Sustainability essentials final exam

What is the main “idea” behind the Anthropocene?

the time during which humans have had a substantial impact on our planet

What is a tipping point?

The point at which a series of small changes or incidents becomes significant enough to cause a larger, more important change.

thresholds where Earth systems, such as ice sheets and rain forests, change irreversibly over human lifetimes.

When we refer to the “Great Acceleration”, what are we referring to?

the dramatic and roughly simultaneous surge in human activity and its impact on the Earth's natural systems

What is so special about the Holocene?

unusual climatic stability that allowed for the development and flourishing of human civilization

How much did the average temperature vary during the Holocene? What are important resilience strategies?

1 degree

strengthening infrastructure, using nature-based solutions, improving governance (planning, data, policies), and fostering societal adaptation through education, equity, and financial tools, all while integrating mitigation (renewables, efficiency) to reduce future risks.

⁠What is an ecosystem service?

the direct and indirect benefits that healthy ecosystems provide to humans

In the context of planetary boundaries, what is a regime shift?

a large, abrupt, and persistent change in the structure and function of an ecosystem or system

Why is it important to be aware of possible regime shifts?

these shifts involve large, abrupt, and often irreversible changes in ecosystems and climate systems, which can have catastrophic and unpredictable impacts on human societies, economies, and natural environments

Pick three key features of regime shifts from the list below.

• Abruptness

• Thresholds and Tipping Points

• Non-linearity

• Difficulty in Reversal

• Significant Impacts

What is Earth resilience?

the capacity of the Earth system to resist, recover, and regenerate from anthropogenic pressures

What is the most important aspect to take into account when determining if a threshold has been crossed and thus a tipping point has occurred?

the presence of self-reinforcing positive feedback loops that lead to a large, accelerating, and often irreversible change in the system.

How have the boundary values of the nine Planetary Boundaries (PBs) been determined?

expert-elicitation, risk-assessment process grounded in scientific modeling and a precautionary principle

Are PBs global thresholds?

yes