Environmental Science

Environmental Science

The study of our environment and the ways we depend on and influence it.

Environmental Science: Interdisciplinary

Environmental science combines natural sciences, social sciences, and humanities.

Primary Cause of World Hunger

Inequitable food distribution is a major cause of world hunger.

Agricultural Land Degradation

About two-thirds of agricultural lands show signs of degradation.

Pragmatic Utilitarian Conservation

The view that natural resources should be used for human benefit rather than protected solely for their own sake.

Biocentric Preservation

The view that humans should not place themselves above other organisms and that nature has value beyond human use.

Extreme Poverty

The World Bank has estimated that more than 1.4 billion people live in extreme poverty, historically defined in the material as earning about $1 per person per day.

World Income Levels

Most people in the world live in countries with low to moderate income.

Total Fertility

The average number of children a woman is expected to have during her lifetime.

Fertility in Less Developed Countries

Fertility rates have historically been higher in less developed countries and are projected to decline over time.

Fertility in More Developed Countries

More developed countries generally have lower fertility rates.

U.S. Population Percentage

The United States makes up about 4.6% of the world's population.

U.S. Oil Consumption

The United States has historically consumed about 25% of the world's oil.

U.S. Toxic Waste

The United States has historically generated a large percentage of the world's toxic waste.

Per Capita Energy Use

Energy use per person is greater in the United States than in China.

Sustainable Development

Development that improves the quality of life for the present generation without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their needs.

Continual Growth and Ecology

Many ecologists argue that continual growth can be impossible because resources and environmental systems have limits.

Indigenous People

People who are native to a particular region and have longstanding cultural and environmental connections to that land.

Importance of Indigenous People

Indigenous people often possess extensive knowledge of local environments, biodiversity, and sustainable resource use.

Ethics

Principles or beliefs about what is right and wrong.

Environmental Ethics

The belief that humans have moral and ethical responsibilities toward the natural environment.

Environmental Justice

The fair treatment and meaningful involvement of all people in environmental decision-making, regardless of income or background.

Environmental Racism

Environmental policies or conditions that disproportionately expose racial or ethnic minority communities to environmental hazards.

Toxic Colonialism

The practice of wealthier nations sending or storing hazardous waste in less-developed nations.

Science

A process for producing knowledge through systematic observation, measurement, experimentation, and analysis.

Parsimony

The principle of choosing the simplest explanation that adequately explains the evidence.

Hypothesis

A testable explanation or educated guess that could answer a scientific question.

Deductive Reasoning

Reasoning that uses general principles or laws to reach a specific conclusion.

Inductive Reasoning

Reasoning that uses specific observations to develop a general conclusion.

Scientific Method

A systematic process used to investigate questions and test hypotheses.

Step 1 of Scientific Method

Identify the question.

Step 2 of Scientific Method

Form a testable hypothesis.

Step 3 of Scientific Method

Conduct the experiment.

Step 4 of Scientific Method

Collect data to test the hypothesis.

Step 5 of Scientific Method

Interpret the results.

Step 6 of Scientific Method

Report the findings for peer review.

Step 7 of Scientific Method

Publish the findings.

Natural Experiment

An experiment in which scientists observe a naturally occurring event or situation without directly manipulating the variables.

Manipulative Experiment

An experiment in which researchers deliberately change one or more variables to observe the effects.

Controlled Study

A study in which variables are controlled and a control group is used for comparison.

Control Group

A group that does not receive the experimental treatment and is used for comparison.

Blind Experiment

An experiment in which participants do not know whether they are receiving the treatment or control.

Double-Blind Experiment

An experiment in which neither the participants nor the researchers interacting with them know who receives the treatment or control.

System

A set of interconnected and interdependent parts that interact with one another.

Closed System

A system that exchanges little or no matter with its surroundings and can be relatively isolated for study.

Open System

A system that exchanges matter and energy with its surrounding