Chapters 1, 2, 12, And 19 (Midterm)

Front 1

Environmental science

Back 1

An interdisciplinary field that includes both scientific and social aspects of human impact on the world.

Front 2

Environment

Back 2

Everything that affects an organism during its lifetime.

Front 3

Science

Back 3

An approach to studying the natural world that involves formulating hypotheses and then testing them to see if the hypotheses are supported or refuted.

Front 4

Ecosystem

Back 4

A region in which the organisms and the physical environment form an interacting unit.

Front 5

Sustainability

Back 5

Development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.

Front 6

Ethics

Back 6

A branch of philosophy that aims to define what is right and what is wrong.

Front 7

Anthropocentrism

Back 7

Human-centered ethics

Front 8

Biocentrism

Back 8

Life-centered environmental ethics

Front 9

Ecocentrism

Back 9

Maintains that the environment deserves direct moral consideration and not consideration that is merely derived from human or animal interests.

Front 10

Ecofeminism

Back 10

The view that there are important theoretical, historical, and empirical connections between how society treats women and how it treats the environment.

Front 11

Social ecology

Back 11

The view that the social hierarchies are directly connected to behaviors that lead to environmental destruction

Front 12

Deep ecology

Back 12

The generally eccentric view that a new spiritual sense of oneness with the earth is the essential starting point for a more healthy relationship with the environment

Front 13

Environmental pragmatism

Back 13

Focuses on policy rather than ethics.

Front 14

Environmental aesthetics

Back 14

The study of how to appreciate beauty in the natural world.

Front 15

Animal rights/welfare

Back 15

Asserts that humans have a strong moral obligation to nonhuman animals.

Front 16

Development approach

Back 16

Assumes that the human race is and should be master of nature and that the earth and it's resources exist solely for our benefit and pleasure.

Front 17

Preservationist approach

Back 17

Believe that large portions of nature should be preserved intact.

Front 18

Conservationist approach

Back 18

Interested in promoting human well-being

Front 19

Sustainable development

Back 19

Meeting the needs of current generations without compromising the ability of future generations to meet theirs

Front 20

Environmental Justice

Back 20

Social justice expression of environmental ethics.

Front 21

Corporations

Back 21

Legal entities designed to operate at a profit.

Front 22

External costs

Back 22

Outside costs that corporations don't pay, the people do.

Front 23

Natural capitalism

Back 23

The idea that businesses can both expand their profits and take good care of the environment.

Front 24

Industrial ecology

Back 24

Links industrial production and environmental quality.

Front 25

Triple bottom line

Back 25

The ethical criteria for business success.

Front 26

Ecological footprint

Back 26

Help individuals measure their environmental impact on earth.

Front 27

Urban sprawl

Back 27

Defined as the spread of low-density, auto-dependent development on rural land outside compact urban centers.

Front 28

Tract development

Back 28

The construction of similar residential units over large areas.

Front 29

Ribbon sprawl

Back 29

Roads that link new housing to the central city and other suburbs are constructed or improved.

Front 30

Megalopolis

Back 30

One large urban area.

Front 31

Infrastructure

Back 31

Includes all the physical, social, and economic elements needed to support the population.

Front 32

Floodplains

Back 32

Low areas near rivers.

Front 33

Wetlands

Back 33

Areas that periodically are covered with water.

Front 34

Urban growth limit

Back 34

A boundary within which development can occur.

Front 35

Zoning

Back 35

Designates specific areas within a community for certain kinds of land use.

Front 36

Brownfields

Back 36

Vacant industrial and commercial sites.

Front 37

Hazardous substances/hazardous materials

Back 37

Those that can cause harm to humans or the environment.

Front 38

Toxic

Back 38

Poisonous and cause death or serious injury to humans.

Front 39

Acute toxicity

Back 39

Occurs when a person is exposed to one massive dose of a substance and becomes ill.

Front 40

Chronic toxicity

Back 40

When a person is exposed to small doses over long periods.

Front 41

Synergism

Back 41

Exposure to a variety of chemicals that may become highly toxic.

Front 42

Persistent pollutants

Back 42

Those that remain in the environment for many years in an unchanged condition.

Front 43

Nonpersistent pollutant

Back 43

Does not remain in the environment for very long.

Front 44

Pollution prevention/waste minimization

Back 44

Encourages changes in the operations of business and industry that prevent hazardous wastes from being produced in the first place.

Front 45

Incineration

Back 45

Burning waste at high temperatures.

Front 46

Land disposal

Back 46

Primary method for the disposal of hazardous wastes in North America.