Topic 1 - Foundations of ESS Flashcards
What is an EVS?
A worldview or paradigm that shapes the way an individual, or group of people, perceives and evaluates environmental issues
What is an ecocentric viewpoint?
This viewpoint puts ecology and nature as central to humanity, prioritises biorights, emphasizes the importance of education and encourages self restraint in human behaviour
What is an anthropocentric viewpoint?
This viewpoint argues that humans must sustainably manage the global system. Might be through the use of taxes, environmental regulation and legislation
What is a technocentric viewpoint?
This viewpoint argues that technological development can provide solutions to environmental problems
What is a systems approach?
A way of visualising a complex set of interactions which may be ecological or societal
What is a transfer?
Flow involving a change in location
What is a transformation?
Flow involving a change in chemical nature, a change in state or a change in energy
What is an open system?
A system which exchanges both energy and matter across its boundary
What is a closed system?
A system which only exchanges energy across its boundary
What is an isolated system?
A system which is a hypothetical concept in which neither energy or matter is exchanged across the boundary
What is a model?
A simplified version of reality and can be used to understand how a systems works and predict how it will respond to change
What is a system?
A set of inter related parts working together to make a complex whole
What is the 1st law of thermodynamics?
This is the principle of conservation of energy, which states that energy in an isolated system can be transformed but neither created or destroyed
What is the 2nd law of thermodynamics?
This explains the inefficiency and decrease in available energy along a food chain and energy generation systems. Entropy of a system will increase over time.
What is entropy?
A measure of the amount of disorder in a system. An increase in this will arise from energy transformations which reduces available energy to do work
What is a negative feedback loop?
This will occur when the output of a process inhibits or reverses the operation of the same process in such a way to reduce change (stabilises / counteracts the change)
What is a positive feedback loop?
This will amplify the change in a system and drive it towards a tipping point where a new equilibrium is adopted (destabilising)
What is the resilience of a system?
Refers to the system’s tendency to avoid such tipping points and maintain stability
What is efficiency?
The useful energy, work or output produced by a process divided by the amount of energy consumed (input)
What is sustainability?
The use and management of resources that allows full natural replacement of the resources exploited and full recovery of the ecosystems affected by their extraction and use
What is natural capital?
Natural resources that can produce a sustainable natural income of goods or services
What is natural income?
The yield obtained from natural resources
What is an EIA? (Environmental Impact Assessment)
A baseline study of an area before development project takes place
What is an ecological footprint?
The area of land and water required to sustainably provide all resources at the rate at which they are being consumed by a population
What is sustainable development?
Development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs
What is pollution?
The addition of a substance or agent to an environment by human activity, at a rate greater than that at which it can be rendered harmless by the environment
What is a primary pollutant?
A pollutant which is active on emission
What is a secondary pollutant?
A pollutant formed by primary pollutants undergoing physical or chemical changes
