Environmental Science Basics
What is environmental science?
The study of the interactions between humans, other living organisms, and the non-living environment.
What is systems thinking?
Looking at how parts of a system interact and influence one another.
What is a natural resource?
Something from the environment that humans use to meet their needs or wants.
What is economics?
The study of how people use limited resources to satisfy wants and needs.
What is environmental policy?
Rules, laws, and actions created to manage and protect the environment and promote sustainable.
What is environmentalism?
A social and political movement focused on protecting the environment and promoting environmental sustainability.
What is a system boundary?
The limit that defines what is included or excluded in a system.
What does sustainability mean?
Meeting today's needs without preventing future generations from meeting theirs.
What is scarcity?
The condition that resources are limited while wants are unlimited.
What are the three main types of environmental policy?
- Regulations
- Incentives
- Taxes and Fees
What does interdisciplinary mean?
Knowledge from multiple areas of study is combined to understand a problem.
What are inputs and outputs in a system?
Inputs enter a system, while outputs leave a system.
Give one example of how humans impact the environment.
Examples: pollution, deforestation, mining, farming, urban development, or greenhouse gas emissions.
What is opportunity cost?
What you give up when making a choice (The next best alternative given up when making a choice)
What does GDP stand for?
Gross Domestic Product.
What is the difference between biotic and abiotic factors?
Biotic factors are living things; abiotic factors are non-living parts of the environment.
What is the difference between energy flow and matter transfer?
Energy flows through a system and is eventually lost as heat, while matter cycles and is reused.
What is the two-way relationship between humans and the environment?
Nature provides resources and services for humans; humans use natural resources and alter ecosystems impacting nature.
What is the difference between a want and a need?
A need is essential for survival; a want is something desired but not necessary.
What happens when supply is high and demand is low?
Prices tend to decrease.
A wolf population, grass, sunlight, and soil are being studied together. Which are biotic and which are abiotic?
Wolf population and grass are biotic; sunlight and soil are abiotic.
What is the difference between a positive and negative feedback loop?
Positive feedback amplifies change; negative feedback reduces change and helps maintain stability.
Name and define one environmental worldview.
Name the four factors of production.
Land, Labour, Capital, and Entrepreneurship.
Name three major industries in Saskatchewan.
- Agriculture
- Potash Mining
- Uranium Mining
- Oil and gas
- Forestry