Unit 1 Study Guide: Introduction to Environmental Science

Vocabulary flashcards covering foundational concepts, ecological worldviews, natural resources, human historical impacts, and core principles for Unit 1 Environmental Science.

Environmental Science

An interdisciplinary field that combines physical, biological, and information sciences to study the environment and solve environmental problems through objective, scientific inquiry.

Environmentalism

A social, political, and philosophical movement dedicated to protecting the natural world and improving environmental quality for humans and other species.

Sustainability

Meeting the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs, relying on environmental, economic, and social pillars.

Inexhaustible / Perpetual Resources

Resources that will continue to flow indefinitely without running out, such as solar power, wind energy, and tidal energy.

Renewable Resources

Natural resources that can be replenished naturally over short time periods (hours to decades), such as fresh water, fertile soil, timber, and clean air.

Non-Renewable Resources

Natural resources that exist in fixed amounts and take millions of years to form, such as fossil fuels (coal, oil, natural gas), minerals, and metals.

Point Source Pollution

Pollution originating from a single, identifiable source, such as a factory smokestack or a discharge pipe.

Non-Point Source Pollution

Pollution originating from diffuse sources that are hard to isolate, such as agricultural runoff or city street runoff.

The Tragedy of the Commons

A concept introduced by Garrett Hardin (1968) describing a situation in which individuals with open access to a shared resource act independently in their self-interest and deplete or spoil that resource.

Ecological Footprint

A measure of the land and water area required to supply the resources an individual or population consumes and to absorb their wastes.

Biocapacity

The capacity of a given biologically productive area to generate an ongoing supply of renewable resources and absorb its spillover wastes.

Ecological Deficit

Occurs when a population's ecological footprint exceeds the biocapacity of the area available to that population.

Hunter-Gatherers

Small populations characterized by a nomadic lifestyle and low impact on natural resources.

Agricultural Revolution

A historical shift (~10,000 years ago) from hunting to farming that led to settled communities, population growth, land clearing, and soil erosion.

Industrial Revolution

A historical shift (~mid-1700s) from human/animal labor to fossil-fuel-powered machinery, resulting in massive population growth, high pollution levels, rapid resource depletion, and habitat destruction.

Resource Depletion

Consuming renewable resources faster than they regenerate, or exhausting non-renewable resources.

Pollution

Undesirable changes in air, water, or soil that adversely affect health or survival.

Loss of Biodiversity

The extinction of species and degradation of natural habitats, reducing ecosystem stability and ecosystem services.

Biotic

Living or once-living components of an ecosystem, such as plants, animals, and bacteria.

Abiotic

Non-living components of an ecosystem, such as sunlight, temperature, water, and soil minerals.

Ecosystem Services

Free, life-supporting benefits that natural ecosystems provide directly to humans, such as water purification, soil fertility, pollination, and flood mitigation.

Affluence

Wealth and resource consumption per person, which can lead to increased environmental degradation or funding for environmental protection.

Anthropocentrism

A human-centered worldview stating that non-human elements of the world have value only in terms of their utility to human beings.

Biocentrism

A worldview attributing intrinsic value to all living things, regardless of whether they directly benefit humans.

Ecocentrism

A holistic worldview that places primary value on whole ecological systems, including both living organisms and non-living environmental features.

Environment

All living and non-living things with which organisms interact.

Ecosystem

A biological community of interacting organisms alongside their physical, non-living environment.

Biosphere

The global sum of all ecosystems on Earth where life exists.

Habitat

The physical location where an organism naturally lives and finds necessary resources.

Niche

The functional role, position, and resource-use pattern of a species within its ecosystem.

Biogeochemical Cycle

The movement and transformation of chemical elements between biological organisms, geological structures, and atmospheric systems.

Carbon Sink

A natural reservoir, such as an ocean or forest, that absorbs and stores more carbon dioxide from the atmosphere than it releases.

Carbon Source

Any natural or human process that releases more carbon dioxide into the atmosphere than it absorbs, such as burning fossil fuels or volcanic eruptions.

Feedback Loop

A system response where an output serves as an input for future operations, acting as either positive or negative feedback.

Natural Capital

The planetary stock of renewable and non-renewable resources (soil, air, water, living organisms) that provide yield or benefits.

Environmental Degradation

Destruction or depletion of environmental assets through resource consumption or pollution faster than natural renewal rates.

Per Capita Footprint

The average natural resource consumption and waste production calculated per person in a given population.

Sustainable Yield

The maximum rate at which a renewable resource can be harvested continuously without reducing its long-term supply.

Ecological Overshoot

A state where human consumption demand exceeds Earth's biological capacity to regenerate resources and absorb waste.

Independent Variable

The factor or condition in an experiment that you change or manipulate.

Dependent Variable

The factor or condition in an experiment that you measure.

Controls

The factors or conditions in an experiment that stay the same throughout.

Environmental Policy

Rules and laws designed to protect the environment and human health.