Studied by 156 people
EVS
Environmental value systems
What is the environmental value system
a worldview or paradigm that shapes the way an individual, or group of people, perceives and evaluates environmental issues
what are the categories of EVS?
ecocentrics, anthropocentrics, technocentrics
What is the ecocentric world view?
puts ecology and nature as central to humanity
life-centered, respects the rights of nature and dependence of humans on nature
less materialistic approach to life
self-restraint
self sufficiency in human societies
ecocentric categories
deep ecologists, self reliant soft ecologists
What is the anthropocentric world view?
believes humans must sustainably manage the global system (through use of taxes, environmental regulation)
human centered - humans are not dependent on nature but nature is there to benifit human kind
What is the technocentric world view?
believes that technological developments can provide solutions to environmental problems
technocentric categories
technocentrics, cornucopians
environmental managers
believe humans have ethical duty to protect the earth
believe that governments need to protect environment, and make sustainable economies
deep ecologists
put more value on nature than humanity
believe in biorights - all societies and ecosystems have an inherent value and humans have no right to interfere
nurturing value system
ecocentric
intervening or manipulative systems
anthropocentric and technocentric
types of systems
closed system, open system, isolated system
open system
exchanges matter and energy with its surroundings
closed system
exchanges energy but not matter, do not occur naturally on earth, however earth is a closed system
isolated system
does not exchange matter or energy, no such systems exist, however cosmos could be an isolated system
what does the biosphere consist of?
atmosphere, lithosphere, hydrosphere, ecosphere
all systems have …
storages (of matter or enegry)
flows (into, through and out of the system)
inputs
outputs
boundaries
processes
what is an energy transfer?
when the flow of energy or matter flows and changes location but not its state
what is an energy transformation?
when energy or matter flows and changes its state
types of energy transformations
chemical to mechanical
radiant to chemical
electrical to thermal
what are models?
representation of a complex process, used to understand how a system works and to make predictions
advantages of models
easier to work with
can be used to predict the effect of a change of input
can be applied to other situations
patterns
visualization of smaller/larger things
disadvantages of models
accuracy is lost due to simplification
if assumptions are wrong, model will be wrong
predictions may be inaccurate
when is sustainability achieved?
environment, social and economic overlap
social factor (explain)
standard of living
education
community
equal opportunity
environmental factor (how to achieve sustainability)
natural resource use
environmental management
pollution prevention
economic factor (explain)
profit cost savings
economic growth
R and D
economic-social
business ethics
fair trade
workers rights
social-environmental
environmental justice
natural resources stwardship
local and global
environmental-economic
energy efficiency
subsidies/incentives for use of natural resources
Energy in systems rely on…
the laws of thermodynamics
First law of thermodynamics
energy is neither created nor destroyed, therefore energy is constant (in any type of system), and can only be altered in form (through transfers and transformations)
Second law of thermodynamics
entropy of a system will tend to increase over time
entropy
spreading out or dispersal of energy
nature of equilibria
steady state equilibrium
static equilibrium
efficiency
defined as useful energy
efficiency formula (2)
efficiency = energy produced / energy consumed x 100%
efficiency = useful output / input x 100%
equilibrium definition
the tendency for a system to return to an original state following a disturbance
Steady state equilibrium characteristics
applies to open systems
more or less constant
no long term changes
system will return to its previous state
continuous inputs and outputs of energy and matter
Static equilibrium characteristics
no change over time
stable
when disturbed, creates new equilibrium
non living systems
negative feedback
returns system to its original state
same state of equilibrium
stabilising as they reduce change
positive feedback
changes system to a new state
new state of equilibrium
destabilizing as they increase change
stable equilibrium
tends to return to the same equilibrium after a disturbance
unstable equilibrium
system returns to a new equilibrium after disturbance
resilience of systems
measures how a system responds to a disturbance
the more resilience …
the more disturbance the system can deal with, keep the same state
the less resilience …
the less disturbance the system can deal with, will enter a new state
factors affecting ecosystem resilience (7)
more complex system, more resilience, as there are more interactions between species
the greater the species the greater the chance that a species can replace another if one dies out
the greater the genetic diversity within species, the greater the resilience
species that can shift geographical ranges are more resilient
the larger the ecosystem the more resilience
climate affects resilience
faster reproduction means faster recovery
tipping points
the minimum amount of change within a system that will destabalize it, causing it to reach a new state
characteristics of tipping points
involve positive feedback
threshold point cannot be precisely predicted
the changes are long lasting
the chances are hard to reverse
there is a time difference between the pressures driving the change and appearance of impacts
sustainability definition
Using global resources at a rate that allows natural regeneration and minimizes damage to the environment
natural capital
goods and services provided by nature
natural income
yield obtained from the use of natural resources
renewable natural capital
resources that are able to replace themselves by growing
replenishable natural capital
between renewable and non-renewable resources
non-renewable capital
resources that are finite, once consumed not replaced
Values of natural income
economic
ecological
scientific/technological
Intrinsic value (cultural or spiritual)
Maximum Sustainable Yield (MSY)
maximum amount of harvest that can be extracted from a renewable resource without negatively impacting the reference population size in the future
Sustainable Yield (SY)
annual gain in biomass or energy through growth and recruitment (without depletion of natural stock)
Formula SY
total biomass / energy (at time t+1)
total biomass / energy (at time t)
annual growth and recruitment - annual death and emmigration
Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA)
Report that presents advantages and disadvantages of development projects, including biotic and abiotic elements
Aims of an EIA
Resource conservation
Waste minimization
Recovery of by-product
Efficient use of equipment
Sustainable development
Ecological footprint
The hypothetical area of land required to fulfill all the resource needs and assimilate all wastes
Ecological footprint formula (land requirement for food production)
per capita food consumption (kg yr^-1) / mean food production per hectare (kg ha^-1 yr^-1)
Ecological footprint formula (land requirement for absorbing CO2 from fossil fuels)
per capita CO2 emmision (kg C yr^-1) / net carbon fixation per hectare (kg C ha^-1 yr^-1)
Pollution
Presence or introduction of contaminants (by human activity) in which the environment is harmed and affects the health of organisms within environment
Pollution forms
matter
energy
what is PM?
Particulate matter
what does PM show?
the number of micrograms per cubic meter of particles (with particular diameters)
Categories of PM
PM 10
PM 2.5
Meaning of PM10
10 micrometers or less (in diameter)
Meaning of PM2.5
2.5 micrometers or less (in diameter)
Subtypes of PM
suspended particulate matter (SPM)
Respirable suspended matter (PM10)
Fine particles (PM2.5)
What is PM10
Smoke, dirt, dust
What is PM2.5
Heavy metals
what are heavy metals?
group of metals and metalloids that have relatively high density and are toxic
How is PM10 made?
Erosion of rock and soil, blown by wind
How is PM2.5 made?
Driving cars
Burning
Smelting and processing metals
Major sources of pollutants
anthropogenic pollution; produced directly by human activities
Examples of anthropogenic pollution
combustion of fossil fuels
domestic waste
Industrial waste
Agricultural waste
Pollutants in the atmosphere
Carbon Dioxide
Carbon Monoxide
Nitrogen Oxide
Sulfur Oxide
Ozone
Effects of air pollutants
human health
climate change
acid deposition
Industrial waste
refers to the byproducts generated from industrial processes
Effects of Industrial waste
Accumulation of heavy metals
Dissolution of heavy metals
Disposal of harmful waste materials
soil, water contamination
Domestic waste
waste produced by households
Effects of Domestic Waste
Habitat loss
Deforestation
Euthrophication
Agricultural waste
refers to the byproducts generated from farming and agricultural activities
Effects of Agricultural waste
Eutrophication
Accumulation of pesticides
Eutrophication
refers to an increase in nutrient levels (nitrogen and phosphorus) in water bodies
point source pollution
release of pollutants from single identifiable source
non-point source pollution (NPS)
release of pollutants from numerous origins
Acute Pollution
Pollution arising from a one off event (e.g. oil spills)
Biodegradable
Capable of being broken down by natural biological processes
Biosphere
The part of the Earth in habitated by organisms that extends from the upper parts of the atmosphere to deep within the Earth’s crust
Chronic pollution
Arising from the long lasting release of a pollutant with the effects lasting for a long time
Closed system
Exchanges only energy across its boundary
Cornucopian
Belief that man will always find a way out of any difficulties, either political, scientific or technological and believe resource replacement will solve the resource depletion
Deep ecologist
Place intrinsic importance on nature for the humanity of man and believe ecological laws should dictate human morality
Ecological footprint
the area of land and water required to sustainably provide all resources at the rate at which they are being consumed and the assimilation of all wastes by a given human population.
If it is greater than the area available to the population, it is an indication of unsustainability
Note 
Flashcard (22)