion of natural land to crops and cities, pollution, exploitation for commercial use, species being hunted/killed/marketed illegally

Question 3

what risks are associated with losing biodiversity?

Answer 3

we threaten our well-being when we diminish biodiversity.
- maintains natural systems, aids in robustness, provides essential goods and services

Question 4

what are the two ways humans impact the environment?

Answer 4

1) cumulative impacts: actions become problems when too many people participate i.e., burning, cutting trees, mining
2) unintended consequences: occur when people don’t pay attention to how the world works i.e., pesticides, dumping trash in wetlands

Question 5

explain the tragedy of the commons

Answer 5

a situation where individuals acting independently and rationally according to each other’s self-interest behave contrary to the best interests of the whole by depleting some common resource

Question 6

what are the three unifying themes we need to move towards a sustainable relationship with the natural world?

Answer 6

1) sustainability: can continue indefinitely without depleting material or energy resources, i.e, sustainable yields in forestry/fisheries, sustainable ecosystems, sustainable society
2) sound science
3) stewardship

Question 7

what is sustainable development?

Answer 7

development or progress that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their needs.

developed countries: environmental sustainability
developing countries: economic development

Question 8

what are sustainable solutions and what does it mean?

Answer 8

concerns of sociologists (human needs), economists (growth), and ecologists (natural systems) must intersect to produce sustainable solutions…. socially, economically and ecologically feasible

Question 9

what are the four assumptions of the scientific method?

Answer 9

1) what we perceive with our senses represents objective reality
2) objective reality functions according to certain basic principles and natural laws that remain consistent
3) every result has a cause: every event causes other events and events do not occur without reason
4) through observation, manipulation and reason: we can discover and understand natural laws of the universe

Question 10

draw the steps of the scientific method

Answer 10

observations -> questions -> hypothesis -> experiment -> answers

Question 11

hypothesis vs. theory

Answer 11

hypothesis: educated guess about the cause of an observation
theory: hypothesis that has been rigorously tested and confirmed

Question 12

how can concepts be used to modify public policy?

Answer 12

explanations of data gathered from the natural world but help make qualified predictions of future outcomes

i.e., DDT and mosquitoes resistance, spraying a marsh with DDT is likely to result in resistant mosquitoes, public policy can reduce this outcome