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