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Well-Being

The status of being healthy, happy, and prosperous.

Oceanic Plates

Lie underneath ocean. Dense and rich in iron

environment

the surroundings or conditions in which a person, animal, or plant lives or operates

Economics

How humans as individuals or companies allocate scare resources in the production, distribution, and consumption of goods and services.

Subsurface Mining

Tunnels within mountain where people go in.

environmental science

branch of science focused on the study of the relationships of the natural world and the relationships between organisms and their environments

Genuine Progress Indicator

A measurement of the economy that considers personal consumption, income distribution, levels of higher education, resource depletion, pollution, and the health of the population. Over the last 40 years GDP has risen while GPI has remained stable.

Placer Mining

Process of looking for metals and precious stones in river sediments

system

A group of interacting, interrelated, or interdependent elements or parts that function together as a whole to accomplish a goal

Technology Transfer

Less developed countries adopt technological innovations developed in wealthy countries.

Mountaintop Removal

Miners remove entire top of a mountain with explosives

ecosystem

A system formed by the interaction of a community of organisms with their physical environment

Kuznets Curve

As per capita increases, environmental degradation first increases and then decreases.

Open pit mining

Create large pit or hole in ground to mine

biotic

living things

abiotic

Non-living things

Mining Spoils/Tailings

Unwanted waste material created during mining.

Leapfrogging

New technology develops in such a way that makes the older technology obsolete and unnecessary.

Microlending

Practice of loaning small amounts of money to people who intend to start a small business in less developed countries. Improves quality of life, increases income, increases confidence, empowers women and sound environmental practices, lowers fertility rate so the population stabilizes, and local markets develop so less fuel is used to transport goods.

Strip Mining

Minerals close to the surface, remove soil and rock to expose them, then return unwanted waste material.

environmentalist

a person who is concerned with or advocates the protection of the environment

Natural Capital

Resources of the planet such as air, water, and minerals.

Metals

Elements with properties that conduct electricity and heat

environmental studies

multidisciplinary academic field which systematically studies human interaction with the environment in the interests of solving complex problems

Human Capital

Refers to human knowledge and abilities.

Crustal Abundance

Average Concentration of an element in the crust

ecosystem services

the many and varied benefits that humans freely gain from the natural environment and from properly-functioning ecosystems

Manufactured capital

All goods and services that humans produce.

Ores

Economically valuable concentrated accumulations of minerals.

environmental indicators

describe the current state of an environmental system

sustainability

the ability to be maintained at a certain rate or level

Soil Degradation

Loss of some or all of the ability of soils to support plant growth.

Market Failure

When an economic system doesn't appropriately account for all costs

biodiversity

the variety of life in the world or in a particular habitat or ecosystem

Environmental Economics

Examines the costs and benefits of various policies and regulations that seek to regulate pollution and degradation.

Base Saturation

Measure of proportion of soil bases to soil acids

Ecological Economics

Treats economics as a component of ecological systems.

Cation Exchange Capacity

Ability of a soil to absorb and release cations. Determined by clay. Higher is better, but higher decreases porosity, therefore, there's a tradeoff.

species

a group of living organisms consisting of similar individuals capable of exchanging genes or interbreeding

Vaulation

Assigning monetary value to intangible benefits and natural capital.

Texture of soil

Determined by percentage of sand, silt, and clay

speciation

the formation of new and distinct species in the course of evolution

Environmental worldview

Encompasses how people think the world works, how they view their role in it, and what they believe to be proper behavior regarding the environment.

C Horizon

Least weathered. Most similar to parent material

background extinction rate

the standard rate of extinction in earth's geological and biological history before humans became a primary contributor to extinctions

greenhouse gases

a gas that contributes to the greenhouse effect by absorbing infrared radiation, e.g., carbon dioxide and chlorofluorocarbons

B Horizon

Mineral material, little organic matter

Anthropocentric Worldview

Human centered worldview. Considers that human beings have intrinsic value.

anthropogenic

(chiefly of environmental pollution and pollutants) originating in human activity

E Horizon

Leaches organic acids from above layers to B where they accumulate

Stewardship

Subset of anthropocentric worldview that is the careful and responsible management and care for Earth and its resources.

Biocentric Worldview

Life centered. Humans are one of many species, all of which have intrinsic value.

A Horizon

Topsoil. Organic material and minerals

development

the process of change that occurs during an organism's life to produce a more complex organism

Ecocentric Worldview

Earth centered. Equal value on all living organisms and the ecosystems they live in.

sustainable development

economic development that is conducted without depletion of natural resources

O Horizon

Top layer. Organic horizon and detritus.

United Nations Environmental Programme (UNEP)

A group within the United Nations responsible for gathering environmental info and research and assessing environmental problems.

Parent Material

Rock material underlying a soil

biophilia

an appreciation for life

World Bank

Provides technical and financial assistance to developing countries to reduce poverty and promote growth.

Soil

Mix of geologic and organic components

ecological footprint

the impact of a person or community on the environment, expressed as the amount of land required to sustain their use of natural resource

scientific method

A series of steps followed to solve problems including collecting data, formulating a hypothesis, testing the hypothesis, and stating conclusions

World Health Organization (WHO)

A group within the United Nations responsible for human health, including combating the spread of infectious diseases and health issues related to natural disasters.

Deposition

Accumulation or depositing of eroded material

hypothesis

A testable prediction, often implied by a theory

United Nations Development Programme (UNDP)

A program of the United Nations that works to improve living conditions through economic development.

Erosion

Physical removal of rock fragments from a landscape or ecosystem

Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)

A U.S. government agency that creates federal policy and oversees enforcement of regulations related to the environment,including science, research, assessment, and education.

Acid Precipitation

Acid rain. Sulfur Dioxide reacts with water vapor to form sulfuric acid in rain.

null hypothesis

a statement or idea that can be falsified, or proved wrong

Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA)

A U.S. federal agency responsible for the enforcement of health and safety regulations in the workplace.

Chemical Weathering

Breakdown of rocks and minerals by chemical reactions and dissolving of a rocks chemical elements. Alters newly exposed/primary minerals to make secondary minerals.

replication

the action of copying or reproducing something

Department of Energy (DOE)

A U.S. government agency created in 1977 with the goal of advancing the energy and economic security of the United States.

Physical Weathering

Mechanical breakdown of rocks and minerals. Water, wind, or temp. Plants or burrowing animals can contribute. Exposing more surface area and makes more vulnerable to more erosion.

sample size

The number of subjects used in an experiment or study. Generally, the larger the better.

Human Development Index (HDI)

A measure of economic well-being that combines life expectancy, knowledge, education,and standard of living as shown in GDP per capita and purchasing power.

Metamorphic Rocks

Other rock types subjected to high temps and pressure causing physical and chemical changes. Pressure creates distorted bands called foliation.

accuracy

A description of how close a measurement is to the true value of the quantity measured

precision

a measure of how close a series of measurements are to one another

Sedimentary Rocks

Form by sediments like muds, sands, and gravels compressed by overlying sediments. Can be uniform or different. Contains the most fossils.

Human Poverty Index (HPI)

A multidimensional measure of poverty, measuring longevity, knowledge, economic provisioning and social inclusion.

Command and Control Approach

Sets regulations for emissions and controls with fines and punishments

Fractures

Cracks caused by stress after cooling

uncertainty

doubt, the state of being unsure

Incentive Based Approach

Financial benefits and incentives for lowering emissions.

Extrusive Igneous Rock

Magma cools on surface, cools rapidly, minerals don't separate

inductive reasoning

A type of logic in which generalizations are based on a large number of specific observations

Green Tax

Tax places on environmentally harmful activities or emissions.

Intrusive Igneous

Cools inside Earth underground. Many colors, cools slowly, minerals separate.

deductive reasoning

reasoning in which a conclusion is reached by stating a general principle and then applying that principle to a specific case (The sun rises every morning; therefore, the sun will rise on Tuesday morning.)

Triple Bottom Line

Must take into account 3 factors economic, environmental, and social when making decisions.

Igneous Rocks

Forms directly from magma. Classified by composition and mode of formation

critical thinking

the objective analysis and evaluation of an issue in order to form a judgment

theory

A hypothesis that has been tested with a significant amount of data

UN Millennium Declarations

Eradicate extreme poverty and hunger, achieve universal primary education, promote gender equality and empower women, reduce child mortality, improve maternal health, combat HIV, malaria, and other diseases, ensure environmental sustainability, and develop a global partnership for development.

Minerals

Solid, Crystalline, Specific chemical structure, certain formations, uniform

United Nations (UN)

An institution dedicated to promoting dialogue among countries with the goal of maintaining world peace.