12 Questions
What is the key component of environmental science?
Ecology
What is an ecosystem?
A biological community of organisms within a defined area of land or volume of water that interact with one another and with the nonliving chemical and physical factors in their environment.
How are humans affecting the Earth?
Humans are degrading the Earth's life support system through unsustainable activities.
What percentage of the Earth's land surface is directly affected by human activities?
83%
How do environmental science and ecology differ from environmentalism?
Environmental science and ecology focus on the scientific study of the environment, while environmentalism is a social movement dedicated to protecting the environment.
What are some of the impacts of human activities on the Earth's environment?
Warming of the lower atmosphere, melting of floating ice and glaciers, rising sea levels, and increasing ocean acidity.
What is the primary focus of the given text?
Highlighting the sustainable nature of Earth's systems
Which of the following statements is true about sustainability?
Sustainability is the capacity of natural systems to survive changing conditions indefinitely.
Which of the following is NOT mentioned in the text as an example of a catastrophic environmental change that Earth has experienced?
Massive volcanic eruptions causing global cooling
What does the text suggest about the abilities of organisms on Earth?
Organisms developed abilities to survive without human intervention.
What is the relationship between environmental science and the natural environment?
Environmental science is the study of connections within the natural environment.
Which of the following statements is NOT supported by the information in the text?
Human economic systems have existed for as long as Earth's natural systems.
Study Notes
Environmental Science and Sustainability
- Sustainability is the capacity of the earth's natural systems to support life and human economic systems indefinitely.
- The earth is a remarkable example of a sustainable system, with life existing for about 3.8 billion years despite catastrophic environmental changes.
- Organisms have developed abilities to use sunlight, recycle nutrients, and survive without high-temperature or high-pressure processes.
Interdisciplinary Study of Environmental Science
- Environmental science is an interdisciplinary study of connections in the natural environment, including how the earth works and how humans interact with the environment.
- A key component of environmental science is ecology, which focuses on how living organisms interact with their environment.
- Ecology studies ecosystems, which are biological communities of organisms that interact with each other and their environment.
Human Impact on the Earth
- Humans have the power to degrade or sustain the earth's life support system.
- Human activities affect the temperature of the atmosphere, ocean waters, and species survival.
- According to scientific evidence, humans are living unsustainably, wasting, depleting, and degrading the earth's natural capital.
Environmental Degradation
- Human activities directly affect about 83% of the earth's land surface, impacting the earth through urban development, agriculture, mining, and energy production.
- Renewable forests are shrinking, deserts are expanding, and topsoil is eroding in many parts of the world.
- The lower atmosphere is warming, floating ice and glaciers are melting, sea levels are rising, and ocean acidity is increasing.
- There are more intense floods, droughts, severe weather, and forest fires in many areas.
Consequences of Human Activities
- Species are becoming extinct at least 100 times faster than in prehuman times.
- Extinction rates are projected to increase at least another 100-fold during this century.
- Rivers are running dry, 20% of coral reefs are gone, and others are threatened.
Test your knowledge on sustainability, the capacity of the earth's natural systems to support life and human economic systems indefinitely. Explore how the earth has sustained life for billions of years despite catastrophic environmental changes.
Make Your Own Quizzes and Flashcards
Convert your notes into interactive study material.
Get started for free
