AP Environmental Science - Unit 9

Anthropogenic greenhouse gases

Greenhouse gases caused by humans.

Background extinction rate

Normal natural extinction rate.

Biodiversity hot spot

Diverse area with many threatened species.

Cap-and-trade policy

Companies can buy/sell pollution permits.

Carbon sequestration

Capturing and storing carbon dioxide.

Chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs)

Chemicals that damage the ozone layer.

CITES

Treaty protecting endangered species from trade. (Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora)

Climate change

Long-term shift in Earth’s climate.

Coral bleaching

Corals lose algae and turn white.

Critically endangered

Species at extremely high risk of extinction.

Endangered

Species likely to become extinct.

Endangered Species Act

U.S. law protecting endangered species.

Extinction

Complete loss of a species.

Global warming potential (GWP)

How strongly a gas traps heat compared to CO₂.

Globalization

Increasing worldwide connections and trade.

Golden Age of Conservation

Theodore Roosevelt era of major conservation efforts.

Green taxes

Taxes meant to reduce pollution and environmental harm.

Greenhouse effect

Gases trap heat in Earth’s atmosphere.

Habitat corridors

Pathways connecting separated habitats.

Habitat fragmentation

Habitats split into smaller isolated pieces.

Invasive species

Harmful non-native species.

Kyoto Protocol

Treaty to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

Market permits

Pollution permits companies can trade.

Montreal Protocol

Agreement banning ozone-damaging chemicals.

Non-governmental organizations (NGOs)

Independent citizen groups helping causes.

Ocean acidification

Oceans become more acidic from CO₂.

Ocean warming

Oceans heat up from greenhouse gases.

Ozone loss

Thinning of the ozone layer.

Policy

Official plan or course of action.

Sustainability

Using resources without harming future generations.

Taxon substitution

Replacing extinct native species with non-native ones.

Threatened species

Species likely to become endangered.

Vulnerable

Species at risk if no action is taken.

Water rights

Legal rights to use water resources.