exponential growth
Growth in which some quantity, such as population size or economic output, increases at a constant rate per unit of time. An example is the growth sequence 2, 4, 8, 16, 32, 64 and so on; when the increase in quantity over time is plotted, this type of gro
environment
All external conditions and factors, living and nonliving (chemicals and energy), that affect an organism or other specified system during its lifetime.
environmental science
an interdisciplinary study that uses information from the physical sciences and social sciences tolerant how the earth works, how we interact with the earth, and how to deal with environmental problems.
ecology
biological science that studies the relationships between living organisms and their environment
environmentalism
A social movement dedicated to protecting the earth's life support systems for us and other species.
sustainability/durability
Ability of the earth's various systems, including human cultural systems and economies, to survive and adapt to changing environmental conditions indefinitely.
natural capital
Natural resources and natural services that keep us and other species alive and support our economies
solar capital
Solar energy that warms the planet and supports photosynthesis, the process that plants and use to support food for themselves and for us and other animals. This direct input of solar energy also produces indirect forms of renewable solar energy such as w
sound science
Concepts and ideas that are widely accepted by experts in a particular field of the natural or social sciences. These results of science are very reliable
environmentally sustainable society
Development that encourages forms of economic growth taht meet the basic needs of the current generations of humans and other species without preventing future generations fo humans and other species from metting their basic needs and discourages environm
economic growth
Increase in the capacity to provide people with goods and services produced by an economy; an increase in gross domestic product (GDP).
gross domestic product (GDP)
Annual market value of all goods and services produced by all firms and organizations, foreign and domestic, operating within a country.
per capita GDP
Annual gross domestic product (GDP) of a country divided by its total population at mid-year midyear. It gives the average slice of the economic pie per person. Used to be called per capita GNP.
economic development
Improvement of human living standards by economic growth
developed countries
Country that is highly industrialized and has a high per capita GDP
developing countries
Country that has low to moderate industrialization and low to moderate per capita GDP. Most are located in Africa, Asia, and Latin America
environmentally sustainable economic development
development that encourages forms of economic growth that meet the basic needs of the current generations of hmans and other species without preventing future generations of humans and other species form meeting their basic needs and discourages environme
resource
Anything obtained from the living and nonliving environment to meet human needs and wants. It can also be applied to other species.
perpetual resource
An essentially inexhaustible resource on a human time scale. Solar energy is an example.
renewable resource
Resource that can be replenished rapidly (hours to several decades) through natural processes. Examples are trees in forests, grasses in grasslands, wild animals, fresh surface water in lakes and streams, most groundwater, fresh air, and fertile soil. If
sustainable yield
Highest rate at which a renewable resource can be used indefinitely without reducing its available supply
environmental degradation
Depletion or destruction of a potentially renewable resource such as soil, grassland, forest, or wildlife that is used faster than it is naturally replenished. If such use continues, the resource becomes nonrenewable (on a human time scale) or nonexistent
common-property resource
Resource that people normally are free to use; each user can deplete or degrade the available supply. Most are renewable and owned by no one. Examples are clean air, fish in parts of the ocean not under the control of a coastal country, migratory birds, g
free-access resources
same as common property
tragedy of the commons
Depletion or degradation of a potentially renewable resource to which people have free and unmanaged access. An example is the depletion of commercially desirable fish species in the open ocean beyond areas controlled by coastal countries.
ecological footprint
Amount of biologically productive land and water needed to supply each person or population with the renewable resources they use and to absorb or dispose of the wastes from such resource use. It measures the average environmental impact of individuals or
per capita ecological footprint
Amount of biologically productive land and water needed to supply each person or population with the renewable resources they use and to absorb or dispose of the wastes from such resource use. It measures the average environmental impact of individuals or
nonrenewable resources
Resource that exists in a fixed amount in the earth's crust and has the potential for renewal by geological, physical, and chemical processes taking place over hundreds of millions to billions of years. Examples include copper, aluminum, coal, and oil. We
recycling
Collecting and reprocessing a resource or product to make into new products
reuse
Using a product over and over again in the same form. An example is collecting, washing, and refilling glass beverage bottles. Compare recycling.
pollution
An undesirable change in the physical, chemical, or biological characteristics of air, water, soil, or food that can adversely affect the health, survival, or activities of humans or other living organisms.
point sources
Single identifiable source that discharges pollutants into the environment. Examples include the smokestack of a power plant or an industrial plant, drain pipe of a meatpacking plant, chimney of a house, or exhaust pipe of an automobile
non-point sources
Large or dispersed land areas such as crop fields, streets, and lawns that discharge pollutants into the environment over a large area
pollution prevention
Device or process that prevents a potential pollutant from forming or entering the environment or sharply reduces the amount entering the environment. Compare pollution cleanup.
pollution cleanup
Device or process that removes or reduces the level of a pollutant after it has been produced or has entered the environment. Examples are automobile emission control devices and sewage treatment plants. Compare pollution prevention.
poverty
Inability to meet basic needs for food, clothing, and shelter.
affluenza
unsustainable addiction to overconsumption and materialism exhibited in the lifestyles of affluent consumers in the united states and other developed countries
frontier environmental worldview
View by European colonists settling in North America in the 1600s that the continent had vast resources ans was a wilderness to be conquered by settlers clearing and planting land.
environmental worldview
Set of assumptions and beliefs about how people think the world works, what they think their role in the world should be, and what they believe is right and wrong environmental behavior
stewardship worldview
We can manage the earth for our benefit but we have ethical responsibility to be caring, responsible stewards of the earth
Encourage environmentally beneficial forms of economic growth
environmental wisdom worldview
We are part of and totally dependent on nature and nature exists for all species, not just for us, and we should encourage earth-sustaining forms of economic growth and development and discourage earth-degrading forms.
biodiversity
Variety of different species (species diversity), genetic variability among individuals within each species (genetic diversity), variety of ecosystems (ecological diversity), and functions such as energy flow and matter cycling needed for the survival of
nutrient recycling
Natural processes recycling all chemical and nutrients that plants and animals need to stay alive and reproduce.
social capital
Positive force created when people with different views and values and common ground and work together to building understanding, trust, and informed shared vision of what their communities, states, nations, and the world could and should be.