biodegradable pollutants
harmful materials that can be broken down by natural processes
conservation
the management of natural resources with the goal of minimizing resource waste and sustaining resource supplies for current and future generations
culture
the whole of a society's knowledge, beliefs, technology, and practices, and human cultural changes have had profound effects on the earth
developed countries
(with 1.2 billion people) include the United States, Canada, Japan, Australia, New Zealand, and most countries of Europe
developing countries
All other nations (with 5.5 billion people) are classified as developing countries, most of them in Africa, Asia, and Latin America
ecological footprint
the amount of biologically productive land and water needed to supply the people in a particular country or area with resources and to absorb and recycle the wastes and pollution produced by such resource use
ecology
A key subfield of environmental science; the biological science that studies how organisms, or living things, interact with their environment and with each other
economic development
has the goal of using economic growth to improve living standards
ecosystem
a set of organisms interacting with one another and with their environment of nonliving matter and energy within a defined area or volume
environment
everything around us, including all of the living and the nonliving things with which we interact and a complex web of relationships that connect us with one another and with the world we live in
environmental degradation
When we exceed a renewable resource's natural replacement rate, the available supply begins to shrink
environmental ethics
our beliefs about what is right and wrong with how we treat the environment
environmental science
an interdisciplinary study of how humans interact with the environment of living and nonliving things
environmental wisdom worldview
holds that we are part of, and totally dependent on, nature and that nature exists for all species, not just for us
environmental worldview
a set of assumptions and values reflecting how you think the world works and what you think your role in the world should be
environmental, or sustainability, revolution
a revolution that would involve learning how to reduce our ecological footprints and live more sustainability
environmentalism
a social movement dedicated to protecting the earth's life-support systems for us and all other forms of life
environmentally sustainable economic development
This involves using political and economic systems to discourage environmentally harmful and unsustainable forms of economic growth that degrade natural capital, and to encourage environmentally beneficial and sustainable forms of economic development tha
environmentally sustainable society
one that meets the current and future basic resource needs of its people in a just and equitable manner without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their basic needs
exponential growth
a quantity increases at a fixed percentage per unit of time, such as 2% per year. It is deceptive. It starts off slowly, but after only a few doublings, it grows to enormous numbers because each doubling is more than the total of all earlier growth
gross domestic product (GDP)
the annual market value of all goods and services produced by all firms and organizations, foreign and domestic, operating within a country
natural capital
the natural resources and natural services that keep us and other forms of life alive and support our economies
natural income
the renewable resources such as plants, animals, and soil provided by natural capital
natural resources
materials and energy in nature that are essential or useful to humans
natural services
functions of nature, such as purification of air and water, which support life and human economies
nondegradable pollutants
harmful materials that natural processes cannot break down
nonpoint sources
dispersed and often difficult to identify
nonrenewable resources
exist in a fixed quantity, or stock, in the earth's crust
nutrient cycling
the circulation of chemicals necessary for life, from the environment (mostly from soil and water) through organisms and back to the environment
organisms
living things
per capita ecological footprint
the average ecological footprint of an individual in a given country or area
per capita GDP
the GDP divided by the total population at midyear
per capita GDP PPP
a measure of the amount of goods and services that a country's average citizen could buy
perpetual resource
Solar energy is called a perpetual resource because it is renewed continuously and is expected to last at least 6 billion years as the sun completes its life cycle
planetary management worldview
holds that we are separate from nature, that nature exists mainly to meet our needs and increasing wants, and that we can use our ingenuity and technology to manage the earth's life-support systems, mostly for our benefit, indefinitely
point sources
single, identifiable sources of pollutants
pollution
any in the environment that is harmful to the health, survival, or activities of humans or other organisms
pollution cleanup, or output pollution control
involves cleaning up or diluting pollutants after they have been produced
pollution prevention, or input pollution control
reduces or eliminates the production of pollutants
poverty
occurs when people are unable to meet their basic needs for adequate food, water, shelter, health, and education
recycling
involves collecting waste materials and processing them into new materials
renewable resource
a resource that can be replenished fairly quickly (from hours to hundreds of years) through natural processes as long as it is not used up faster than it is renewed
resource
anything obtained from the environment to meet our needs and wants
reuse
using a resource over and over in the same form
social capital
what sociologists call what must be built in order to make the shift to more sustainable societies and economies
solar capital
energy from the sun
species
a group of organisms with distinctive traits and, for sexually reproducing organisms, can mate and produce fertile offspring
stewardship worldview
holds that we can and should manage the earth for our benefit, but that we have an ethical responsibility to be caring and responsible managers, or stewards, of the earth
sustainability
the ability of the earth's various natural systems and human cultural systems and economies to survive and adapt to changing environmental conditions indefinitely
sustainable yield
The highest rate at which a renewable resource can be used indefinitely without reducing its available supply