Grand Challenges in Biological, Earth and Environmental Sciences

A set of vocabulary flashcards based on the lecture covering critical concepts in biological, earth, and environmental sciences.

Planetary Boundaries

Environmental limits within which humanity can safely operate.

Tipping Points

Critical thresholds beyond which a system experiences significant changes, often irreversibly.

IPBES

Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services, focused on biodiversity.

Drivers of Change

Factors identified by IPBES that significantly impact biodiversity and ecosystems, including land use and climate change.

Transformative Change

Major, fundamental changes needed in human interactions with nature to halt negative trends.

Biodiversity Crisis

The rapid decline of species worldwide, significantly threatened by human activity.

Climate Change

Long-term alteration in temperature and typical weather patterns in a place, heavily influenced by human activities.

Food Security

The state where people have reliable access to sufficient, affordable, nutritious food.

Nature-Based Solutions

Strategies that utilize ecosystem services to address societal challenges like climate change.

Ecosystem Restoration

Rehabilitation and recovery of degraded ecosystems to restore their functionality and services.

Invasive Species

Non-native species that, when introduced to a new environment, can cause harm to native ecosystems.

Overfishing

Extracting fish from a body of water at a rate faster than they can reproduce, leading to population decline.

Extinction Risk

The danger that a species may cease to exist in the wild or entirely.

Pollution

The introduction of harmful substances into natural environments, affecting ecosystems and human health.

Drought

A prolonged period of abnormally low rainfall, leading to water shortages.