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Brundtland Commission UN World Commission on Environment & Development which investigated the world's environment & proposed solutions in a 1987 document, "Our Common Future." Commons Areas publicly owned & open for general use. Influenza Contagious pulmonary disease that can spread rapidly through populations. Always widespread in mild forms, but have threatened millions w/ death. Pandemic Disease that's passed from human to human found in spreading communities in at least 2 different WHO regions. Appropriate Tech Perspective Technology that includes projects & techniques that fit both the culture & physical setting of people involved. Believes best tech is the simplest. A diverse world calls for a diverse set of solutions. Ecosystem Complex interconnections of plants, animals & physical/chemical factors that make up environments. Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome (AIDS) Emerging infectious disease that has become one of the world's major health problems. Intellectual Property Rights Abstract ideas, knowledge & creations that can be owned just like physical property. Smallpox Highly contagious, widely fatal disease contained in 1980s, but remains a terrorist threat. Emerging Infectious Disease Contagious diseases that are recently recognized in medical literature & have spread widely since their discoveries. AIDS, SARS, recent influenzas. Green Revolution Development approach promoted by Rockefeller Foundation, focuses on transfer of high-tech farming techniques & chemical fertilizers, to less developed areas of the world. Extinction Total loss of a specific species or type of plant or animal. Malnutrition Medical condition caused by a diet lacking in sufficient calories & balanced nourishment. Toxic Pollutants Poisons in the environment that cause sickness or death to people, animals or plants. Carrying Capacity The amount of people who can be supported indefinitely in a given environment w/ a given tech/culture. Carbon Dioxide Colorless, odorless gas that is a natural part of the atmosphere, used by plants as a necessary part of their respiration. Ozone Depletion Thinning of the ozone level in the lower stratosphere, especially in the outer-most areas of the world near the poles. Law of the Sea UN supported treaty of 1994 which established general rules for conduct in oceans. Also codifies the 12-mile limit of state control over coastal waters & an exclusive economic zone in which the state has rights over natural resources. Global Warming This denotes a small but regular & significant increase in the temperature of the earth. Sustainability/Sustainable Development Development projects must be designed for long-term success. Potable Water Water that is safe for consumption by humans and other animals. Desertification Increase in areas of extremely arid land. Deforestation Rapid destruction of forests, especially tropical forests, which leads to atmospheric & soil degradation. Acid Rain Sulfuric dioxide in smoke chemically reacts w/ water in the atmosphere to create sulfuric acid. H2SO4. Maintained in clouds & falls to earth as rain. Greenhouse Gases Atmospheric gases that decrease the energy lost into space & increase the warmth of the atmosphere. CO2, methane, ozone, chlorofluorocarbons. UN Environment Program (UNEP) UN agency assigned the task of monitoring the world's environment. World Health Organization (WHO) UN org which was created in 1948, mandated to promote health throughout the world. High Tech Perspective Favors private enterprise. Wants to protect the environment. Thinks the best technology is complex. Wants progress and doesn't try to predict the problems, just responds to them. Shared Tech Perspective Favors equal distribution of technology. Thinks the best technology is complex. Wants sustainability and cooperation, and thinks public health is a global issue. Hazard Forces, conditions, or technologies that carry a potential for social, infrastructural, or environmental change. Always has a distinct time span. Risk Statistical probability of an event of a given magnitude happening in a given time period. Vulnerability Characteristics of a person/group in terms of their capacity to anticipate, cope w/, resist & recover from impact of a hazard. Disaster The combining of a process/event that is a potentially destructive agent/force from natural, modified, or built environment. Anthropogenic Landscape Landscape changed by its inhabitants.