ELEC 302: Environmental Science Reviewer - Part I

Vocabulary practice flashcards covering Philippine environmental laws, governance institutions, key environmental concepts, and international treaties from ELEC 302.

Environmental Governance

The system of laws, policies, institutions, decision-making processes, rules, and participation mechanisms used to protect the environment, manage natural resources, prevent environmental degradation, and address environmental problems.

1987 Philippine Constitution, Article II, Section 16

The constitutional provision recognizing the State's duty to protect and advance the people's right to a balanced and healthful ecology in accord with the rhythm and harmony of nature.

Environmental Rights

Rights related to living in an environment that supports human health, safety, dignity, and well-being, closely connected with the right to life and participation in decision-making.

Oposa v. Factoran

A landmark Supreme Court case that discussed the constitutional right to a balanced and healthful ecology, establishing that environmental protection links to both present needs and future generations' interests.

Environmental Responsibility

The duty of individuals, institutions, communities, and businesses to prevent environmental harm and recognize that individual actions create collective environmental consequences.

Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR)

The primary national government department in the Philippines responsible for the conservation, management, development, and proper use of the country's environment and natural resources.

Environmental Management Bureau (EMB)

A bureau operating under the DENR that focuses on environmental quality, pollution control, environmental monitoring, and regulatory compliance.

Climate Change Commission (CCC)

The Philippine government's lead policy-making body on climate change, tasked with coordinating, monitoring, and evaluating climate-related initiatives and mainstreaming climate change into development planning.

Local Government Units (LGUs)

Frontline public agencies responsible for community-level environmental programs, climate adaptation planning, and the local implementation of national policies such as RA 9003.

Sustainable Development

Development that meets present needs while maintaining the environmental and resource base necessary for future generations by balancing environmental protection, economic development, and social well-being.

Intergenerational Responsibility

The principle that present generations should use natural resources responsibly so that future generations will still have access to them and be capable of meeting their own needs.

Air Pollution

The presence of substances or contaminants in the atmosphere at concentrations capable of causing harmful effects to humans, animals, plants, ecosystems, property, or climate.

Particulate Matter

An air pollutant composed of very small solid particles or liquid droplets suspended in the air that can penetrate into the human respiratory system.

Primary Pollutants

Pollutants emitted directly from a source into the atmosphere, such as carbon monoxide from incomplete combustion or sulfur dioxide from sulfur-containing fuels.

Secondary Pollutants

Pollutants that form in the atmosphere through chemical reactions between other substances, with ground-level ozone serving as a prime example.

Republic Act No. 8749

The Philippine Clean Air Act of 1999, which establishes a comprehensive air pollution control policy through area-based responsibility, monitoring, and pollution regulation.

Polluter Pays Principle

The environmental policy principle dictating that individuals or entities responsible for pollution must bear the appropriate costs associated with preventing, controlling, or addressing it.

Water Pollution

The contamination or degradation of water resources that adversely affects water quality, ecosystems, human health, or the beneficial uses of water.

Eutrophication

The ecological process in which excessive nutrients like nitrogen and phosphorus stimulate algal blooms, which subsequently decompose, consume dissolved oxygen, and cause aquatic mortality.

Republic Act No. 9275

The Philippine Clean Water Act of 2004, which provides for comprehensive water quality management across freshwater, brackish water, and marine waters.

Water Quality Management Area (WQMA)

A designated area managed under RA 9275 through an integrated approach involving multi-stakeholder coordination to address local water quality concerns.

Land Pollution

The degradation or contamination of land caused by inappropriate disposal of wastes, harmful chemicals, industrial effluents, and excessive agricultural chemicals.

Soil Degradation

The decline in soil quality and its capacity to perform ecological and productive functions due to erosion, contamination, loss of organic matter, and overuse.

Deforestation

The removal or substantial reduction of forest cover, resulting in soil erosion, biodiversity loss, reduced carbon storage, and disrupted watershed functions.

Republic Act No. 9003

The Ecological Solid Waste Management Act of 2000, establishing a systematic, comprehensive solid waste program focused on segregation, recycling, composting, and proper disposal.

Waste Management Hierarchy

The structured order of waste management priorities: Waste avoidance/reduction → Reuse → Recycling/Recovery → Treatment → Proper disposal.

Segregation at Source

The practice of separating solid waste into distinct categories (such as biodegradable, recyclable, residual, and special) at the point of origin before it becomes mixed.

Materials Recovery Facility (MRF)

A barangay-level or cluster-level facility mandated by RA 9003 used for sorting, processing, composting, and recovering recyclable and biodegradable waste.

Republic Act No. 9147

The Wildlife Resources Conservation and Protection Act of 2001, enacted to conserve wildlife resources, regulate wildlife trade, and protect critical habitats.

Republic Act No. 7586

The National Integrated Protected Areas System (NIPAS) Act of 1992, which established a comprehensive classification and management system for protected areas in the Philippines.

Republic Act No. 11038

The Expanded NIPAS Act of 2018, which amended RA 7586 to expand and reinforce the legal framework governing protected areas in the Philippines.

Climate Change

A broad concept describing long-term shifts in temperature, precipitation patterns, atmospheric conditions, and other components across the global climate system.

Global Warming

The long-term increase in Earth's average surface temperature primarily driven by elevated greenhouse gas concentrations from human activities; a major component of climate change.

Climate Change Mitigation

Interventions aimed at addressing the root causes or drivers of climate change by reducing greenhouse gas emissions or enhancing greenhouse gas sinks.

Climate Change Adaptation

The process of adjusting systems, communities, practices, or infrastructure to actual or expected impacts and effects of climate change.

Republic Act No. 9729

The Climate Change Act of 2009, which established the Climate Change Commission and integrated climate considerations into government development planning.

Republic Act No. 10174

The amendatory law to RA 9729 that established the People's Survival Fund (PSF) to provide dedicated long-term financing for climate change adaptation initiatives.

Republic Act No. 9512

The National Environmental Awareness and Education Act of 2008, promoting environmental literacy through integration into school curricula and educational campaigns.

Biodiversity

The overall variety of life on Earth, encompassing three hierarchical levels: genetic diversity, species diversity, and ecosystem diversity.

Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD)

An international environmental treaty aimed at the conservation of biological diversity, the sustainable use of its components, and the fair and equitable sharing of benefits from genetic resources.

Ozone Depletion

The breakdown and thinning of stratospheric ozone caused by chemical agents such as chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs), distinctly different from the phenomenon of global warming.

Montreal Protocol

An international treaty establishing legally binding limits and phase-outs on the production and consumption of ozone-depleting substances.

Plastic Pollution

The environmental buildup of discarded synthetic polymers that damages terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems, best combated through source reduction and prevention.

Environmental Justice

The principle concerning equitable distribution of environmental benefits and risks, as well as fair, meaningful participation in decision-making regardless of socioeconomic status.

Paris Agreement

An international climate treaty committed to holding global temperature rise to well below $2^\times\text{C}$ above pre-industrial levels and pursuing efforts toward $1.5^\times\text{C}$, primarily through Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs).