The State of the Environment

Question 1

Environment

Answer 1

the surroundings or conditions in which a person, animal, or plant lives or operates; the natural world, as a whole or in a particular geographical area, especially as affected by human activity.

Question 2

Ecology

Answer 2

the branch of biology that deals with the relations of organisms to one another and to their physical surroundings.

comes from 2 root words:
“logos” = study of
“oikos” = home

Question 3

Environmental science

Answer 3

the study of the environment, and the solution of environmental problems; understanding human relationships, perceptions and policies towards the environment; the understanding of earth processes and effects of global climate change, evaluating alternative energy systems, pollution control, managing natural resources

Question 4

Environmentalism

Answer 4

movement regarding concerns for environmental protection and improvement of the health of the environment; advocates the preservation, restoration and/or improvement of the natural environment, and may be referred to as a movement to control pollution or protect plant and animal diversity.

Question 5

Renewable

Answer 5

resources are replenished naturally and over relatively short periods of time.

Examples:
solar, wind, water, biomass, and geothermal.

Question 6

Nonrenewable

Answer 6

resources due to the long time it takes for them to be replenished.

Examples:
coal, nuclear, oil, and natural gas, are available in limited supplies; forests

Question 7

Sustainability

Answer 7

how biological systems remain diverse and productive; the endurance of systems and processes.

Example: Long-lived and healthy wetlands and forests

Question 8

Carrying Capacity

Answer 8

the maximum population size of the species that the environment can sustain indefinitely, given the food, habitat, water and other necessities available in the environment.

Our planet (7.2 billion)

Question 9

Tragedy of the Commons

Answer 9

an economic theory by Garrett Hardin, which states that individuals acting independently and rationally according to each’s self-interest, behave contrary to the best interests of the whole group, by depleting some common resource.

Question 10

Ecological footprints

Answer 10

the impact of a person or community on the environment, expressed as the amount of land required to sustain their use of natural resources; measures human activity

In Hectares:
The U.S. = 9.6 per capita/3 billion total
The Netherlands = 3.8 per capita/62 million total
India = 0.8 per capita/ 880 million total

Question 11

____% of world’s population are in developed countries.

____% of worlds population are in developing countries (because of the bigger population growth).

Answer 11

19 and 81

Question 12

____% of the wealth and income belong to developed countries.
____% of the wealth and income belong to developing countries.

Answer 12

85 and 15

Question 13

____% of the resources used are in developed countries.

____% of the resources used are in developing countries.

Answer 13

88 and 12

Question 14

____% of the pollution and waste are from developed countries.
____% of the pollution and waste are from developing countries.

Answer 14

75 and 25

Question 15

Garrett Hardin

Answer 15

wrote Tragedy of the Commons in 1968

Question 16

How do you calculate the doubling time for human population growth?

Answer 16

70/annual rate of % increase

Question 17

What are five causes of environmental problems?

Answer 17

1. population growth
2. unsustainable resource use
3. poverty
4. not including the environmental costs of economic goods and services in market prices
5. trying to manage and simplify nature with too little knowledge about how it works

Question 18

affluenza

Answer 18

a psychological malaise supposedly affecting wealthy young people, symptoms of which include a lack of motivation, feelings of guilt, and a sense of isolation.

Question 19

globalization and global advertizing

Answer 19

international integration arising from the interchange of world views, products, ideas; generating further interdependence of economic and cultural activities.

Examples: advances in transportation, rise of the telegraph, the Internet

Question 20

Tonybee’s law of progressive simplification

Answer 20

Progressing by being simple (not a consumer of things we do not need); a connection between simplicity and human progress; accomplish the same, or even greater, results for less time, weight and energy invested.

Question 21

What are the 7 major challenges for the environment?

Answer 21

1. depleting resources (gas prices)
2. environmental pollution
3. drought
4. energy crisis
5. loss of biodiversity and invasive (exotic - introduced) species, endemic (native species)
6. population explosion
7. climate change (global warming)

Question 22

What are the top 5 countries with the largest populations in the world? (Larger to smaller)

Answer 22

1. China
2. India
3. U.S.
4. Indonesia
5. Brazil

Question 23

Who authored the book “A study of History” and is associated with the “law of progressive simplification” in 1961?

Answer 23

Arnold Toynbee