IB Environmental Systems and Societies SL Topic 1: Foundations of environmental systems and societies

Flashcards on Foundations of environmental systems and societies

What is an Environmental Value System (EVS)?

A worldview or paradigm that shapes the way an individual, or group of people, perceives and evaluates environmental issues, influenced by cultural, religious, economic, and socio-political contexts.

What are the inputs of an Environmental Value System (EVS)?

Family, peers, media, religion, education, politics, and science.

What are the outputs of an Environmental Value System (EVS)?

Course of action, perspectives, and decisions.

What is Ecocentrism?

An ecocentric viewpoint integrates social, spiritual, and environmental dimensions into a holistic ideal. It puts ecology and nature as central to humanity and emphasizes a less materialistic approach to life with greater self-sufficiency of societies.

What is Anthropocentrism?

An anthropocentric viewpoint argues that humans must sustainably manage the global system. This could be done through taxes, environmental regulation, and legislation.

What is Technocentrism?

A technocentric viewpoint argues that technological developments can provide solutions to environmental problems. This is a result of the optimistic view of the role humans can play in improving humanity.

What is the belief of Deep Ecologists?

Nature is of more value than humanity and humans are not more important than other living things.

What is the focus of Self-Reliance/Soft Ecologists?

Small-scale, local community action and self-sufficiency in resource management.

What is the role of Environmental Managers?

The Earth needs tending or stewardship, and governments legislate and protect the environment.

What is the belief of Cornucopians?

The world has infinite resources and new technologies will solve any environmental problems as they are encountered.

What did Rachel Carson's 'Silent Spring' address?

The effects of pesticides on insects and other animals, including birds, and the risks of DDT to humans.

What was the main message of Al Gore's 'An Inconvenient Truth'?

Global climate change was a result of greenhouse gases released by human activities and that we had to act as this is a moral issue.

What were the effects of the Minamata Disaster, Japan?

Methylmercury bioaccumulated in the bodies of humans, causing mercury poisoning, loss of vision and other nervous system issues, and potentially death.

What was released during the Bhopal Disaster, India?

40 tonnes of methyl isocyanate (MIC) gas, immediately killing nearly 3,000 people and ultimately causing at least 15,000-22,000 total deaths.

What happened during the Chernobyl Disaster, Ukraine?

An explosion and fire resulted in a level 7 event, releasing a cloud of highly radioactive material over much of Russia and Europe.

What happened during the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Disaster, Japan?

An earthquake set off a tsunami which caused damage resulting in meltdown of 3 reactors in the plant.

What is a system?

An organized collection of interdependent parts that perform a function and which are connected through the transfer of energy and/or matter.

What is a model?

A simplified version of reality that can be used to understand how a system works and predict how it will respond to change.

What are the three types of systems?

Open system, closed system, and isolated system.

What are transfers?

Occur when matter and energy move through a system without changing form or state, usually involving a change of location.

What are transformations?

Occur when matter or energy change form when traveling through a system, leading to an interaction within the system and forming a new end product or change of state.

What does the first law of thermodynamics state?

Energy is neither created nor destroyed, thus, the total energy in any system is constant.

What does the second law of thermodynamics state?

The entropy in an isolated system that is not in equilibrium increases over time.

What is equilibrium?

The tendency of a system to return to its original state following a disturbance. At equilibrium, a state of balance exists among the components of the system.

What are the types of equilibria?

Steady-state, static, stable, and unstable.

What is a positive feedback loop?

Amplifies changes and drives a system to a tipping point where a new equilibrium is adopted. It is a destabilizing mechanism.

What is a negative feedback loop?

Tries to damp down or counteract any deviation from the equilibrium and results in the self-regulation of a system. It stabilizes steady-state equilibria.

What is resilience?

The ability of a system to return to its initial state after a disturbance.

What is a tipping point?

A threshold that is reached when an ecosystem experiences a shift to a new state, driving it into a new state.

What is sustainability?

The use and management of resources that allows full natural replacement of the resources exploited and full recovery of the ecosystems affected by their extraction and use.

What is natural capital?

Natural resources that can produce a sustainable natural income of goods and/or services.

What are the types of natural capital?

Renewable, replenishable, and non-renewable.

What is natural income?

The yield obtained from natural resources.

What are the values of natural capital?

Intrinsic value, economic value, ecological value, and aesthetic value.

What is an environmental impact assessment (EIA)?

Assesses the environmental, social, and economic impacts of a project, predicting and evaluating them and suggesting mitigation strategies for the project.

What are the purposes of EIAs?

Help the decision-making process by providing information about a project’s consequences to the environment and promote sustainable development by identifying environmentally sound practices and mitigation measures for development.

What is an ecological footprint (EF)?

The area of land and water required to sustainably provide all resources at the rate at which they are being consumed by a given population.

What is pollution?

The addition of a substance or an agent to an environment by human activity, at a rate greater than that at which it can be rendered harmless by the environment, and which has a negative effect on the organisms within it.

What are the types of pollutants?

Matter (organic or inorganic), energy (sound, light, heat), and living organisms (invasive species, biological agents).

What are primary pollutants?

Active on emission (e.g. carbon monoxide).

What are secondary pollutants?

Formed when primary pollutants undergo physical or chemical changes (e.g. sulphur trioxide + water -> sulphuric acid).

What is point-source pollution?

Release of a pollutant from a single, clearly identifiable source.

What is non-point source pollution?

Release of pollutants from various widely dispersed sources.

What are persistent organic pollutants (POPs)?

Resistant to breaking down, remain active in the environment for a long time, and can bioaccumulate and biomagnify.

What are biodegradable pollutants?

Do not persist in the environment and break down quickly.

What is acute pollution?

Large amounts of a pollutant are released at once, causing significant harm.

What is chronic pollution?

Long-term release of a pollutant in small amounts.