Studied by 5 peopleEnvironmental Value System
a worldview that shapes the way people perceive and evaluate environmental issues
Ecocentrism
the view or belief that the rights and needs of humans are not more important than those of other living things.
Anthropocentrism
regarding humankind as the central or most important element of existence, especially as opposed to God or animals.
Technocentrism
technology centered EVS - technology can provide solutions to environmental issues
Cornucopian
idea that the world has infinite resources, environmental issues are not a problem and that growth and capitalism are the most important
A System
assembly of interrelated parts that work together by some driving process which is influenced by various inputs and produces outputs
inputs examples
education, science, religion
output examples
actions, decisions, evaluations
properties of a system
each part has a specialised function
similar parts are grouped together
groups coordinate functions
whole system can do things individual parts cannot
reductionist approach (systems)
look at each individual part of system
Holistic Approach (systems)
look at whole process - how things work together
DDT
fertilizer
negative effects on nature
banned worldwide
environmental moment triggered by ‘the silent spring’
Gaia hypothesis
he earth is a single living system
earths living organisms and all inorganic surroundings evolved together
harming one part affects the whole system
Fukishima Disaster
Earthquake + tsunami cut off power + cooling system for nuclear plant
reactor cores melted
poor safety checks
people evaluate, 1000 deaths + further future death
Types of system
isolated systems
closed systems
open systems
1st law of thermodynamics
Conservation of energy - Energy in a closed system can be transformed but not destroyed
ecosystems maintain themselves by cycling energy and nutrients obtained from external sources
2nd law of thermodynamics
the entropy of any system always increases.
Entropy
the measure of the degree of randomness of the energy in a system
2nd law in food chains
chemical energy passes along food chain
only 10% of energy is kept between trophic levels
energy
work + heat
open system equilibrium - stable
system returns to the same equilibrium after the disturbance
open system equilibrium - unstable
system returns to new equilibrium after the disturbance
open system equilibrium - static
the system experiences no change over time
open system equilibrium - dynamic
continuous inputs and outputs but system as a whole remains in a more or less constant state (small fluctuations)
sustainability
the ability to endure. Ecology: how biological systems remain diverse and productive over time
natural capital
the standing stock (total amount) of a natural resource
natural resources +environmental features in an area, regarded as having economic value.
Natural capital classes - renewable
can be used over and over again
Natural capital classes - non-renewable
cannot be replenished within a timescale of the same order as which they are taken from the environment
replenishable
non-living resources that are continuously restored by natural processes as fast as they are used up
goods
physical resources which are measurable and may (or may not) be monetised
services
natural processes that provide benefits for humans such as; water replenishment, clean air and protection against erosion.
natural income
the yield obtained from natural resources. How much can be used sustainability annually.
biodiversity in an ecosystem
the higher the biodiversity the healthier
biodiversity can be determined using simpson’s diversity index
environmental impact assessment
a planning tool that provides decisions makers with an understanding of the potential effects that human actions may have on the environment
The process of ETA’s
Screening
scoping
baseline study
identification of alternatives
impact analysis
mitigation and impact management
evaluation of significance
preparation of EIAs or report
Review of EIs
decision making
monitoring and review
non-technical summary
Ecological footprint
area of land and water required to sustainably provide resources at the rate at which they are being consumed by a given population.
measures of ecological footprint
number of planets needed to supply humanity’s needs
global hectare per person (GHA/Pers)
ecological overshoot
the point in the year when we stop using resources sustainably, and use future generations resources.
Pollution
addition of a substance or agent to an environment (through human activity), at a greater rate than it can be rendered harmless by the environment.
classifications of pollution
matter (solid, liquid, gas)
Organics (contains carbon)
Non-organic
Sources of pollution
fossil fuels
Domestic waste
Industrial waste
agricultural waste
point source pollution
can be traced back to a single origin or source
non-point source pollution
cannot be traced back to a single origin or source
persistent organic pollutants (POPs)
resistant to environmental degradation through chemical, biological and photolytic processes
biodegradable pollutions
can be decomposed by living organisms
does not get passed along the food chain
Acute pollution
large amounts of pollutant released at one time
symptoms after short, intense exposure
Bhopal 1984
Chronic pollution
long term release of small amounts of pollution
symptoms after long term, low level exposure
Primary pollutant
pollutants emitted directly from a source
active on emission
Secondary pollutant
arises from a primary pollutant undergoing a physical or chemical change
acid rain, smog
Measuring pollution strategies
directly
air pollution
indirectly
directly measuring pollution
water/soil pollution
nitrates and phosphates
organic matter or bacteria
air pollution measuring
acidity of rainwater
amount of gas in the atmosphere
Indirectly measuring pollution
abiotic factors - dissolved oxygen
biotic factors - lichen on trees
pollution management strategy levels
levels 1 -3
level 1 PMS
changing human activities to prevent/reduce the release of pollutants
Level 2 PMS
preventing or regulating the production/release of pollutants
Level 3 PMS
working to clean up restore damaged ecosystems
DDT
insecticide use to kill mosquitoes and bugs that had adverse effects for humans and nature
DDT + American bald eagle
reduced amount of nesting pairs
DDT accumulated in adults fatty tissue
made egg shells too thin to survive
abiotic factors
non-living, physical factors in the ecosystem that may influence an organism or a system
ecosystem
a community of interdependent organisms and the interactions with the physical environment in which they live
levels of organization
species
population
community
ecosystem
biome
biosphere
species
a group of th esame type of organisms that is able to reproduce and produce fertile offspring
keystone species
species that are crucial to the maintenance of their ecosystem (wolves in yellowstone)
habitat
where an organism lives
niche
where, when, what and how an organism lives
fundamental niche
the entire range of conditions in which a species could live
realized niche
the actual conditions under which the species lives
predating
hunting
herbivory
hunting plants
parasitism
one species depends on another for nutrition, harming the host organism in the process
mutualism
two species benefit
competition
fight for resources
amensalism
one organism unaffected the other is harmed
neutralism
two organisms do not affect each other. no relationship
population dynamics
the study of the change in populations over time
carrying capacitu
the maximum number of organisms of a single species that an ecosystem can support
limiting factors
factors in an ecosystem that limit the population size if there is too much or too little of it
density-dependent factors
will increase or decrease the carrying capacity of a population based on the size of the population
density-independent factors
will increase or decrease the carrying capacity regardless of the size of the population
individual
a single organism of one species
population
all the individuals of the same species within a community
community
a group of interacting species living in the same ecosystem
ecosystem
interrelationships between biotic and abiotic component of the environment
biome
a community made of all the habitats in a given region and climate
biosphere
the sum of the earth’s systems - includes all life on earth
flow of energy in trophic levels
energy decreases as trophic level increases - only 10% is transferred
pyramid of biomass
standing stock of each trophic level, measure in Jm-2
Photosynthesis word equation
carbon dioxide + water → glucose + oxygen
Respiration word equation
Glucose + Oxygen → carbon dioxide + water
Autotrophy
organisms which produce their own food from organic molecules
producers
photosynthesis or chemosynthesis
consumers
ingest organic matter which is living or recently killed
heterotrophy
organisms which derive energy from other living organisms
decomposers
derive enery from non-living matter
pyramid of numbers
the relative number of individual organisms at each trophic level
pyramid of productivity
refers to the flow of energy through a tropic level, indicating the rate at which that stock is being generated
bioaccumulation
increase in the concentration of a pollutant in an organism as it absorbs or it ingests it from its environment
biomagnification
is the increase in the concentraion of the pollutant as it moves up through the food chain
open system
exchanges both energy and matter across its boundary
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