Sustainability Midterm

anthropocentrism

the belief that human beings are the central or most important entity in the universe. All other aspects of the world are meant to serve humans

anti-environmentalism

A movement that favors loose environmental regulation in favor of economic benefits. This movement seeks to persuade the public that current and proposed environmental policy impacts society negatively.

Biodiversity

the variety of all living things on the Earth.

Capitalism

an economic system based on market competition and the pursuit of profit, in which the means of production (or capital) are privately owned

Carrying Capacity

In ecology, the maximum number of animals of a given species that a particular habitat can support

Cassandra

A character from a Greek myth who was given the gifts of foresight and prophecy along with the curse was that nobody believed her. Related to sustainability, it's a pejorative term for a person that pronounces overly pessimistic predictions of environmental catastrophe.

Conservation(ism)

The sustainable use of natural resources within certain biological limits. This means using resources at a rate that does not exceed the growth or sustainable yield of the resource.

Demographic Transition

The theory that societies progress from a pre-modern regime of high fertility and high mortality to a post-modern regime of low fertility and low mortality.

Ecology

the study of the functional interrelationships of living organisms, played out on the stage of their inanimate surroundings

Ecosystem Services

the direct and indirect benefits that humans freely obtain from healthy, functioning natural ecosystems (e.g., water & air purification, recreation, flood prevention, food, raw materials)

The Environment

the natural world, as a whole or in a particular geographical area, especially as affected by human activity. 

More broadly, the physical surroundings or conditions in which a person or other organism lives

Environmental Justice

A social movement addressing the distribution of environmental hazards among the poor and minorities. Includes the belief that all people should be involved in environmental decision making.

Environmentalism

A social and political movement that seeks to improve and protect the quality of the natural environment through changes to environmentally harmful human activities

Extinction

the complete disappearance of a species from Earth because all individuals died before they can reproduce

Human

a primate that shows especially high levels of intelligence and that has diverse cultures (including traditions and languages)

Libertarianism

A political and ethical philosophy that promotes individual freedom and limited government. Personal liberty should be restricted only if one's actions infringe upon the rights of others

Nature

The physical world and everything in it, including plants, animals, landscapes, and natural forces (often excluding humans and human creations). Also, a conception of the earth unspoiled by humanity.

Overpopulation

Too many people living in an area in which the resources—land, food, water, fuel, and an acceptable infrastructure—are inadequate to support them without hardship

Pollyanna

A character from a children's book with irrepressible optimism and a tendency to find good in everything. Related to sustainability, it's a pejorative term for a naive person that has an unrealistically positive outlook.

Preservation(ism)

The non-use or non-consumptive use of natural resources in a specific area (e.g., the creation of wilderness areas or parks where human activities are limited, and sometimes entirely prohibited).

Public Goods

a product or service from which no one can be effectively excluded (e.g., clean air) and/or from which the public draws from one common pool resource that may become exhausted (e.g., national forests, aquifers, rivers, fisheries).

Regulation

government policies designed to shape the behavior of individuals and organizations (such as corporations and government itself) to conserve natural resources, reduce pollution, and preserve ecosystems

Renewable Resources

the environmental components—wind, sunlight, water, forests, crops, fisheries, and so on—that, if managed properly, can meet human needs for raw materials, energy, and food on a long-term, sustainable basis.

Sustainability

An adaptive art wedded to science in service to ethical vision. It entails satisfying current needs without sacrificing future well-being through the balanced pursuit of ecological health, economic welfare, social empowerment, and cultural creativity.

Trade-offs

a situation where an improvement in the status of one aspect of the environment or of human well-being is necessarily associated with a decline in or loss of a different aspect.

Tragedy of the Commons

a collective-action problem in which commonly owned or shared resources are exploited to the point where they become severely degraded

Utilitarianism

An ethical philosophy that promotes the "greatest amount of good for the greatest amount of people."