Environmental science Chapter one review

What is the connection between natural capital, natural income, and an environmentally sustainable society?

Natural income is obtained from natural resources, a sustainable society is generated by a natural capital.

Is solar energy an ecosystem service? Why or why not?

No, solar energy is not an ecosystem service, because it is a natural resource. It doesn't classify as an ecosystem service because it is a living object in our environment.

Why is nonpoint source pollution more difficult to control than point source pollution?

Nonpoint source pollution is more difficult to control than point source pollution because nonpoint source pollution comes from many different sources unlike a point source pollution which comes from one single source.

Environmental degradation

depletion, deterioration, or waste of Earths natural capital

environmentalism

social movement dedicated to protecting earth and its resources

environmentally sustainable society

A society that protects natural capital and lives off its income while also meeting the current and future basic resource needs of its people

ecological footprint

Amount of land and water needed to supply a population with renewable resources and to absorb and recycle the waste and pollution such resource use produces

Give an example of a technology that reduces some of the environmental degradation that results from affluence. Give another example of a technology or practice that reduces some of the environmental degradation associated with poverty.

An example of a technology that reduces some of the environmental degradation is safe drinking water. Another practice that reduces some of the environmental degradation associated with poverty is by recycling products and reusing all resources and materials we can.

environmental worldview

An individual's set of assumptions and values concerning the natural world and what they think their role in managing it should be. See Earth-centered worldview, human-centered worldview, life-centered worldview

sustainability

Capacity of Earth's natural systems that support life (including human social systems) to maintain stability or to adapt to changing environmental conditions indefinitely

Pollution

Contamination of the environment by an chemical or agent, such as noise or thermal energy, at levels considered harmful to the heath, survival, or activities or organisms

What is the difference between ecosystem services and natural resources?

Ecosystem services are benefits we receive from the normal functioning of natural systems. While natural resources are just living or non-living objects that are in our environment.

exponential growth

Growth in which some quantity, such as population size or economic output, increases at a fixed percentage per unit of time. Exponential growth starts slowly but the quantity soon becomes enormous. When the increase in quantity over time is plotted on a graph, this type of growth yields a curve shaped like the letter J

Which category of environmental worldview do you think would be most likely to lead to a sustainable future if it were widely accepted, and why?

I think an earth-centered worldview if accepted would be the most sustainable because we would protect our resources and use them wisely so that we have enough for future generations, this making it a sustainable way of living.

Some people view the rapid population growth in less-developed nations as the primary cause of environmental problems. Others see the high rate of resource use per person in more-developed countries as the problem. Which factor do you think is more significant? Why?

I think rapid population growth is more significant because the more people on earth the more resources we need, which we don't have access to, where as in people using too many resources we could make laws and regulations so that people can only use so many resources, this to make sure everyone has an equal share.

Into which category of environmental worldview would you put the early preservationists? Into which category would you put the early conservationists?

I would put early preservationists into the earth centered worldview. I would put early conservationists into the human centered worldview.

environmental science

Interdisciplinary study of how humans interact with the environment. It includes information and ideas from engineering, natural sciences, and social sciences. The fundamental goals of environmental science are to learn how life on Earth has survived and thrived, understand how humans interact with the environment, and find ways to deal with environmental problems and live more sustainably

Using the ecological footprint calculator on Schoology, determine the size of your ecological footprint. How does your footprint compare to average? What practices or living conditions do you have that increase your footprint the most? How do you think the footprint calculator's accuracy could be improved?

My ecological footprint is 2.8 earths. My footprint is very low compared to the average ecological footprint in the U.S. I eat mean daily, and use a car everyday so by doing that my footprint is heavily increased. I think the footprint calculators accuracy could be improved by making the answers that are available more specific rather than general.

After completing the Ecological Footprint calculator, which activities contribute the most to the size of your footprint? What changes could you make to reduce the size of your footprint?

My use of transportation and the food I eat contributes the most to the size of my footprint. I could eat less meat to reduce the size of my footprint.

natural income

Portion of renewable resource that can be used sustainable

Give an example of an ecosystem service that is not mentioned in the notes and defend your answer.

Purification of water is an example of an ecosystem service, this is because it benefits us because it is a service that cleans our water which makes it safe for us to drink.

Point source

Single identifiable source that discharges pollutants into the environment. Examples include the smokestack of a power plant, drainpipe of a meatpacking plant, chimney of a house, or exhaust pipe of an automobile.

environmental ethics

Study of varying beliefs about what is right or wrong with how people treat the environment

Name the early individuals who had a major impact on the American public's awareness of the environment and sustainability, and explain their accomplishments.

The first conversation efforts were by Marsh, the preservation to fully protect wilderness was Muir, managing public lands wisely for their natural resources was Roosevelt and Pinchot, blending of preservation was Leopold, and silent spring was Rachel Carson.

In class we read the article "Tragedy of the Commons". What was the main point that the author was trying to make about the problems we face? Describe the concept of the "Tragedy of the Commons". How does this relate to pollution and the human population?

The main point from the tragedy of the commons was that of we get using our resources unsustainably then we will eventually run out of them. The concept of the tragedy of the commons is that these practices that we continue to use will eventually destroy the resources we have leaving us with none. This related to pollution because if we do not do something to help fix the pollution in our air, it will become so bad that we won't be able to survive with the proper air quality we need to live. This also related to human population because the more the population grows the more resources we need because the environment needs to service even more people than before.

Describe the purpose of the Gone Fishing Activity. What does the activity teach us about sustainable practices, especially as it relates to common resources?

The purpose of the gone fishing activity was to see if we could catch fish sustainable. It taught us that if we kept taking fish from the population there would be no fish left and the population would die

Describe the purpose of the Irrigation Game that was completed in class. What lesson does the Irrigation Game teach use about sustainability? How was the scenario realistic? How was the scenario unrealistic?

The purpose of the irrigation game was to see if we could use the water sustainable so that future generations would have access to the water. The game taught us that if our groups kept taking lots of water than we wouldn't have any water left for the future meaning we weren't being sustainable. This was realistic because you made more profit with the more water you collected. This was unrealistic because you could take as much water as you wanted no matter the amount of money you contributed.

Life has existed on Earth for about 3.8 billion years despite gradual and sudden environmental changes. How do the scientific factors of sustainability help explain how life has continued to survive and evolve?

The scientific factors help explain that life has continued to survive and evolve through the changes made to our resources so that we can live sustainably.

The "rule of 70" allows you to calculate the approximate doubling of the human population when it experiences exponential growth. doubling time = 70/annual growth rate (%) Use the "rule of 70" to estimate the population doubling times of Niger and the United States based on the data below. How many times will Niger's population have to double to surpass the United States in population?

Their population will only have to double once to surpass the United States in population. Niger: Population 18.2 million; 3.9% growth rate (2014) 18 (17.9)U.S.: Population 318 million; 0.4% growth rate (2014) 175

In the 1970's, public opinion favored cleaning up the environment. Since the 1980's, some members of Congress and industry leaders have fought against environmental laws that regulate the amount of pollution that can be added to the environment. Are they working in the best interest of the public or of corporations?

They are working in the best interest of the corporations because they are not willing to help get rid of pollution because they know it will affect the corporations businesses.

In 2012, the total ecological footprint of China was only just below that of the entire European Union. But the ecological footprint of the average European was nearly three times greater than that of the average Chinese person. Explain how this is possible.

This is possible because since the population in China is so large, they have more limited resources because they need more resources. This meaning that European people have a larger ecological footprint because the have less people meaning they have access to more resources.

nonpoint source

Type of pollution in which pollutants come from many diffuse sources that are hard to pinpoint. Sources include runoff of water and pollutants from cropland, residential areas, clear-cut forests, and construction sites.

life-centered worldview

Worldview holding that all species have value in fulfilling their particular role within the biosphere, regardless of their potential or actual use to society; includes the belief that people have a responsibility to be caring and responsible stewards of the planet. Compare Earth-centered

earth-centered worldview

Worldview maintaining that people are part of, and dependent on, nature; that Earth's natural capital exists for all species, not just for humans; that economic success and the long-term survival of cultures and species depend on learning how Earth has sustained itself for billions of years; and lessons from nature should influence how people think and act. Compare human-centered worldview, life-centered worldview. See environmental worldview

human-centered worldview

Worldview that sees the natural world as a support system for human life. It is divided into the planetary management worldview and the stewardship worldview. Compare Earth-centered worldview, life-centered worldview

environment

all external conditions, factors, matter, and energy, living and nonliving, that affect any living organism or other specified system

ecology

biological science that studies how living things interact with the interact with the living and nonliving parts of the environment

natural resource

natural materials and energy sources essential or useful to humans

natural capital

natural resources and ecosystem services that keep humans and other species alive and support human economies

ecosystem service

natural services that support life and human economies at no monetary cost. Examples are nutrient cycling, natural pest control, and natural purification of air and water

ecosystem

one or more communities of different species interacting with one another and with the chemical and physical factors of their nonliving environment

renewable resource

resource that can be replenished rapidly (in hours to centuries) through natural processes as long as it is not used up faster than it is replaced. Examples include forests, grasslands, wildlife, fertile topsoil, clean air, and fresh water

nonrenewable resource

resource that exists in a fixed amount and takes millions to billions of years to form, so it will be used more quickly than it can be replaced. Examples include copper, aluminum, coal, oil, salt, and sand

inexhaustible resource

resources available in continuous supply for the conceivable future. examples include sunlight and the wind and flowing waters that sunlight powers