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Environmental Science Ch. 1 - QUIZ

Environmental Problems, Their Causes, and Sustainability

Core Case Study: A Vision of a More Sustainable World in 2065

• A __________________ in human attitudes toward the environment, and a __________________ in behavior,
can lead to a much better future for the planet in 2065
• __________________
– The capacity of the earth’s natural systems and human cultural systems to survive, flourish, and adapt
into the very long-term future
1-1: What Are Some Principles of Sustainability?
• Nature has sustained itself for __________________ of years by using solar energy, biodiversity, and nutrient
cycling
• Our lives and economies depend on __________________ from the sun and on __________________ resources
and natural services (natural capital) __________________ by the earth
• Shift toward living more sustainably by:
• Applying __________________ pricing, searching for win-win solutions
• Committing to __________________ the earth’s life-support system for future generations
Environmental Science Is a Study of Connections in Nature
• Environment: __________________ around us
• Environmental science: interdisciplinary science connecting information and ideas from:
– __________________ sciences: ecology, biology, geology, chemistry
– __________________ sciences: geography, politics, economics
– __________________: ethics, philosophy
Three Scientific Principles of Sustainability
• __________________ on solar energy
– The sun provides warmth and fuels photosynthesis
• __________________
– Astounding variety and adaptability of natural systems and species
• __________________ cycling
– From the environment to organisms and then back to the environment
Sustainability Has Certain Key Components
• Natural __________________: keep species alive
– Natural __________________: useful materials and energy in nature
– Natural __________________: important nature processes such as renewal of air, water, and soil
• Ecosystem services
– Processes provided by __________________ ecosystems
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Other Principles of Sustainability Come from the Social Sciences
• Full-cost pricing
– Include harmful __________________ and __________________ costs of goods and services
• Win-win solutions
– Benefit __________________ and the __________________
• A responsibility to __________________ generations
Some Resources Are Renewable and Some Are Not
• __________________
– __________________ we obtain from the environment to meet our needs
– Some __________________ available for use: sunlight
– Some not directly available for use: __________________
• An __________________ resource
– Solar energy
• __________________ resource
– Several __________________ to several __________________ years to renew
– Examples: forests, grasslands, and fertile soil
• __________________ yield
– Highest rate at which we can use a renewable resource without __________________ available supply
• __________________ resources
– __________________ stock on earth
– __________________ resources
– __________________ mineral resources
– __________________ mineral resources
Countries Differ in their __________________ Use and __________________ Impact
• More-__________________ countries
– __________________ nations with high average income
– 17% of the world’s population
• Less-__________________ countries
– 83% of the world’s population
1-2: How Are Our Ecological Footprints Affecting the Earth?
• As our __________________ __________________ grow, we are depleting and degrading more of the
earth’s natural capital
We Are Living __________________
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• Environmental __________________: wasting, depleting, and degrading the earth’s natural capital
– Happening at an __________________ rate
__________________ Comes from a Number of Sources
• Sources of pollution
– __________________ sources
• Single, identifiable source
– __________________ sources
• Disbursed and difficult to identify
• What are some strategies for pollution cleanup and prevention?
____________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________
The __________________ of the __________________: Degrading Commonly Shared Renewable Resources
• __________________ of resources
– Open access __________________ resources
– __________________ resources
• Tragedy of the commons
– Common property and open-access renewable resources are degraded from __________________
– What are some solutions?
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
Ecological Footprints: A Model of __________________ Use of Resources
• Ecological footprint
– Amount of __________________ productive land and water needed to provide a person or area with
__________________ resources, and to __________________ wastes and pollution
• Per capita ecological footprint
• Ecological __________________
– Footprint is larger than biological capacity for replenishment
IPAT is Another Environmental Impact Model
• I=PxAxT
– I = Environmental __________________
– P = __________________
– A = __________________
– T = __________________
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Case Study: China’s Growing Number of Affluent __________________
• World’s __________________ population
• __________________ largest economy
• __________________ of the most polluted cities are in China
• Projections for next decade
– Largest __________________ and __________________ of cars
Cultural Changes Can Grow or Shrink Our Ecological Footprints
• Humans were __________________ and __________________ 12,000 years ago
• Three major cultural events
– __________________ revolution
– __________________-__________________ revolution
– __________________-__________________ revolution
• Current need for a __________________ revolution
1-3: Why Do We Have Environmental Problems?
• Major causes of environmental problems
– __________________ growth, unsustainable __________________ use, __________________,
__________________ of full-cost pricing, and increasing __________________ from nature
• Our environmental __________________ play a key role in determining whether we live unsustainably or
more sustainably
Experts Have Identified Several Causes of Environmental Problems
• Population growth
• Wasteful and unsustainable resource use
• Poverty
• Failure to include the harmful environmental costs of goods and services in market prices
• Increasing isolation from nature
The Human Population is Growing at a Rapid Rate
• __________________ growth
– Population increases at a fixed percentage per unit time
• No one knows how many people the earth can support __________________ (carrying capacity)
__________________ Has Harmful and Beneficial Environmental Effects
• __________________ environmental impact due to:
– High levels of __________________
– High levels of __________________
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– Unnecessary __________________ of resources
• Affluence can provide funding for developing __________________ to reduce:
– __________________
– Environmental __________________
– Resource __________________
__________________ Has Harmful Environmental and Health Effects
• Unable to fulfill basic needs
– Adequate __________________, __________________, __________________,
__________________, and __________________
• Working to __________________
Prices of Goods and Services Do Not __________________ the Harmful Environmental Costs
• Companies do not pay the __________________ cost of resource use
• Goods and services do not include the __________________ environmental costs
• __________________ receive tax breaks and subsidies
We are Increasingly __________________ from Nature
• Increasing populations in __________________ areas
• Nature __________________ disorder
– Not having enough __________________ with nature
People Have Different __________________ on Environmental Problems/Solutions
• Environmental __________________: What is right and wrong with how we treat the environment?
– __________________ __________________ worldview
• We are separate from and in charge of nature
– __________________ worldview
• Manage earth for our benefit with ethical responsibility to be stewards
– Environmental __________________ worldview
• We are part of nature and must engage in sustainable use
1-4: What Is an Environmentally Sustainable Society?
• Living __________________
– Live off the earth’s natural income without __________________ or __________________ the
natural capital that supplies it
Environmentally Sustainable Societies
• Environmentally sustainable __________________
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– Meets current needs in a just and __________________ manner without __________________
future generations’ ability to meet their needs
• __________________ income
– Renewable resources
A More Sustainable Future is __________________
• Overall attitude that __________________ environmental wisdom with compassion for all life
• Social scientists suggest it only takes __________________of the population to bring about major social
change
• __________________ social change can occur more quickly than we often think
Three Big Ideas
• A more sustainable future will require that we:
– Rely more on energy from the sun and other __________________ energy sources
– Protect __________________ through the preservation of natural capital
– Avoid __________________ the earth’s vitally important chemical cycles
• A major goal for becoming more sustainable is full-cost pricing—the __________________ of harmful
environmental and health costs in the market prices of goods and services
• We will benefit ourselves and future __________________ if we commit ourselves to:
– Finding win-win-win __________________ to our problems
– Leaving the planet’s __________________ system in at least as good a shape as what we now enjoy
Tying It All Together
• The key to environmental solutions
– Apply the principles of sustainability to the __________________ of our economic and social systems,
and individual __________________
• The 21st century’s __________________ generation will decide the path which __________________ takes