Environmental Science Module 1.1 Quiz

Environmental Science and Sustainability

• Environmental literacy is a basic understanding of how ecosystems function and the impact of our choices on the environment.
• Empirical science involves systematic observation and experimentation to investigate the natural world.
• Applied science is research whose findings are used to help solve practical problems.

Key Concepts

• Trade-offs are the imperfect and sometimes problematic responses that we must choose between when addressing complex problems.
• The triple bottom line considers the environmental, social, and economic impacts of our choices.
• Sustainable development meets present needs without compromising the ability of future generations to do the same.

Environmental Systems

• Carrying capacity is the population size that a particular environment can support indefinitely.
• Ecological footprint is the land needed to provide the resources and assimilate the waste of a person or population.

Human Impact

• Anthropogenic refers to things caused by or related to human action.
• Biodiversity is the variety of species on Earth.

Worldviews and Ethics

• Worldview is the window through which one views one's world and exists.
• Environmental ethic is the personal philosophy that influences how a person interacts with their natural environment.
• Anthropocentric worldview is a human-centered view that assigns intrinsic value only to humans.
• Instrumental value is the value or worth of an object, organism, or species based on its usefulness to humans.
• Biocentric worldview is a life-centered approach that views all life as having intrinsic value, regardless of its usefulness to humans.
• Ecocentric worldview is a system-centered view that values intact ecosystems, not just the individual parts.
• Intrinsic value is the value or worth of an object, organism, or species based on its mere existence.

Societal Impacts

• Social traps are decisions by individuals or groups that seem good at the time and produce a short-term benefit, but that hurt society in the long run.
• Tragedy of the commons is the tendency of an individual to abuse commonly held resources in order to maximize their own personal interest.
• Sliding reinforcer is an action that is beneficial at first but that changes conditions such that its benefit declines over time.
• Societal collapse is the fall of a complex human society.