Chapter 1: Environmental Problems, Their Causes, and Sustainability

Question 1

is a study of connections in nature

Answer 1

Environmental Science

Question 2

• is everything around us

- it includes all of the living and non-living things with which we interact

Answer 2

The Environment

Question 3

an interdisciplinary study of how humans interact with the environment of living and non-living things

Answer 3

Environmental Science

Question 4

5 Major Fields of Study Related to Environmental Science

Answer 4

1. Biology
2. Chemistry
3. Earth Science
4. Social Sciences
5. Humanities

Question 5

study of living things (organisms)

Answer 5

Biology

Question 6

study of chemicals and their interactions

Answer 6

Chemistry

Question 7

study of the planet as a whole and its nonliving systems

Answer 7

Earth Science

Question 8

studies of human society

Answer 8

Social Sciences

Question 9

study of the aspects of the human condition not covered by the physical and social sciences

Answer 9

Humanities

Question 10

16 Subfields of Study Related to Environmental Science

Answer 10

1. Ecology
2. Botany
3. Zoology
4. Biochemistry
5. Climatology
6. Geology
7. Hydrology
8. Paleontology
9. Anthropology
10. Demography
11. Geography
12. Economics
13. Political Science
14. History
15. Ethics
16. Philosophy

Question 11

study of how organisms interact with one another and with their nonliving environment

Answer 11

Ecology

Question 12

study of plants

Answer 12

Botany

Question 13

study of animals

Answer 13

Zoology

Question 14

study of the chemistry of living things

Answer 14

Biochemistry

Question 15

study of the earth’s atmosphere and climate

Answer 15

Climatology

Question 16

study of the earth’s origin, history, surface, and interior processes

Answer 16

Geology

Question 17

study of the earth’s water resources

Answer 17

Hydrology

Question 18

study of fossils and ancient life

Answer 18

Paleontology

Question 19

study of human cultures

Answer 19

Anthropology

Question 20

study of the characteristics of human populations

Answer 20

Demography

Question 21

study of the relationships between human populations and the earth’s surface features

Answer 21

Geography

Question 22

study of the production, distribution, and consumption of foods and services

Answer 22

Economics

Question 23

study of the principles, processes, and structure of government and political institutions

Answer 23

Political Science

Question 24

study of information and ideas about humanity’s past

Answer 24

History

Question 25

study of moral values and concepts concerning right and wrong human behavior and responsibilities

Answer 25

Ethics

Question 26

study of knowledge and wisdom about the nature of reality, values, and human conduct

Answer 26

Philosophy

Question 27

- a key subfield of environmental science | - biological science that studies how organisms, or living things, interact with their environment and with each other

Answer 27

Ecology

Question 28

a group of organisms with distinctive traits and, for sexually reproducing organisms, can mate and produce fertile offspring

Answer 28

Species

Question 29

major focus of ecology

Answer 29

Study of Ecosystems

Question 30

is a set of organisms interacting with one another and with their environment of nonliving matter and energy within a defined area or volume

Answer 30

Ecosystem

Question 31

- a social movement dedicated to protecting the earth's life-support systems for us and all other forms of life - is practiced more in the political and ethical arenas than in the realm of science

Answer 31

Environmentalism

Question 32

Three Principles of Sustainability

Answer 32

1. Life depends on solar energy 2. Biodiversity provides natural services 3. Chemical/nutrient cycling means that there is little waste in nature

Question 33

- is the ability of the earth's various natural systems and human cultural systems to survive and adapt to changing environmental conditions indefinitely - means meeting our own needs without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs

Answer 33

Sustainability

Question 34

7 Key Components of Sustainability

Answer 34

1. Life depends on natural capital, natural resources, and natural services 2. Many human activities can degrade natural capital 3. Solutions are being found and implemented 4. Sustainability begins at personal and local events 5. Natural Capital 6. Natural Resources 7. Natural Services

Question 35

the natural resources and natural services that keep us and other forms of life alive and support our human economies

Answer 35

Natural Capital

Question 36

are materials and energy in nature that are essential or useful to humans

Answer 36

Natural Resources

Question 37

natural resources are often classified as _____ (such as air, water, soil, plants, and wind) or _____ (such as copper, oil, and coal)

Answer 37

renewable resources; nonrenewable resources

Question 38

are processes in nature, such as purification of air and water and renewal of topsoil, which support life and human economies

Answer 38

Natural Services

Question 39

Equation for Natural Capital

Answer 39

Natural Capital = Natural Resources + Natural Services

Question 40

supported by energy from the sun - another of the _____

Answer 40

Natural Capital; principles of sustainability

Question 41

Without it, natural capital and the life it supports would collapse

Answer 41

Solar Energy

Question 42

- one vital natural service - the circulation of chemicals necessary for life, from the environment (mostly from soil and water) through organisms and back to the environment

Answer 42

Nutrient Cycling

Question 43

- an important component - the upper layer of any soil in which plants can grow - it provides the nutrients that support plants, animals, and microorganisms living on land

Answer 43

Topsoil

Question 44

it is the basis for one of the three principles of sustainability that if without it, life as we know it could not exist

Answer 44

Nutrient cycling in topsoil

Question 45

exist in fixed quantities

Answer 45

Nonrenewable resources

Question 46

e.g. coal and oil

Answer 46

Exhaustible Energy

Question 47

e.g. copper and aluminum

Answer 47

Metallic Minerals

Question 48

e.g. salt and sand

Answer 48

Nonmetallic Minerals

Question 49

Reduce, Reuse, Recycle

Answer 49

Sustainable Solutions

Question 50

include the high income ones (e.g. United States, Canada)

Answer 50

Developed Countries

Question 51

include the low income ones (e.g. China, India)

Answer 51

Developing Countries

Question 52

any presence within the environment of a chemical or other agent such as noise or heat at a level that is harmful to the health, survival, or activities of humans or other organisms

Answer 52

Pollution

Question 53

are single, identifiable sources

Answer 53

Point Sources

Question 54

are dispersed and often difficult to identify

Answer 54

Nonpoint Sources

Question 55

is usually more expensive and less effective

Answer 55

Pollution Clean Up

Question 56

reduces or eliminates the production of pollutants

Answer 56

Pollution Prevention

Question 57

a biologist who called the degradation of openly shared resources the tragedy of the common in 1968

Answer 57

Garrett Hardin

Question 58

where individuals or companies own the rights to land, minerals, or other resources

Answer 58

Private Property

Question 59

where the rights to certain resources are held by large groups of individuals

Answer 59

Common Property

Question 60

owned by no one and available for use by anyone at little or no charge

Answer 60

Open-Access Renewable Resources

Question 61

means the ecological footprint is larger than the biological capacity to replenish resources and absorb wastes and pollution

Answer 61

Ecological Deficit

Question 62

Footprints can also be expressed as _____.

Answer 62

number of Earths it would take to support consumption

Question 63

scientists who developed the IPAT model in the early 1970s

Answer 63

Paul Ehrlich and John Holdren

Question 64

IPAT Model Equation

Answer 64

I (Environmental Impact) = P (Population Size) x A (Affluence/Person) x T (Technology's Beneficial and Harmful Effects)

Question 65

4 Basic Causes of Environmental Problems

Answer 65

1. Population Growth 2. Unsustainable Resource Use 3. Poverty 4. Excluding Environmental Costs from Market

Question 66

is increasing at a fixed percentage so that we are experiencing double of larger and larger populations

Answer 66

Human Population

Question 67

Human population in 2009 was about _____.

Answer 67

6.8 Billion

Question 68

Based on the current increase rate, there will be _____ people by 2050.

Answer 68

9.6 Billion

Question 69

results in high levels of consumption and waste of resources

Answer 69

Wealth

Question 70

Average American consumes _____ as much as the average consumer in India.

Answer 70

30 times

Question 71

are afflicted with a disorder called affluenza

Answer 71

Shop-until-you-drop Affluent Consumers

Question 72

has provided better education, scientific research, and technological solutions, which result in improvements in environmental quality (e.g. safe drinking water)

Answer 72

Affluence

Question 73

occurs when the basic needs for adequate food, water, shelter, health, and education are not met

Answer 73

Poverty

Question 74

a set of assumptions and values reflecting how you think the world works and what your role should be

Answer 74

Each individual has their own environmental worldview

Question 75

are beliefs about what is right and wrong with how we treat the environment

Answer 75

Environmental Ethics

Question 76

holds that we are separate from and in charge of nature

Answer 76

Planetary Management Worldview

Question 77

holds that we can and should manage the earth for our benefit, but that we have an ethical responsibility to be caring and responsible managers

Answer 77

Stewardship Worldview

Question 78

holds that we are part of, and dependent on, nature and that nature exists for all species, not just for us

Answer 78

Environmental Wisdom Worldview

Question 79

protect natural capital and live off its income

Answer 79

Environmentally Sustainable Societies

Question 80

provide a balance between the benefits and the costs

Answer 80

Trade-off Solutions

Question 81

Three Big Ideas

Answer 81

1. Rely more on renewable energy from the sun 2. Protect biodiversity by preventing the degradation of the earth's species, ecosystem, and natural processes, and by restoring areas we have degraded 3. Help sustain earth's natural chemical cycles by reducing waste and pollution, not overloading natural systems with chemicals, and don't remove natural chemicals faster than the cycles can replace them

Question 82

is a search for order in nature

Answer 82

Science

Question 83

are curious and skeptical, and demand lots of evidence

Answer 83

Scientists

Question 84

The Scientific Process

Answer 84

1. Identify a problem 2. Find out what is known about the problem 3. Ask a question to investigate 4. Perform an experiment and collect and analyze data to answer the question 5. Propose an hypothesis to explain the 6. Use the thesis to make testable predictions 7. Test the predictions 8. Accept or revise hypothesis 9. Develop a scientific theory, if scientific hypothesis is well-tested and widely accepted

Question 85

Critical Thinking Involves Four Important Steps:

Answer 85

1. Be skeptical about everything you read or hear 2. Look at the evidence and evaluate it and any related information 3. Be open to many viewpoints and evaluate each one before coming to a conclusion 4. Identify and evaluate your personal assumptions, biases, and beliefs

Question 86

What is the goal of scientists?

Answer 86

To develop theories and laws based on facts and data that explain how the physical world works

Question 87

has been tested widely, is supported by extensive evidence, and is accepted as being a useful explanation of some phenomenon by most scientists in a particular field or related fields of study

Answer 87

Scientific Theory

Question 88

- is a well-tested and widely-accepted description of events or actions of nature that we find happening repeatedly in the same way - cannot be broken except by discovering new data that lead to changes in the law

Answer 88

Scientific Law

Question 89

results that have not been widely tested or are not widely accepted

Answer 89

Tentative or Frontier Science

Question 90

consists of data, hypothesis, models, theories, and laws that are widely accepted by all or most of the scientists who are considered experts in the field under study

Answer 90

Reliable Science

Question 91

includes results that have not been rigorously peer reviewed or that have been discarded as a result of peer review

Answer 91

Unreliable Science

Question 92

Scientists use _____ that can take into account the interaction of many variables.

Answer 92

mathematical models

Question 93

the age of humans

Answer 93

Anthropocene

Question 94

For the Biggest Gains, We could Concentrate our Efforts on 4 Goals:

Answer 94

1. An Energy Revolution 2. A Food Revolution 3. Manage the Ocean 4. Rewild the World

Question 95

is a way to measure our human demand on nature

Answer 95

Ecological Footprint

Question 96

- represents the impact of a person, a household, a city, a business or a country on nature - is expressed as the amount of land and water required to produce what we consume and to absorb the waste we generate

Answer 96

Footprint

Question 97

means that we need to keep three things in mind at once

Answer 97

Sustainable Development

Question 98

Three Things to Keep in Mind at Once

Answer 98

1. Social Progress 2. Economic Development 3. Climate and Environment

Question 99

ensures that the temperature is correct and the the atmosphere emits exactly the right amount of solar energy

Answer 99

Climate System

Question 100

5 Nutrients that is Being Recycled in Chemical Cycling

Answer 100

1. Water 2. Carbon 3. Nitrogen 4. Sulfur 5. Phosphorus

Question 101

Renewable Resources:

Answer 101

- solar - wind - wave

Question 102

3 Main Goals of Environmental Science

Answer 102

1. Learn how the natural world works 2. Understand how we as humans interact with the environment 3. determine how we affect the environment

Question 103

Rock

Answer 103

Lithosphere

Question 104

Air

Answer 104

Atmosphere

Question 105

Life

Answer 105

Biosphere

Question 106

Water

Answer 106

Hydrosphere

Question 107

Fields Under Biology

Answer 107

- Ecology - Botany - Zoology

Question 108

Field Under Chemistry

Answer 108

Biochemistry

Question 109

Fields Under Earth Science

Answer 109

- Climatology - Geology - Hydrology - Paleontology

Question 110

Fields Under Social Sciences

Answer 110

- Anthropology - Demography - Geography - Economics - Political Science

Question 111

Fields Under Humanities

Answer 111

- History - Ethics - Philosophy