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Millennium Development Goals (MDGs)
a comprehensive set of goals aimed at addressing the most important needs of people in the developing countries to improve their well-being, adopted by the United Nations at the UN Millennium Summit in 2000
Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)
international goals for world development between 2015-1030, replacing the millennium development goals
goods
products, such as wood and food, that are extracted from natural ecosystems to satisfy human needs
services
ecosystem functions that are essential to human life and economic well-being, such as waste breakdown, climate regulation, and erosion control. These can be further categorized as regulating, supporting, cultural, and provisioning services
global climate change
the cumulative effects of rising levels of greenhouse gases on Earth’s climate. These effects include global warming, weather changes, and a rising sea level
greenhouse effect
an increase in the atmospheric temperature caused by increasing amounts of carbon dioxide and certain other gases that absorb and trap heat, which normally radiates away from Earth
nitigation
reducing greenhouse gas emissions by a variety of strategies and policies
biodiversity
the diversity of living things found in the natural world. The concept usually refers to the different species but also includes ecosystems and the genetic diversity within a given species
environment
the combination of all things and factors external to the individual or population of organisms in question
environmental science
the multidisciplinary branch of science concerned with environmental issues
environmental movement
the upwelling of public awareness and citizen action that began during the 1960s regarding environmental issues
sustainability
a property whereby a process can be continued indefinitely without depleting the energy or material resources on which it depends. As one of the unifying themes of the text, sustainability is the practical goal toward which our interactions with the natural world should be working
sound science
the basis for our understanding of how the world works and how human system interact with it. It stems from scientific work based on peer-reviewed research and is one of the unifying themes of this text
steward/stewardship
a steward is one to whom a trust has been given. As one of the unifying themes of this text, stewardship is the actions and programs that manage natural resources and human well-being for the common good
sustainable yields
the taking of a biological resource (fish, forests) in a manner that does not exceed the capacity of the resource to reproduce and replace itself
sustainable society
a society that functions in a way so as not to deplete the energy or material resources on which it depends. Such a society interacts with the natural world in ways that maintain existing species and ecosystems
sustainable development
development that provides people with a better life without sacrificing or depleting resources or causing environmental impacts that will undercut the ability of future generations to meet their needs
development
a term referring to the continued improvement of human well-being, usually in the developing countries
equity
an ethical principle where people’s needs are met in an impartial and just manner
scientific method
the process of making observations and logically integrating those observations into a model demonstrating how the world works. Often involves forming hypotheses, experimenting, and conducting further testing for confirmation
science
a process by which understanding of the natural world is gained; it relies on the scientific method
sound science
the basis for our understanding of how the world works and how human system interact with it. It stems from scientific work based on peer-reviewed research and is one of the unifying themes of this text
junk science
information presented as valid science but unsupported by peer-reviewed research. Often, politically motivated and biased results are selected to promote a particular point of view
observation
things or phenomena that are perceived through one or more of the basic five senses in their normal state. In addition, to be accepted as factual, observations must be verifiable by others
model
in the scientific method, observations may be out together to form a larger picture of how a system works, called a model
experimentation
in the practice of science, the testing of hypotheses by setting up situations where cause and effect are investigated, using careful measurements of conditions and responses
hypothesis
a tentative guess concerning the cause of an observed phenomenon that is then subjected to experimentation to test its logical or empirical consequences
null hypothesis
in a test of a hypothesis, this is a comparison— what one would expect to see if there were no effect of one variable on another
theory
a conceptual formulation that provides a rational explanation or framework for numerous related observations
natural laws
generalizations derived from our observations of matter, energy, and other phenomena. Though not absolute, natural laws have been empirically confirmed to a high degree and are often derivable from higher-level theory
concepts
valid explanations of fate from the natural world that often allow predictions but do not reach the level of validity of natural laws
National Academies of Sciences
top scientists elected by their peers to a group that often speaks to scientific issues
stewardship
a steward is one to whom a trust has been given. As one of the unifying themes of this text, stewardship is the actions and programs that manage natural resources and human well-being for the common good
