Foundations of Environmental Systems and Societies

These flashcards cover key terms and concepts related to the foundations of environmental systems and societies, focusing on environmental value systems, systems approaches, sustainability, pollution, and thermodynamics.

Environmental Value System (EVS)

A worldview or paradigm that shapes how individuals or groups perceive and evaluate environmental issues, influenced by cultural, religious, economic, and sociopolitical contexts.

Ecocentric

A viewpoint that integrates social, spiritual, and environmental dimensions, placing ecology and nature at the center of humanity, and emphasizing biorights and self-restraint.

Anthropocentric

A viewpoint that prioritizes human needs and advocates for sustainable management of the global system through regulation and consensus.

Technocentric

A viewpoint that emphasizes technological advancements as solutions to environmental problems, holding an optimistic view on human innovation.

Systems Approach

A method of visualizing complex interactions in ecological or societal contexts to better understand system dynamics.

Open System

A system that exchanges both energy and matter across its boundary.

Closed System

A system that exchanges only energy across its boundary.

Isolated System

A hypothetical system in which neither energy nor matter is exchanged across the boundary.

Natural Capital

Natural resources that can deliver a sustainable income of goods or services.

Ecological Footprint

The area of land and water required to sustainably provide all resources consumed by a population; indicates sustainability when it exceeds available area.

Pollution

The addition of a substance to the environment at a rate greater than it can be rendered harmless, affecting organisms in the ecosystem.

Primary Pollutant

A pollutant that is active upon emission.

Secondary Pollutant

A pollutant that arises from primary pollutants undergoing physical or chemical change.

Biodegradable

Substances that can be broken down by natural biological processes.

Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA)

A process to evaluate the environmental, social, and economic impacts of proposed projects before they are carried out.

Tipping Point

The minimum amount of change in a system that can destabilize it, leading to a new equilibrium.

Negative Feedback Loop

A stabilizing feedback mechanism that counteracts deviation from an equilibrium state.

Positive Feedback Loop

A destabilizing feedback mechanism that amplifies changes in a system.

First Law of Thermodynamics

The principle of conservation of energy, stating energy cannot be created or destroyed, only transformed.

Second Law of Thermodynamics

A statement that the entropy of a closed system increases over time, indicating energy becomes less available to do work.