Module 1.3: Planetary Boundaries and Wicked Problems

Vocabulary flashcards covering key terms from Module 1.3 on Planetary Boundaries and Wicked Problems, including energy types, environmental frameworks, value systems, and solutions to social traps.

Renewable energy

Energy that comes from an infinitely available or easily replenished source.

Nonrenewable energy

Energy that comes from a source whose supply is finite or not easily replaced.

Planetary Boundaries

A framework to identify levels of human impact that keep us within the safe operating zone for vital Earth processes.

Instrumental value

Value based on products, goods, or services provided.

Intrinsic value

Value based on an organism’s right to exist.

Social Trap

A situation where individuals acting to maximize their own benefit end up harming a shared resource, often exemplified by the Tragedy of the Commons.

Tragedy of the Commons

A social trap that occurs when commonly held resources are degraded because individuals maximize their own benefit, leading to over-consumption and harm to the resource.

Education (Addressing Social Traps)

An approach to escaping social traps by ensuring individuals understand that their long-term success depends on proper land management and cooperation.

Privatization (Addressing Social Traps)

An approach to escaping social traps by assigning ownership of a resource to individuals, making them less likely to abuse it due to their investment.

Regulation (Addressing Social Traps)

An approach to escaping social traps by implementing laws or rules that restrict resource use to protect shared resources.

Biocentric

A perspective or value system that sees organisms (like deer) as having intrinsic value, focusing on their right to exist.

Ecocentric

A perspective or value system that values not just individual species but also the ecosystem processes as a whole.