Sustainability, Climate Change, Matter, and Separation of Mixtures

A set of 100 practice flashcards reviewing key concepts, figures, facts, definitions, and separation techniques from the lecture on Sustainability, Climate Change, Matter, and Separation of Mixtures.

According to the U.N. (1987), how is sustainability defined?

"Meeting the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs."

What are the three pillars of sustainability?

Environmental, Social, and Economic.

What state is achieved at the intersection of Social and Environmental sustainability?

Bearable.

What state is achieved at the intersection of Social and Economic sustainability?

Equitable.

What state is achieved at the intersection of Economic and Environmental sustainability?

Viable.

Which pillar of sustainability addresses social variables such as community, education, equity, health, and quality of life?

Social (People).

Which pillar of sustainability addresses environmental variables relating to natural resources, water and air quality, energy conservation, and land use?

Environmental (Planet).

Which pillar of sustainability addresses economic variables dealing with the bottom line and cash flow?

Economic (Profit).

What are Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)?

A set of 17 integrated objectives with the purpose of achieving a better, more sustainable future for every person on Earth.

In what year were the Sustainable Development Goals adopted?

$$2015$$

By what year should the Sustainable Development Goals be achieved?

$$2030$$

What is Sustainable Development Goal 1?

No Poverty.

What is Sustainable Development Goal 2?

Zero Hunger.

What is Sustainable Development Goal 3?

Good Health and Well-being.

What is Sustainable Development Goal 4?

Quality Education.

What is Sustainable Development Goal 5?

Gender Equality.

What is Sustainable Development Goal 6?

Clean Water and Sanitation.

What is Sustainable Development Goal 7?

Affordable and Clean Energy.

What is Sustainable Development Goal 8?

Decent Work and Economic Growth.

What is Sustainable Development Goal 9?

Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure.

What is Sustainable Development Goal 10?

Reduced Inequalities.

What is Sustainable Development Goal 11?

Sustainable Cities and Communities.

What is Sustainable Development Goal 12?

Responsible Consumption and Production.

What is Sustainable Development Goal 13?

Climate Action.

What is Sustainable Development Goal 14?

Life Below Water.

What is Sustainable Development Goal 15?

Life on Land.

What is Sustainable Development Goal 16?

Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions.

What is Sustainable Development Goal 17?

Partnerships for the Goals.

By 2022, how many people still lacked safely managed drinking water?

$$2,200\text{ million people}$$

By 2022, how many people lacked safely managed sanitation?

$$3,500\text{ million people}$$

By 2022, how many people lacked basic hand-washing installations?

$$2,200\text{ million people}$$

How many people lived without access to electricity by 2022?

$$675\text{ million people}$$

By how much did energy efficiency improve between 2015 and 2020?

$$1.4\%$$

What percentage of electrical energy was supplied by renewable sources by 2022?

$$28.2\%$$

What percentage of heating energy was supplied by renewable sources by 2022?

$$10.4\%$$

What percentage of transport energy was supplied by renewable sources by 2022?

$$4\%$$

How many urban inhabitants lived in marginalized neighborhoods by 2022?

$$1,100\text{ million urban inhabitants}$$

What proportion of urban inhabitants do not count with convenient access to public transportation?

Half of urban inhabitants.

What percentage of cities have less than $20\%$ of their area dedicated to public spaces and streets?

$75\%$ of cities.

What is the targeted percentage of city area to be dedicated to public spaces and streets?

$$45\text{--}50\%$$

How does the material footprint per capita in developed countries compare to developing countries?

It is $10$ times that of developing countries.

On average, how much food does each person throw away each year?

$120\,\text{kg}$ of food.

What occurred regarding subsidies for fossil fuels from 2020 to 2021?

They nearly doubled.

What happened to the rate of sea level increase over the past decade?

It doubled.

By what year is global warming expected to reach $1.5\,^\circ\text{C}$?

By $2035$

What global warming temperature increase is expected by $2100$?

$$2.5\,^\circ\text{C}$$

How do disaster-related mortality rates in highly vulnerable zones compare to non-vulnerable zones?

They are $15$ times higher.

How much more acidic are oceans now compared to before the industrial era?

$30\%$ more acidic.

How many metric tones of plastic trash were in the ocean in 2021?

$$17\text{ million metric tones}$$

What fraction of the world's fish species suffer from excessive fishing?

Over one third.

What proportion of caught fish comes from illegal exploitation?

One out of every five.

How many hectares of healthy, productive land were degraded each year between 2015 and 2019?

$$100\text{ million hectares}$$

What historical comparison is made regarding the current mass extinction event?

It is the biggest mass extinction event in history since the disappearance of dinosaurs.

What is the definition of Ecological Footprint?

A measurement of how much nature we have and how much nature we use.

What land and resource categories make up humanity's ecological footprint?

Built-up Land, Carbon Footprint, Cropland, Fisheries, Forest Products, and Pasture.

What is Earth Overshoot Day?

The date in which humanity’s demand for ecological resources and services exceeds Earth's regenerative capacities for that year.

How is climate change defined?

The long-term shifts in temperature and weather patterns.

Since what period have human activities been the main driver of climate change?

Since the 1800’s.

What anthropogenic activities are listed as causes of climate change?

Industry, Building use, Transportation, Agriculture & livestock, Deforestation, and Fossil fuel burning.

Which greenhouse gases are highlighted in the physical mechanism diagrams?

Carbon dioxide ($CO_2$), Methane ($CH_4$), and Nitrogen oxides / Nitrous Oxide ($N_2O$).

Which economic sector contributed $25\%$ of global greenhouse gas emissions in 2020?

Electricity and Heat Production.

Which economic sector contributed $24\%$ of global greenhouse gas emissions in 2020?

Agriculture, Forestry and Other Land Use.

Which economic sector contributed $21\%$ of global greenhouse gas emissions in 2020?

Industry.

Which economic sector contributed $14\%$ of global greenhouse gas emissions in 2020?

Transportation.

Which economic sector contributed $6\%$ of global greenhouse gas emissions in 2020?

Buildings.

What are aerosols?

Tiny particles suspended in the air that can absorb or reflect solar energy.

According to GRACE observations ($2002\text{--}2024$), what was Greenland's average polar land ice mass loss?

$$-264\,\text{Gigatons/year}$$

According to GRACE observations ($2002\text{--}2024$), what was Antarctica's average polar land ice mass loss?

$$-135\,\text{Gigatons/year}$$

What formula defines Net Energy Imbalance?

$$\text{Net Energy Imbalance} = \text{Energy In} - \text{Energy Out}$$

In radiative forcing, what effect does a positive radiative forcing ($+RF$) produce?

Heating.

In radiative forcing, what effect does a negative radiative forcing ($-RF$) produce?

Cooling.

What chemical equation represents ocean acidification in the slides?

$$CO_2 + H_2O \rightarrow H_2CO_3$$

What three consequences of climate change affect oceans?

Disruption of the water cycle, Thermal dilation, and Acidification.

What ecosystem consequences of climate change are listed in the slides?

Impact on biodiversity, Forest fires, Droughts, Floods, and Cyclones and hurricanes.

What human society consequences of climate change are listed in the slides?

Famine, Water scarcity, Threats to health (vectors, pollution, nutrition, mental), Climate refugees, and Armed conflicts.

What are tipping points in Earth's climate system?

Critical moments that, when exceeded, could cause irremediable changes on Earth climate’s system.

What three examples of climate tipping points are given in the slides?

Permafrost melting, Thermohaline circulation collapse, and Tropical forests deforestation.

What is matter?

Everything that has a mass and occupies a space (volume).

What extremely small particles make up matter?

Atoms.

What is the Law of Conservation of Matter?

"Every time a chemical change occurs, the amount of matter that existed before the change is the same that results after the change."

How is energy understood in relation to matter?

Understood as the capacity to generate change.

What are the two major classifications of matter?

Pure substances and Mixtures.

What are the two subcategories of pure substances?

Elements and Compounds.

What are the two subcategories of mixtures?

Homogeneous and Heterogeneous.

What are the defining characteristics of pure substances?

They have a defined, invariable composition and cannot be separated by physical methods.

What is an element?

A pure substance made up of identical atoms that cannot be separated by chemical means.

What is a compound?

The chemical union of two or more different elements, in defined proportions, that can be separated by chemical means.

What are the defining characteristics of mixtures?

They are the non-chemical union of two or more components, have an undefined and variable composition, and can be separated by physical methods.

What defines a homogeneous mixture?

The component parts cannot be distinguished from one another.

What defines a heterogeneous mixture?

Each individual component can be distinguished from the other.

How is sieving defined as a mixture separation technique?

A method for heterogeneous solid-solid mixtures based on particle size, passing the mixture through a sieve with a specific pore size.

How is centrifugation defined as a mixture separation technique?

A method for heterogeneous suspensions (solid-liquid or liquid-liquid) based on density, spinning the mixture at high speeds to accelerate separation.

How is evaporation defined as a mixture separation technique?

A method for homogeneous solid-liquid mixtures based on boiling point, heating until the liquid component boils away completely.

How is crystallization defined as a mixture separation technique?

A method for homogeneous solid-liquid mixtures based on solubility, heating and oversaturating with the solid component, then cooling with a nucleation site.

How is distillation defined as a mixture separation technique?

A method for homogeneous liquid-liquid mixtures based on boiling point, heating until one component boils and condensing its vapors.

How is magnetization defined as a mixture separation technique?

A method for heterogeneous solid-solid or solid-liquid mixtures based on magnetism, using a magnet to separate magnetic materials from non-magnetic ones.

How is chromatography defined as a mixture separation technique?

A method for homogeneous solid-liquid or liquid-liquid mixtures based on affinity to mobile and stationary phases as components move at different speeds.

Which physical property is utilized in decantation and centrifugation?

Density.

Which physical property is utilized in distillation?

Boiling point.

Is mass classified as an intensive or extensive property of matter?

Extensive property.