APES Unit 0
Negative Feedback
A feedback loop in which a system responds to a change by returning to its original state, or by decreasing the rate at which the change is occurring.
Postive Feedback
A feedback loop in which change in a system in amplified.
Fossil Fuels
A fuel derived from biological material that became fossilized millions of years ago.
Ecological Footprint
A measure of how much an individual consumes, expressed in area of land.
Environmentalist
A person who participates on environmentalism, a social movement that seeks to protect the environment through lobbying, activism, and education.
Open System
A system in which exchanges of matter or energy occur across system boundaries.
Closed System
A system in which matter and energy exchanges do not occur across boundaries.
Catch-Share
A type of management system that dedicates a secure share of fish or fishing area.
Anthropocentric
A worldview that focuses on human welfare and well-being
Biocentric
A worldview that holds that humans are just one of many species on Earth, all of which have equal intrinsic value.
Ecocentric
A worldview that places equal value on all living organisms and the ecosystem in which they live.
Tragedy of the Commons
An economic problem in which every individual tries to reap the greatest benefit from a given resource.
Non-Renewable
An energy source with a finite supply, primarily the fossil fuels and nuclear fuels.
Environmental Indicator
An indicator that describes the current state of an environmental system.
Easter Island
An isolated island in which the humans used the resources unwisely and the island became extinct.
Millennium Ecosystem Assessment
Assessment of the human impact on the environment.
AG Revolution
Gave soil time to replenish nutrients leading to stronger crops and better agricultural output.
Thomas Malthus
He made the observations that the human race would be likely to overproduce if the population size was not kept under control.
Aldo Leopold
Influential in the development of modern environmental ethics and in the movement for wilderness conservation.
Biotic
Living
Sustainability
Living on Earth in a way that allows humans to use its resources without depriving future generations of those resources.
Gifford Pinchot
Main contribution was his leadership in promoting scientific forestry and emphasizing the controlled, profitable use of forests and other natural resources so they would be of maximum benefit to mankind.
Preservation
Maintain and reserve for continued survival.
Abiotic
Nonliving
Industrial Revolution
Resulted in a lot of pollution around the world.
Conservation
The careful utilization of a natural resource in order to prevent depletion.
Environmental Ethics
The discipline in philosophy that studies the moral relationship of human beings to the environment and its non-human contents.
Environmental Justice
The fair treatment and meaningful involvement of all people with respect to the development, implementation, and enforcement of environmental laws, regulations, and policies.
Environmental Science
The field of study that looks at interactions among human systems and those found in nature.
Ecosystem Services
The processes by which life supporting resources such as clean water, timber, fisheries, and agricultural crops are produced.
Environment
The sum of all conditions surrounding us that influence life.
