Environmental Science: First Examination Vocabulary Review

Comprehensive vocabulary flashcards covering the core disciplines, pollution classifications, sustainability principles, and United Nations development frameworks (MDGs and SDGs) from the Environmental Science lecture notes.

Environmental Science

An interdisciplinary study with three primary goals: learning how the natural world works, understanding how humans interact with the environment, and determining how human actions affect the environment.

1. LEARNING how the natural world works

2. UNDERSTANDING how humans interact with the environment

3. DETERMINING how human’s actions affects the environment

3 main goals of the field of Environmental Science:

1. Natural Sciences

2. Social Sciences

3. Humanities

Environmental Science is divided into 3 categories:

1. Biology

2. Chemistry

3. Geology

Fields within Natural Sciences:

1. Economics

2. Political Science

3. Geography

Fields within Social Sciences:

1. Philosophy

2. Ethics

Fields within Humanities:

Philosophy

A field within the humanities centered on the rational investigation of questions concerning existence and knowledge.

Ethics

A branch of the humanities concerned with the motivation of ideas between right and wrong.

1. Environmental Elements

2. Anthropogenic Activities

Environmental pollution is classified into 2 ways:

Environmental Elements Pollution

A classification of pollution grouped by affected natural media, comprising air pollution, water pollution, soil pollution, and physical pollution.

Anthropogenic Pollution

Pollution resulting directly from human activities, categorized into industrial pollution, cities pollution/urbanization, and agricultural pollution, commonly generating concentrated and hazardous pollutants near urban and industrial sites.

The 5 R's of Zero Waste Living

A waste-prevention framework consisting of: Refuse (saying no to things not needed), Reduce (donating or selling unused items), Reuse (switching to reusable and permanent alternatives), Recycle (sorting waste correctly to reduce landfill deposits), and Rot (composting organic household waste).

1. Reduce

2. Reuse

3. Recycle

4. Rot

5. Refuse

What are the 5 R’s?

Global Warming

• Regarded as the deadliest environmental phenomenon;

• the long-term heating of Earth's climate system observed since the pre-industrial period, primarily caused by human activities including fossil fuel burning.

1. Social Sustainability

2. Economic Sustainability

3. Environmental Sustainability

3 types of sustainability

Social Sustainability

A dimension of sustainability that focuses on social and economic improvements that simultaneously protect the environment and support equality.

Economic Sustainability

A dimension of sustainability based on the idea that abandoning economic processes is not an option, recognizing that true sustainable development extends far beyond just economic progress.

Environmental Sustainability

A dimension of sustainability that aims to boost human welfare specifically through the protection and preservation of natural capital.

The Three E's of Sustainability

The three overlapping core pillars of sustainable development: Environment, Economy, and Equity.

September 2000

When did leaders of 189 countries gather at headquarters to sign the Millennium Declaration?

Millennium Declaration

A historic document signed in September 2000 by world leaders at the United Nations headquarters, committing nations to combat poverty, hunger, disease, illiteracy, environmental degradation, and discrimination against women.

8 [measurable] goals

How many goals did the millennium development goals of 2000 have?

Millennium Development Goals (MDGs)

A set of eight measurable global goals established in 2000 by 191 UN member states with a target date of 2015, addressing extreme poverty, universal primary education, gender equality, child mortality, maternal health, major diseases, environmental sustainability, and global development partnerships.

Rio+20 Conference

The United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development held in Rio de Janeiro in June 2012, which initiated the development of a new framework of goals to succeed the MDGs beyond 2015.

17 goals

How many goals does the 2030 agenda for Sustainable Development have?

The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development

A comprehensive global agenda launched in 2015 comprising 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to end poverty, promote peace and prosperity, and transform financial, economic, and political systems to guarantee human rights for all.

Eradicate extreme poverty and hunger

The 1st MDG

Promote gender equality and empower women

MDG 3

Promote gender equality and empower women

MDG 3

Reduce child mortality

MDG 4

Improve maternal health

MDG 5

Combat HIV/AIDS, malaria, and other diseases

MDG 6

Ensure environmental sustainability

MDG 7

Global partnership for development

MDG 8

No Poverty

SDG 1

Zero Hunger

SDG 2

Good Health and Well-Being

SDG 3

Quality Education

SDG 4

Gender Equality

SDG 5

Clean Water and Sanitation

SDG 6

Affordable and Clean Energy

SDG 7

Decent Work and Economic Growth

SDG 8

Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure

SDG 9

Reduced Inequalities

SDG 10

Sustainable Cities and Communities

SDG 11

Responsible Consumption and Production

SDG 12

Climate Action

SDG 13

Life on Water

SDG 14

Life on Land

SDG 15

Peace, Justice, and Strong Institutions

SDG 16

Partnerships for the Goals

SDG 17

Chemistry

One of the well-integrated branch of science, having many interdisciplinary applications and discipline.

1. Organic

2. Inorganic

3. Analytical

4. Biochemistry

5. Physical

Branches of Chemistry

Physical Science

Deals with the properties of matter and the interaction of energy to it.

Life Science

Deals with the chemical processes related to life processes, as well as the essential elements and compound necessary to life.

Space Science

• chemistry allows astronomers to know more about the creation of the universe by tracing every element formed by stars and galazies, as well as atomic and subatomic processes related to both fields.

Earth Science

• has components on both space and life sciences, as well as the development of the Earth itself and how it manifested through the years.

Chemistry

The study of matter and the changes that it undergoes.

Matter

Anything that has mass and occupies space.

1. Pure

2. Mixture

Classification of matter

Pure Matter

Cannot be separated by physical means.

Mixture Matter

Can be separated by physical means.

1. Element

2. Compound

Types of Pure Matter:

Element

• Contains only one kind of atom.

• e.g: oxygen and carbon

Compound

• Contains 2 or more types of atoms in whole number ratios.

• e.g.: water and salt

1. Homogeneous

2. Heterogeneous

Types of Mixture Matter:

Homogeneous Mixture

• uniform throughout; particles distributed uniformly

• same as solutions (all solutions are/falls under ______)

• E.g.: salt water and atmospheric air

Heterogeneous Mixture

• non-uniform distribution; particles distributed non-uniformly

• E.g: chocolate chip cookie and soil

• salt water

• Atmospheric air

Examples of solution

Salt dissolved in water: ______________

Oxygen dissolved in Nitrogen: _____________

Salt water; atmospheric air

1. Bose-Einstein Condensate

2. Solids

3. Liquids

4. Gases

5. Plasmas

5 phases of matter (Lower Temperature to Higher Temperature)

1. Intensive Properties

2. Extensive Properties

Properties of Matter

Intensive Properties

• are physical properties that do not depend on the amount of matter.

• Independent of the amount of matter.

• E.g: melting point, boiling point, density, etc.

Extensive Properties

• are physical properties that depend on the amount of matter.

• E.g: volume, mass, energy, etc.

1. Taste

2. Color

3. Hardness

4. Boiling Point

5. Melting Point

6. Density

Intensive Property

1. Length

2. Width

3. Surface Area

4. Volume

5. Mass

6. Weight

Extensive Property

Food Additives

• are substances added to food and/or beverages to improve flavor and appearance.

• Are also used to preserve the natural taste of food.

Active Ingredients

• are substances that are biologically active.

• They are mostly used in pharmaceutical drugs and commodities like soap, powders, and others.

Cleaning Agents

• are substances that are used to remove dirt, along with dust, stains, clutter, and foul odor.

• they may also kill some harmful microorganisms in the cleaning process.

Cosmetics

• are substances that enhance the consumer’s appearance.

• Also improve the consumer’s fragrance.

Physical Properties

• describe a substance

• E.g: states, changes of state, characteristics

Chemical Properties

• describe how a substance can form a new substance

• E.g: signs of change, chemical reactions.

1. States

2. Changes of States

3. Characteristics

Physical Properties

1. Signs of Change

2. Chemical Reactions

Chemical Properties

Characteristics of a substance

1. Color

2. Shape

3. Size

4. Texture

5. Mass

6. Volume

7. Density

1. Color

2. Shape

3. Size

4. Texture

5. Mass

6. Volume

7. Density

Characteristics of a substance

Signs of change in a substance

1. Odor

2. Change in Temperature

3. Change in Color

4. Bubbles forming

5. Solids Forming

1. Odor

2. Change in Temperature

3. Change in Color

4. Bubbles forming

5. Solids Forming

Signs of change in a substance

1. Burning

2. Rusting

3. Rotting

4. Tarnishing

Examples of signs of change in a substance

Chemical Reactions of a substance

When atoms in two substances combine to form new substances.

1. Observations/ ask a question

2. Research Topic Area

3. Hypothesis

4. Test with experiments

5. Analyze data

6. Report conclusions

Scientific Method

Solid

• the molecules that make it up are arranged in regular, repeating patterns.

• They are held firmly in place but can vibrate within a limited area.

Liquid

• the molecules flow easily around one another.

• They are kept from flying apart by attractive forces between them.

• It assumes the shape of its containers.

Gas

• the molecules that make it up fly in all directions at great speeds.

• They are so far apart that the attractive forces between them are insignificant.

Plasma

• at the very high temperatures of stars, atoms lose their electrons.

• The mixture of electrons and nuclei that results is the ____ state of matter.

Aerogel

• a mixture matter

• Composed of silica, but carbon, iron oxide, organic polymers, semiconductor nano-structures, gold, and copper.)

Smoke

• a mixture

• Composed primarily of carbon dioxide, water vapor, carbon monoxide, particulate matter, hydrocarbons and other organic chemicals, nitrogen oxides, trace minerals, and several thousand other compounds.)

Milk

• a mixture

• Water, lactose, fat, protein, and minerals

Acid

• a pure substance

Copper wire

• a pure substance