Environmental Science Lecture Notes (Overview)

Vocabulary flashcards covering key terms and concepts from the lecture notes.

Environmental science

The study of the interactions between humans and the natural environment (climate, soil, water, air, other organisms).

Fertile Crescent

A historically fertile floodplain where farming began about 12,000 years ago.

Irrigation

The practice of supplying water to crops, necessary in the Fertile Crescent due to seasonal dryness.

Salinization

Accumulation of salts in soil from evaporation, making land infertile for farming.

Law of Unintended Consequences

Decisions can have unexpected effects beyond the intended outcomes.

Resource Depletion

Consumption of natural resources faster than they can be replenished.

Industrial Revolution

Period of shift to coal power, electricity, and factory production, with various environmental impacts.

Tragedy of the Commons

Overuse of shared, unowned resources by individuals leading to depletion.

Commons

Resources that are shared and not owned by anyone.

Global commons

Global-scale resources (air, oceans, atmosphere) at risk of degradation and depletion.

Progressive Era

Early 20th-century movement led by Teddy Roosevelt focusing on conservation and protection of resources.

Antiquities Act

1906 act enabling the protection of cultural and natural resources (and creation of monuments).

Inexhaustible resource

A resource that cannot be used up; example: sunlight.

Renewable resource

A resource that can be replenished, often more slowly than it is used (e.g., soil, timber).

Nonrenewable resource

A resource not replenished within the human time scale (e.g., coal, oil, natural gas).

Recyclable resource

Materials that can be reused or recycled (e.g., minerals, metals).

National Parks

Protected areas kept unaltered; no fishing, logging, hunting, or grazing.

National Forests

Areas that allow logging and recreational hunting/fishing; permits required to prevent overexploitation.

National Wildlife Refuges

Areas allowing hunting/fishing with permits but prohibiting commercial activities.

Public land

Land owned by the government; about 92% of public land is in 12 western states.

Federal land management agencies

U.S. agencies that manage public lands (Bureau of Indian Affairs, Bureau of Land Management, Bureau of Reclamation, Department of Defense, Fish and Wildlife Service, Forest Service, National Park Service, Tennessee Valley Authority, etc.).

Hetch Hetchy

Case of dam construction in Yosemite (1914) highlighting tension between conservation and development.

Anthropocentrism

Human-centered philosophy prioritizing human interests and well-being.

Ecocentrism

Nature-centered philosophy prioritizing ecosystem preservation.

Gifford Pinchot

Chief of the U.S. Forest Service who advocated the greatest good for the greatest number over the long term.

Modern environmentalism

Movement beginning in the 1960s focused on pollution reduction, biodiversity, and sustainability; spurred by environmental disasters.

Carcinogenic

Causing cancer; certain pollutants or radioactive materials can be carcinogenic.

Donora smog

1948 air pollution disaster in Donora, Pennsylvania that sickened thousands.

DDT

Persistent pesticide that is not easily biodegradable and harmed wildlife (e.g., birds).

Extinction

Complete disappearance of a species from Earth.

Famine

Extreme shortage of food leading to widespread hunger.

Water pollution

Contamination of lakes, rivers, oceans, or groundwater.

Hazardous waste

Wastes dangerous to human health or the environment.

Clean Water Act

Law restricting pollution of surface waters.

Clean Air Act

Law restricting pollution of the atmosphere.

Safe Drinking Water Act

Law setting standards for drinking water quality.

Endangered Species Act

Law identifying at-risk species and outlining recovery plans.

Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA)

Law regulating the treatment, storage, and disposal of hazardous waste.

National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA)

Law requiring federal projects to assess environmental impacts.

CERCLA

Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act; funds cleanup of hazardous waste sites.

Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)

Agency established in 1970 to enforce federal environmental laws.

Global environmentalism

Movement addressing planetary-scale issues like biodiversity loss, climate change, population growth, and inequality.

GDP per capita

Monetary value of goods and services produced per person per year.

Total fertility rate

Average number of children a woman would bear during her lifetime.

Life expectancy

Average number of years a person is expected to live.

Ecological footprint

Amount of land needed to sustain a person’s or country’s consumption (including forests, cropland, fisheries, carbon).

Developed country

Economically advanced with higher per-capita income, education, and living standards; higher consumption.

Developing country

Economically poorer with lower income, education, and living standards; increasing development.

Underdeveloped

Low level of economic development and living standards (historical term).

Transitioning

Countries moving from developing toward developed status.

Planetary Management

worldview where humans rule the Earth, technology will solve limits, and economic potential is unlimited.

Stewardship

Worldview prioritizing human needs while conserving resources for future generations.

Environmental Wisdom

Worldview that humans are not more important than other species and that resources are finite.

Laws (policy tool)

Legal rules that explicitly permit or prohibit actions.

Taxes (policy tool)

Taxes discourage certain behaviors or fund programs; tax breaks can encourage others.

Subsidies (policy tool)

Direct payments to reward certain actions or behaviors.