Chapter 1: Introduction to Environmental Science
Environmentalism
A social movement dedicated to positive change and protection/conservation
Hypothesis
A statement that aims to explain a phenomenon or answers a scientific question (educated guess)
Controlled Experiment
A study in which the effects of ALL variables are held constant (controlled), except the one being tested by comparison of treatment and control conditions
Theory
A widely accepted, well-tested explanation of one or more cause-and-effect relationships
Environmental "Five"
Every decision made concerning environmental issues is accomplished or impacted by 5 parameters: Political, Economical, Technological, Social, Ethical
Environmental Justice
Fair treatment for everyone in enforcement of environmental laws
Hypothesis Validation
Includes peer review, conference presentations, grants and funding, repeatability, and theory development
Manipulative Experiment
Independent variable can be manipulated (chemistry/physics)
Quantitative Data
Information that can be expressed in numbers - it's more exact/precise
Interdisciplinary Field
Involves input from many different established fields of study across the natural sciences and social sciences
Scientific Method
Technique for testing ideas using observations and making assumptions Observation->Questions->Hypothesis->Predictions->Testing->Results (Alternative Hypothesis)
Sustainable Development
A progress that satisfies our current needs without compromising the future availability of natural resources or our future quality of life
Environmental Understanding
Depend on it for food, water, shelter, resources, and oxygen, and we're only once species among many (relationships)
Tragedy of the Commons
Depletion of an unregulated publicly accessible resource due to greed (Garrett Hardin)
Sustainability
a guiding principle of environmental science that requires us to live in such a way as to maintain Earth's systems and its natural resources for the forseeable future
Paradigm
A dominant view of a scientific principle or concept
Anthropocentrism
A human-centered view of an ethical environmental perspective that looks at the environmental costs for humans only
Fossil Fuel
A nonrenewable natural resource produced by the decomposition and compression of organic matter from ancient life
Solar Energy
A principle of sustainability that has a reliance on solar energy for our energy needs
Chemical Recycling
A principle of sustainability that says to reuse Earth's nutrients, chemicals, and metals
Biotic & Abiotic
All living organisms (bacteria to largest whales) All non-living organisms (rocks, water, atmosphere)
Social Science
An academic discipline that studies human interactions and institutions
Environmental Studies
An academic program that heavily incorporates the social sciences as well as the natural sciences
Biocentrism
An ethical environmental perspective that considers the impact on the environment as well as humans
Ecocentrism
An ethical environmental perspective that only considers the impacts on the environment (good or bad)
Relativist
An ethicist who maintains that ethics do and should vary with social context
Universalist
An ethicist who maintains that there exist objective notions of right and wrong that hold across cultures and situations
Peer Review
An evaluation by other specialists in the field, who provide comments and criticism
Hunter-Gatherer Lifestyle
Lifestyle with minimal impact - From times with low population
Sustaining Biodiversity
Maintaining the various life forms, ecosystems, and biomes that provide essential natural services required to sustain the Planet
Natural Experiments
Manipulation not possible - Utilizes existing data/conditions
Non-Renewable Natural Resources
Materials that are limited in supply OR have an extensive time lag (crude oil, natural gas, coal, copper, aluminum, other metals)
Environmental Problems (Perceived)
Perceived differently by different people. This is due to age, gender, class, race, nationality, employment, education, residence, etc.
Correlation
Relationship between variables - Both up, both down, etc.
Conference Presentations
Scientists frequently present their work at conferences where they interact with colleges and receive comments
Renewable Natural Resource
Supplies that are unlimited OR can be replenished quickly (sunlight, wind energy, wave energy, geothermal energy)
Natural Science
The academic discipline that examines the natural world
Environmental Ethics
The application of ethical standards to environmental questions and decisions. (ex: do we have an obligation for conserve natural resources for future generations?)
Ethical Standards
The criteria that helps us differentiate right from wrong
Holistic and Ethical Conservation
The environmental philosophy by Aldo Leopold that combines conservation with ethics and has a holistic approach
Conservation
The environmental philosophy by Gifford Pinchot that says to utilize natural recourses but manage and protect them simultaneously
Preservation
The environmental philosophy by John Muir that talks about the protection of the natural environment in a pristine or unaltered state
Ecology
The science of organisms and their interactions with themselves and their environment
Neolithic Revolution
The shift around 10,000 years ago from a hunter-gatherer to an agricultural lifestyle (pop growth)
Industrial Revolution
The shift in the mid-1700s from rural life, animal-powered agriculture, and manufacturing by craftsman to an urban society powered by fossil fuels (pop growth)
Environmental Science
The study of how the natural world works, how our environment affects us, and how we affect the environment (interactions)
Environment
The sum total of our surroundings, including all biotic and abiotic factors
Ecological Footprint
The total of "direct" and "indirect" (usually negative) impacts on natural resources that we as a society make on the environment to maintain our lifestyle.
Independent Variable
Variable that is manipulated, changed, or altered
Dependent Variable
Variable that is the outcome/result and depends on change
Repeatability
When a scientist tests a hypothesis multiple times in many different ways
Millenium Ecosystem Assessment
the most comprehensive scientific review of the present condition of the world's ecological systems and their ability to continue supporting our civilization