Environmental Science

When did the Green Revolution occur?

(1940s - 1970s)

Population growth =

(births - deaths) + (immigration - emigration)

Why is the global human population rising even though population growth rates are declining?

because the popolation growth rates are declining but are not negative.

The Greenland Viking settlement collapsed due to __________.

both human choices and natural events

Environmental science studies .....

both natural and anthropogenically-influenced environments

Anthropogenic means

caused by, or related to, human action

Define the term 'anthropogenic'

caused by, or related to, human action

Why is it often difficult to understand environmental problems?

choices they force us to make—are frequently complicated. Solutions often involve trade-offs.

Which layer of Earth is composed mostly of iron?

core

Name the four main layers of Earth's structure in order from innermost to outermost.

core, mantle, lithosphere, crust

What is proxy data? Provide one example.

data that paleoclimatologists gather from natural recorders of climate variability. eg. tree rings

Name three fields of study that contribute to environmental science.

ecology, biology, physics

What are the 'three pillars of sustainability'?

environmental,social, and economic impacts.

The industrial revolution marked a transition from _______________________________________________ production to ___________________________________ production

from hand production methods to machine production

Name the four main Earth systems.

geosphere, hydrosphere , atmosphere , biosphere

The neolithic revolution marked an initial transition from _______________________________________________ to a ___________________________________ way of life.

initial transition from hunting and gathering to agricultural way of life

What five elements make up most of Earth's mass?

iron, nickel, magnesium, aluminum, and silicon.

What was key to the success of new Green Revolution crop varieties in both Mexico and Asia? On what continent did this practice not work? (name)

irrigation, this approach did not work in Africa

Earth's lithosphere comprises parts of which other two layers?

Crust and mantle

Environmental problems can often result from falling into 'social traps' in the way that we use resources. What is a social trap?

Decisions that produce short-term benefits, but hurt society in the long run.

How do areas that have higher ecological footprint than biocapacity meet the needs of their human populations?

Depend on imports from others

Wealth inequality is an obstacle to

sustainability

Which continent has the highest biocapacity?

Latin America and the Caribbean

Resources that are infinitely available, or easily regenerated, are called _____________________________. (1 pt) Name an example of this kind of resource. _________________________ (1 pt)

renewable resources eg. solar energy

How long ago did Vikings settle in Greenland?

500 YBP

What is Earth's current human population size?

7 billion

Why are fossil fuels considered a non-renewable resource, even though they are constantly being created on Earth by natural processes?

replenished over geologic time - far too slowly to keep up with our rampant consumption of them.

What was the rate of global population increase in 2009

1.1%

Humans became able to utilize fire as a tool by at least...

125,000 YA

The Black Plague killed what proportion of Earth's human population in the 14th century?

20%

One obstacle to sustainability is wealth inequality; _______% of the world's population controls _______% of the world's resources. (2 pts)

20% of the world's population controls 80% of the world's resources.

When did Earth's human population first exceed 1 billion?

200 YA

When did the first anatomically modern humans appear in Earth's evolutionary record?

200,000 YA

How deep are our deepest mines on Earth?

3 km

Describe the social trap called 'sliding reinforcer'.

Actions that are beneficial at first but that change conditions such that their benefit declines over time. eg. pesticides

Which continent has the lowest ecological footprint?

Africa

Describe what environmental science is.

An interdisciplinary field of research that investigates the natural world and humanity's relationship to it.

Define 'ecological footprint', and indicate an appropriate unit for it.

Area of land needed to provide resources for, and assimilate waste of, a population. e.g. 1 hectare per 100 people

Which continent has the lowest biocapacity?

Asia

In the second half of the 20th Century, China's population exploded to nearly 900 million. What key demographic factors caused this huge increase?

Average life expectancy increased from 45 to 60 years old. crude death rate fell, but its crude birth rate held steady.

Define biocapacity.

Capacity /ability of an ecosystem's living components to produce and recycle resources and assimilate wastes

The Black Plague killed 30-60% of Europe's human population in the 1300s (the 14th century). What three organisms were responsible for the spread of this disease, and what role did each play? (point form)

Carrier: Yersinia pestis bacterium Bacterial Host: fleas Flea Host: rats

Differentiate between the terms 'carrying capacity' and 'ecological footprint'. You may do this by clearly defining both terms separately or by contrasting them directly. Provide units.

Carrying capacity is the maximum population size that an area can support indefinitely. (e.g. 100 people per hectare) While ecological footprint is area of land needed to provide resources for, and assimilate waste of, a population. (e.g. 1 hectare per 100 people)

Why must environmental science be so interdisciplinary?

requires a systems approach to understand complex problems

Name the following worldviews. (3 pts) __________________ Value is placed on ecosystems, their interactions and processes. __________________ Value is placed on human and non-human life. __________________ Value is placed primarily on human needs.

Eco-centrism-Value is placed on ecosystems, their interactions and processes. Bio-centrism-Value is placed on human and non-human life. Anthropo-centrism -Value is placed primarily on human needs.

What is our best hope for avoiding social traps, and why? (5 pts)

Education is our best hope for avoiding social traps. When people are aware of consequences, they are more likely to examine trade-offs to determine whether long-term costs are worth short-term gains.

What is the difference between empirical science, and applied science?

Empirical Science is used to investigate the natural world, while in applied science knowledge is used to address problems or needs

The ability to understand environmental problems is sometimes called

Environmental literacy

The attitude that we should move forward (make decisions about what to do) based upon the best available evidence is called: (1 pt)

Evaluate and respond

Affluence tends to degrade nearby landscapes, while poverty tends to degrade far off landscapes.

False

Environmental Science only involves study of anthropogenically-influenced, or disturbed, environments

False

Environmental Science only involves study of pristine, natural environments.

False

The attitude that resources are here for us to use, that if we run out of one resource we will find another one to use in its place, and that nature will always provide a solution is called:

Frontier

The attitude that there is nothing we can do about our environmental problems is called:

Gloom and doom

The second major agricultural revolution was called the ____________ revolution

Green Revolution

Carrying capacity depends on both ____________________________________________ and _________________________________________

resource availability and rate of per capita resource use.

Define the anthropocentric worldview.

Human centered. Only humans have intrinsic value and resources are here to meet human needs and wants

Define the biocentric worldview.

Humans and other species have a right to exist and are worthy of protection

What is the IPAT equation? Name and describe its components.

I = P x A x T Environmental impact (I): resource depletion and waste accumulation population size (P): (human) affluence (A): level of consumption by a population technology (T): processes used to obtain resources and transform them into useful goods, and wastes

What country went from a state of famine to becoming a leading food exporter due to the Green Revolution (name the country)?

India

The global human population has had two major growth spurts. When did they occur, and what are they called?

Industrial Revolution (1760 - 1870) Agricultural Revolution 10,000 years ago

What does pro-natalist mean?

Is a belief that promotes human reproduction. Promotes child-bearing and parenthood as desirable for social reasons and to ensure national continuance

Which layer of Earth contains circulating magma?

Mantle

Which countries saw the biggest increases in agricultural production during the green revolution (name two)

Mexico, India

There are four modern anti-natalist pressures that lead to lower fertility rates in human populations. List three of them.

Most people live in cities - no need for farm workers Health care improves, infant mortality rate drops Women have greater access to education

Using Jared Diamond's framework of factors, outline why the Viking settlements in Greenland collapsed. Answer in point form.

Natural climate change- mini ice-age Self-inflicted environmental damage- overgrazing, over-harvesting, timber and turf use Failure to respond to the natural environment- would not eat fish, which was plentiful Hostile neighbours- the Vikings were hostile and refused Inuit's help Loss of friendly neighbours- European supplies stopped arriving

There are five key pro-natalist pressures that lead to high fertility rates in human populations. List three of them.

Need for family farm workers Care for aging parents High infant mortality rate

Resources that exist in finite quantities or which regenerate/are replenished very slowly are called ________________________. (1 pt) Name an example of this kind of resource. _____________________ (1 pt)

Nonrenewable resources eg. coal

Which continent has the highest ecological footprint?

North America

The attitude that human ingenuity and science will be able to solve all of our environmental problems ('someone else will solve the problem') is called:

Technological fix

During the industrial revolution, Europe's human population

Quadrupled

Name two ways in which ecosystems are sustainable, and list the ways that we can mimic those two properties to enhance our own sustainability.

Rely on renewable energy, have population control Mimic by: using sustainable energy sources, getting human population growth under control

Define the term 'non-renewable resource'.

Resources in finite supply or not replenished very quickly

Define the term 'renewable resource'.

Resources that are infinitely available or easily/quickly replenished

The attitude that we should not worry our environmental problems because they will all work out in the end (ignore the problem and it will go away) is called:

Rosy optimism

When a resource becomes degraded because users employ strategies that are helpful at first, but become harmful, in the long term, this is the result of a social trap called: ______________________________________________________ (2 pts) Identify a modern, real life example of this social trap. (1 pt)

Sliding reinforcer Use of pesticides

Describe the 'demographic transition' in terms of key demographic factors, population growth, what forces cause it, and what kinds of countries are at which of the two extremes

Stage 1: population growth very slow; birth and death rates are equal and high, population doesn't grow. Stage 2 :population growth rapid; death rate falls as daily life improves; total population keeps rising until births and deaths are equal. Stage 3:population growth slowing; birth rate falls, but not after some time after death rates; most growth occurs in this stage as deaths are much lower than births. Stage 4:population growth very slow;birth and death rates are equal and low, population doesn't grow. If births fall below deaths, population will shrink

Define the term 'renewable energy'.

Sustainable energy source

Using resources in a way that we can use them indefinitely is called

Sustainable resource use

What demographic does the following equation describe (include unit)? (4 pts) (births - deaths) + (immigration - emigration) =

The growth rate of a population is the percent increase of population size over time.(e.g. 1.1% per annum) Growth rate is affected by births, deaths, and number of people moving into, or out of, a regional population.

Define 'carrying capacity', and indicate an appropriate unit for it.

The maximum population size that an area can support indefinitely. e.g. 100 people per hectare

Describe the social trap called the 'tragedy of the commons'.

an economic problem in which every individual tries to reap the greatest benefit from a given resource. As the demand for the resource overwhelms the supply, every individual who consumes an additional unit directly harms others who can no longer enjoy the benefits.

When a resource becomes degraded because users focus on short-term benefits without considering long term impacts, this is the result of a social trap called: Identify a modern, real life example of this social trap. (1 pt)

Time Delay Over fishing

When a shared resource becomes degraded because there are multiple users who each are trying to maximize their own benefits, this is the result of a social trap called: Identify a modern, real life example of this social trap.

Tragedy of commons Cow Grazing

Affluence tends to degrade landscapes far away, while poverty tends to degrade the local landscape.

True

Define the ecocentric worldview

Value is given to the importance of the ecosystem as a whole, including interactions such as those between wind and soil and between species

How many Earth's do we need to assimilate all of our wastes and provide sufficient resources to support us? (point form)

We need 1.5 Earths to meet our needs

What do the following units mean? (write them out in full words) (6 pts) YBP ____________________________ YA ____________________________ BCE ____________________________ MYA ____________________________ CE ____________________________

Years before present Years ago Before common era Million years ago Common Era

Describe the social trap called 'time delay'.

actions that produce a benefit today set into motion events that cause problems later on. eg. Over-fishing

Earth was formed through what process?

aggregation of excess debris derived from our sun.Dense substances clustered into a roughly spherical mass, rich in iron and nickel. This was continually added to as more debris entered the gravitational zone of this heavy, dense sphere.

The green revolution marked a transition to a more __________________________ form of agriculture which resulted in _______________________ agricultural production

more industrialized form of agriculture - increased agricultural production

Define the term 'overpopulation'.

more people living in an area than its natural and human resources can support

Is Canada one of the ten most populous countries in the world?

no

Environmental science focusses on understanding.....

physical and biological processes

Reducing the harmful impacts of human societies and surviving into the future requires both __________________________________________________ and

population control AND identifying an acceptable quality of life.

The magnitude of a species' impact on the environment is the product of both: ______________________________________________________ AND

population size, and average individual resource use and waste production.

Three key areas of change in human societies marked the industrial revolution and related population growth. What were they? (name and provide an example)

technological change: - new chemical manufacturing and iron production processes - improved water power, e.g. mills for textile industry - increasing use of steam power, e.g. steam engine - change in heat source from wood to coal - mechanization - medical breakthroughs, sanitation, vaccines lifestyle change: average income grows, conditions improve biological change: longer lifespans; disease survival Population Growth: lower infant mortality and death rate Europe's population quadrupled from 100 million in 1700 to 400 million by 1900

Three key areas of change in human societies marked the first agricultural revolution and related population growth. What were they (name and describe)? (6 pts)

technological change: we began to cultivate crops and raise livestock... more food! lifestyle change: from nomadic to sedentary (less risky) biological change: healthier people, longer lifespans lower death rates Population Growth: more people (fewer deaths, more births)

Zero population growth happens when ____________________________________ _______________________________________________________________. (4 pts) This is also called reaching ________________________________________.

the number of people born equals the number of people dying; in other words, replacement fertility rate is reached