BIOL1410 Environmental Science Exam 1 Study Guide

What is environmental science?

The study of how the natural world works, how the environment affects us, and how we affect it.

What are the types of natural resources?

Renewable and non-renewable natural resources.

What are renewable natural resources?

Renewable natural resources can replenish over short periods

What are ecosystem services?

Benefits humans get from nature

Why are ecosystem services important?

They support life, boost economies, protect health, help regulate climate, and maintain biodiversity.

What is an ecological footprint?

An expression of consumption by the area of land and water needed to provide resources a person consumes or the waste they generate.

What does 'overshoot' mean in environmental science?

Surpassing Earth's capacity to sustainably support human life.

What is a hypothesis in the scientific method?

A testable attempted explanation for a question.

What is the difference between independent and dependent variables?

The independent variable is manipulated by the scientist, while the dependent variable is affected by it.

What is a scientific theory?

A broad explanation that joins many hypotheses and is widely supported.

How does a paradigm shift occur?

It occurs when a dominant scientific view changes due to new ideas and evidence.

What is the purpose of sustainability in environmental science?

To ensure Earth's resources can sustain future generations.

◦ Conserving resources so they are available for future generations

◦ Developing long term solutions to environmental problems

◦ Maintaining long term solutions to environmental problems

◦ Maintaining our quality of life

What was the Costa Rica PSA program?

A program that pays farmers and ranchers to preserve forests and establish sustainable forestry systems.

What are some values that shape a person's worldview regarding the environment?

Spiritual beliefs, political ideology, and shared cultural experiences.

What is environmental ethics?

The application of ethical standards to the relationship between people and nonhuman entities.

What do relativists believe in terms of ethics?

That ethics vary depending on the context of the problem.

What is anthropocentrism?

A human-centered view that assigns little or no intrinsic value to nonhuman entities.

What is environmental justice?

Applying environmental policy and practice standards to all, regardless of income, race, or ethnicity.

What is the difference between classical and neoclassical economics?

Classical economics believes self-interested behavior benefits society, while neoclassical economics addresses the conflict between buyers and sellers.

neoclassical assumptions: external cost

Costs that affect others besides the buyer and seller.

What is sustainable development?

A form of economic progress that maintains resources for the future.

What does the triple bottom line refer to?

Satisfying economic advancement, environmental protection, and social equity.

What is eco-labeling?

The practice of advertising sustainable practices on product labels to attract consumers.

What is greenwashing?

Corporate efforts to appear environmentally friendly, often for public relations rather than genuine impact.

How environmental science is interdisciplinary

it includes Natural sciences, Social sciences, and Environmentalism

Inexhaustible renewable natural resources 

• Solar energy

• Wind energy

• Wave energy

• Geothermal energy

Exhaustible renewable natural resources

• Fresh water

• Forest products

• Biodiversity

• Soils

Non renewable natural resources

• Crude oil

• Natural gas

• Coals

• Minerals

What are non-renewable natural resources?

They are resources that exist in a limited supply and are consumed faster than they can be replenished.

Ecosystem Services- Provisioning Services

Resources like food, water, and medicine.

Ecosystem Services- regulating Services

Natural processes like climate control, air purification, and pollination. 

Ecosystem Services- supporting Services

Basic functions like nutrient cycling and soil formation. 

Ecosystem Services- cultural Services

Non-material benefits like recreation, spirituality, and aesthetics

Effects of agricultural and industrial revolutions

During the agricultural revolution, people grew crops, domesticated animals, & settled in villages

• Industrial Revolution shifted to a urban society powered by fossil fuels.

What do universalist believe in terms of ethics?

Define objective notions on the right and wrong that holds across many cultures and contexts 

what is biocentrism

Ascribes intrinsic value to both human and nonhuman value  

what is ecocentrism

Judges actions based on their effects on ecological system including nonliving elements  

What is Instrumental value

Of something is valued for the pragmatic belief that it brings us has

What is intrinsic value

Something is believed to have a right to exist and is valuable for its own sake has

common examples of enviromental justice

• Protests in warren county north carolina over construction of a toxic waste dump in the county with the state’s highest proportion of African Americans 

• Construction of uranium mines on navajo lands  

• Latino farm workers experince health risk from pesticide fertilizer and dust exposure  

• Low income white americans in appalachia are exposed to air pollution from the coal mining and coal plans 

• African-American communities in New Orleans live in areas highly susceptible to flooding

what is Economy

Social system that converts resources into goods and services 

what is econmics

the study of how people use potentially scarce resources to provide goods and services that are in demand

Supply vs. Demand 

The compromise is the result of supply( the amount of product offered for sale at a given price) and demand (the amount of product people will buy at that price) 

Consequences of neoclassical

Neoclassical economics assumes that natural and human resources are either infinite or can be substituted easily when used up.

▪ Fossil fuels can be depleted.

▪ Soil, fish stocks, and forest products can be overexploited.

▪ Inexhaustible resources like water can become contaminated

neoclassical assumptions: discounting

where future effects are granted less effect than ones in the present 

neoclassical assumptions: economic growth

an increase in production and consumption in goods and services is essential in maintaining social order. 

what is Environmental Economics 

Issues with the assumptions of classical economics has led to the field of environmental economics, where the goal is to attain sustainability within our economic systems. 

Difficulty of assigning monetary value to non-market values 

Ecosystem services are said to have nonmarket Values, meaning they are not part of the price of a good or service. 

▪ Aesthetics, options, scientific, and educational values are real even though we do not directly pay for them 

Triple bottom line -Social goals 

Promote social equity, community well-being, fair labor practices, and human rights.

Triple bottom line -economic goals 

Ensure financial viability, ethical business practices, job creation, and sustainable growth. 

Triple bottom line -enviromental goals 

Protect natural resources, reduce pollution, promote energy efficiency, and support climate action. 

what is environmentalism?

in is not scientific study rather a social movement dedicated to protecting the world 

what is Natural science

examine the systems of life 

what is social science

address human interaction & institutions