Chapter t 1 and 2 Exam

the capacity of a given biological area to generate an on-going supply of renewable resources and to absorb its spillover wastes.

Solar Energy, Biodiversity, Chemical or Nutrient Cycling

sun warms the planet, gives plants nutrients, + therefore gives animals the plant nutrients they need, etc.

the variety of genes, species, ecosystems, and ecosystem processes. Provides ways for species to adapt + prevents them from getting too large.

the circulation of chemicals or nutrients needed to sustain life in the environment (mostly from water and soil) through various organisms and back to the environment. We recieve energy constantly from the sun, but nothing new is produced chemically, so it must be cycled.

the natural resources and ecosystem services that keep humans and other species alive and that support human economies.

is the yield obtained from natural resources

materials and energy provided by nature that are essential or useful to humans.

any resource that can be replenished by natural processes within hours to decades, as long as humans do not use the resource faster than it can be regenerated.

the highest rate at which people can use a renewable resource indefinitely without reducing its available supply.

exist in a fixed amount (or “stock) in the Earth’s crust. (ex - fossil fuel)

a resource that is perpetual - ex. Solar energy

natural services provided by healthy ecosystems that support life and human economies at no human monetary cost to us. (ex - forests purify water and air and prevent erosion)

Full Cost Pricing (Economics), Win-win solutions (Politics), Responsibility (Ethics)

include the harmful environmental and health costs of producing and using goods and services in their market prices.

political scientists look for compromises that will benefit the largest amount of people and the environment

it is our responsibility a people to treat the planet in ways that will leave it healthy for future generations.

the capacity of the Earth’s natural systems that support life and human social systems to survive or adapt to changing environmental conditions indefinitely.

a benefit given to an individual, business, or institution, usually by the government. It can be direct (such as cash payments) or indirect (such as tax breaks).

industrialized nations with high average incomes per person

all other nations

the depleting of nature’s natural capital. (ex - shrinking forests, climate change, and pollution.)

the amount of biologically productive land and water needed to supply a population in an area with renewable resources and to absorb and recycle the wastes and pollution such resource and use produces. (per capita ecological footprint is the ecological footprint in a specific area.)

When a quantity increases at a fixed percentage per unit of time, such as 0.5% or 2% per year.