APES UNIT 1

Principles of Sustainability

Dependence of solar energy, Biodiversity, Chemical Cycling

Natural Capital

Natural resources and ecosystem services supporting life and economies

Tragedy of the Commons

Depletion of public resources due to self-interest

Ecological Footprint

amount of biologically productive land and water needed to supply a population in an area w/ renewable resources and to absorb and recycle the wastes and pollutants

Causes of Environmental Issues

Population growth, resource use, poverty, isolation from nature

Full Cost Pricing

include harmful environmental and health costs of producing and using goods and services in their market prices

1st law of thermodynamics

no energy is created nor destroyed

2nd law of thermodynamics

whenever energy is converted from one form to another or in a physical or chemical change, end up w/ lower-quality energy

Carbon-containing vs. others

Nonrenewable energy

from resources that can be depleted and not replenished by natural processes within human time scale

Renewable energy

gained from resources that are replenished by natural processes in a short time

High-quality energy

high capacity to do useful work

Positive feedback loop

causes system to change further into the same direction

Negative feedback loop

causes system to change in the opposite direction

Tipping Point

Ecological threshold due to positive feedback loops

nonpoint pollution

pollution from many places all at once

point pollution

pollution from a single place