Environmental 1

1st Law of Thermodynamics

Energy cannot be created nor destroyed, only transformed from one form to another.

2nd Law of Thermodynamics

When energy changes forms, we end up with lower quality or less usable energy than we started with.

What happens to energy lost by a system?

It is transformed or transferred into other forms.

Conduction vs. Convection

Conduction transfers heat through direct physical contact between molecules; convection transfers heat through the actual movement of fluids (liquids & gases).

Matter vs. Energy Recycling

According to the laws of matter and energy, we can recycle matter, but we cannot recycle energy.

High-quality vs. Low-quality energy sources

High-quality: High-temperature heat, strong winds, & energy released by burning fossil fuels (gas in cars). Low-quality: Low-temperature moving molecules.

What is Environmental Science?

The study of connections in nature.

What is Environmentalism?

A social movement dedicated to protecting, preserving, & restoring the natural environment from harmful human activities.

What is Sustainability?

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

3 Scientific Principles of Sustainability

1. Solar energy: Clean, renewable power. 2. Biodiversity: Wide variety of all living things on Earth. 3. Chemical cycling: How chemical elements & compounds move repeatedly through all parts of the Earth.

Renewable vs. Nonrenewable Energy

Renewable: Replenished after time (forests, fishes, air, freshwater). Nonrenewable: Fixed amount, cannot be replenished (oil, coal, copper).

What does it mean to degrade natural capital?

Damage or lose earth's natural resources (using renewable resources too fast, overloading air, water, & soil with waste & pollutants).

Consequence of using materials faster than should be used

Non-renewable resources can run out (nature cannot replace them & there is a finite amount, so they will eventually run out).

What is sustainable yield?

The maximum amount of a renewable natural resource that can be harvested or used without depleting the original population or damaging the ecosystem's ability to regenerate.

Three natural capital resources

Inexhaustible, renewable, nonrenewable.

What is environmental degradation?

Wasting, depleting, & degrading the earth's natural capital.

What is the IPAT model?

Measures environmental impact; shows environmental impact is caused by multiple factors: Population, Consumption, & Technology.

What is an Ecological Footprint?

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

What is full-cost pricing?

Includes harmful environmental & health costs in market prices of goods & services.

Tragedy of the Commons

Degradation of commonly shared renewable resources; individuals use shared resources for personal gain, leading to overconsumption & depletion for everyone (e.g., overfishing, air pollution).

Do tax breaks for large companies help the environment?

Sometimes; if the government ties the financial reward directly to clean energy & pollution reduction.

How can affluence benefit the environment?

Better & widespread education, money available to develop technology with beneficial environmental impacts, abundant & safe food supply, reduction in diseases.

What does poverty usually look like / components in a poverty-stricken area?

People lack enough money to fulfill basic needs; leads to disease from poor sanitation, malnutrition, premature death, & respiratory illness.

Independent vs. Dependent vs. Control Variable

Control = unchanged; Independent = changed variable in experiment; Dependent = variable that changes depending on the independent variable.

Atoms, Elements, Compounds, and Isotopes

Atom = basic building block of all matter; Element = pure substances made up of one type of atom that cannot be broken down.

Acids vs. Bases (H+ and OH- ions)

Acid solution has more hydrogen (H+) ions; Basic solution has more hydroxide (OH-) ions.

Law of Conservation of Matter & Energy relation

We can recycle matter but not energy. We can change elements & compounds from one physical or chemical form to another, but we cannot create or destroy atoms.