Princeton Review AP Environmental Science Chapter 10

sustainability

meeting the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs

policy

a plan or course of action- as of a government, political party, or business- intended to influence and determine decisions, actions, and other matters

water rights

legal right to use water from a river, stream, or other body for a purpose

Homestead Act (1862)

encouraged the settlement and exploitation of western lands

Mineral Lands Act (1866)

encouraged the use of resources

General Mining Act (1872)

a federal law that was created to systematically oversee and control prospecting and mining or economic minerals, such as gold, platinum, and silver, on federal public lands

"Walden"

a book by Henry David Thoreau describing his retreat from society and the quiet years that he spent living on Walden Pond studying nature

"Man and Nature"

a book by George Perkins Marsh that helped the American public understand that there are limits to natural resources; his plan for the conservation of resources is the basis for many of the resource conservation principle still adhered to today

John Muir

a nature preservationist who founded the Sierra Club in 1892; he led a campaign for the protection of lands from human exploitation and advocated low-impact recreational activities such as hiking and camping

Golden Age of Conservation

Theodore Roosevelt's term of presidency was referred to as this because of the many environmentally friendly laws and policies he put into effect

Gifford Pinchot

the first chief of the United States Forest Service in the history of the United States; he applied the principles of sustainable harvest and multiple-use to wildlife protection, recreation, and resource extraction; he was hired by President Theodore Roosevelt

"Silent Spring"

a book by Rachel Carson that awoke in many Americans an awareness of the state of the environment; it also highlighted bioaccumulation and biomagnification, especially as the result of the pesticide DDT and its effects on bald eagles in North America

Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)

an independent federal agency established to coordinate programs aimed at reducing pollution and protecting the environment

National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA)(1970)

created the Council on Environmental Quality that resulted in the creation of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) from the consolidation of various environmental agencies; it also mandates that federal agencies prepare environmental impact statements.

International Environmental Protection Act (1983)

authorized the president to assist countries in protecting and maintaining wildlife habitats and in developing sound wildlife management and plant conservation programs; special efforts should be made to establish and maintain wildlife sanctuaries, reserves, and parks; enact and enforce anti-poaching measures; and identify, study, and catalog animal and plant species, especially in tropical environments

Pollution Prevention Act (1990)

designed to promote source reduction (stop pollution from being produced)

Environmental Education Act (1990)

established the Office of Environmental Education within the Environmental Protection Agency to develop and administer a federal environmental education program

"The Population Bomb"

a book by Paul Ehrlich that warned of the myriad problems that would arise along with the quickly increasing human population

non-governmental organizations (NGOs)

privately owned organizations involved in providing financial and technical assistance to less developed countries (ex. Greenpeace and the World Wildlife Fund)

green taxe

a fiscal policy that lowers taxes on income, including wages and profit, and raises taxes on consumption, particularly the unsustainable consumption of nonrenewable resources

market permits

when companies are allowed to buy permits that allow them a certain amount of discharge of substances into certain environmental outlets; if they can reduce their amount of discharge, they are allowed to sell the remaining portion of their permit to another company

feebate approach

additional fees are imposed on less sustainable products- such as sport-utility vehicles- and then pooled to fund rebates on more sustainable alternatives, such as hybrid electric vehicles

subsidies

giveaways or tax breaks on certain resources to encourage their use

globalization

the process by which businesses or other organizations develop international influence or start operating on an international scale

Montreal Accord (1978)

cut the emissions of CFCs that damage the ozone layer; this was amended in Copenhagen (1992)to include other key ozone-depleting chemicals

Basel Convention on the Control of transboundary Movements of Hazardous Wastes (1992)

169 parties aimed to protect human health and the environment against the adverse effects resulting from the generation, management, transboundary movements, and disposal of hazardous and other wastes; the United States has not ratified this agreement and therefore, is not bound to abide by it

Kyoto Protocol (1997)

required the participating 38 developed countries to cut their greenhouse gas emissions by 5% below 1990 levels; while the United States signed the agreement, it did not ratify the agreement, thus not binding it to abide by the protocol

Paris Agreement (2016)

required the participating countries to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions by a pledged percentage; the United States and China (who together account for more than 40% of global greenhouse emissions) have both signed and ratified this agreement; the United States had pledged to reduce its emissions by 26-28% below 2005 levels by 2025, but President Trump withdrew from the agreement in 2017; as of February 2017, the United States is the only country opposed to the agreement

cap-and-trade policy

an approach that provides economic incentives for limiting emissions of pollutants (ex. green taxes)