Ecology: A Human Approach - Professor Pool - Test 3 Vocabulary

global energy balance

the difference between the solar energy that reaches the planet and the energy that leaves the planet

solar radiation

energy emitted from the sun

climate system

the coupled system of physical and biological processes responsible for Earth’s climate

electromagnetic spectrum

the entire range of electric, magnetic, and visible radiation

albedo

the reflective property of a surface

climate forcing

an alteration to the energy balance of the climate system

aerosols

a type of small particle suspended in Earth’s atmosphere

the greenhouse effect

the trapping of longwave radiation in Earth’s atmosphere by the combined effect of the greenhouse gases

global warming potential

(GWP); the measurement of the amount of heat each greenhouse gas can trap in the atmosphere over a certain period of time

glacial periods

a long period of cold climate in Earth’s history (which alternates with interglacial periods)

interglacial period

a short period of warm climate in Earth’s history (which alternates with glacial periods)

Milankovitch cycles

cycles that explain how the position of the Earth in relation to the sun has varied over time

Holocene period

the most recent interglacial period, which has lasted from about 12,000 years ago to the present

positive feedback loop

occurs when part of a system responds to a change in a way that further accelerates or amplifies the change

negative feedback loop

occurs when the system responds in a way that slows the change

proxy record

the measurement of something that varies with temperature (rather than temperature itself)

mineral aerosols

a type of very small mineral particle in the atmosphere that tends to have a cooling effect on the climate

sulfate aerosol

a type of tiny particle in the atmosphere made up of sulfate combined with other chemicals; this type of aerosol tends to cool the climate

general circulation models

(GCMs); a mathematical representation of physical and biological processes that occur in the atmosphere, in the oceans, and on land

Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change

(IPCC); a group of about 900 scientific experts from all over the world who volunteer their time summarizing projections for and potential impacts of climate change

mitigation

the process of taking steps to reduce or eliminate the causes of climate change; to prevent climate change

adaptation

(climate); the process of taking steps to reduce the risks associated with climate change; to conform to climate change

scarcity

the inability to satisfy all human needs or wants

economics

the social science that studies the decisions that govern the distribution of scarce resources, the incentive structures that influence these decisions, and the societal rules or arrangements that influence the allocation of resources

microeconomics

the study of how individuals and businesses make decisions and allocate scarce resources

macroeconomics

the study of the effects of the individual and governmental decisions on the function of the national economy

economic system

the collection of all human interactions involving the exchange of goods and services

market

a place where buyers and sellers willingly come together to exchange goods or services

natural resources

materials or physical/biological systems that occur in nature and can be used in the production of goods and services

labor

the time and effort that people apply to the production of goods and services

capital

the tools, machines, infrastructure, and other built resources that can be used in the creation of goods and services

recoverable reserves

nonrenewable resource deposits that are measured, legally extractable, and cost effective to produce

discounting

an economic technique used to estimate the present value of an asset based on the future value determined from standard interest rates

externalities

actions by producers or consumers that affect others but that are not account for in the market price of a good or service

market failure

when a market, left alone, does not achieve an efficient allocation of resources

positive externalities

externalities that provide some external benefit

negative externalities

externalities that cause some external cost (ex: health impacts from exposure to pollutants)

common pool resource

a natural or human-made resource for which one person’s use decreases its availability to other people, and for which preventing someone from using it is difficult or costly

environmental economics

the study of how environmental problems emerge from economic activity and how best to address those problems

economic valuation

the process of making decisions about how much to pay for different items

direct use value

the direct monetary value of resource use

indirect use value

a measurement of the indirect impacts of a resource

option value

the potential future benefit and economic value of a resource

existence value

a valuation of something that is not directly used for human benefit

gross domestic product

(GDP); the value of all the goods and services produced in a country over a specific period of time

genuine progress indicator

(GPI); an index for societal progress that includes indicators for economic, environmental, and social factors

gross national happiness

(GNH); an index for societal progress that includes measurements of economic wellness (such as debt, income, and cost of living), environmental factors (such as pollution), health and wellness indicators, crime statistics, and the effectiveness of government

better life index

(BLI); an index for societal progress composed of 11 metrics, including education, environment, civic engagement, jobs, and life satisfaction

human development index

(HDI); an index for societal progress that includes measures of health, education, and living standards

instrumental value

a value assigned to objects and organisms that are useful to humans for some specific purpose

intrinsic value

a moral value of objects and organisms independent of their utility to humans

intergenerational equity

the idea that future generations of humans have intrinsic moral value

anthropocentrism

the notion that only humans have intrinsic value

biocentrism

the idea that other living organisms have an intrinsic value equivalent to that of humans

ecocentrism

the idea that ecosystems have intrinsic value

consequential ethics

an ethical perspective based on evaluation of the outcome of an action

utilitarianism

an ethical perspective that justifies actions or decisions based on an evaluation of what will provide the greatest good to the greatest number of people

deontological ethics

(duty-based); an ethical perspective that focuses on the rightness or wrongness of an action based on rules and duties

virtue ethics

an ethical perspective that defines ethical decisions or actions as those that are motivated by virtues

policy

a principle, rule, or set of guidelines chosen to guide decisions under specific circumstances

environmental policy

the principles, rules, and guidelines focused on humans’ relationship with the environment

decision process framework

a formal approach to decision making that improves a specific set of guidelines to obtain and evaluate input from stakeholders

stakeholders

the people and institutions that may be affected by a decision

administrative law

the form of law that governs the actions of the various agencies of the government and the entities that operate under these agencies

criminal law

the form of law that addresses individual activities that cause harm to other individuals and break specific laws passed by federal or state governments

civil law

the form of law that governs the relationships between individuals and private institutions

free market

a system by which buyers and sellers exchange goods or services and in which prices and wages are determined through competition among private business

cap and trade

a two-stage approach to environmental policy in which the government sets a limit (cap) on the amount of pollutant that can be emitted in a region and then creates a marketplace (trade) in which emissions can be bought or sold

legislative branch

the branch of the US government responsible for making laws, regulating interstate and foreign commerce, developing taxing and spending policies, and declaring war

executive branch

the branch of the US government led by the President and responsible for enforcing federal laws, commanding the US military, negotiating foreign treaties, and designating new national parks and monuments

judicial branch

the branch of the US government responsible for determining the constitutionality of laws and ruling on cases involving the laws of US treaties, disputes between states, and a handful of other issues

National Environmental Protection Act

(NEPA); a federal law that mandates that all decisions regarding projects involving the expenditure of federal funds or permits issues by a federal agency are made with full consideration of the impact of the natural environment

environmental assessment

(EA); a process used by a federal agency to determine whether an activity is likely to have significant environmental impacts

environmental impact statement

(EIS); a document that provides a detailed analysis of the environmental impacts of a proposed action, alternative approaches that could reduce impacts, and the implications of taking no action at all

Clean Air Act

a federal law that sets limits on the maximum allowable levels of atmospheric pollutants

Clean Water Act

a federal law that sets limits on the maximum allowable contaminant levels for freshwater bodies such as rivers and lakes

Endangered Species Act

(ESA); a federal law that focuses on the conservation of plants and animals at risk of extinction and the preservation of their habitat

roles of state governments

regulation of the development of private lands, managing state lands, and regulation of natural resources or wildlife activities (ex: hunting, fishing)

roles of the federal government

set air and water quality standards, emissions standards, laws that affect interstate commerce, designation of wilderness and national parks/monuments

roles of local governments

set building and zoning codes, designate local parks and open space, housing, schools, and local roads, and set rules for governing local food safety, preparation, and inspection

nongovernmental organizations

(NGOs); a non-profit, voluntary citizen’s group that is involved in the development of national and international policies; ex: the Environmental Defense Fund

treaty

a formal agreement between two or more countries

Antarctic Treaty

an international agreement that designates that Antarctica shall only be used for peaceful purposes and provides open access to it for scientific research

Montreal Protocol

(1987); an international treaty that establishes a process to end the use of chemical compounds responsible for the destruction of stratospheric ozone

Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species

(CITES); an international treaty governing the worldwide trade in endangered and threatened species

Kyoto Protocol

an international agreement to reduce the emission of gases responsible for human-caused climate change

Paris Agreement

an international agreement signed in 2016 that commits countries to reducing greenhouse gas emissions in order to limit climate warming to 2 degrees Celsius

growth rate

the number of people added to a population over a period of time divided by the size of the total population

demography

the statistical study of the characteristics of human populations

life expectancy

the average length of life of an individual in a population

age structure

the relative number of people of each age in a population

dependency ratio

the ratio of nonworking people (children under 15 and adults over 65) to working people (ages 15-65)

demographic transition

a transition from high birth and death rates to low birth and death rates

total fertility rate

the average number of children a woman will have over her lifetime

replacement rate

the number of children born to a woman in her lifetime required to maintain the population at a constant level over the long term (slightly over 2.0 kids per woman)

population momentum

the population growth that will occur even if a population reduces the fertility rate to the replacement rate

I = PAT model

a model which links the environmental impacts of population growth; Impact = Population Size x Affluence x Technology

ecological footprint

a measure of the land and water area of the planet required to support the consumption of a single person

cropland

land used by humans for the growing of agricultural crops