Environmental Science
What does the environment include?
Everything around us, including living and non-living things.
What are the four environmental spheres?
Biosphere, geosphere, hydrosphere, and atmosphere.
What is a natural resource?
A material provided by nature that humans use and need.
What is ethics?
The study of what is morally good and bad or right and wrong.
What is the overarching goal of environmental policies?
Manage and minimize the impact of human activities on the environment.
What is environmental science?
The study of interactions between the natural world and humans.
What does the geosphere include?
Rocks, soil, and minerals.
What is sustainability?
Using Earth’s resources and services in a way that can continue at the same rate in the future.
What is economics?
The study of production, distribution, and consumption of products.
A city offers rebates for installing rainwater harvesting systems. What type of policy is this?
Local Incentive
What does it mean that environmental science is interdisciplinary?
It involves many branches of knowledge, including biology, chemistry, economics, politics, and ethics.
What gases make up most of Earth’s atmosphere?
78% nitrogen and 21% oxygen.
400
What does the Tragedy of the Commons demonstrate?
Overusing shared resources harms everyone involved.
What is supply?
How much of a product is available.
The government charges a company for every ton of carbon dioxide it emits. What type of policy is this?
Green tax
What is a system?
A set of interconnected parts that create a whole.
What percentage of Earth’s water is freshwater?
2.5%
What two historical events caused rapid human population growth?
Agricultural Revolution and Industrial Revolution.
What is demand?
How many people want to use a product
The Clean Air Act sets pollution limits that companies must follow or face penalties. What policy approach is this?
Command and control
Arctic ice melts, exposing darker water that absorbs more heat and causes additional melting. What type of feedback loop is this?
Positive feedback loop.
What is the cryosphere?
The frozen part of the hydrosphere, including glaciers and ice caps
How much larger is an American’s ecological footprint than the global average?
3.5 times larger.
Name the three environmental ethical perspectives from the unit.
Anthropocentric, biocentric, and ecocentric.
Companies receive pollution permits and can sell unused permits to other companies. What type of policy is this?
Cap and trade