sustainability
the capacity of the Earth's natural systems and human cultural systems to survive, flourish, and adapt to changing environmental conditions in the very long-term future.
environment
Includes the living and no living things with which we interact.
environmental science
An interdisciplinary study of how humans interact with the living and nonliving parts of the environment.
ecology
The biological science that studies how organisms interact with one another and with their environment.
environmentalism
a social movement dedicated to protecting the earth's life support systems for us and other species.
ecosystem
A set of organisms withina defined area that interact with each other and the nonliving environment.
natural capital
the natural resources and natural services that keep us and other forms of life alive and support our human economies.
natural resources
materials and energy in nature that are essential or useful to humans.
natural services
processes in nature which support life and human economies.
nutrient cycling
also referred to as chemical cycling, the circulation of chemicals through organisms and back to the environment.
perpetual resource
A resource whose supply is continuous.
renewable resource
a resource that renews faster than it is used.
sustainable yield
the highest rate at which we an use a resource indefinitely without reducing its available supply.
nonrenewable resource
resources that exist in limited quantity in the Earth's crust
recycling
Collecting waste materials and processing the into new materials.
reuse
Using are source over and over in the same form.
economic growth
An increase in a nations output in goods and services.
gross domestic product (GDP)
The annual market value of all the goods and services produces by all businesses, foreign and domestic, operating within a country.
per capita GDP
The GDP divided by the total population at mid year.
economic development
an effort to use economic growth to improve living standards
more developed countries
countries with high average income such as the United States, Japan, Australia, New Zealand, and most European countries.
less developed countries
Countries with lower average income in which 81% of the world population lives
environmental degradation
The process of living unsustainably by wasting, depleting, and degrading the earth's resources.
pollution
Any presence within the environment of a chemical or other agent that is harmful to the health, survival, or activities of humans or other organisms.
point source pollution
pollution from a single defined source.
nonpoint source pollution
pollution from dispersed sources which are difficult to identify
output pollution control
pollution cleanup, cleaning or diluting pollutants after they are produced.
input pollution control
to reduce or eliminate the production of pollutants.
ecological footprint
the amount of biologically viable land and water need to provide an individual or group of people with all the resources they news and to recycled
the pollution they produce
per capita ecological footprint
ecological footprint per person
ecological tipping point
point at which an environmental problem reaches a threshold level, which causes an irreversible shift in the behavior of a natural system
sustainability revolution
major cultural change in which people learn how to reduce their ecological footprints and live more sustainably
exponential growth
increase at a constant rate per unit of time.
affluence
wealth that results in high levels of consumption and unnecessary waste of resources
poverty
inability of people to meet their basic needs for food, clothing and shelter
environmental worldview
set of assumptions and beliefs about how people think the world works
environmental ethics
human beliefs about what is right or wrong about how we treat the environment
planetary management worldview
holds that humans are separate from nature, that nature exists to meet our needs and increasing wants. It assumes that economic growth is unlimited.
stewardship worldview
holds that we can manage the earth for our benefit but that we have an ethical responsibility to be caring and responsible managers, or stewards of the earth.
environmental wisdom worldview
holds that humans are part of and totally dependent upon nature and that nature exists for all species, not just for us.
environmentaly sustainable society
society that meets the current and future needs of its people for basic resources in a just and equitable manner without compromising the ability of future generations of humans and other species from meeting their basic needs
natural income
renewable resources such as plants and animals, provided by natural capital
social capital
result of getting people with different views and values to talk and listen to one another, find common ground based upon understanding and trust, and work together to solve environmental and other problems.