Short Answers Flashcards
Natural resources are usually defined as
materials or substances occurring in nature which can used by humans. These are sometimes refered to as wild resources.
Australian Aboriginals traditionally used dingoes to help
To help hunt wild animals. For flushing them out of hiding.
Early agriculture took many main forms such as
Shifting cultivation.
- slash and burn
- designed for nutrient poor areas which could only support short term cropping.
Sedentary cultivation.
- permanent fields and villages.
- developed in areas where
- soil and climate could support crops every year.
- where irrigation is possible.
The ‘Tambul spade’, found preserved in swampy ground in the Papua New Guinea Highlands in 1976, is significant because
It is aged at ~4000 BP. It is the oldest known PNG agricultural tool and wooden artifact.
The Industrial Revolution began in around the middle of which Century.
18th century or 1700’s. (approx. ~1750)
The has been suggested as a name to mark the period of ‘geologic’ time in which humans have become the dominant influence on the Earth’s environment.
Anthropocene
Sustainable resource management aims to
Meet the needs of the current generation without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their needs.
One environmental justification for being a vegetarian is
Reducing carbon emission from the production and consumption of meat.
The general purpose of multilateral environmental agreements is to
of preventing or managing human impacts on natural resources
An environmental hazard is usually defined as
a state or an event which has the potential to threaten the surrounding natural environment / or adversely affect people’s health and belongings.
Examples of a biospheric hazard are
Bush fires, lightning, animal attacks, insect pests, disease.
Many earthquakes occur in New Zealand because
It astride boundary two tectonic plates (Australian Plate, Pacific Plate).
The 1953 Tangiwai disaster occurred after the railway bridge over the Whangaehu River was destroyed by
was caused by the collapse of the tephra dam holding back nearby Mount Ruapehu’s crater lake, creating a large lahar in the Whangaehu River.
Most tsunami are caused by
Large earthquakes on the sea floor when slabs of rock move past each other suddenly, causing the overlying water to move.
Tropical cyclones are known as in North America, and in Asia as
Hurricanes.
Records over many years show that floods cause over what per cent of all deaths that result from natural disasters worldwide?
50%
Fire has a particularly strong negative effect on New Zealan.d’s indigenous forest because
Our forest being isolated has caused the forest to not be adjusted to fires occuring meaning that the disaster can destroy a forest.
The ozone layer is important to life on Earth because it
Reflects UV radiation from the earth
As the Earth’s climate warms, sea level rises for two key reasons:
Thermal expansion
Glacial melting and melting ice sheets.
Environmental resources may be defined as
organic and inorganic natural materials which are of great value to man, animals and plants.
Fossil fuels are classified as non-renewable resources because they
They replenish at a rate that is longer than a human lifetime.
Hunting and gathering formed the basis of human existence until the emergence of
Agriculture
The Industrial Revolution refers to
The process whereby industrial activity comes to play a dominant role in the economy of a nation or region.
International environmental law emerged in response to
To manage human use of environment and resources when problems cross national boundaries.
New Zealand’s Resource Management Act 1991 aims to
promote the sustainable management of natural and physical resources.
Regulation to avoid over-fishing involves introducing controls such as:
Institute safe catching limits.
Place controls on secondary catches.
Protect key habitat areas.
Change enforcement protocols.
Plantation forestry is becoming increasingly important worldwide because
they provide most goods and services that are provided by natural forests.
These include timber, nontimber forest products, protection of clean water and clean air, soil erosion control, biodiversity, esthetics, carbon sequestration, and climate control.
The concept of sustainable yield is based on the idea that
Such a yield is one that can in principle be maintained indefinitely because it can be supported by the regenerative capacities of the underlying natural system.
Approximately 80% of the world’s volcanoes are located above
At convergent plate boundaries (subduction zones)
When tropical cyclones move inland, they eventually weaken because
Without the warm water being absorbed into the cyclone it would start to disipate.
People in less developed countries are often more vulnerable to natural disasters because
Cause setbacks to long term economic and social development of the country
Lack of resources for early warning systems; unplanned squatter developments are not designed to withstand natural forces
Inflicts massive casualities due to lack of relief infrastructure and resources
Forced to divert funds from development programs to emergency relief and recovery
Tsunamis are
Tsunamis are giant waves caused by earthquakes or volcanic eruptions under the sea.
The enhanced greenhouse effect refers to as
climate change or global warming, is the impact on the climate from the additional heat retained due to the increased amounts of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases that humans have released into the earths atmosphere since the industrial revolution.
One negative impact of acid rain is
rob the soil of essential nutrients such as calcium
cause aluminum to be released in the soil, which makes it hard for trees to take up water.
Global warming is likely to bring about many environmental changes, such as:
As the climate warms, it changes the nature of global rainfall, evaporation, snow, stream flow and other factors that affect water supply and quality.
Ozone depletion poses a risk to humans because
increased UV radiation levels which can cause skin cancers, eye cataracts and immune deficiency disorders.
UV rays also affect plant growth, reducing agricultural productivity.
The Agricultural Revolution refers to
the transformation of human societies from hunting and gathering to farming. This transition occurred worldwide between 10,000 BC and 2000 BC, with the earliest known developments taking place in the Middle East.
The Anthropocene has been suggested as a name to mark the
period of ‘geologic’ time in which humans have become the dominant influence on the Earth’s environment.
There are many actions that each of us can personally take to live more sustainably, such as:
Go #PlasticFree.
Be water wise.
Drive less, drive green.
Minerals ‘become’ resources when developments in _____ enable them to be used.
Technology
Efforts to sustainably manage fisheries face several problems, for example
Inadequate fisheries regulations
Lack of implementation/enforcement
Lack of transparency and traceability of fish
Failure to follow scientific advice:
Flag of Convenience vessels:
Too few no-go areas for fishing:Deforestation is occurring rapidly in many less developed countries for a variety of reasons, for example
due to population growth and agricultural expansion, aggravated over the long term by wood harvesting for fuel and export.
Many volcanoes exist around the margin of the Pacific Ocean because
of the subduction of oceanic plates beneath lighter continental plates.
Floods negatively affect people both directly, such as, and indirectly, such as
loss of human life damage to property destruction of crops loss of livestock deterioration of health conditions owing to waterborne diseases.
long-term impacts
disruptions to supplies of clean water
wastewater treatment
electricity, transport, communication, and health care.
People living in small South Pacific island countries, such as Kiribati and Tuvalu, are especially concerned about global climate change because
The increase in sea levels would take our their way of life making the land uninhabitable.
This is through coruption of fresh water, destruction of crops and homes.
Over time, energy inputs to agriculture have increased in an effort to
Increase production rate for the growing population.
Aquaculture is becoming more common worldwide because
As global populations continue to increase, wild populations of commercially captured fish can no longer support this demand. Aquaculture provides an efficient means of protein production.
Approximately 5% of the world’s volcanoes are located above
Above hotspots in the mantle
Approximately 15% of the world’s volcanoes are located above
At divergent plate boundaries (mid-oceanic ridges)
