Chapter 1: Understanding Our Environment

Although hundreds of millions of people have better water supplies than they did 25 years ago, over (blank) people still lack access to safe drinking water.

1.1 billion

Islands such as Tobago and Mauritius successfully preserved natural areas in the (blank), as scientists from colonizing nations understood their importance to environmental health.

1700s

More than (blank) of fish stocks have been severely depleted and are in need of better management to maintain sustainable global food supplies.

3/4

Ways to judge if a study is sound science include asking if (blank). A. the study agrees with the majority of the scientific community B. the study has gone through an impartial peer review process C. the mass media agrees D. the claims have been reproduced by others

A. the study agrees with the majority of the scientific community B. the study has gone through an impartial peer review process D. the claims have been reproduced by others

Which of the following statements correctly describes the current state of global hunger?

An estimated 850 million people are undernourished

A way to interpret a map or graph is to examine (blank) values to identify patterns or trends. A. average B. extreme C. contrasting

B. extreme C. contrasting

Contribute ideas and provide evidence

Chemistry, Biology, Geography

Help us understand resource use

Economics, Communications, Political Science

True or false: Air pollution remains within the region it is created.

False (these air pollutants travel easily around the globe)

True or false: Environmental science is the study of earth's natural hazards.

False (this science includes natural hazards, but not exclusively)

(blank) variables are often referred to as explanatory variables because they are rarely truly free of environmental effects.

Independent

Uncertainty

Knowledge changes as new evidence appears, and explanations (theories) change with new evidence. Theories based on current evidence should be tested on additional evidence, with the understanding that new data may disprove the best theories. Explanations and knowledge can and do change with new evidence.

(blank) thinking (a type of critical thinking) occurs when a problem is broken down into its constituent parts.

analytical

You will be able to determine what aspects, opinions, and theories from environmental science to accept by using (blank) (blank).

critical thinking

Science is a (blank) process with scientific innovation building on the discoveries of the past.

cumulative

While the world population continues to grow, the rate of population growth is (blank).

decreasing

Although both deductive and inductive reasoning are valid pathways in science, (blank) reasoning uses a top down approach beginning with general verified laws to specific explanations.

deductive

Cultural

diverse range of recreation aesthetic, and other nonmaterial benefits.

Scientists are skeptical and require (blank) to support claims.

evidence

Clear-cutting of (blank) has occurred worldwide, directly and drastically affecting the number of species living in these environments.

forests

A (blank) is a testable explanation.

hypothesis

Nature preserves and protected areas have (blank) in size and number in the past few decades.

increased

Understanding the customs of (blank) peoples will increase our understanding of ecological process and biodiversity.

indigenous

Protecting the atmosphere

is essential for minimizing the rate of climate change and for reducing impacts of air pollution on people, plants, and infrastructure. The primary concerns are climate change and pollution.

Supporting

less obvious; these include water purification, production of food and atmospheric oxygen by plants, and decomposition of waste by fungi and bacteria.

Critical thinking means that a person (blank).

logically and analytically assesses new ideas and evidence.

Regulating

maintenance of temperatures suitable for life by the earth's atmosphere and carbon capture by green plants, which maintains a stable atmospheric composition.

Nations are beginning to address exploitation of (blank) resources by establishing protected areas, improving fisheries monitoring, and providing sustainable management of fish stocks.

marine

Provisioning

may be the most obvious service we require (fuels we burn)

The population of earth is growing at approximately 80 (blank) people per year.

million

A (blank) experiment involves observations after an event while (blank) experiments occur when conditions are deliberately altered.

natural, manipulative

John Muir argued that nature should be preserved because

nature deserves to exist.

Environmental policy

needs to guide decision making in local and national governments, to ensure that environmental quality is protected before it gets damaged, and to set agreed-upon rules for resource use. This guides decisions on protecting and using resources wisely.

A (blank) shift is a great change in the explanatory framework of the scientific community.

paradigm

Rachel Carson helped usher in the modern environmental movement in the 1960s with her book Silent Spring, which alerted the public to threats from (blank).

pollution and toxic chemicals

Scientists often calculate how likely the outcome of their experiments may be due to chance. If this (blank) is less than 5%, then the results may be considered reliable.

probability

Repeating a test, which is essential to good science, is called (blank).

replication

Scientists require (blank) before accepting conclusions. This is an important step to verify that the conclusion was not a fluke or a single event.

reproducibility

An important idea in consumption is throughput, the amount of (blank) that are used and disposed of.

resources

A scientific consensus is reached when informed (blank) agree after examining evidence, tests, and engaging in debate.

scholars

Assuming that the world is knowable and observable, (blank) helps us to understand the world around us.

science

Ecosystem (blank) refers to the resources provided by environmental systems, such as water and air purification.

services

Earth is remarkable because it has plentiful clean air, fresh water, and fertile (blank) that are constantly renewed through biogeochemical processes and biological communities.

soil

Sustainability is the search for ecological (blank) and human progress that can last indefinitely.

stability

Combating desertification and drought

through better management of water resources can save farms, ecosystems, and lives. Often removal of vegetation and soil loss make drought worse, and a few bad rainfall years can convert a landscape to desertlike conditions. This is imperative as it is associated with water resources essential to farming, ecosystems, and life.

Sustainability is hindered by the (blank) distribution of resources, as the poorest people are often both the victims and agents of environmental problems.

uneven

Global wealth is (blank) distributed.

unevenly

Which of the following are current issues related to climate change? A. Frequent earthquakes B. Rising sea levels C. More frequent flooding D. Melting sea ice

B. Rising sea levels C. More frequent flooding D. Melting sea ice

Steps that may be used in critical thinking include (blank). A. accepting group values B. clarifying uncertainties C. distinguishing between facts and values D. distinguishing source reliability

B. clarifying uncertainties C. distinguishing between facts and values D. distinguishing source reliability

Researcher bias is an issue when the experiment has high stakes, such as drug evaluations; therefore, (blank) experiments may be used to eliminate this problem. A. placebo B. double-blind C. blind D. controlled

B. double-blind C. blind

Since environmental issues require complex and novel ideas and technology, it is important to improve access to (blank) to facilitate innovation. A. mineral resources B. information C. clean water D. education

B. information C. education

Agriculture and rural development

affect the lives of nearly half of humanity who don't live in cities. Improving conditions for billions of rural people, including more sustainable farming systems, soil stewardship to help stabilize yields, and access to land, can help reduce populations in urban slums. Stewardship of the land is important for nonurban dwellers and agriculture.

Although relatively cheap, (blank) fuels have high environmental costs in terms of air and water pollution.

fossil

Sustainable development requires that the needs and welfare of future (blank) are not comprised due to current development and progress.

generations

The most recent stage of environmental movement has been referred to as (blank) environmentalism.

global

Combating deforestation and protecting biodiversity

go together because much of the world's biodiversity is in forests. We also depend on forests for water resources, climate regulation, and resources including food, wood, medicines, and building materials. Other key zones of biodiversity include coral reefs, wetlands, and coastal areas. These biomes play many roles including water cycling, resource creation, and being a home to diverse species.

Roosevelt's and Pinchot's view was that nature should be preserved and used to provide resources for humans. This is now known as pragmatic (blank) conservation.

utilitarian

Uniformitarianism

Basic patterns and processes are uniform across time and space; the forces at work today are the same as those that shaped the world in the past, and they will continue to do so in the future. Fundamental processes and patterns do not change over space and time.

(blank) progress addresses issues such as public health and sanitation that affect the poorest people, which in turn improves water quality and other environmental issues.

Social

Repeatability

Tests and experiments should be repeatable; if the same results cannot be reproduced, then the conclusions are probably incorrect. Scientific test results need to be reproducible.

Testable questions

To find out whether a theory is correct, it must be tested; we formulate testable statements (hypotheses) to test theories.

In field observations, a scientist discovered that lion cubs in a particular reserve have a survival probability of 60%. If 100 cubs are born in the next season, exactly how many will survive?

Unable to determine (probability is the likelihood of something occurring and cannot guarantee an outcome)

Empiricism

We can learn about the world by careful observation of empirical (real, observable) phenomena; we can expect to understand fundamental processes and natural laws by observation. Real processes can be observed and understood.

Proof is elusive

We rarely expect science to provide absolute proof that a theory is correct, because new evidence may always improve on our current explanations. Even evolution, the cornerstone of modern biology, ecology, and other sciences, is referred to as a "theory" because of this principle.

Parsimony

When two plausible explanations are reasonable, the simpler (more parsimonious) one is preferable. This rule is also known as Ockham's razor, after the English philosopher who proposed it. The simpler explanation of two usually is preferred.

According to sociologists, the public's decision to accept or reject scientific evidence often depends on (blank) identify rather than sound science. This is the case when a person's political identity determines their acceptance of a theory.

group

Affluence tends to lead to a(n) (blank) use of resources that tends to lead to higher environmental impacts.

increased

Human life expectancies have (blank) in the last 100 years.

increased dramatically

More than one billion people depend on resources from the (blank) for their animal protein source. However, fish stocks are not doing well.

ocean

To a scientist, this one word is an explanation of a phenomena based on multiple lines of data and experience, whereas the general public tends to use this term as a substitute for something speculative.

theory