Chapter 1: Environmental problems, their causes, and sustainability

environement

everything that is around us living/non-living which can be interacted with.

Environmental science

The study on how humans interact with living/non-living parts of their environment

Ecology

The study of how organisms interact with each other and their environment 

Organism(S)

a single living thing, such as a plant, animal, bacterium, or fungus, that interacts with its environment and contributes to an ecosystem

Species

A group of organism which can be distinguished from other organisms through a set of unique characteristics 

Ecosystem

A defined area with a set # of organisms that interact with each other and their environment

Ex: Forest ecosystem contain mushrooms, Animals, plants which interact 

(Question) list and explain what the 3 principles of sustainability

Solar energy(solar Energy relianlase): The sun gives 2 important things for life that is Heat and solar energy. Solar energy is the more important since it allows for process such as photosynthesis which are vital for life to exist

Biodiversity: This is the vast amount of organisms which exist, and the way they provide natural services and how each organism has adapted to live 

Chemical cycling: The cycling of chemicals such carbon and nitrogen through the environment which helps support life

Biodiversity

the variety of life on Earth at all levels, encompassing the diversity of genes, species, and habitats

Chemical cycling/ Nutrient cycling

the movement and recycling of essential elements like carbon, nitrogen, and phosphorus through Earth's systems (atmosphere, hydrosphere, geosphere, and biosphere)

Solar energy

the radiant energy from the sun that is captured and converted into a usable form, such as electricity or heat, using technologies like photovoltaics (PV) and solar thermal systems

Natural capital

Natural services and resources which allows life to continue and helps the human economy

Natural services

Process which help support life and the human economy

ex: water purification, renewal of top soil, chemical cycling

Natural resources

Energy and material that is used for the needs of humans

Ex: soil, coal, oil, plants 

Resoruce

Anything which can be got from the environment to meet our demands 

Sustainable yield

The highest rate of a renewable resource usage which still does not reduce the availability of the resource 

Nonrenewable resources

A resource that is on a fix quantity on earth. (they can totally be renewable but it can take millions to billions of years to do so)

Perpetual resources 

A continued supply of a resource that is almost forever continuous

Renewable resources

Resources that can be renewed

Ex: trees, glass lands, fish populations

Economic growth

The increase of a nations good and services

Reuse

The process of using the same resource over and over again 

Recycling 

The collecting of waste material and the making of a new material

Gross domestic product/GDP

The yearly market value of all goods and services made by business foreign, domestic or within the country.

Per capita CDP

GDP of country/ Total population(@ mid year), This is the economic  growth per person within a country 

Economic development

Using economic growth to improve the standard of living

More-Developed countries

Country’s which have a higher average income per person(Advanced economy, high standard of living, high quality buildings, and advanced industrialization) 

Less-developed countries

Countrys which have a lower average income per person( Low of levels of industrialization, higher fertility rates, high infant death, low per capita income)

Environmental degradation/Natural capital degradation

The degradation of the earths natural capital at faster rates

Pollution

The presences of any chemical, temperature, noise, taste, at levels which could be consider harmful for health, living organism, or activity

Point sources

single identifiable source of pollution

Non-point sources

non-traceable sources of pollution or pollution that is hard to identify and comes from multiple sources

(Question) What are the 3 unwanted effects of pollution?

Degration/distrupation of life support systems

Damage to wildlife, human health, and property

Makes unwanted smells, taste, sights, or noise

(Question) What are the to 2 main types of pollution clean up or prevention

Pollution clean up/ Out put pollution control

Pollution prevention/ Input pollution control

Output pollution control

Cleaning up pollution that is already there

Ex: Picking trash, cleaning up water

Input pollution control

Prevent or minimizing pollution before it can do damage/minimizing the damage it does cause

(Question) What are the 2 types of pullants

Biodegradable

Non biodegradable 

Biodegradable pollenates

Pollution/polluants that can be broken down by the environment and the natural process of organisms 

(Question) what are the 3 types of property 

Private 

common

Open access 

Private property

Property, land, or good that is owned by a company or person

ex; Zoos, farmland, research labs

Common property

Resources that re owned by large groups of person or community

ex: national parks, sacred groves ,community manages forests

Open acess

Property that no one can own but is open to every body

ex: Rivers, unprotected fruit tress, wild forests

affluence 

The consumption of resources that is more than just basic needs

ecological footprint

The amount of biologically productive land and water needed to give people within an area an indefinte supply of a renewable resource  

Ecological footprint per capita

The average ecological footprint per person within a given area

Biological capacity 

Ability of an ecosystem to make renewable resources and take in wastes which living organism make

(Question) What is called when a country ecological footprint is larger than its biological capacity and what does this mean for the country?

It is known as an “ ecological deficit” and it means that the country is living in a unsustainable fashion by organisms taking more than the environment can make 

Time delays

The gap from cause and the visible effect on a population or ecosystem

Ecological tipping point

A shift which can not be undone to the environment or population due to a compounding environmental issue

ex: population of fish gone due to over fishing,

Culture

All the beliefs, activity’s, knowledge, technology, and practices of humans

(Question) what are the 3 cultural changes throughout history that played a big role to today’s environment. Add the rough time period.

(Question) GIve the name of the revolution for sustainability and what would it have people do for the environment?

(Question) Name 4 basic environment problems

Exponential growth 

(Question) What has adversing and affluence lead to? What have they caused(term) and what is the damage with them

Affluenza

Poverty

(Question) What is the damage that poverty causes to the environment and what does environment degradation cause to poverty

Subsides

Environment overview 

Environmental ethics

(Question) what are 3 the main overviews/looks of people on the earth

Environmentally sustabile sociey 

Natural income

Social capital

trade-off solutions