chapter 1: history of environmental science learning goals
TRANSCRIPT
Key vocabulary
Sustainability
Biodiversity
Biodegradable
Renewable resource
Nonrenewable resource
Pollution
Nondegradable
Resource depletion
Closed system
extinction
Define Environmental Science and compare/contrast environmental science to Ecology
List and briefly describe the five major fields of study that contribute to environmental science
Describe environmental effects of hunter-gatherers, agricultural revolution, and industrial revolution
Distinguish the difference between renewable and non-renewable resources and give examples
Describe the 3 major categories of environmental problems
Describe what the “Tragedy of the Commons” is and what it means
Explain the law of supply and demand
What are the differences between a developed and a developing country? Give examples of each
Explain what sustainability is and describe why this is the goal of environmental science
Define Environmental Science and compare/contrast environmental science to Ecology
Collection of different sciences
Goal is to understand relationship between humans & the world/environment
Focuses on 3 main areas:Conservation + protection of natural sciences
Environmental education
Environmental research
Difference between Env. Sci. & Ecology
Ecology- how living things interact with each other and the nonliving environment
Ecology is the foundation for Env. Sci.
5 fields of Study included in Env. Sci.
Biology-study of living things
Earth science-study of Earths nonliving systems & planet
Physics- study of matter & energy
Chemistry- study of chemicals & their interactions
Social science- study of human populations
Environmental Effects from…
Hunter-gatherers- collected plants and hunted/scavenged animals
changed environment to hunt prey , spread plants
Agricultural revolution—growing, breeding, & caring for plants & animals
as food & resources increased the number of people increased, changed the food we eat (selective breeding) and destroyed habitats for farming
Industrial Revolution-shift from using energy (E) from animals & running H2O to using fossil fuelsIncreased agriculture industry & transportation, therefore prices dropped, increased food production & populations
These things lead to environmental problems: pollution, habitat loss, etc.
ResourcesRenewable
Resource that can be replaced by natural processes somewhat quickly
examples?
Nonrenewable
Resources that form at a slower rate than the rate it’s consumed or used
Depleted-when a resource is mostly used up
examples?
3 Categories of env. problems
resource depletion- when large amounts of a resource are used up
pollution- an undesirable change in air,water, or soil that has a negative impact on living things, examples?
loss of biodiversity- a decrease in the variety of species where extinction could lead to economic, ecological, scientific, aesthetic, and recreational hardship
2 main causes of env. problems: population growth is too rapid for environment to maintain & people are using up, wasting, or polluting natural resources faster than they can be replenished
"Tragedy of the Commons"pg.16
an essay written by Garrett Hardin
describes the attitude of how people use resources
states that environmental problems is due to conflict between short term interest and long term welfare of society
take away:people need to take responsibility for maintaining resources
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Law of Supply & Demand
economics- a science concerned with the process or system by which goods and services are produced, sold, and bought
law of supply and demand- the greater the demand for a limited supply of something, the more it is worth
application- gasoline, oil
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Developed Country
higher incomes
slower population growth
diverse industrial economics
strong social support
examples: U.S., Canada, Japan, Western Europe 1
3
Developing Country
lower incomes
simple & agricultural based economies
rapid population growth
examples:Mexico, Brazil, Malaysia
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Ecological Footprint
shows the productive area of Earth needed to support one person in a particular country
see pg. 19
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