Exploring Environmental Science for AP®: Chapter 1 - The Environment and Sustainability

These flashcards cover key terms and concepts from Chapter 1 of 'Exploring Environmental Science for AP®' focusing on environmental sustainability, ecological principles, and human impacts.

Sustainability

The capacity of the earth’s natural systems to survive, flourish, or adapt to changing environmental conditions indefinitely.

Commons

Renewable resources with open access to everyone; if used unsustainably, they can be destroyed, e.g., fisheries and forests.

Ecology

A branch of biology focusing on the interaction of living things with their environment.

Ecosystem

A set of organisms interacting in a defined area.

Environmentalism

A social movement dedicated to protecting the earth’s life and resources, often practiced in politics and ethics.

Dependence on solar energy

The principle that solar energy provides warmth and energy for plants to produce nutrients.

Biodiversity

The variety and adaptability of natural systems and species.

Chemical cycling

The circulation of nutrients from the environment to organisms and back again.

Natural capital

Natural resources and ecosystem services that keep humans and other species alive and support economies.

Inexhaustible resource

Resources that are unlimited in supply, such as solar energy.

Renewable resource

Resources that can replenish themselves, like forests and fresh water.

Nonrenewable resource

Resources that are exhausted after use, such as oil and coal.

Ecological footprint

The amount of biologically productive land and water needed to supply a population with renewable resources and recycle wastes.

IPAT model

A formula that represents environmental impact (I) as the product of population (P), affluence (A), and technology (T).

Environmental worldview

A set of assumptions and values about interactions with the natural world.

Stewardship

The ethical responsibility to be caring managers of the earth.

Full-cost pricing

Including harmful environmental and health costs in the market prices of goods and services.

Environmental policy

Laws, regulations, and programs designed to protect the environment and natural resources.

Global environmental security

The protection of human health, the environment, and international peace through sustainable practices.

Ecological deficit

When a population's ecological footprint exceeds the earth's biocapacity for replenishment.