Environmental Science Review

Vocabulary flashcards to review key concepts from the lecture notes.

Kyoto Protocol

Conference of the Parties in 1997: ghg emission targets for annex-1 and non-annex-1 countries.

Greenhouse Effect

Greenhouse gases get trapped in the atmosphere and warm earth; more greenhouse gases from anthropogenic actions means more greenhouse gases to trap heat and cause more warming

Carbon Sequestration

Capturing and storing atmospheric carbon

Carbon Cycle

Carbon circulates from the atmosphere to plants/organisms in the earth and then back into the atmosphere

Carbon Footprint

Total amount of ghg generated by an individual/group

Keeling Curve

An increase in overall CO2 emissions with annual fluctuations related to northern hemisphere seasons

Mitigation

Reducing the causes of climate change

Adaptation

Modifying civilization to adapt to the new climate

Carbon Offsets

Programs that pay to counterbalance a company’s impacts

Alarmed

Inform about ways to get involved

Concerned, Cautious, Disengaged, Doubtful

Communication that convey person relevance

Dismissive

Emphasize messages that do not antagonize them, such as health messages

Nature's Rights Laws

Exist in 24 countries, multiple countries in South America and Pakistan have recognized nature’s rights, Ecuador rewrote constitution to acknowledge nature’s rights in all its life forms

Climax Vegetation

Average vegetation of a place determined by climate and physiographic conditions

Reconciliation Ecology

Invent and maintain habitats for species diversity where people live, work, and play

Disturbance

An event that permanently or temporarily alters the vegetation in an ecosystem

Forest transition theory

Initial population growth and development in an area will cause deforestation, but forests will recover after people migrate and economies change

Ecological Succession

After a disturbance, a series of species invasions progress an ecosystem through stages until they return to the same or a new climax vegetation

Kuznet’s Curve

Environmental impacts rise as a an area economically develops, then decreases after reaching a state of affluence

Primary Forests

Old-growth forests with minimal human impact, typically more diverse

Secondary Forests

Forest regrown after disturbance

Conservation

Greatest good for greatest number, allows for logging

Preservation

Protecting pristine wilderness from human impacts, prevents need for reforestation

Utilitarian (wolf hunting)

Would support if it benefitted humans

Deep ecology

Need to address root cause of wolf extinction

NEPA

It requires an environmental impact statement before government action can be taken, and the EIS process includes public input and participation

Apex Predator

Controls the top of the food chain leading to control of other trophic levels

Rewilding Programs

Restores ecological and evolutionary processes which increase biodiversity

Fission

Splits nucleus of atom into two

Fusion

Combines two nuclei (not possible yet)

Nuclear Fallout

Radioactive particles from nuclear blast in atmosphere that eventually settle on ground

Hydrological Scarcity

Lack of water due to climatological and hydrological factors

Techno-economic Scarcity

Lack of water due to lack of infrastructure or treatment

Perceptual Scarcity

Water is perceived to be scarce or hazardous even where there is widespread availability of potable water

Bottle bills

Refundable deposits on drink containers used in Oregon, Canada, and Europe

Turfgrass

Grass that was domesticated for livestock grazing, began as way to show of wealth of European manor houses

Marine Mammal Protection Act

Prohibits killing or sale of marine mammals, mandates that tuna fisheries be managed for optimum sustained populations, allows for accidental death of dolphins as long as their populations remain above sustainable thresholds

Purse-seine

Net encircling school of fish with bottom drawn shut

Tuna ranching

Involved catching young wild tuna and rearing them for human consumption, puts pressure on wild tuna populations due to harvest of young

Aquaculture

The cultivation of aquatic organisms is vital for supporting seafood production demands, problems of waste buildup, disease, and dead zones

Moral extensionism (tuna vs dolphins)

It has helped the dolphins but not the tuna

Post-Fordism (tuna)

The tuna industry has shifted to production being carried out by different corporations instead of one company owning all parts of production

Utilitarian ethic (fisheries)

Would want to consume the fish for the greatest human benefit

Animal rights ethic (fisheries)

Would want to cease all tuna fishing and consumption

Maximum Sustainable Yield

Largest amount of a natural resource that can be harvested indefinitely

Why is it useful to consider organisms like fish as socially constructed objects?

It can help to understand why animal rights favor a particular species even if efforts are not guaranteed to reduce human impacts on the environment 

Which are examples of guides to inform sustainable consumption of seafood covered in lecture and discussion?  

Marine Stewardship Council and eco-labels as green consumerism 

What are negative consequences of bycatch? 

Accidental harvest of non-target species can lead to ecological destruction 

As an example of green consumerism, was the tuna consumer boycott and dolphin-safe labeling good for the environment? 

No, there is no way to prove that dolphin safe practices are being used, and dolphin safe does not mean tuna aren’t being overharvested 

What are examples of how the government subsided road construction rather than railroads in the 20th century?  

The Federal Aid Road Act of 1916 which gave aid to several states to improve roads and the Federal Aid Highway Act of 1956 which saw 40,000 miles of highways built 

How were trains significant for conservation in the 19th century?  

The Northern Pacific Railroad fought for Yellowstone’s protection, Great Northern Railway fought for Glacier National Park’s protection, and several southwest railroads fought for the protection of the Grand Canyon 

When did the automobile become more popular than the train for transportation?  

After 1960

What are some more sustainable alternatives to lawns?

Xeriscaping, pollinator habitats, substitutes such as microclover and astroturf 

Why are monoculture grass pastures vulnerable to disease?  

They lack biodiversity which means diseases can spread quickly throughout a community made up of only one species 

How have the chemicals used on lawns changed over time?  

Early lawn chemicals were pesticides like DDT that were crude and dangerous, changed to fertilizers that cause eutrophication 

How much fresh subsurface water exists in the world?

3% of water is fresh

What are the stages of the life cycle of plastic water bottles?  

Raw material extraction, manufacturing/assembly, transportation and distribution, use, disposal/recycling 

Explain why water should (or should not) be treated as a typical economic good.  

Water is essential, non-substitutable, finite, a system, and bulky 

What are the ideal conditions for managing water as a common property resource?  

Clearly defined boundaries, costs should match benefits, rules are made collectively by users, monitoring systems are in place, sanctions must be in place to punish violators, the system must have autonomy 

• Desalinization – is it expensive? Where is it often pursued?  

It is expensive and often pursued in areas with hydrological scarcity 

• What explains the continued global increase in bottled water consumption?  

It is marketed as clean and environmentally friendly and perceived as safer than tap water 

What are water quality standards for tap water versus bottled water?  

EPA sets standards for water, FDA regulates bottled water with higher rates of microplastics in bottled water 

What states in the US use the most nuclear power?  

Illinois, Pennsylvania, South Carolina 

How do thorium reactors differ from uranium ones?  

They create less waste and are more efficient, but they create gamma rays and startup costs are expensive 

What is the significance of Yucca Mountain? 

Proposed storage unit for nuclear waste, people protested because transportation routes would go through 44 states 

What is Olkiluoto 3?  

Plant in Finland that had to throttle its energy output because it decreased energy prices too much 

Why were wolves exterminated from much of their habitat in the US? 

Wolves used livestock as food source after elimination of bison 

How have arguments about preservation been critiqued over time. What are some of these critiques?  

Preservation is framed as being without humans which eradicates indigenous people from designated forests 

How have trees been socially constructed and portrayed in popular literature/culture?  

Attitudes changed from believing forests are dangerous scary places to be conquered, to romanticizing them as pristine ecosystems untouched by humans