Environmental Science Quiz

The study of how living organisms interact with their surroundings, including the impact of humans on these interactions.

Naturally replenished over short periods of time, like sunlight and fresh water.

Take a long time to replenish, like fossil fuels.

The use of resources at a rate that allows for their replacement.

Major events that drastically increased the human population and changed our resource usage.

The amount of natural resources a person or group uses, including consumption and waste production.

When shared resources are unregulated, individuals will consume them at a selfish rate.

Industrialized countries often have larger ecological footprints due to greater consumption of fossil fuels and resources.

Commercial fishing, aquifer depletion, and common land destruction illustrate how unregulated resource use leads to depletion.

If consumption rates exceed the Earth's ability to replenish resources, we risk depleting the planet's natural wealth.

Data that describes qualities, like colors or textures. Think words, not numbers.

Data that uses numbers and measurements, like height or temperature.

A chart, graph, or table that shows data in a visual way.

The factor that is changed or manipulated in an experiment.

The factor that is being measured or observed as a result of the change in the independent variable.

Science is a method of thinking logically about the world, using observations to form reasoned predictions.

A hypothesis is a testable explanation for a question or problem, often formed through logical reasoning.

Inductive reasoning searches for patterns in nature to create a general rule, while deductive reasoning compares new information to existing rules.

A controlled experiment carefully changes only one variable at a time to isolate its effect on the outcome.

The scientific method is a systematic process of observation, hypothesis formation, testing, analysis, and conclusion drawing.

A group of experts in a particular field review a scientist's experiment to look for flaws in its process or conclusions. It helps ensure scientific accuracy.

A well-supported explanation for a natural phenomenon, backed by evidence from multiple areas of study. It's a broader explanation than a single experiment's conclusion.

The branch of philosophy dealing with morality; it plays a crucial role in scientific processes as it helps guide the ethical conduct of research.

An ethical perspective that emphasizes human well-being and prioritizes human interests.

An ethical perspective that values all living organisms equally, including humans.

Policies aimed at regulating human activities to protect the environment.

They're rules designed to protect shared natural resources, like air and water.

They use punishment to enforce rules. Think fines or legal action.

These policies use incentives, like subsidies or tax breaks, to encourage eco-friendly behavior.

These policies combine both regulations and incentives by limiting a pollutant, but allowing companies to trade permits for emitting that pollutant.

Economics is the study of how limited resources are produced, consumed, and affect behavior. It's driven by supply (amount available) and demand (desire for that resource) which influence pricing.

Economics is used to analyze the costs and benefits of environmental decisions. This is called cost-benefit analysis which weighs the advantages against the drawbacks before making a choice.

Ecosystem services are the benefits that humans get from nature's functions. They are grouped into four categories: provisioning (direct goods), regulating (keeping things stable), cultural (non-material benefits), and supporting (things necessary for ecosystems to function).

Cost-benefit analysis is a way of considering the costs and benefits of any action, especially when it comes to environmental choices. It's like making a list of the good and bad things that might happen.

Supply and demand influence how we use and value environmental resources. When demand is high and supply is low, the price of a resource increases, which can impact how we use it.