U1 Foundation

Name and explain all 4 of the value systems

• Anthropocentric

  • Human centered

  • Nature is instrumental

• Ecocentric

  • Nature centered

  • Nature’s intrinsic values

• Pluricentric

  • Instead of only humans or only nature it is combined and should be balanced

• Technocentric

  • Technology centered

  • Focuses on innovation to help the environment

Name and explain all worldviews

• Imperialist

  • A sacred bond between humans and their god

  • Nature is separate

• Stewardship

  • Humans have responsibilities towards the env on a local and global scale

• Romantic

  • Nature is valuable bc it is beautiful

• Utilitarian

  • Nature is instrumental

  • Actions w outcomes that promotes greatest good for humans are morally right

2 inputs, processes and outputs of the environmental value system

Inputs

• Education

• Science

Process

• Values

• Arguments

Outputs

• Actions

• Decisions

Explain cultural theory

• Individual env beliefs are influenced by their preferences for group belonging and they way societies regulate behaviour

• Like people align w their cultural groups or political category

Name a environmental movement and its influence

• Montreal protocol

• 1980-1990 to stop ozone depletion

• NGOs, media, public campaigns raised awareness about skin cancer, eye damage and env risks

• Led to legally binding global treaties w all UN member states

• 99% key ozone depleting chemical were phased out

What is the Gaia hypothesis

The idea that Earth’s living and non-living parts interact like a single self-regulating system that keep conditions suitable for life

Explain how energy flows through the ecosystem

• Enters from sun as light

• Converted and stored as chemical potential energy

• Organic molecules pass down through chains

• Respiration releases the energy

• All energy will be lost

Explain how matter cycles through an ecosystem

• Nitrogen is fixed by bacteria

• Plants assimilate nitrogen

• Herbivores consume the plants

  • Nitrogen passes through the food chain

• When plants/animal dies it decomposes and organic matter returns to soil

Explain transformations vs transfers in flow diagram

Transformation

• Water changes from solid to liquid to gas (Matter)

• Light is transformed into heat as it is re-radiated from earth’s surface (energy)

Transfers

• Ocean current move energy around the planet like they drift and flow through

• Food web moves matter through living organisms in its links

Closed vs open systems

Closed

• Energy exchanges but not matter

• Very rare

• Major ones:

  • Nitrogen, carbon, hydrological cycle

Open

• Energy and matter are exchanged across boundaries

• Rainforest, ecosystems

Steady state vs Static equilibrium

• Steady

  • Maintains a stable system die to constant flows of outputs and inputs

    

• Static

  • Doesnt apply to natural systems cus no input / output = no change

  • Always in balance

  • Inanimaye objects

    

Negative vs positive feedback loop

Negative

• Dampens effects and returns to stability

• Predator - prey relationships

• Human body temperatures

Positive

• Destabilizing = amplify changes + drive the

system towards a tipping point where a new equilibrium is adopted

• Change in X causes a change in Y which causes a bigger change in X

• 

Name 3 social sustainability pillars

• Providing quality education that promotes lifelong learning and awareness of sustainability issues

• Addressing inequality and ensuring all community members have a voice in decisions that affect them

• Ensuring access to healthcare and nutritious food etc

Define environmental justice

The right of all people to live in a pollution free environment and equitable access to natural resources regardless of race gender abcdefg

What is ecological footprint

• How much land and water that is needed to:

  • provide all the resources a group of people uses

  • absorb all the waste they produce

What is biocapacity

• How much nature in an area can produce (renewable resources) and clean up (absorb wastes) over time.

• Unsustainable when people’s ecological footprint is bigger than that area’s biocapacity.

Name 2 strengths and.2 limitations of carbon footprint

Strengths

• Useful snapshot of sustainability of a population’s lifestyle

• Popular symbol for raising awareness of environmental issues

Limitations

• A simplification that lacks precision

• Does not show the type of reosurces used but the total

2 strengths and limitations of planetary boundary model

Strengths

• Highlights the need to change focus on more than climate change

• Alerts the public and policymakers

Cons

• Focuses only on ecological systems and not the human dimension necessary to take action for env justice

• Not be a useful guide for local and country level action

2 pros and cons of doughnut economics model

Pros

• Env justice

• Can be used at different scales

Cons

• Rejects the goal of econ growth

• work in progress model

What are the 3 principles of the circular economy

• Eliminate waste and pollution

• Circulate products and materials

  • Regenrate nature

What is the linear economy

Extraction → production → distribution → consumption → disposal