Introduction to Environmental Science
This is the study of how humans interact with the environment
What is environmental science?
Using resources in a way that does not deplete them for future generations.
What is sustainability?
The basic idea that resources are limited but human wants are unlimited.
A. Supply and demand
B. Scarcity
C. Sustainability
D. Conservation
What is scarcity?
The part of Earth that contains all living organisms.
What is the biosphere?
A testable explanation for an observation.
What is a hypothesis?
Name one of the three main goals of environmental science.
What is protecting the environment, understanding human impact, or finding solutions?
The total amount of land and water needed to support a person’s lifestyle.
What is an ecological footprint?
A government payment to encourage or discourage certain behaviors.
A. Tax
B. Subsidy
C. Regulation
D. Externality
What is a subsidy?
The layer of Earth that includes all water.
What is the hydrosphere?
A factor in an experiment that is changed by the scientist.
What is the independent variable?
Name one major environmental issue studied in this class.
What is climate change, pollution, biodiversity loss, deforestation, etc.?
A resource that can be replaced naturally over time.
What is a renewable resource?
Costs or benefits of a decision that affect people who are not directly involved.
A. Incentives
B. Trade-offs
C. Externalities
D. Profit
What are externalities?
The rigid outer layer of Earth that includes the crust and upper mantle.
What is the lithosphere (or geosphere)?
The process of gathering and analyzing data to test a hypothesis.
What is an experiment?
The concept that everything in nature is connected.
What is interdependence?
A resource that cannot be replaced within a human lifetime.
What is a nonrenewable resource?
Laws and regulations designed to protect the environment.
A. Environmental policy
B. Free market system
C. Economic output
D. Cost-benefit analysis
What is environmental policy?
The layer of gases surrounding Earth.
What is the atmosphere?
A factor that is kept the same in an experiment.
What is a constant (controlled variable)?
Why is environmental science considered an interdisciplinary field?
It combines biology, chemistry, geology, economics, and more?
The idea that humans should meet their needs without harming future generations.
What is sustainable development?
A system where supply, demand, and price determine production and consumption.
A. Command economy
B. Traditional economy
C. Market economy
D. Mixed economy
What is a market economy?
Describe how two Earth systems interact (example required).
What is water (hydrosphere) evaporating into the atmosphere, plants (biosphere) using soil (geosphere), etc.?
Why is it important to repeat experiments?
What is to ensure results are reliable and accurate?