Studied by 2 people
agrarian society
any community whose economy is based on producing and maintaining crops and farmland
industrial society
a society driven by the use of technology and machinery to enable mass production, supporting a large population with a high capacity for division of labour
disposable income
household disposable income measures the income of households (wages and salaries, self-employed income, social benefits, etc.), after taking into account the payment of taxes and social contributions
resources
a physical material that humans need and value such as land, air, and water. Resources are characterized as renewable or nonrenewable
ecological footprint
a measure of the demand human activity puts on the biosphere. more precisely, it measures the amount of biologically productive land and water area required to produce all the resources an individual, population, or activity consumes, and to absorb the waste they generate, given prevailing technology and resource management practices. This area can then be compared with biological capacity (biocapacity), the amount of productive area that is available to generate these resources and to absorb the waste
earth overshoot day
the date when humanity’s demand for ecological resources and services in a given year exceeds what Earth can regenerate in that year
biocapacity
the biological capacity of an area/region/country to generate the resources and absorb the waste of a given population
economic water scarcity
where water is available locally but not accessible for human, institutional or financial capital reasons caused by a lack of investment in water or a lack of human capacity to satisfy the demand for water, even in places where water is abundant
physical water scarcity
where water resource development is approaching or has exceeded unsustainable levels; it relates water availability to water demand and implies that arid areas are not necessarily water scarce
water insecurity
when water availability is not enough to ensure the population of an area enjoys good health, livelihood and earnings; this can be caused by water insufficiency or poor water quality
blue water
fresh surface and groundwater (freshwater lakes, rivers and aquifers)
green water
the precipitation on land that does not run off or recharge the groundwater but is stored in the soil or temporarily stays on top of the soil or vegetation
grey water
refers to domestic wastewater generated in households or office buildings from streams without fecal contamination, i.e., all streams except for the wastewater from toilets; sources of greywater include sinks, showers, baths, washing machines or dishwashers
virtual water
aka “embedded water” or “indirect water,” is the water “hidden” in the products, services and processes people buy and use every day; although virtual water goes unseen by the end-user of a product or service, that water has been consumed throughout the value chain, which makes creation of that product or service possible
water footprint
the total volume of fresh water used to produce the goods and services consumed by an individual or community or produced by the business
hydrogen fuel
a clean fuel that, when consumed in a fuel cell, produces only water
access to clean water
measured by the percentage of the population having access to and using improved drinking water sources
water security
when the annual supply of water directly available per person falls below 1000 cumecs (cubic metres per second
desalination
a process that takes away mineral components from saline water. Saltwater (especially sea water) is desalinated to produce water suitable for human consumption or irrigation
energy security
a country's ability to secure all its energy need
food availability
food availability in the simplest term is the situation where food is made to exist for consumption at local levels where local individuals or households can locate their needed foods without striving; it depicts the production and supply of varieties of foods
geopolitics
the struggle over the control of geographical entities with an international and global dimension, and the use of such geographical entities for political advantage
water-energy-food nexus
the idea that water security, energy security and food security are inextricably linked and actions in one area will have impacts on the other two
safe water
water that is safe to drink or do use for food preparation, without risk of health problems
food availability
sufficient quantities of food of appropriate qualities to support a population, supplied through domestic production or imports, including food aid
food security
exists for a population when all its people, at all times, have access to sufficient, safe and nutritious food to meet their dietary needs and food preferences for an active and health life
energy pathways
flows of energy that link producer regions with consumer regions. In physical terms, pathways take the form of pipelines, electricity power lines and the roots taken by gas and oil tankers, or trains carrying coal
energy security
having access to sufficient, clean, reliable and affordable energy sources for cooking, heating, lighting, communications and productive uses
recover
capture some value, e.g. energy from a waste plant
re-source
change materials or sources, e.g. low carbon electricity
recycle
use in a different flow (may involve downcycling or cascades)
return
return in an environmentally benign way, e.g treatment or containmentÂ
remove
eliminate demand all together e.g. conservation
reuse
reintroduce into the same flow (may require refurbishment)Â
reduce
use less resources to met the need e.g. minimisation
carrying capacity
the maximum number of individuals of a species that the environment can sustainably support in a given area
toxic colonialism
the movement of waste from HICs to LICs
divergent thinking
the process of creating multiple, unique ideas or solutions to a problem that you are trying to solve
malthuanism
the idea that population growth is potentially exponential while the growth of the food supply or other resources is linear, which eventually reduces living standards to the point of triggering a population die off
neo-malthusianism
the advocacy of human population planning to ensure resources and environmental integrities for current and future human populations as well as for other species
boserup’s theory
Boserup is known for her theory of agricultural intensification, also known as Boserup's theory, which posits that population change drives the intensity of agricultural production. her position countered the Malthusian theory that agricultural methods determine population via limits on food supply. a major point of her book is that "necessity is the mother of invention"
stewardship
the conducting, supervising, or managing of something, especially the careful and responsible management of something entrusted to one's care
sustainability
the practice of using natural resources responsibly, so they can support both present and future generations
optimum population
the number of people who, when working with all the available resources, will produce the highest per-capita economic return
Paul Ehrlich
malthusian who predicted that overpopulation will cause disaster for humanity
linear economy
based on 'take-make-dispose' is called as linear economy. The approach of linear economy involves the process of collection of raw material for transformation of them into finished goods and distribution until the customer until they are accumulated as waste
circular economy
a model of production and consumption, which involves sharing, leasing, reusing, repairing, refurbishing and recycling existing materials and products as long as possible.
systems thinking
based on the generalization that everything is interrelated and interÂdependent
technical nutrients
strictly limited to non-toxic, non-harmful synthetic materials (plastics & metals) that have no negative effects on the natural environment (if they are not burnt or discarded); they can be used in continuous cycles as the same product without losing their integrity or quality. In this manner these materials can be used over and over again instead of being "downcycled" into lesser products, ultimately becoming waste.
biological nutrients
organic materials that, once used, can be disposed of in any natural environment and decompose into the soil, providing food for small life forms without affecting the natural environment. this is dependent on the ecology of the region; for example, organic material from one country or landmass may be harmful to the ecology of another country or landmass
sustainable development
meeting the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs
virtual/embedded water
the way in which water is transferred from one country to another through its exports
nutrition transition
a change in diet from staple carbohydrates towards meat and fish products and dairy products
fracking
the process of injecting liquid at a high pressure into subterranean rocks, boreholes, etc. so as to force open existing fissures and extract oil or gas
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Flashcard (85)