Global Environmental Challenges - Lecture Notes

These flashcards cover essential vocabulary and concepts from the Global Environmental Challenges course.

Environment

The surroundings or conditions in which a person, animal, or plant lives or operates.

Interdisciplinary approach

Involves the integration of multiple academic disciplines to address complex problems.

Carrying capacity

The maximum number of individuals of a particular species that an environment can sustainably support without environmental degradation.

Tragedy of the commons

A situation in which individuals acting in their own self-interest deplete shared resources, leading to detrimental outcomes for the community.

Sustainability

Meeting the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.

Biodiversity

The variety of life in all its forms, including the diversity of species, genes, and ecosystems.

Globalization

The process by which businesses or other organizations develop international influence, often leading to the expansion of cultural, economic, and environmental interconnectivity.

IPAT(S) model

A formula used to estimate the impact of human activity on the environment, represented by the equation I = P × A × T × S (Impact = Population × Affluence × Technology × Sensitivity).

Ecological footprint

A measure of how much land and water area a human population requires to produce the resources it consumes and to absorb its waste.

Biocapacity

The capacity of an ecosystem to regenerate biological resources and provide services.

Extractivism

An economic paradigm that emphasizes the extraction of natural resources for export, often leading to exploitation and environmental degradation.