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Questions and Answers
What percentage of the earth’s ecosystem services have been degraded or overused since 1950?
Which of the following is an example of a point source of pollution?
What is the ecological footprint a measure of?
What concept did Garrett Hardin describe in 1968 related to environmental degradation?
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Which of the following is NOT a cause of environmental problems as identified by experts?
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What happens when a country's ecological footprint exceeds its biological capacity?
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How has increased affluence been described regarding environmental impact?
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Which type of pollution source is often difficult to identify?
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What are ecosystem services?
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What does degradation of natural capital refer to?
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Which principle of sustainability emphasizes the responsibility to future generations?
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What is an inexhaustible resource?
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What is the main focus of environmental science?
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Which of the following is an example of a nonrenewable resource?
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Which of the following is NOT a goal of environmental science?
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What does biodiversity refer to in the context of sustainability?
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What does full-cost pricing involve?
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How do win-win solutions contribute to sustainability?
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Which of the following statements about ecosystems is correct?
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What is a renewable resource?
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What is meant by 'natural capital'?
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Which principle of sustainability refers to energy flow and nutrient production essential for life?
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What does chemical cycling emphasize in sustainability?
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Which type of natural resource is classified as nonrenewable or depletable?
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What benefit does affluence provide for education?
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How does poverty affect environmental quality?
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What is a severe health effect caused by environmental degradation in impoverished areas?
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What role do governments often play in the pricing of goods and services?
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What is one negative consequence of increasing urbanization and technology use?
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What defines an environmentally sustainable society?
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What misconception might arise regarding the costs of goods and services?
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How does affluence contribute to technological development?
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Study Notes
Environmental Science
- Environmental science is a study of the interactions between humans and their environment.
- It aims to understand how life has thrived on Earth, analyze human-environmental interactions, and develop sustainable solutions for environmental problems.
- Ecology is the study of living organisms' interactions with each other and their environment.
Species and Ecosystems
- A species refers to a group of organisms with unique identifying characteristics.
- An ecosystem encompasses a defined area of land or water that includes interacting organisms, nonliving matter, and energy.
Environmentalism
- Environmentalism represents a social movement focused on preserving Earth's life-support systems for all living beings.
Principles of Sustainability
- Solar energy: It provides energy for plants, leading to the production of nutrients needed for their survival and for most animals, including humans.
- Biodiversity: This refers to the diversity of genes, organisms, species, and ecosystems, enabling adaptability to changing environmental conditions.
- Chemical cycling: It emphasizes the continuous flow of essential chemicals through organisms and back to the environment. This highlights the cyclical nature of waste, turning it into valuable resources.
Key Components of Sustainability
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Natural capital: This encompasses the natural resources and ecosystem services essential for life and human economies.
- Natural resources: Materials and energy from nature, classified as inexhaustible (e.g., solar energy, wind), renewable (e.g., air, water, topsoil, plants, animals), or nonrenewable (e.g., copper, oil, coal).
- Ecosystem services: Naturally occurring processes that sustain life and economies. Examples include air and water purification, topsoil renewal, nutrient cycling, pollination, and pest control.
- Degradation of natural capital: This occurs when renewable resources are used faster than nature can replenish them, leading to pollution of air and water systems.
- Solutions: Combining scientific advancements and political strategies is crucial for addressing challenges like deforestation and natural capital degradation.
Social Science Principles for Sustainability
- Full-cost pricing: Including the environmental and health costs associated with producing and consuming goods in their market prices.
- Win-win solutions: Collaborating to address environmental problems by recognizing the interdependence between individuals and their life-support systems.
- Responsibility to future generations: Emphasizing the importance of environmental conservation and preserving Earth's life-support systems.
Resources: Inexhaustible, Renewable, and Nonrenewable
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Resources: Anything obtained from the environment to meet needs and wants.
- Inexhaustible resources: Continuous supply, expected to last for billions of years (e.g., solar energy).
- Renewable resources: Refillable by natural processes within hours to centuries (e.g., forests, grasslands, fish, topsoil, clean air, freshwater).
- Nonrenewable resources: Exist in fixed quantities in the Earth's crust, eventually depleted (e.g., oil, coal, copper, aluminum, salt, sand).
Unsustainable Living and Environmental Degradation
- Environmental degradation (also called natural capital degradation): Unsustainable practices leading to the depletion and degradation of Earth's natural resources.
- The Tragedy of the Commons: Overexploitation of shared renewable resources by large numbers of people, leading to their exhaustion or destruction.
Ecological Footprints
- Ecological footprint: The area of land and water required to supply a population's resource needs and absorb its wastes.
- Ecological deficit: Occurs when a country's ecological footprint exceeds its capacity to replenish resources and absorb pollution.
Causes of Environmental Problems
- Population growth: The rapid growth of the human population increases resource consumption and waste generation.
- Affluence (High Income): While bringing benefits like better education and technology for environmental solutions, it often leads to increased resource consumption and pollution.
- Poverty: Individuals in extreme poverty prioritize short-term survival, overlooking long-term environmental sustainability. This leads to both harmful environmental impacts and health issues due to limited access to clean water and sanitation.
- Prices of goods and services often lack environmental costs: Market pricing rarely reflects the hidden costs of production, such as environmental and health impacts.
- Nature deficit disorder: Increased isolation from nature, particularly in urban settings, makes people less aware of their impact on the environment.
Achieving an Environmentally Sustainable Society
- Environmentally sustainable society: One that meets current and future resource needs equitably without compromising the ability of future generations to do the same.
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Description
This quiz explores the fundamental concepts of environmental science, including the interactions between humans and their ecosystems. It covers key topics such as species, ecosystems, environmentalism, and principles of sustainability. Test your knowledge of how these elements contribute to our understanding of the environment.
