1-1 What Is an Environmentally Sustainable Society?
Environmentalism
a social movement dedicated to protecting the earth's life-support systems for us and all other forms of life
environment
everything around us; includes all of the living and nonliving things with which we interact; includes a complex web of relationships that connect us with one another and with the world we live in
Natural services
functions of nature that support life and human economies; ecosystems provided these services at no cost
organism
living things
Natural Resources
materials and energy in nature that are essential or useful to humans; often classified as renewable/nonrenewable
Nutrient Cycling
the circulation of chemicals necessary for life from the environment through organisms and back to the environment; vital natural service
Natural Capital
the natural resources/services that keep us and other forms alive and support our economies
Natural Income
the renewable resources such as plants, animals, and soil provided by the natural capital
Environmentally Sustainable Society
the ultimate goal that meets the current and future basic resource needs of its people in a just and equitable manner without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their basic needs
species
a group of organisms with distinctive traits and can mate and produce fertile offspring
Ecosystem
a set of organisms interacting with one another and with their environment of nonliving matter and energy within a defined area or volume
environmental science
an interdisciplinary study of how humans interact with the environmental of living and nonliving things; integrates info/ideas from the natural sciences, social sciences, and the humanities; goal is to understand how how nature works, how the environment affects us, how we affect the environment, and how to deal with environmental problems and live more sustainably.
ecology
the biological science that studies how living things interact with their environment and with each other
Solar Capital
supports natural capital; energy from the sun
Sustainability
the ability of the earth's various natural systems and human cultural systems and economics to survive and adapt to changing environmental conditions indefinitely