Intro to Environmental Science and Ecology

Question 1

what is the definition of environmental science?

Answer 1

an interdisciplinary study that uses info from the physical sciences and social sciences to learn how the earth works, how we interact with the earth, and how to deal with environmental problems

Question 2

what is ecology?

Answer 2

the study of the interactions b/w organisms and b/w organisms and their environment

Question 3

what are the 2 components of ecology?

Answer 3

• Biotic living components: moss, animals, plants

- Abiotic non-living components: clouds, condensation, mountains, snow)

Question 4

what is environmentalism and what is an example?

Answer 4

a social movement dedicated to protecting the earths life support systems for us and other species (ex: climate change protests)

Question 5

what are earths life support systems?

Answer 5

• solar energy/solar capital
• natural capital which includes:
  
  • natural resources
  • natural ecosystem services

Question 6

What is solar energy/solar capital?

Answer 6

• it is the energy form the sun
• renewable energy
• comes from sunlight

Question 7

what is natural capital?

Answer 7

• natural resources and ecosystem services that support and sustain the earths life and economies

Question 8

what do earths natural resources include?

Answer 8

• air
• water
• soil
• energy
• life
• land
• minerals

Question 9

what do the natural ecosystem services include?

Answer 9

• climate control
• UV protection
• Water purification
• food production
• soil renewal
• pest control

Question 10

What is sustainability and why is it important?

Answer 10

• the ability of a system to survive for a long period of time
• it is important b/c if we don’t live sustainably in the natural world, major environmental problems can occur such as air pollution and food supply problems

Question 11

what is economic growth?

Answer 11

the improvement of living standards by economic growth

Question 12

define DEVELOPED countries and give examples

Answer 12

• they are highly industrialized w/ a very high GDP per capita
• ex: Canada, U.S, Japan, Australia, New Zealand etc)

Question 13

define DEVELOPING countries and give examples

Answer 13

• they are less industrialized w/ a low to moderate GDP per capita
• ex: Mostly in Africa, Asia and Latin America

Question 14

what are the benefits of economic development?

Answer 14

• higher life expectancy
• decreased infant mortality rate
• more food production than we need
• pollution has been decreasing
• 50% decrease in the amount of people living in extreme poverty

Question 15

What are the disadvantages of economic development?

Answer 15

• life expectancy is 11 years lower in developing countries compared to developed countries
• developing countries have a higher infant mortality rate than developed countries
• agriculture is having harmful effects on the environment that may limit food production in the future
• developing countries have high levels of pollution
• the salary of almost half of the world population is less than 4$/day