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environmental value system (EVS)
a world view or paradigm that shapes the way an individual or group of people perceive and evaluate environmental issues. This is influenced by cultural, religious, economic, and socio-political context.
ecocentric worlview
puts ecology and nature as central to humanity
anthropocentric worldview
believes humans must sustainably manage the global system
technocentric worldview
believes that technological developments can provide solutions to environmental problems
cornucopians
extreme technocentrists who see the world as having infinite resources to benefit humanity
environmental managers
moderate technocentrists who see the Earth as a garden that needs tending - the stewardship worldview.
biocentric worlview
see all life as having inherent value - value for its own sake, not just for humans
deep ecologists
put more value on nature than humanity. They believe in biorights - universal rights where all species and ecosystems have an inherent value and humans have no right to interfere with this
system
a set of inter-related parts working together to make a complex whole
open system
exchanges matter and energy with its surroundings
closed system
exchanges energy but not matter with its surroundings
isolated system
exchanges neither matter nor energy with its surroundings
transfer
occurs when energy or matter flows and changes location but does not change its state
transformation
occurs when energy or matter flows and changes its state - a change in the chemical nature, a change in state or a change in energy
systems approach
a way of visualizing a complex set of interactions which may be ecological or societal
model
a simplified version of reality that can be used to understand how a system works and predict how it will respond to change
1st Law of Thermodynamics
Principle of conservation of energy, which states that energy in an isolated system can be transformed but cannot be created nor destroyed
2nd Law of Thermodynamics
Energy is transformed through energy transfers. An increase in entropy arising from energy transformations reduces the energy available to do work.
entropy
a measure of the amount of disorder in a system
efficiency
the useful energy, the work or output produced by a process divided by the amount of energy consumed
negative feedback loops
Stabilizing systems that occur when the output of a process inhibits or reverses the operation of the same process in such a way to reduce change - it counteracts deviation
steady-state equilibrium
characteristics of open systems where there are continuous inputs and outputs of energy and matter, but the system as a whole remains in a more-or-less constant state
static equilibrium
no change over time
stable equilibrium
a system that tends to return to the same equilibrium after a disturbance
unstable equilibrium
a system that returns to a new equilibrium after a disturbance
positive feedback loops
Destabilizing systems which tend to amplify changes and drive the system toward a tipping point where a new equilibrium is adopted.
tipping point
when an ecosystem experiences a shift to a new state in which there are significant changes to its biodiversity and the services it provides.
sustainability
the use and management of resources that allows full natural replacement of the resources exploited and full recovery of the ecosystem affected by their extraction and use
sustainable development
development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs
natural capital
natural resources that can produce a sustainable natural income of goods or services. e.g. forest (natural capital) provides timber (natural income)
ecological footprint
the area of land and water required to sustainably provide all resources at the rate at which they are being consumed by a given population
pollution
the addition of a substance or an agent to an environment by human activity, at a rate greater than at which it can be rendered harmless by the environment, and which has an appreciable effect on the organisms within it.
primary pollutant
pollutants which are active on emission
secondary pollutant
pollutants which are formed by primary pollutants undergoing physical or chemical changes
non-point source pollution
pollution which is released from numerous, widely dispersed origins. May have many sources making it virtually impossible to detect exactly where it is coming from.
point source pollution
release of pollutants from a single, clearly identifiable site.
Persistent organic pollutants (POPs)
Chemicals, often manufactured as pesticides in the past, which are resistant to breaking down and remain active in the environment for a long time.
Biodegradable pollutants
Pollutants which do not persist in the environment and break down easily.
Acute pollution
large amounts of a pollutant are released over a short period of time, causing a lot of harm
chronic pollution
The long-term release of a pollutant, in small amounts.
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