Class 2: Sustainability, Systems Thinking, and the Tragedy of the Commons

Flashcards covering key concepts in environmental science and sustainability from the lecture notes.

Ecosystem

The physical environment and all the organisms that interact within that environment.

Biotic Factors

Living things that affect an organism’s survival.

Abiotic Factors

Non-living things that affect an organism’s survival.

Ecology

The study of how organisms interact with their environment.

Environmental Science

The study of the interactions between humans and the environment.

Ecosystem Services

The positive benefits that ecosystems and/or biodiversity provide for humanity.

Provisioning Services

Products obtained from ecosystems, such as food and water.

Regulating Services

Benefits obtained from the regulation of ecosystem processes, such as climate regulation.

Cultural Services

Non-material benefits obtained from ecosystems, such as recreational and aesthetic enjoyment.

Supporting Services

Services necessary for the production of all other ecosystem services.

Sustainability

Providing for the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.

The Tragedy of the Commons

A situation in which shared resources are overused and degraded when individuals act in their own self-interest.

The Triple Bottom Line

An assessment framework that considers social, environmental, and financial impacts.

Systems Thinking

Recognizing that individual components of a system influence one another and that systems can be components of larger systems.

Hypothesis

A testable and falsifiable statement that predicts the outcome of a study.

Scientific Process

An iterative process involving observation, hypothesis formation, experimentation, and analysis.

Ecosystem Stability

The dynamic capacity of an ecosystem to maintain stability through feedback mechanisms.

Ecosystem Change

The alteration of ecosystems over short and long timescales.