Environmental Science Module 1.1 Quiz

12 Questions

Which of the following best describes an environmental ethic?

A personal philosophy that influences how one interacts with the natural environment

What is the defining characteristic of a social trap?

Decisions that provide a short-term benefit but hurt society in the long run

Which of the following worldviews assigns intrinsic value only to humans?

Anthropocentric worldview

What is the defining characteristic of the tragedy of the commons?

The tendency of individuals to maximize their own personal interest at the expense of the common good

What is the defining characteristic of a sliding reinforcer?

Actions that are beneficial at first but whose benefits decline over time

Which worldview values intact ecosystems over individual parts?

Ecocentric worldview

What does empirical science primarily rely on to investigate the natural world?

Systematic observation and experimentation

Which term refers to the population size that a particular environment can support indefinitely?

Carrying Capacity

What is the primary focus of applied science?

Practical problem-solving

Which term describes the variety of species on Earth?

Biodiversity

What does sustainable development aim to achieve?

Meet present needs without compromising future generations' ability to meet their own needs

Which term represents the land needed to provide resources and assimilate waste for a person or population?

Ecological Footprint

Study Notes

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.