Quiz 1 Vocab

Sustainability

to sustain or maintain over a long time and, referring to the ability of humans to maintain their natural ecosystems while improving human welfare over the long term.

Carrying Capacity

the maximum number of individuals of a specific species that an environment can sustainably support over a long period

Natural Capital

the stock of natural ecosystems that produces a flow of valuable goods and services. It consists of mineral resources, biogeochemical cycles critical for life such as the nitrogen, phosphorus, water, carbon and oxygen, and ecosystem services that yield a flow of valuable goods and services.

Sustainability (Scientific)

relies on the capacity to build a unifying methodology, a set research agenda, and utilizing science and technology to advance global sustainability.

Sustainability (Social)

advancing fundamental understanding of the science of sustainability.” Sustainability as a social movement, defined as people sharing a common ideology, tends to be more inclusive in views, more concrete in application, more subject to immediate action, and generally applicable to a wide range of diverse issues—i.e., living simply to animal rights.

Positive Feedback Loops

Amplifies the original change and pushes the system further away from its original state

Negative Feedback Loops

Counteracts or dampens the initial change, pulling the system back toward stability and equilibrium

Ecological Footprint

Estimate of resource consumption and waste assimilation requirements of a defined human population or economy in terms of a corresponding productive land area.

Modernist

Relies on a rational, comprehensive view of urban development that emphasizes reliance on the efficiency of technological solutions.

Postmodernist

Tends to emphasize pluralism and localized cultural traditions.

Greenwashing

Where companies exaggerate or falsely claim sustainability efforts

Dominant Social Paradigm

prioritizes free-market economics, technological optimism, and human separation from nature. This belief system has historically hindered efforts to integrate sustainability into mainstream policy and economic practice.

Green Capitalism

An approach to managing the relationships between economic activities and the environment that presumes a large degree of compatibility between capitalism and current efforts to reduce human impacts on the nonhuman world

Globalization

The growing connection and dependence of countries around the world through trade, technology, culture, and travel

Manifest Destiny

A 19th

Rebound Effect

The difference between the expected and the actual environmental savings from efficiency improvements once a number of economic mechanisms have been considered

Regenerative Economics

An economic model that treats the economy as a living system rather than a machine, aiming to restore and revitalize social and ecological health instead of pursuing endless, extractive growth

Carbon Sequestration

the process of capturing and securely storing carbon dioxide (CO₂) to prevent it from warming the atmosphere

Solar Radiation Management

a proposed climate intervention method that aims to cool the Earth by reflecting a small fraction of incoming sunlight back into space

Circular Economy

an economic system that replaces the traditional "take-make-waste" linear model with a closed-loop approach focused on eliminating waste and regenerating natural systems

Deglobalization

the retrenchment from global economic interdependence

Science of Ecology

Study of organisms and their environment

Ecosystem

Any group of plants, animals, and non-living things interacting with their external environment

Photosynthesis

The transfer of light energy from the sun to food units. 6CO2 + 6H2O + sunlight → C6H12O6 + 6O2.

Law of Conservation of Matter

Matter can never be created nor destroyed. Only changed from one form to another

Entropy

The movement in systems from low entropy to high entropy, from a stable form to a dissipated form with relates to disorder and less useful for humans

Autotrophic Ecosystem

An ecosystem that produces and consumes its energy on site

Heterotrophic Ecosystem

Ecosystems that derive most of their energy from organisms outside their system

First Law of Thermodynamics

Energy cannot be created or destroyed on transferred

Second Law of Thermodynamics

Entropy occurs over time to do work. It is dissipated from a lower state to a high state. With each successive energy transfer less useful energy is available

Resiliance

Ability to absorb global change, including human pressures

Anthropocene

the current geological time period when human activity has become the dominant force shaping Earth's climate and ecosystems

Planetary Boundaries

a scientific framework that defines the safe operating limits for human activity on Earth

The Sustainable Development Goals (SDG)

Adopted by the United Nations in 2015 as a universal call to action to end poverty, protect the planet, and ensure that by 2030 all people enjoy peace and prosperity

The Cornucopian Theory

The idea that human ingenuity and technological innovation will overcome any resource depletion or environmental challenges, allowing society to sustainably support a growing population.

Dependency Ratio

a demographic metric that compares the non-working-age population (dependents) to the working-age population

Technological Sustainability

Continued growth managed through green innovation (EX: EVs)

Ecological Sustainability

True balance can only be achieved by reducing consumption and, by extension, reducing population.

Environmental Kuznets Curve

The theory that the intensity of the per capita environmental impacts of production falls after per capita income passes a certain threshold. The fundamental implication of this theory is that economic growth may be favoring environmental protection

Pollution Haven Hypothesis

Industry moves to countries that allow for more environmental pollution (NIMBY)

Life Cycle Analysis (LCA)

A method for evaluating the environmental impact of a product, process, or service throughout its entire life cycle.