Environmental Change and Management

Question 1

Lithosphere

Answer 1

Earth

Question 2

Hydrosphere

Answer 2

Water

Question 3

Biosphere

Answer 3

Life

Question 4

Atmosphere

Answer 4

Air

Question 5

System

Answer 5

Collection of interdependent parts enclosed within a defined boundary

Question 6

‘Spheres’

Answer 6

Parts of earth’s system - lithosphere, biosphere, hydrosphere, atmosphere

Question 7

Events

Answer 7

When a change occurs in more than one sphere / interactions between the spheres

Question 8

Environmental change

Answer 8

can be grouped into 3 categories - change to land, change to atmosphere, change to water

Question 9

Change to land

Answer 9

Land degradation - loss of productivity and decline in fertility of land

Question 10

Change to atmosphere

Answer 10

Rising C0(2) in climate

Question 11

Change to water

Answer 11

Water becoming polluted, ocean acidification

Question 12

Causes to change

Answer 12

Natural - occurs over billions of year, or driven by human action

Question 13

Ecosystem services

Answer 13

Benefits people obtain from ecosystems, even if they don’t know it - sources, sinks, service, spirituality (stewardship)

Question 14

Sources

Answer 14

Provisioning services - Natural product we can use e.g. coal for fuel, timber for building

Question 15

Sinks

Answer 15

Regulating services - Processes that absorb our waste e.g. microorganisms, ocean, bacteria, phytoplankton

Question 16

Service

Answer 16

Supporting services - Things done by nature that don’t have a consumable product e.g. wetlands that filter and slow floodwater, forests that turn C0(2) into oxygen

Question 17

Spirituality

Answer 17

Cultural services - Personal connections humans have to the earth e.g. Indigenous connection, enjoying the scenery

Question 18

Stewardship

Answer 18

Our role to take care and sustain these services

Question 19

Worldview

Answer 19

Set of beliefs about what is real, what is valuable and what it
means to be a human being

Question 20

Weather

Answer 20

Atmospheric conditions occurring locally over short periods of time

Question 21

Climate

Answer 21

Long term (>30 years) regional or global average temperature, humidity and rainfall patterns over seasons, years or decades

Question 22

Global Warming

Answer 22

Long term heating of earth’s surface due to human activities

Question 23

Climate change

Answer 23

long term change of average weather patterns and climates

Question 24

Egocentric

Answer 24

Self centered - I am the most important creature on earth. Everything supports me and my lifestyle.

Question 25

Anthropocentric

Answer 25

Human centered - Humans are the most important creatures and are in charge of earth and nature. Nature supports us and our lifestyle.

Question 26

Ecocentric

Answer 26

Stewardship - We have an ethical responsibility to minimize our impact on earth and preserve biodiversity. We are no more important than any other organism.

Question 27

Biocentric

Answer 27

Earth centered - We have an ethical responsibility to use earth's resources in a sustainable way. Other species are useful, but also have a right to exist as much as we do.

Question 28

Land degradation

Answer 28

Loss of productivity and decline of fertility of land

Question 29

Ecological footprint

Answer 29

Way of measuring demand for ecological services. Considers the regenerative capacity and productivity of carbon, forests, cropland, grazing land, fishing grounds and built up land. Gives it a number, and is measured in hectares.

Question 30

World overshoot day

Answer 30

When a country's ecological footprint exceeds its biocapactiy.

Question 31

3 pillars for sustainable development

Answer 31

Economic growth, environmental protection and social equity

Question 32

Economic growth

Answer 32

Promotion of economic development to improve the standard of living of humans, particularly in relation to poverty, without degrading natural resources

Question 33

Environmental protection

Answer 33

To protect ecological processes and ecosystems

Question 34

Social equity

Answer 34

A focus on the wellbeing of humans and raising the standard living of all people. Central to this is access to resources.

Question 35

Climate vs weather

Answer 35

Climate is what you expect, and weather is what you get eg. Darwin has a hot climate, Hobart has a cool climate. There can still be a day where it is hotter in Hobart that Darwin.

Question 36

What makes climate?

Answer 36

The ocean and the sun

Question 37

What makes climate - the ocean

Answer 37

Water absorbs the sun's heath. The ocean currents go around the world in the Great Ocean Conveyor Belt in 2 parts - the Gulf Stream and the Humboldt Current.(