Toward a Sustainable Future Ch.1-3 Flashcards

410070334	Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change	provided convincing evidence that human-induced climate change is already severely impacting global climate and sea level
410070335	Kyoto Protocol Goal	an international agreement among the developed nations to reduce greenhouse gas emissions (the US is still not part of this)
410070336	biodiversity	variablility among living organisms and the ecological complexes of which they are part
410070337	reasons for loss of biodiversity:	conversion of land and pollution species declining in range and population
410070338	environmental science	study of how the world works
410070339	environmental science:	gives answers that allows societies to make changes consistent with a sustainable future
410070340	environmentalists	people and organizations with a strong focus on environmental concerns
410070341	environmentalism	widespread development of the environmental movement
410070342	Rachel Carson	wrote 'silent spring' in 60's which alerted the public about the dangers of pesticides and their role in rapidly declining bird populations. Example of sterwardship.
410070343	sound science***	understanding how the world works and how we interact with it
410070344	sustainability***	a process which can be continued infinitely without depleting the energy or material resources on which it depends, a goal we should be working toward
410070345	stewardship***	managing natural resources and promoting human well-being for the common good
410070346	junk science	presented as science but does not conform to the rigorous methods of legitimate science
410070347	scientific method	observation hypothesis test explanation observations
410070348	natural laws	laws by which we define and predict the matter and energy
410070349	Controversies exist:	becuase there is bias, new info, subjective values (different feelings about issues)
410070350	sustainable ecosystems	natural systems that thrive over time by recycling nutrients, maintain a diversity of species and use sun as a source of energy
410070351	sustainable development	progress that meets needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet needs
410070352	development	imporvement of human well-being
410070353	globalization***	acceleration interconnectedness of human activities, ideas, and cultures -little to do to improve economic well-being -western culture being marketed throughout the world
410070354	human population	j-shaped
410070355	the cause of overexploitation of resources	is overpopulation
410070356	China's example demonstrates that economic growth can lift millions out of poverty and establish a country's strong place in the world market	But this growth comes at the cost of natural resources and harming the health of their people (toxic water, polluted air)
410070357	economic growth	can lift people out of poverty but not sustainable when the growth is at the cost of natural resources and health
410070358	economics	social science that deals with production, distribution, and consumption of goods and services
410070359	economy	system of exchanges of goods and services worked out by member sof society
410070360	economic systems	social and legal arrangements of ppl constucted to satisfy their needs and wants
410070361	free market economy occurs with	democracies
410070362	rulers make all	basic decisions in a centurally planned economy
410070363	no country has a pure system of either economy!!	...
410070364	market economies only offer access to goods and services	...
410070365	Sustainable economy characteristics	-imporve human well-being vs promoting growth -value and preserve ecosystem goods and services vs drawing down natural capital -use the precautionary principle to minimize risks vs promoting damaging technologies -businesses will eagerly provide green products
410070366	ecological economists	argue that the environment encompasses teh economy, not the other way around
410070367	econimic production	the process of converting the natural world to the manufactured world
410070368	produced capital	goods and services-human made products
410070369	natural capital	goods and services supplied by natural ecosystems
410070370	renewable natural capital can be depleted if not managed wisely	nonrenewable natural capital can be depleted
410070371	GDP is flawed	it does not include goods created and services preformed by a family for itself omits natural services from ecosy clean air is not included in GDP
410070372	GPI	assumes some economic activities are positive and negative
410070373	human capital	populations physical psychological and cultural attributes
410070374	social capital	societal and political environment
410070375	knowledge assets	knowledge that can be transferred to others
410070376	intragenerational equity	making possible for others what is possible for you
410070377	intergenarational equity	meeting needs of present without harming the ability of tfutre generations to meet their needs
410070378	***laws protecting the environment are not luxuries to be tolerated only if they do not interfere with freedom of economic development	part of the foundation of human society they are essential for sustainibility
410070379	Payments for ecosystem services	establishes a monetary value for an ecosystem service
410070380	external costs	effect of a business process not included in the usual calculations of profit and loss
410070381	costs	include poor health and damages that would have occured without regulations
410070382	benefits	improve human health
410070383	shadow pricing	assesses what people might pay for a particular benefit ex. houses next to airports have lower values
410070384	ecology	study of all processes influencing the distribution and abundance of organisms
410070385	species	different kinds of living things
410070386	population	number of individuals that make up the interbreeding group ina certain area
410070387	biotic community	the grouping of population in a natural area
410070388	ecosystem	interactive complec of communities and the abiotic environment affecting them within an area
410070389	ecotone	a transitional region between ecosystems
410070390	landscape	a cluster of interacting ecosystems
410070391	biome	a large area of earth with the same climate and similar vegetation
410070392	biosphere	one huge system formed by all living things
410070393	condition	factor that varies in space and time but is not used up
410070394	resource	any factor consumed by organisms water nutrients light oxygen
410070395	factor	can be both condition and resource
410070396	range of telerance	entire range allowing any growth
410070397	limits of growth	high and low ends of the range of tolerance
410070398	zones of stress	btw the optimal range and high and low limit of tolerance
410070399	synergistic effects	factors that interact to cause greater effect than expected
410070400	habitat	place where species is adapted to live
410070401	microhabitiat	puddles rock holes
410070402	niche	sum of conditions and resources under which a species can live or what the animal eats where it feeds and lives, how it responds to abiotic factors
410070403	matter	anything that occupies space
410070404	mass	amount of matter in something
410070405	law of conservation of matter	atoms do not change and are not created or destroyed
410070406	ion	an atom that has gained or lost an electron
410070407	molecule	two or more atoms bonded in a specific way
410070408	compound	two or more diff kinds of atoms H2O
410070409	atmosphere	layer of gases separating earth from outerspace
410070410	six key elements	C H O N P S, Carbon (C), hydrogen (H), oxygen (O), nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P), and sulfur (S).
410070411	organic compounds	chemical compoinds making up tissue of living organisms
410070412	inorganic compounds	all things that do not contain carbon atoms, are not living organism nor products of living things
410070413	natural organic compounds	makes up living organisms
410070414	synthetic organic compounds	human-made
410070415	energy	ability to do work
410070416	work	force x distance
410070417	entropy	measure of the degree of disorder in a system
410070418	oxidation	loss of electrons
410070419	photosynthesis	6CO2 + 6H2O -----> C6 H12 O6 = 6O2
410070420	comparing carbon and nitrogen cycles	C is mainly found in the atmosphere directly taken in by plants N is found in air, N & P cdant be taken up directly, are limiting factors