envi sci quiz 1

QUIZ 1 Class Notes

• Human population growing exponentially ::
  • it might level off, or it might crash.

Poverty affects people + how they interact w/ environment: gap between rich + poor countries

• ^^highly developed countries (HDCs)::^^
  • more
  • more energy production + usage
  • more industrialization
  • less agriculture
  • service industry dominates
  • more international trade
  • more urbanization
  • more technology
• ^^moderately developed countries (MDCs)::^^
  • somewhere between HDC/LDC
• ^^less developed countries (LDCs)::^^
  • less
  • less energy production + usage
  • less industrialization
  • more agriculture
  • production of goods dominates
  • less international trade
  • less urbanization
  • less technology
• overpopulation vs. overconsumption
  • ^^overpopulation::^^
  • “too many” people
  • tends to be in LDCs
  • ^^overconsumption::^^
  • people using “too many” resources
  • tends to be in HDCs
• types of resources
  • ^^potentially renewable^^ :: resources that replenish naturally in a reasonable amount of time for humans
  • ex: clean water, clean air, soil, living things
  • ^^nonrenewable^^ :: resources that don’t replenish naturally or take too long to do so
  • ex: fossil fuels, metals (aluminum, uranium, etc.)
  • ^^perpetual^^ :: resources that are always available
  • ex: sunlight, tides (controlled by moon), wind + waves (controlled by sun)
• how scientists measure effects of humans on the environment
  • ^^ecological footprint^^ :: how our resource use + waste production affect land (how much land is needed to provide resources + absorb/deal with waste)
  • could be per person, for country/region, for whole world
  • ^^IPAT model^^ :: looking at whole population’s environmental impact
  • I = P x A x T
    • I = environmental impact
    • P = population size (# of people)
    • A = affluence (resources consumed per person)
    • T = technology (environmental impacts of tech could be good or bad)
    • Direct relationships:
    • P up, I up
    • P down, I down
    • A up, I up
    • A down, I down
    • T: it depends
• environmental sustainability
  • ^^environmental sustainability^^ :: ability to meet current needs without compromising ability to meet future needs
  • ^^Tragedy of the Commons^^ :: people don’t take good care of a common resource because they prioritize their own short-term interests
  • Tend to take better care of privately owned resources
  • Short-term needs take priority over long-term consequences
  • Environmentally: land, water, air, etc.
  • ^^sustainable development^^ :: economic progress that considers environmental impact (is sustainable)
  • ^^true sustainability ::^^ a compromise between 3 things:
  • environmental issues
  • economic issues
  • social issues
• ideas about how we should use/view the environment
  • preservation vs. conservation
  • about land use
  • ^^preservation^^ :: belief in not using or minimally using natural land, keeping it pristine
  • ^^conservation^^ :: belief in using natural land carefully so humans can keep using it
  • environmental worldviews--on spectrums
  • frontier ethic vs. environmental ethic
    • ^^frontier ethic::^^ earth has unlimited resources (or we can replace them) for human use
    • ^^environmental ethic::^^ resources can run out, humans just part of nature
  • anthropocentric vs. biocentric
    • ^^anthropocentric::^^ human-centered (humans are #1)
    • ^^biocentric::^^ all life centered (all life equal)
  • utilitarian value of nature vs. intrinsic value of nature
    • ^^utilitarian::^^ nature is useful to humans
    • ^^intrinsic value of nature::^^ nature for nature’s sake
  • ^^environmental justice^^ :: every person has right to protection from environmental hazards + to participate in decisions about environmental laws, protection, development, etc.
  • ^^precautionary principle^^ :: if there is a potential threat to human health or environment, something must be done to correct it or stop/prevent it, even if cause + effect not fully understood or supported