APES, Vocab quiz 1

affluence

Wealth that results in high levels of consumptions and unneccessary waste of resources; based mostly on the assumption that buying more and more material goods will bring fullfillment and happiness

Biodegradable

Capable of being broken down by decomposers

Biodegredable COMPONENT

Material that can be broken into simpler substances (elements and compounds) by bacteria or other decomposers. Paper and most organic wastes such as animal mabure are biodegradable but can take decades to biodegrade in modern landfills

Biodiversity

Variety of different species (species diversity), genetic variability among individuals within each species (genetic diversity), variety of ecosystems (ecological diversity), and functions such as energy flow and mater cycling needed for survival of species and biological communities (functional diverstiy)

Common-Property resource

Resource that is owned by a large group of individuals (ex. 1/3 of the land in the U.S, ownded by citizens, is managed by the U.S gov.)

Culture

Whole of a society’s knowledge, beliefs, technology, and practices

Developed country

A nation with a higher standard of living, higher industrialization, and a higher HDI.

Developing country

A nation with a lower standard of living, less industrialization, and a lower HID. Often face challenges in areas such as poverty, education, healthcare, and infrastructure.

HDI

Human development index

Doubling time

Time it takes (usually years) for the quantity of something growing exponentially to double

• Can be calculated by diving the annual % growth rte into 70

Ecological footprint

Amount o biologically productive land and waer needed to supple a population with the renewable resources it uses and to absorb or dispose of the wastes from the resource in use.

• Measure of the average environmental impact of populations in different countries and areas

Ecological tipping point

Point at which an environmental problem reaches a threshold level, which causes an often irreversible shift in the behavior of a natural system.

Ecology

Bioloical science that studies the relationships between living organisms and the environment

• study of the sturcture and functions of nature

Economic development

Improvement of human living standards by economic growth

Economic growth

Increase in the capacity to provide people with goos and services

• increase in gross domestic product (GDP)

Economic resources

Natural resources, capital goods, and labor used in an economy to produce material goods and services

Ecosystem

One or more communitis of different species interacting with one another with the chemical and physical factors making up their nonliving enviroment

Ecosystem services

Natural services or natural that support life on the earth that are essential to the quality of human life and the functioning of the world’s economies (ex. chemical cycle, natural pest control, and natural purification of the air and water)

Energy conservation

Reducing or eliminating the unneccessary waste of energy

Environment

All external conditions, factors, matter, and energy, living or nonliving, that affect any living organism or other specified system

Environmental degradation

Depletion or destruction of a poetially renewable resource (such as soil, grasslands, forests, or wildlife) that is used fasted than it is naturally replenished.

• If such continues, the resource becomes nonrenewable (on human time scale) or nonexistent (extinct)

Environemental ethics

Human beliefs about what is right or wrong with how we treat the environment.

Environmental scientists

Interdisciplinary study that uses information and ideas from the physical sciences (such as biology, chemistry, and geology) with those from the social sciences and humanities (such as economics, politics, and ethics) to learn how nature works, how we interact with the environment, and how we can to help deal with environmental problems.

Environmental wisdom worldview

Worldview holding that humans are part of and totally dependent of nature and that nature exists for all species, not just for us

• Successes depend on learning how the earth sustains itself and integrating such enviromental wisdom into the ways we think and act

Enviromental worldview

Set of assumptions and beliefs about how people think the world works, what they think their role in the world should be, and what they believe is right and wrong (environmental behavior/ethics)

Environmentalism

Social movement dedicated to protecting the earth’s life support systems for us and other species

Environmentally sustainable society

Society that meets the current and future needs of its people for basic resources in a just and equitable matter without compromising the abilit of future generations of humans and other species from meetting basic needs

Exxhaustible resources

Resources that are limited in quantity and can be depleted over time due to human consumption or exploitation.

Exponential growth

Growth in which some quantity, such as popultionsize or economic output, increases at a constant rate per unit of time (J curve)

Free-access resource

A free-access resource is an online or physical resource that can be accessed without any cost or restrictions. It provides information, materials, or services without requiring payment or subscription (ex. open educational resources, public libraries, and certain websites)

GDP

The total value of all goods and services produced within a country's borders in a specific time period, usually a year. It measures the economic activity and overall health of a country's economy.

Gross domestic product (GDP)

Annual market value of all goods and services produced by all firms and organizaions, foreign and domestic, operatng within a country

Hunter-gatheres

People who get their food by gathering edible wld plants and other materials and by hunting wild animals and catching fish

Input pollution control

Input pollution control is an approach that aims to prevent or reduce the release of pollutants into the environment. It involves using cleaner production technologies, improving waste management practices, and enforcing strict regulations to minimize harmful substance generation and emission.

J-shaped curves

Curve with a shape similar to that of the letter J; can represent prolonged exponential growth.

LDC

Low-income developing country (LDC): A country with a low level of economic development and a high poverty rate.

• ace challenges such as limited access to education, healthcare, and infrastructure.

• rely heavily on agriculture and struggle to diversify their economies.

• often receive aid and support from international organizations to promote growth and reduce poverty.

less-developed country

Country thath as low to moderate industrilization and low to moderate per capita GDP

• Most are located in Africa, Asia, and Latin America

Linear growth

Growht in which a quantity increases by some fixed amount durng each unit of time