ECO 1001: Environment and Ecosystems

Comprehensive vocabulary flashcards covering basic environmental science definitions, ecosystem services, sustainability principles, historical environmental summits, waste management, and ecological equations from Unit 1.

Environment

Everything around an organism that affects its survival and growth, including physical, chemical, and biological factors.

Environmental Science

The study of all aspects of the environment and how humans interact with it.

Ecology

The study of relationships between organisms and their environment; a branch of environmental science focusing on interactions within nature.

Ecosystems

A community of living organisms interacting with each other and with their physical environment.

Biotic Factors

The living components of an ecosystem, such as plants, animals, and bacteria.

Abiotic Factors

The non-living elements of an ecosystem, such as water, sunlight, and air.

Provisioning services

Ecosystem services that provide resources like air, food, and water.

Regulating services

Ecosystem services that control environmental conditions, such as climate, absorption of pollutants, and diseases.

Cultural services

Ecosystem services that provide spiritual and recreational benefits like hiking, ecotourism, and holy sites.

Supporting services

Ecosystem processes that maintain the environment, such as pollination, soil formation, and nutrient cycles.

Sustainability

Meeting today's needs without preventing future generations from meeting their own needs by using resources wisely.

Sustainable Development (SD)

Development that meets current needs without harming the ability of future generations to meet their needs, requiring long-term environmental, social, and economic health.

Good Governance

The fair and effective management of society and resources, considered necessary to achieve sustainable development.

Analytical approach

A method used to predict the nonlinear interaction between humans and natural systems.

Normative approach

A set of goals used as a standard for what should be achieved to improve sustainable development.

Well-Being

A person’s quality of life and ability to meet basic needs like health, education, and safety.

Science

A systematic method of gaining knowledge through observation, experimentation, and evidence-based reasoning.

Uncertainty

A lack of complete knowledge resulting from ignorance (not knowing enough) or complexity (too many interacting parts).

Scientific Thinking

The use of systematic questioning and evidence to investigate problems.

Accuracy

How close a measurement is to the true value.

Precision

How close repeated measurements are to each other.

1972 UN Conference (Stockholm)

The Conference on Human Environment where society realized the need to improve treatment of the environment.

1992 Rio Earth Summit

Conference in Rio de Janeiro that established 25 principles of Sustainable Development.

1997 Kyoto Protocol

An agreement to reduce greenhouse emissions that introduced carbon trading systems where governments set limits on production.

2012 Rio+20

A conference in Rio de Janeiro to check in on the 1992 goals and add more Sustainable Development goals.

Millennium Development Goals (MDGs)

Eight goals adopted in 2000 focused mainly on developing countries with a deadline of 2015.

Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

Seventeen goals adopted in 2015 that apply to all countries with a deadline of 2030.

Epistemic Communities

Networks of experts who share knowledge to help policymakers solve problems, such as urban planners or agricultural experts.

SDSN

Sustainable Development Solutions Network; an organization that mobilizes scientific expertise and connects universities, governments, and businesses to achieve SDGs.

Backcasting

Planning backward from a desired future goal to today's actions to determine what must happen to reach that goal.

Externality

A cost imposed on others, such as pollution caused by a third party.

Polluter Pays Principle

A policy concept stating that those who produce pollution should bear the full costs of managing, preventing, and cleaning it up.

Ecological Footprint

A measure of a person's impact on Earth based on resources used and waste created.

Global Hectare (GHA)

The unit used to measure ecological footprints and the amount of productive land needed to support a lifestyle.

Carbon Footprint

The total amount of greenhouse gases, primarily carbon dioxide, released into the atmosphere because of an individual's activities.

Earth Overshoot Day

The specific date each year when humanity has consumed more natural resources than Earth can regenerate in that same year.

Biocapacity

The amount of natural resources Earth is capable of producing and regenerating to meet human needs.

Refuse (5 Rs)

Saying no to unnecessary single-use products like plastic straws.

Reduce (5 Rs)

Buying and using less by only purchasing what is necessary.

Reuse (5 Rs)

Using items again instead of discarding them, such as repairing a backpack.

Recycle (5 Rs)

Properly processing materials like aluminum or paper so they can be manufactured into new products.

Rot (5 Rs)

Composting food scraps and organic waste into fertilizer for gardens.

Minimalism

A lifestyle focused on owning only necessities and prioritizing meaningful experiences over physical possessions.

IPAT Equation

A formula used to explain environmental impact where $I = P \times A \times T$ (Impact = Population $\times$ Affluence $\times$ Technology).

Food Miles

The distance food travels from its point of production to the consumer.

Biodiversity

The variety of living organisms on Earth, including genetic differences within species, variety between species, and diversity among ecosystems.

Mutualism

A relationship between two species where both benefit, such as bees and flowers.

Commensalism

A relationship where one species benefits while the other is unaffected.

Parasitism

A relationship where one species benefits at the expense of another that is harmed, such as ticks on dogs.

Autotrophs

Organisms that make their own food using sunlight or chemicals; also known as producers.

Heterotrophs

Organisms that must consume other organisms for energy; also known as consumers.

Photosynthesis

The chemical process where plants use sunlight to convert carbon dioxide and water into glucose and oxygen: $6CO_2 + 6H_2O \rightarrow C_6H_{12}O_6 + 6O_2$.

Trophic Level

A specific feeding position in a food chain, starting with producers and moving up to tertiary consumers.

Aquaculture

The practice of farming fish, shellfish, and other aquatic organisms.

Maximum Sustainable Yield (MSY)

The largest amount of a renewable resource that can be harvested without causing a long-term decline in the population.

Tragedy of the commons

A situation where individuals overuse a shared resource for personal benefit, leading to the resource's depletion.

Tradable Permit

A government-issued permit that sets a limit on resource use and can be bought or sold in a market.