Topic 1

Perspective

how a particular situation is viewed and understood by an individual

Argument

a statement or statements made to support a personally held perspective or to counter a different one

Values

qualities or principles that people feel have worth and importance in life, individual or held by a group

worldviews

lenses shared by groups of people through which they perceive, make sense of, and act within their environment

Environmental Value Systems

a model that shows the inputs affecting our perspectives and the outputs resulting from our perspectives

system

a set or interrelated parts working together to make a functioning whole

biosphere

all parts of the Earth where life exists

anthroposphere

the part of the Earth that is made or modified by humans

open systems

exchange matter and energy with their environment

closed systems

exchange energy but not matter with their environment

stable equilibrium

the condition of a system in which there is a tendency for it to return to the previous equilibrium following disturbance

stead-state equilibrium

the condition of an open system in which flows are still occurring, but inputs are constantly balanced with outputs

negative feedback loops

when the output of a process inhibits or reverses the operation of the same process in such a way as to reduce change, stabilising the system and counteracting deviation

positive feedback loop

when a disturbance leads to an amplification of that disturbance, destabilising the system and driving it towards a tipping point

tipping point

the minimum change in a system that destabilises it and shifts the regime to a new equilibrium or stable state

albedo

a measure of how much a surface reflects

resilience

the ability of a system to return to its initial state after a disturbance

sustainability

a measure of the extent to which human activities allow for the long-term viability of a system

environmental sustainability

the use and management of natural resources that allows replacement of the resources, and the recovery and regeneration of ecosystems

social sustainability

creating the structures and systems that support human well-being

economic sustainability

creating the economic structures and systems to support production and consumption of goods and services that will support human needs into the future

natural income

the yield or harvest from natural resources

natural capital

the stock of natural resources on Earth

environmental justicee

the right of all people regardless of race, gender, socio-economic status, or national origin to live in a pollution-free environment, have equitable access to natural resources, and have fair treatment through laws and regulations

ecological footprint

the area of land and water required to sustainably provide all the resources required at the rate of consumption, and to assimilate all wastes at the rate of production by a given population

carrying capacity

the maximum number of individuals of a species that the environment can sustainably support

biocapacity

the capacity of a biologically productive area to generate a supply of renewable resources and to absorb its waste