environmental test chapter 1 mega 😛😛😛🥳🥳🥳🥳

What is a feedback loop?

A process in which a system responds to a change.

What is negative feedback?

A response that reduces or reverses a change.

What does negative feedback do to a system?

Helps keep the system stable.

What is an example of negative feedback?

A thermostat turns heating/cooling on or off to maintain a set temperature.

What is positive feedback?

A response that increases or amplifies a change.

What does positive feedback do to a system?

Makes the original change stronger.

What is an example of positive feedback?

Ice melts → less ice reflects sunlight → more warming → more ice melts.

Negative feedback = ________ the change.

Reduces

Positive feedback = ________ the change.

Amplifies

Which feedback loop helps maintain stability?

Negative feedback

Which feedback loop can cause a change to become stronger?

Positive feedback

What is sustainability?

The ability of Earth’s systems to support life indefinitely.

What are the 3 scientific principles of sustainability?

Solar energy, biodiversity, and chemical cycling.

Why is solar energy a principle of sustainability?

The Sun provides an essentially unlimited energy source.

What is biodiversity?

The variety of genes, organisms, species, and ecosystems.

Why is biodiversity important to sustainability?

It helps ecosystems remain functional.

What is chemical cycling?

The recycling of chemicals between organisms, soil, water, and air.

Why is chemical cycling important?

It continually recycles essential elements.

What is environmental science?

The study of how humans interact with the environment.

What is the main goal of environmental science?

To understand environmental problems and find solutions.

What is a natural resource?

A material or energy source from nature that humans use.

What is a renewable resource?

A resource that can be naturally replaced in a short time.

Give examples of renewable resources.

Wood, freshwater, and sunlight.

What is a nonrenewable resource?

A resource that forms too slowly to replace.

Give examples of nonrenewable resources.

Coal, oil, and natural gas.

What is an inexhaustible resource?

A resource that is essentially unlimited.

What is an example of an inexhaustible resource?

Solar energy.

What are ecosystem services?

Benefits humans receive from natural ecosystems.

What are examples of ecosystem services?

Water purification and erosion control.

What is natural capital?

Natural resources plus ecosystem services.

What is sustainable yield?

Using a resource no faster than nature can replace it.

What is resource depletion?

The use of a resource faster than it can be replaced.

What is an ecological footprint?

The amount of productive land and water needed to support a person or population.

What is biocapacity?

The ability of an area to produce resources and absorb wastes.

What is an ecological deficit?

When ecological footprint is greater than biocapacity.

What is an ecological credit?

When biocapacity is greater than ecological footprint.

What does an ecological footprint tell us?

How much biologically productive area our resource use requires.

What is the IPAT equation?

I = P × A × T.

What does I represent in IPAT?

Environmental impact.

What does P represent in IPAT?

Population.

What does A represent in IPAT?

Affluence or consumption per person.

What does T represent in IPAT?

Technology.

How can population affect environmental impact?

More people generally increase resource use and impact.

How can affluence affect environmental impact?

More consumption per person increases resource use.

How can technology affect environmental impact?

It can either increase or reduce environmental impact.

What is the tragedy of the commons?

The overuse of a shared resource because individuals act in their own interest.

Who introduced the idea of the tragedy of the commons?

Garrett Hardin.

What are common-access resources?

Resources available for use by many people and not controlled by one person.

What are examples of common-access resources?

Atmosphere, oceans, fish, and forests.

Why can common resources become overused?

People receive individual benefits while the costs are shared.

What happened to the Newfoundland cod fishery?

The cod population collapsed from severe overfishing.

When did the Newfoundland cod fishery collapse?

1992.

How did fishing technology contribute to the cod collapse?

Advanced technology allowed fishermen to catch more fish.

What is overfishing?

Catching fish faster than they can reproduce.

What is HIPPCO used to remember?

Major causes of biodiversity loss.

What does H in HIPPCO stand for?

Habitat loss and degradation.

What does I in HIPPCO stand for?

Invasive species.

What does the first P in HIPPCO stand for?

Population growth.

What does the second P in HIPPCO stand for?

Pollution.

What does C in HIPPCO stand for?

Climate change.

What does O in HIPPCO stand for?

Overexploitation.

What is habitat loss?

The destruction or reduction of natural habitat.

What are invasive species?

Nonnative species that can harm native ecosystems.

What is overexploitation?

Using a resource faster than it can recover.

What is deforestation?

The clearing of forests, often for agriculture or development.

What are effects of deforestation?

Habitat loss, erosion, and biodiversity loss.

What is the fishprint?

The ocean area needed to support a person's seafood consumption.

What does the fishprint graph show?

Fishing demand has increased and can exceed ocean biocapacity.

What did the 2006 fishprint study predict?

Major commercial fish species could collapse by about 2048.

What does it mean if fishing is above sustainable levels?

Fish are being removed faster than they can reproduce.

What is a system?

A group of connected parts that interact with one another.

What is a feedback loop?

A process in which a system’s output affects the system itself.

What is negative feedback?

A feedback process that reduces change and stabilizes a system.

What is positive feedback?

A feedback process that amplifies or increases change.

What is an example of negative feedback?

A thermostat maintaining a set temperature.

What is an example of positive feedback?

Ice melts, causing more warming and more ice melt.

What is full-cost pricing?

Including environmental costs in the price of a product.

Why is full-cost pricing useful?

It makes the true environmental cost part of the price.

What is poverty's connection to environmental problems?

People may depend directly on natural resources for survival.

Why can population growth threaten sustainability?

It increases demand for resources.

Why can increased resource use per person threaten sustainability?

It increases environmental impact.

What is the difference between renewable and nonrenewable resources?

Renewable resources can be replaced relatively quickly; nonrenewable resources cannot.

What is the difference between ecological footprint and biocapacity?

Footprint is resource demand; biocapacity is nature's ability to supply and absorb.

What happens when ecological footprint exceeds biocapacity?

An ecological deficit occurs.

What happens when biocapacity exceeds ecological footprint?

An ecological credit occurs.

What is the main problem with unsustainable resource use?

Resources are consumed faster than nature can replace them.

How do ecosystem services support humans?

They provide benefits such as clean water, erosion control, and other natural processes.

Why are forests important to sustainability?

They provide resources and ecosystem services while supporting biodiversity.

What does the graph comparing fishprint and biocapacity suggest?

Fish consumption can become greater than the ocean’s ability to replenish fish.

What is the main idea behind the three principles of sustainability?

Sustainable systems depend on solar energy, biodiversity, and recycling of chemicals.

What are the 5 major causes of environmental problems?

Population growth, unsustainable resource use, poverty, excluding environmental costs from economic decisions, and increasing environmental impact of technology.

Cause #1: Population growth

More people means greater demand for food, water, energy, and resources.

Cause #2: Unsustainable resource use

Using resources faster than nature can replace them.

Cause #3: Poverty

Limited resources can cause people to depend heavily on the environment for survival.

Cause #4: Excluding environmental costs from economic decisions

Products may seem cheaper because their environmental damage is not included in the price.

Cause #5: Increasing environmental impact of technology

Some technologies increase pollution, resource use, or environmental damage.

Why does population growth harm the environment?

It increases demand for natural resources.

Why is unsustainable resource use harmful?

Resources can become depleted faster than they are replaced.