Chapter 1: Introduction to Environmental Science

Environmentalism

A social movement dedicated to positive change and protection/conservation

Hypothesis

A statement that aims to explain a phenomenon or answers a scientific question (educated guess)

Controlled Experiment

A study in which the effects of ALL variables are held constant (controlled), except the one being tested by comparison of treatment and control conditions

Theory

A widely accepted, well-tested explanation of one or more cause-and-effect relationships

Environmental "Five"

Every decision made concerning environmental issues is accomplished or impacted by 5 parameters: Political, Economical, Technological, Social, Ethical

Environmental Justice

Fair treatment for everyone in enforcement of environmental laws

Hypothesis Validation

Includes peer review, conference presentations, grants and funding, repeatability, and theory development

Manipulative Experiment

Independent variable can be manipulated (chemistry/physics)

Quantitative Data

Information that can be expressed in numbers - it's more exact/precise

Interdisciplinary Field

Involves input from many different established fields of study across the natural sciences and social sciences

Scientific Method

Technique for testing ideas using observations and making assumptions Observation->Questions->Hypothesis->Predictions->Testing->Results (Alternative Hypothesis)

Sustainable Development

A progress that satisfies our current needs without compromising the future availability of natural resources or our future quality of life

Environmental Understanding

Depend on it for food, water, shelter, resources, and oxygen, and we're only once species among many (relationships)

Tragedy of the Commons

Depletion of an unregulated publicly accessible resource due to greed (Garrett Hardin)

Sustainability

a guiding principle of environmental science that requires us to live in such a way as to maintain Earth's systems and its natural resources for the forseeable future

Paradigm

A dominant view of a scientific principle or concept

Anthropocentrism

A human-centered view of an ethical environmental perspective that looks at the environmental costs for humans only

Fossil Fuel

A nonrenewable natural resource produced by the decomposition and compression of organic matter from ancient life

Solar Energy

A principle of sustainability that has a reliance on solar energy for our energy needs

Chemical Recycling

A principle of sustainability that says to reuse Earth's nutrients, chemicals, and metals

Biotic & Abiotic

All living organisms (bacteria to largest whales) All non-living organisms (rocks, water, atmosphere)

Social Science

An academic discipline that studies human interactions and institutions

Environmental Studies

An academic program that heavily incorporates the social sciences as well as the natural sciences

Biocentrism

An ethical environmental perspective that considers the impact on the environment as well as humans

Ecocentrism

An ethical environmental perspective that only considers the impacts on the environment (good or bad)

Relativist

An ethicist who maintains that ethics do and should vary with social context

Universalist

An ethicist who maintains that there exist objective notions of right and wrong that hold across cultures and situations

Peer Review

An evaluation by other specialists in the field, who provide comments and criticism

Hunter-Gatherer Lifestyle

Lifestyle with minimal impact - From times with low population

Sustaining Biodiversity

Maintaining the various life forms, ecosystems, and biomes that provide essential natural services required to sustain the Planet

Natural Experiments

Manipulation not possible - Utilizes existing data/conditions

Non-Renewable Natural Resources

Materials that are limited in supply OR have an extensive time lag (crude oil, natural gas, coal, copper, aluminum, other metals)

Environmental Problems (Perceived)

Perceived differently by different people. This is due to age, gender, class, race, nationality, employment, education, residence, etc.

Correlation

Relationship between variables - Both up, both down, etc.

Conference Presentations

Scientists frequently present their work at conferences where they interact with colleges and receive comments

Renewable Natural Resource

Supplies that are unlimited OR can be replenished quickly (sunlight, wind energy, wave energy, geothermal energy)

Natural Science

The academic discipline that examines the natural world

Environmental Ethics

The application of ethical standards to environmental questions and decisions. (ex: do we have an obligation for conserve natural resources for future generations?)

Ethical Standards

The criteria that helps us differentiate right from wrong

Holistic and Ethical Conservation

The environmental philosophy by Aldo Leopold that combines conservation with ethics and has a holistic approach

Conservation

The environmental philosophy by Gifford Pinchot that says to utilize natural recourses but manage and protect them simultaneously

Preservation

The environmental philosophy by John Muir that talks about the protection of the natural environment in a pristine or unaltered state

Ecology

The science of organisms and their interactions with themselves and their environment

Neolithic Revolution

The shift around 10,000 years ago from a hunter-gatherer to an agricultural lifestyle (pop growth)

Industrial Revolution

The shift in the mid-1700s from rural life, animal-powered agriculture, and manufacturing by craftsman to an urban society powered by fossil fuels (pop growth)

Environmental Science

The study of how the natural world works, how our environment affects us, and how we affect the environment (interactions)

Environment

The sum total of our surroundings, including all biotic and abiotic factors

Ecological Footprint

The total of "direct" and "indirect" (usually negative) impacts on natural resources that we as a society make on the environment to maintain our lifestyle.

Independent Variable

Variable that is manipulated, changed, or altered

Dependent Variable

Variable that is the outcome/result and depends on change

Repeatability

When a scientist tests a hypothesis multiple times in many different ways

Millenium Ecosystem Assessment

the most comprehensive scientific review of the present condition of the world's ecological systems and their ability to continue supporting our civilization