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73 Cards in this Set
- Front
- Back
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Resources |
"neutral stuff" with utility value assigned by humans |
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Natural Resources |
Those things that are derived from the Earth and biosphere and exist independent of human activity. |
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Non-natual Resource |
Sometimes needed and often required for neutral stuff to become resources (i.e. labor and intelligence). |
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Environmental Cognition |
The mental process of making sense of the environment that surrounds us. |
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5 Factors that affect environmental cognition and resource identification: |
1) scarcity: absolute vs. relative 2) technology/economics 3) education and social conditions 4) cultural background 5) views of nature: human vs. nature - centered |
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Absolute Scarcity: |
Resource is so diminished that it cannot meet demand of population and is NOT found elsewhere. |
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Relative Scarcity: |
Resource is diminished in an environment so that it cannot meet the demands of the population and IT IS found elsewhere. |
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Ecocentric: |
Nature-centered view of the world focused on the preservation of nature and holds that nature possesses inherent value. |
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Anthropocentric: |
Human-centered view of nature that views the role of nature as providing resources for the enhancement of the quality of human life. |
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4 Categories of Resources: |
1) Perpetual 2) Renewable 3) Non-renewable 4) Potential |
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Perpetual Resources |
Resource abundance is not diminished with use (i.e. solar energy and wind) |
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Renewable Resources |
Resources are capable of regeneration with sustainable use (i.e. forests, ground water, food, biofuels). |
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Non-Renewable Resources |
Resource abundance is limited and not capable of regeneration (i.e. coal, diamonds, fossil fuels). |
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Potential Resources |
"Natural stuff" that current technology cannot harness the potential of use as a resource (i.e. hydrogen). |
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Problems with resource classification: |
Categorization can harm the resources by encouraging perceptions that enable exploitation of the resource. |
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Anthropocentric Ideas: |
- role of nature to improve quality of life for humans - nature has no intrinsic value, just instrumental value. - nature is not an end in itself, but a means to an end. - resources are the foundation for quality of life |
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Ecocentric Ideas: |
- all aspects of nature possess intrinsic value - nature, therefore, has rights and should be preserved - nature is the foundation of all resources we enjoy - need to preserve and conserve resources because humans are not using them sustainably |
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Lifeboat Metaphor: |
A lifeboat has finite capacity. Decisions must be made as to who should be saved because if too many people enter the lifeboat, it will capsize and no one would survive. Essentially: who should resources be dispersed to? Everyone currently living or future generations? |
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Environmental Justice: |
Focused on which members of society are burdened due to distribution of resources, which tend to be predominantly low-income and minority groups (brown sites & superfund sites). |
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Preservation: |
Complete non-use of a resource |
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Conservation: |
Sustainable use of a resource |
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Exploitation: |
Maximum and unregulated use of a resource |
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Ozone Hole in Atmosphere |
Ozone (O3) protects the surface of the Earth by blocking UVB and UVC radiation. However, O3 reacts with CFCs: Cl + O3 --> ClO + O2. This degradation of ozone results in a breach of the ozone where harmful radiation is able to penetrate the atmosphere and reach the Earth's surface. Who is responsible? |
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Fire |
The only technology utilized by early humans that had the capacity to match environmental impacts of modern technology. |
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Use of Fire by Early Humans |
Drive animals into traps, get rid of pests, clear land for crops and improve pastures for grazing. |
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Environmental Effects of Fire |
- affected large areas - used repeatedly in same area at frequent intervals - ability to selectively modify vegetative cover |
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Fire and Vegetative Cover |
- Pyrogenic species thrive and others are suppressed |
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When did Agriculture Develope |
Beginning of the Holocene Era (~ 10,000 years BP) |
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Effects of Agriculture |
- shift from hunter-gatherer societies to agriculture-based societies - emergence of cities causing large scale environmental disruption - deforestation for crops - raised carrying capacity of the Earth to support human populations |
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Era of Industrialization |
The development of world powers and subsequent colonialism |
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Effects of Industrialization |
- exploitation of resources in distant lands with little regard for environmental impacts - an era of global scale use of fossil fuels and minerals - destruction of ecosystems and global climate change due to extraction and pollution |
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Development of Natural Resource Policy |
- can be established at various levels - variations of implementation at local, state, national and international levels |
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National vs. International Policy Implementation |
National-level implementation more easily accomplished because autonomy of countries at the international level makes implementation and enforcement more difficult. |
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Environment, Politics & Decision-Making |
- Government policy is a product of the political process in the context of history and present; the political process entails confrontation and compromise amongst groups. - 7 Phases in U.S. History |
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Phase 1: Exploitation & Expansion (1600-1870) |
- The goal of early settlers was to establish profitable colonies and acquire "limitless" natural resources to export back to home countries in Europe. |
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Forests in Colonial America |
Seen as a nuisance because they were unproductive, unsafe and undesirable. Had to clear to make way for agricultural land, which was viewed as productive, attractive and secure. |
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Effects of Cash Cropping |
- Characterized agriculture with no attempt at maintaining or enhancing soil fertility, except for liming. - Widespread soil erosion, leading to abandonment of land. |
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Primary Theme of Phase I |
- Resource exploitation for economic prosperity and land transfer from public to private ownership to promote economic development of resources. |
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Acts promoting Public-to-Private Land Transfer |
1. Homestead Act of 1862 2. Railroad Acts of 1850s and 60s 3. Timber Culture Act of 1873 4. Mining Act of 1872 |
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Phase 2: Conservation Ethic (1840-1910) |
- Era of expansion that was greatly enhanced by improved technology. Intellectuals and academic voices expressed their concerns regarding environmental impacts. |
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Key Intellectuals of Phase 2 |
1. Henry David Thoreau 2. Ralf Waldo Emerson 3. George Perkins Marsh 4. John Muir 5. Gifford Pinchot |
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John Muir |
Argued for preservation and the non-use of natural resources. |
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Gifford Pinchot |
Argued for conservation and the sustainable use of natural resources. |
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Problems with Daming Rivers |
- Effects on sediment load, propagation of diseases and parasites (schistosomiasis) due to stagnation, disadvantaging those downstream, effects on migratory species and river ecosystems. |
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Hetch-Hetchy |
San Francisco valley to be used to dam river and provide water to city. John Muir argued against it and Gifford Pinchot argued for sustainable use to serve the population. |
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Most Influential Individual of Phase 2 |
- Georgia Perkins Marsh: Laid the foundation for American Conservation Ethic with "Man and Nature" and "Physical Geography as Modified Human Action." |
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DoA's Land Grant College System (1862) |
- establishment of universities with the goal of improving the productivity and management of agriculture through education (especially soils and forests) |
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Important Phase 2 Landmarks |
- Adirondack Forest Reserve Act: halted the private sale of state forest lands. - President granted the authority to set aside forested lands via proclamation - Formation of Nation Forest System - Election of Theodore Roosevelt |
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Theodore Roosevelt |
- Assumed presidency in 1901 and Elected in 1904 - Conservationist - Instrumental in expansion of Yellowstone - Friends with John Muir - Set aside a number of areas as parks |
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Phase 3: Conservation for Economic Recovery (1930-1940) |
- Response to the Great Depression and dustbowl conditions of 1930s. |
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Landmarks of Phase 3 |
- Civilian Conservation Corps: focus on putting people back to work through environmental projects - Tennessee Valley Authority - The Soil Conservation Service: focus on soil degradation and restoration. - Taylor Grazing Act: must pay to utilize federal lands for grazing and established quote allowed on land. |
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Phase 4: Environmental Movement (1962-1980) |
- attention to quality of life available to Americans - Scientists led a popular movement for pollution control |
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Important Books of Phase 4 |
1. The Quiet Crisis by Stewart Udall 2. Silent Spring by Rachel Carson |
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Scientists Argue for Pollution Control |
- assert that the environment was severely damaged and needed urgent attention in order to restore its health and prevent future damage. - a lot of policy passed in response to this movement |
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Laws of Phase 4 |
- Clean Air Act of 1963 - Wilderness Act of 1964: Wilderness defined as "an area of Earth and its community of life, untrammeled by man, where man himself is a visitor who does not remain. - Federal Water Pollution Act of 1964 - Coastal Zone Management Act of 1972 - Endangered Species Act of 1973 - The National Environmental Policy Act |
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Phase 5: Pragmatism and Risk Reduction (1976-1988) |
- Focus on improving human health by controlling toxins in the environment |
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Most Important Legislation of Phase 5 |
- Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation and Liability Act in 1980: establishment of "superfund" sites where polluters (companies) were responsible for proving funds for remediation |
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1st Law of Thermodynamics |
Energy can be neither created nor destroyed, only transferred. |
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2nd Law of Thermodynamics |
Entropy (choas) is preferred in nature, which makes energy transfer is inefficient and flows from organized to disorganized. |
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All ecosystems share 2 traits: |
1. the presence of detritivores: scavengers (crabs vultures) and decomposers (fungi and bacteria) 2. energy attenuation among trophic levels is inefficient, so there is a massive loss to the environment via respiration. |
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Energy budget of the biosphere: |
- only small % of received solar energy is utilized for photosynthesis, only a small percentage of utilized for photosynthesis is utilized by consumers. |
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Two major determinants of climate: |
1. Temperature 2. Precipitation |
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Net Primary Productivity |
Rate of conversion of solar energy to biotic energy. |
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Buttressed Trees in the Rainforest |
1.) adaptation to nutrient acquisition in shallow soils 2.) easily affordable due to water availability 3.) provide support for tall height |
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6 Human impacts on the environment: |
1. Reduction 2. Fragmentations 3. Simplification 4. Substitution 5. Exctinction 6. Contamination |
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Reduction |
- total area for ecosystem is reduced |
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Fragmentation |
- ecosystem is broken down from a large continuous area into smaller parcels - best illustrated in ecosystems occurring along streams and rivers with dams |
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Substitution |
- replacement of one set of organisms with another. - illustrated by the tall grass prairies where grasses were replaced with agricultural crops - also in the great lakes with the introduction of the zebra mussel |
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Simplification |
- usually accompanies substitution; involves the make up of organisms becoming significantly less diverse than previously - common in both agricultural areas and forests |
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Extinction |
- often follows the effects of simplification - primary cause is habitat loss - reduction, substitution, fragmentation and contamination all contribute to extinction |
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Contamination |
- involves incorporation of pollutants into the ecosystem - Bioaccumulation/Biomagnification - Eutrophication |
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Thomas Malthus |
- notes that population increases exponentially and food resources increase linearly - singled out the women, impoverished and marginalized populations |
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Population and Development |
I = PAT
Impact = (population)(affluence)(technology) |
