Overpopulation & Ecological Footprint
What is Earth’s carrying capacity?
The number of people Earth can support with available resources.
What is pollution?
Any harmful change to the environment caused by contaminants.
What are fossil fuels?
Coal, oil, and natural gas are examples of these resources.
What is deforestation?
The cutting down and removal of forests.
What is an exotic species?
A species introduced into a new environment where it is not native.
What is an ecological footprint?
The measure of how fast people use resources and create waste compared to how fast nature replaces them.
What are pesticides and fertilizers?
Chemicals farmers use that can pollute water and air.
What are renewable resources?
Energy sources like solar and wind that cannot run out.
What is carbon dioxide?
Rainforests help remove this gas from the atmosphere.
What is biodiversity?
The variety of living things in an ecosystem.
What are Earth’s resources?
Thomas Malthus believed human population was growing faster than this.
What is irrigation?
This farming practice changes the natural water cycle.
What is smog?
Thick poisonous fog caused by burning fossil fuels.
What is conservation?
Protecting species and habitats from extinction.
What are endangered species?
Species that are at risk of becoming extinct.
What is exponential growth?
When population growth increases very quickly over time.
What is runoff?
Pollution from farms that flows into nearby lakes and rivers.
What is the greenhouse effect?
The warming of Earth caused by greenhouse gases trapping heat.
What are captive breeding programs?
A method of conservation where animals are bred in protected environments.
What is monoculture?
A farming method where only one crop is grown over a large area.
What is India?
This country currently has the world’s largest population.
What is methane?
This gas produced by cows is a major greenhouse gas linked to agriculture.
What is the Paris Agreement?
This agreement between countries focuses on reducing climate change worldwide.
What is the Amazon Rainforest?
The largest rainforest in the world.
What is the Burmese python?
This invasive snake species has caused major problems in the Florida Everglades.