Environmental Science: Chapter 1 Vocabulary

Fossil Fuel

A carbon-containing fuel formed over millions of years from the remains of living things.

Nonrenewable Natural Resource

A resource that is formed much more slowly than it is used.

Renewable Natural Resource

A resource that is replenished, or renewed over short periods of time.

Environmentalism

A social movement dedicated to protecting the natural world— and by extension, people— from the harmful changes produced by human activities.

Prediction

A statement of what a scientist expects to observe if a hypothesis is true.

Controlled Study

A study in which only one factor is manipulated, or changed.

Hypothesis

A testable idea that attempts to explain a phenomenon or answers a scientific question.

Theory

A well-tested explanation of observations and experimental findings.

Sustainable

Able to meet the current demand for a resource without depleting the future supply.

Environment

All living things with which an organism interacts.

Natural Resource

Any of the natural materials and energy sources provided by nature that humans need to survive.

Data

Information collected using scientific methods.

Environmental Science

The study of how the natural world works, how the environment affects humans, and how humans affect the environment.

Environmental Ethics

The applications of ethical standards to relationships between humans and their environment.

Ethics

The branch of philosophy that involves the study of good and bad, and of right and wrong.

Ecological Footprints

The environment impact of an individual or population in terms of the total amount of land and water required to: 1) provide raw materials 2) dispose or recycle the waste

Peer Review

The formal process of submitting research for examination by the scientific community.

Dependent Variable

The variable that changes in response to the conditions set in an experiment.

Independent Variable

The variable that is manipulated, or changed, in an experiment.