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105 Cards in this Set
- Front
- Back
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What is your ecological footprint? |
The land and sea base required to provide your needs, including all energy and material requirements, and also to dispose of your wastes. |
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How many hectares are available for each person on a global scale in terms of ecological footprint? How much is it actually? |
1.6 hectares are available for each person, and this amount is shrinking every year b/c of population growth. The collective average footprint is 2.2 hectares per person. Humans are consuming the natural resources of 1.5 planets |
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What is the difference between the anthropocentric view and ecocentric/biocentric view? |
anthropocentric view is human centred, in which values are defined relative to human interest, wants, and needs, whereas ecocentric view is when components of the environment have value regardless of their immediate value for people |
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List and describe the different components of the environment. |
Lithosphere: outer layer of Earth's mantle and crust, containing the rocks, minerals, and soils that provide nutrients necessary for life Hydrosphere: contains all water on Earth (frozen water is cryosphere) Atmosphere: contains the gases surrounding lithosphere and hydrosphere - troposphere: 99% water vapour and 90% of air - stratosphere: main body of ozone that blocks out utraviolet radiation from the sun - mesophere: 50km from Earth's surface - thermosphere as distance from earth increases, pressure and density of atmosphere decreases - mesophere - thermosphere |
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How many people are born every second? |
4.3 |
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What is the population age structure and how is it important? |
Population age structure: the relative distribution of age cohorts in the population - impacts future potential growth - gives info about birth/death rates and life expectancy - reveals number of dependents (<15 and >65) |
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What are total fertility rates and what is a good rate? |
Total fertility rates represent the average number of children each woman has over her liftetime. If the rate is 2.0, children replace parents but if higher, population growth, if less, population decline. |
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What is replacement level fertility |
the fertility rate that will sustain a population when taking into consideration infant mortality, which is usually higher than 2.0 |
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What are the four phases for the relationship between economic growth and population?* |
1. High equilibrium - death and birth rates high, resulting in very little population (pre-industrial societies) 2. High expanding - declining mortality rates, no disease in birth rates, resulting in high population growth 3. Low expanding - birth rates start to fall as benefits of increased income begin to erode the advantages of having large families 4. Low equilibrium: birth and death rates are in balance as a result of the decline in birth rates |
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What is the epidemiological transition? |
Epidemiological transition: the change in mortality rates from high to low in a human population |
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What % of the world's population is responsible for world consumption? |
Richest 20% is responsible for more than 75%, while the poorest 20% consume less than 2%
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What is one of the main drivers of future consumption? |
increased urbanization of global populations |
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What is the relationship between electricity consumption and human development? |
No direct relationship so it is possible to have high standards of living without excessive energy consumption |
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What is GNP? |
Gross National Product: An index used by economists to compare the market value of all goods and services produced for final consumption in an economy during one year |
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What is considered extreme poverty and moderate poverty? |
Extreme = less than $1 a day, not being able to afford the most basic necessities
Moderate = earning about $1-$2 a day, just barely meeting basic needs, but still forgo many things |
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What is the planetary carrying capacity? |
Planetary Carrying Capacity: the ability of Earth and its various systems to sustain the number of people and other organisms on the planet and their effects on these systems |
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What is the Anthropocene? |
the geological age when humanity drives most global biophysical processes |
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What are the nine main planetary processes, according to Rockstrom and his colleagues? Which of these systems have exceeded the safe operating zones? |
CIRCA COGS Change in land use Interference with the nitrogen and phosphorus cycles Rate of biodiversity loss Climate change Atmospheric aerosol loading Chemical pollution Ocean acidification Global freshwater use Stratospheric ozone depletion |
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What are four main reasons to explain why societies fail to make corrections to prevent societal collapse? |
1. May not anticipate the problem 2. May fail to appreciate the severity fo the problem 3. May neglect to address it 4. May try to solve it, and fail |
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What are the millennium development goals aiming to improve human well-being? |
EA PRICED 1. Eradicate extreme poverty and hunger 2. Achieve universal primary education 3. Promote greater gender equality and empower women 4. Reduce child mortality 5. Improve maternal health 6. Combat HIV/AIDS, malaria, and other diseases 7. Ensure environmental sustainability 8. Develop a global partnership for development |
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What is environmental studies? |
Environmental studies: the study of the interaction between the human and the natural world. Explores natural and social systems allowing for the understanding of the complexity of environmental problems as well as solutions |
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What is Nature? |
Nature: a social creation as well as the physical environment that includes human beings. It is not just objects, but a reflection of: - Philosophies - Belief systems - Ideologies |
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What is Society? |
Society: the sum of the inventions, institutions, and relationships created and reproduced by human beings across particular places and times |
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How is Western society influenced by judeo-christian tradition? |
Although god created both humans and nature, he created humans in his image so nature is an entity to be dominated by humans |
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What is Animism and Buddhism? |
Animism: belief that natural phenomena possess a spirit or consciousness Buddhism: humans cannot be separated form nature - humans and the planet are one and the same |
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What are the three ways that religion/culture impact perspective |
1. Shapes beliefs about the natural world and its importance 2. Ethical systems may impact the way in which resources are used 3. Rituals may impact the way in which resources are used |
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What are resources? |
Resources: specific components of the environment, such as forests, wildlife, oceans, rivers and lakes, minerals and petroleum |
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Why would population levels impact the environment? (4) |
1. Increased need for resources 2. Greater production of waste 3. Increased concentration of pollutants 4. Decreased capacity of ecosystems to respond |
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What is the role of economic power in terms of consumption? (3) |
1. Relationship between wealthy and high-intensity resource use 2. Affordability of overconsumption and location 3. Wealth and political power |
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For population growth and consumption, who is at fault? |
Population growth = developing countries Consumption = developed countries |
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What is Identifying P.R.S.? |
Identify the problem Identify the responsibility Identify the solution |
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Why are natural disasters portrayed differently from technological hazards in media? |
Natural disasters are defined as "acts of god" |
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What is subsidence and why is it happening? |
Subsidence refers to the sinking of the ground and all of the mud and water and gas that used to be at very deep layers under the earth's surface is coming up, leaving space and the ground on top is sinking into it. |
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In the case study for the LUSI mud volcano in East Java, what were the two possible causes? |
1. company drilling hit overpressured limestone aquifer 2. Earthquake that happened 2 days prior to mud volcano eruption resulting in liquefaction of under-compacted materials |
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In the case study for the LUSI mud volcano in East Java, what were the implications? |
Impacted transportation links, marine and aquatic environments, risk of flooding, and toxicity |
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What are some response strategies for the LUSI mud volcano? |
Giant embankment around the area to contain the flow, or draining by mixing with water to go out to the oceans. |
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What is IWRM and what does it stand for? |
Integrated Water Resource Management: a process which promotes the coordinated development and management of water, land and related resource, in order to max the resultant economic and social welfare in an equitable manner without compromising the sustainability of vital ecosystems |
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Energy from the sun is called __ energy |
Radiant |
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Which of the following is not an example of high-quality energy? a) the oceans b) a hot fire c) gas d) coal |
A |
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As energy flows through ecosystems, what happens to entropy? a) increases b) decreases c) becomes more concentrated d) both b and c |
A |
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How is energy different from matter? |
Has no mass and does not occupy space |
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What is the difference between low-quality energy and high-quality energy? |
Low quality energy is diffuse, dispersed at low temperatures, and difficult to gather, such as the ocean whereas high-quality energy is easy to use, but the energy disperses quickly like a hot fire or coal. |
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What are the laws of thermodynamics? |
Law of conservation of energy: energy can neither be created nor destroyed; merely changed from one form into another Law of entropy: when energy is transformed from one form into another, there is always a decrease in the quality of usable energy |
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What is entropy? |
the measure of the disorder or randomness of a system. as energy becomes dispersed through transformation, entropy increases |
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Where does the sun's energy go?
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1/3 of energy received is reflected by atmosphere back into space - 42% provides heat to Earth's surface - 23% causes evaporation of water - less than 1% forms basis for our ecological system |
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What are producers/autotrophs and what are the two types? |
Organisms with the ability to capture energy and manufacture matter - phototrophs obtain energy from light - chemoautotrophs gain energy from chemicals available in the environment |
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What are heterotrophs and what are they also known as? |
obtain energy supply through eating other organisms, also known as consumers |
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What is a food chain and food web? |
Food chains represent specific energy pathways through an ecosystemproceeding from producer to consumer. Food webs represent the complexintermeshing of individual food chains in an ecosystem. |
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What are the similarities and differences of food chains and food webs? |
- Food chains and webs both include primary producers, and primary, secondary, and tertiary consumers, as well as members of the detritus food web. - Food chains illustrate, in a linear way, how energy moves between trophic levels. They are simplified models. - Food webs are much more complex and include many competing organisms and numerous paths for energy to flow through an ecosystem |
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What is a decomposer food chain? |
Most dominant in forest systems, essential for the return of nutrients to soil and carbon dioxide to the atmosphere |
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What is energy efficiency? |
Energy efficiency: amount of total energy input of a system that is transformed into work or some other usable form of energy - energy transferred is less and less as 90% energy is lost at each level - Carnivores must have lowest numbers |
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What is a niche? |
the specific combination of the physical, chemical, and biological conditions that a species needs for its growth |
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What does the competitive exclusion principle tell us? |
no two species can occupy the same niche in the same area |
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What is the difference between a specialist species and generalist species? |
Aspecialist species is one which requires a much more specific range of niches,which are combinations of conditions that a species requires for its growth. They are generally moresusceptible to population fluctuations as a result of environmental change. For example, a panda would be a specialistspecies because they require bamboo as their only source of food, so theirniche is very specific. A generalist species would be the complete opposite,being able to use a broader niche for their survival, and they usually adaptmore easily to the given environment. An example would be a coyote, which has avery broad range of food that it can prey on and eat for sustenance. |
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What is the optimal foraging theory? |
there is a point of compensation between the benefit of obtaining the prey and the costs of doing so that the predator's behavior adjusts to optimize the benefits (e.g. hunting smaller prey even tho less food intake) |
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What are parasitism, mutualism, and commensalism? |
Parasitism: predator feeds and lives off prey, usually smaller, continuing to steal nourishment from the prey. E.g. tapeworm Mutualism: both species benefit in some way. E.g. bee and flower (pollination) Commensalism: only one side benefits, but does not harm the other side. E.g. epiphytes - plants that live on large plants |
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What is a keystone species |
Keystone species: species with a strong influence on the entire community. e.g. Beavers can have a profound impact on their environments through the dams that raise and lower water levels. When removed, there is cascading effect throughout the ecosystem and other species are affected, and may lead to entire destruction of the ecosystem. |
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What is the ecosystem structure? |
Individual (organism) Population: group of individuals of the same species Community: all the population of species in a particular environment Ecosystem: community + non-living components Biomes: ecosystems classified together according to vegetation and animal types Biosphere |
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What are Abiotic components? Which ones are the most important? |
non-living components of the ecosystem that impact distribution of biotic components (light, temperature, nutrients, wind, water, soil) Most important are water and temperature |
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What is Biodiversity? |
the result of all the interactions b/w abiotic and biotic factors throughout evolution |
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What are the three different levels of biodiversity? |
Genetic diversity: the variation in the genetic makeup among individuals of the same species Species diversity: the total number of species in an area, AKA species richness Ecosystem diversity: the variety of ecosystems in an area |
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what are endemic species and biodiversity hotspots? What is Canada's status on them? |
Endemic species are species found nowhere else on earth, and biodiversity hotspots are areas with high numbers of endemic species. Canada has a low amount of endemic species b/c of glaciation over most of the country, so all the localized species were wiped out, and wide-ranging nature of existing species |
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What is Ecological succession? |
Ecological Succession: the gradual replacement of one community by another as environmental conditions change over time |
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What are the 5 key driving forces of biodiversity loss?* |
1. Terrestrial habitat loss and fragmentation 2. Invasive Species 3. Excessive nitrogen and other pollution 4. Over-exploitation of species on land and sea 5. Climate change impacts on biodiversity |
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What are the three main reasons we should value biodiversity? |
1. Intrinsic value: species have the right to be there 2. Direct services: some we may not be aware of 3. Indirect services |
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What is primary succession? |
Primary Succession: the first organisms to colonize bare rock
- first stage: little or no soil - Primary colonizers: limited species that are able to withstand extreme conditions - Soil starts to form as lichens and weather break down rocks into smaller pieces - When lichens die, they decompose, adding organic matter to make soil Bare rock -- Lichens -- small plants -- herbs/grasses -- grasses/shrubs -- trees |
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What is secondary succession? |
Begins in a place that already has soil present and was once the home of living organisms - faster and different pioneer species than primary succession |
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What are alien species and invasive alien species? |
Alien species: organisms found in an area outside their normal range Invasive alien species: species that are transported to a new environment and able to rapidly multiply, out-compete native species, and change native habitats NOT ALL ALIEN SPECIES ARE INVASIVE |
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What are feedback loops? |
Help maintain stability in ecosystems, positive ones initiate responses that exacerbate changes while negative ones initiate responses that moderate against change --> input and output neutralize one another |
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what is polar amplification? |
When snow melts, reveals the green below that accelerates the heating process (positive feedback loop) |
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What are the four major kinds of organic compounds making up living organisms? |
Carbohydrates, Proteins, Fats, Nucleic acids |
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Law of conservation of matter |
Matter can neither be created nor destroyed but merely transformed from one form into another |
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What are some characteristics in relation to the speed of matter cycling? |
relative proportion of nutrients in each compartment varies greatly across different ecosystems and the speed may also change within a cycle, depending on season and type of nutrient |
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What are the 5 main pools that carbon is stored in the carbon cycle? |
1. Lithosphere - fossil fuels and sedimentary rock deposits, created from organisms that die and accumulate on the bottom 2. Ocean waters - dissolved carbon dioxide and calcium carbonate shells 3. Soil organic matter - litter, humic substances 4. Atmosphere - carbon dioxide, monoxide, methane 5. Biosphere - all living and dead organisms not converted into soil organic matter |
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What are the two major movements of carbon from the atmosphere? |
1. Oceans absorbing 2. Plants through photosynthesis |
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What are the three key areas of human influence on carbon cycle? |
1. fossil fuel emissions 2. deforestation 3. soil organic carbon |
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What is the basic structure of the hydrological cycle? (3) |
1. powered by energy from the sun - causes evaporation and transpiration 2. Water vapour is moved throughout atmosphere until it condenses and falls as precipitation 3. Hydrological cycle continues in one of three ways - evaporation/transpiration - surface run-off - percolation into the ground |
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What are the 6 main pools of the hydrological cycle? |
1. Ocean waters 2. Ice 3. Soil and groundwater 4. Lakes and rivers 5. Atmosphere 6. Living organisms - biota |
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What are some of the ways that humans impact the hydrological cycle? (box) |
- using storage and redistribution of runoff to augment water supplies for other uses - building storage structures to control floods - draining wetlands - pumping groundwater - land-use changes such as deforestation affect runoff and evapotranspiration patterns - climate change caused by interference with biogeochemical cycles |
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What are two major changes to carbon cycles as a result of human population increases? (box) |
1. Natural vegetation replaced by land uses, reducing capacity to store carbon 2. Large amounts of fossil fuels from lithosphere to atmosphere - releases of one million years of photosynthetic activity every year |
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How do plants and animals use phosphorus? |
Plants - develop healthy seeds, root growth, and stem strength
Animals - develop healthy bones |
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Where is the phosphorus cycle stored? |
Sedimentary - does not have a gaseous component b/c at earth's regular pressures and temperatures (stored in rocks) |
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How is phosphorus released into the soil? |
From rock through process called weathering - chemical: breaks down through acid rain - physical: breaks down through wind and rain |
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What is the phosphorus cycle for land? |
Plants take up phosphate through roots - animals eat plants - decomposers return it to the soil |
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What is the phosphorus cycle for aquatic |
phosphate gets into water through erosion, leaching, run-off - most settles at bottom (turns into sediment) - some phosphate taken up by aquatic plants |
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What is geologic uplift in terms of the phosphorus cycle? |
when rock gets uplifted, phosphate becomes usable. The earth's crust folds very slowly and deeply buried rock layers rise up |
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What is the basic phosphorus cycle? |
1. phosphorus is mainly pooled into rocks 2. weathering and leaching proccesses mean that water dissolves phosphates in rocks and carries to lakes, streams 3. phosphates used by plants and passed through the food chain 4. Animals return phosphorus to environment by excretion/ death and decay |
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What are 3 major phosphorus pools? |
1. Marine sedimentary rock 2. Terrestrial and marine organisms 3. Soils |
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What are the key areas of human influence on the phosphorus cycle? |
1. Phosphates mined for fertilizers 2. Biomass removal, leading to accelerated Erosion 3. Large-scale animal husbandry - concentration of waste |
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What happens when phosporus levels increase and decrease for biodiversity? |
Increased - allow certain plant species to outcompete other species, decreasing resources for species in the food web Decreased - inhibit growth of algae that are important producers in many food chains (utification) |
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In the plight of lake champlain video, what were the three main causes of the algae blooms? |
1. too much fertilizer getting into the lake 2. polluted rain runoff (stormwater) 3. aging wastewater treatment facilities |
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Suzuki diaries - how do the local food system examples in Montreal (e.g. Lufa Farms and Santropol) contribute to increased food security? |
- growing food right in the city, don't have to go to the countryside - local, fresh food year-round - lufa farms uses hydroponics that are able to give plants what they need and don't have to worry about storage, transportation, etc. - farm better, farm locally |
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What are some criticisms of IWRM? |
- no generally accepted definition, difficult to assess
- if holistic approach is taken, other systems beyond water need to be considered - uneven distribution of power among stakeholders exist in catchment, meaning some interests are constantly under represented - requires engagement by active citizenry |
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What is the Areas of Concern and Remedial Action Programs int he Great Lakes Ecosystem? |
- modification of great lakes water quality agreement when both countries agreed to restore and maintain the physical, chemical and biological integrity of the great lakes ecosystem - areas of concern are hotspots, usually habour, estuary, or bay |
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What are four ways of overcoming implementation deficits? |
1. Recognize context, develop custom-designed solutions, and ensure appropriate scope - successful implementation is more likely if IWRM is designed with reference to the reality of a specific time and place - distinction b/w comprehensive and integrated approaches 2. Maintain long-term perspective - at least 15 years - problems addressed normally take years to emerge and are often complext 3. Identify a vision - distinction between what might be, should be, could be 4. Ensure one or more Leaders or Champions - susainted leadership needed to help create a vision, convince stakeholders that the "common good" must be a priority, and facilitate understanding and collaboration among many participants |
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The Waterfront Toronto example explored multiple locations where an integrated planning framework was implemented. What are some examples from different park areas? |
Underpass park site - trees will grow so high that when you look out of your car you will see it - can live, shop, work there without having to commute so long Sherbourne Common - designed based on 3 elements: lawn, growth, water - takes future stormwater and lakewater, brings it through piping, then the water gets pumped through to the waterways - goes through further filtration, and eventually back to lake ontario (cleaning the water) |
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Describe the carbon project outlined from Port Architecture and Urbanism |
there are different point sources of carbon, coming from cars, etc. Tunnels accumulate a lot of carbon and they have to be ventilated to evacuate the air flow. Carbon can be used to fuel an agricultural production of algae, creating an efficient source of biofuel |
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What was unique about the 10 year transportation plan developed in Vancouver approximately 12 years ago? |
Reprioritized - pedestrian, bike, public transportation, private car creating a pathway to allow more housing |
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Do the examples provided in the video confirm that a standardized approach to sustainability implementations is appropriate? |
No, because every environment is different and requires different approaches. It is highlighted in the video that the type of plan being implemented depends on the specific time and place, and a standardized approach would not be as effective/successful |
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What is Eutrophication? |
A natural process of nutrient enrichment of water bodies that leads to greater productivity |
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What causes eutrophication? (2) |
- cultural eutrophication (caused by human activity) may speed up natural eutrophication process through addition of phosphates and nitrates to the water body - as lakes become shallower, nutrients are used more efficiently, productivity increases, and eutrophication progresses (positive feedback loop) |
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What are the effects of eutrophication? |
- promotes increased growth of aquatic plants - benthic plants produce less oxygen at depth b/c they are outcompeted - oxygen depletion is further exacerbated by decay of large mass of phytoplankton produced |
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What can we do about eutrophication? |
- limit input of nutrients into the water body - water must be treated to remove phosphates - focus on non-point sources instead of point sources - pumping oxygen to the ocean floor |
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Explain the implications of a meat-based diet compared to a vegetarian diet in terms of trophic energy efficiency |
- 90% of usable energy is lost at each trophic level and not all nutrients taken in is digested - takes a lot more energy to support a higher trophic level, having meat-based = more difficult to maintain b/c it takes more energy to produce the meat - takes 8-16 kilograms of grain to produce 1 kilogram of beef - the longer the food chain, the more inefficient it is in terms of energy transformation, meaning more land must be cultivated to provide people with a diet high in meat |
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Explain how energy moves/flows through land-based ecological systems |
- small proportion of solar radiation is transformed into organic compounds by primary producers through photosynthesis - uses this energy for growth, and maintaining basic physiological functions through cellular respiration - some energy is passed on to other organisms or consumers at higher trophic levels - herbivores, omnivores, and detritivores consume primary producers, obtaining energy in the form of biomass - energy continues to flow through higher trophic levels as carnivores act as secondary and tertiary consumers |
