IB ESS Topic 1 EVS Vocabulary Flashcards

55 key vocabulary terms and definitions from the lecture notes for quick study.

Environmental Value Systems (EVS)

A worldview or set of paradigms that shapes how individuals or societies perceive and evaluate environmental issues.

Environmental movement

A network of groups and actors (media, pressure groups, corporations, governments, and IGOs) that influence environmental policy and awareness.

Ecocentric

A nature-centered value system in which humans are seen as part of, and under, nature’s control.

Anthropocentric

A human-centered value system that evaluates the environment from a human perspective.

Technocentric

A technologically-based value system that believes human ingenuity will enable control of the environment.

Cornucopians

Extreme technocentrists who believe resources are infinite and technology can solve environmental problems.

Environmental managers

View Earth as something to be stewarded; ethics, legislation, and policy guide protection of the environment.

Biocentric

All life has inherent value; humans should not cause extinctions; values extend beyond humans.

Deep ecologists

Argue that nature has more value than humanity; call for reduced human consumption and population pressure.

Carbon footprint

Total greenhouse gas emissions directly and indirectly caused by an individual, organization, event, or product.

Systems Approach

A way of visualizing and analyzing the complex interactions within a system (ecology, society, etc.).

System

An assemblage of parts and the relationships between them that enables them to work together to form a functioning whole.

Open System

A system that exchanges both matter and energy with its surroundings across its boundary.

Closed System

A system that exchanges energy but not matter across its boundaries.

Isolated System

A system that exchanges neither energy nor matter with its environment.

Transfers

Flows of matter or energy through a system that involve a change in location.

Flows and storages

Movement of energy and matter into, out of, and stored within a system.

Food chain

A sequence showing who eats whom and the transfer of energy between trophic levels.

First law of thermodynamics

Energy cannot be created or destroyed; it can be transferred or transformed.

Entropy

A measure of energy distribution or disorder in a system; higher disorder means higher entropy.

Solar efficiency

The proportion of solar energy converted into usable energy (about 1–2%).

10% rule

Approximately 10% of energy is transferred to the next trophic level; energy is lost as heat.

Second Law of Thermodynamics

In isolated systems, entropy tends to increase; transformations produce new states or end products.

Efficiency

Useful energy output divided by energy input for a process.

Negative feedback loops

Output inhibits or reverses the operation of a system, promoting stability.

Equilibrium

A state of balance among the components of a system.

Steady-state Equilibrium

A dynamic equilibrium where a system returns to a steady state after disturbance.

Static Equilibrium

A state with no inputs or outputs and no changes over time.

Stable Equilibrium

A state where a disturbed system returns to its original position.

Unstable Equilibrium

A state where a small disturbance causes a large change to a new equilibrium.

Feedback

The return of part of a system’s output as input, influencing subsequent outputs.

Positive Feedback

Feedback that amplifies change, pushing the system toward a new state or tipping point.

Negative Feedback

Feedback that dampens change and promotes stability.

Tipping Points

The minimum amount of change that destabilizes a system and leads to a new equilibrium.

Resilience

The tendency of a system to maintain stability and resist tipping points.

Ecological overshoot

Using resources faster than they can be regenerated.

Natural income

The yield obtained from natural resources (goods and services from natural capital).

Sustainability

The use and management of resources so that full natural replacement can occur.

Sustainable development

Development that meets present needs without compromising future generations.

Tragedy of the commons

Individuals acting in self-interest deplete a shared resource, harming future use.

Ecosystem services

Benefits provided by natural capital that support human well-being.

Environmental Impact Assessments (EIAs)

Studies conducted before a development project to assess potential environmental damage.

Ecological footprint

The area of land and water needed to sustainably provide all resources consumed by a population.

Pollution

The addition of substances or energy to the environment at a rate exceeding the environment’s capacity to cope.

Pollutants

Matter or energy (gas, liquid, solid, sound, heat) or living organisms that cause pollution.

Natural capital

Natural resources that provide a sustainable income of goods and services.

Point-source pollution

Pollution traceable to a single identifiable source.

Non-point source pollution

Pollution from dispersed origins, difficult to pinpoint and detect.

Acute pollution

A single, isolated pollution incident (e.g., oil spill).

Nitrogen fixation

Conversion of atmospheric nitrogen (N2) into ammonia or related compounds, often by bacteria.

Biomes

Groups of ecosystems with similar climates and vegetation types.

Biosphere

The global sum of all ecosystems; the part of Earth inhabited by living organisms.

Carbon cycle

Movement of carbon through the atmosphere, biosphere, hydrosphere, and lithosphere.

Hydrological cycle

The continuous movement of water within Earth and its atmosphere.

Nitrogen cycle

The movement of nitrogen through air, soil, water, and living organisms.