intro to enviromental science

Terms in this set (30)

all the things around us which we interact
living things, nonliving things, our built environment, social relationships and institutions
natural resources
substances and energy sources needed for survival
examples of renewable natural resources
sunlight, wind energy, wave energy, geothermal energy
examples of nonrenewable natural resources
crude oil, natural gas, coal, copper, aluminum, other metals
global human population growth
more than 7.2 billion humans
why so many humans?
agricultural and industrial revolution
population
human population growth makes environmental problems worse.
consumption
our consumption of resources has risen even faster than our population growth
Garrett Hardin's Tragedy of the Commons
unregulated exploitation leads to resource depletion
resource users are temped to increase use until the resource is gone
solution?
Who does the Once-ler represent?
The Once-ler represents all the companies that do not care about the environment and only care about money.
Who does "The Lorax" represent?
The Lorax represents all the companies that are against dumping products in the animal's environment.
3) What was the natural resource that the Once-ler found while moving across the land in his wagon?
Truffula Trees are the natural resources that the Once-ler found while moving across the land in his wagon.
4) Humans often appreciate the beauty of the natural world. Did the Once-ler have feelings about the region and natural resources that he found? Explain.
No, the Once-ler did not have appreciation for the beauty of the natural resources that he found. Instead of appreciating the beauty of the natural world, he view it as a way he could make a profit and a better living for himself
5) The Once-ler used the land's natural resources to start a business, which made and sold a product. What was the product? How was it used by buyers?
Thneed (this is right) was the product used and it was used by buyers for many uses, especially for making clothing.
Pollution not only affects plant and animal species, but it also affects another living species, human beings. Explain whether the Once-ler's factory and town was a safe and healthy place to be. Why or why not?
The town was not a safe and healthy place to be because the air and water were polluted and the food source was gone, causing people to leave the town.
The Once-ler's business failed. Why? What happened to cause the failure of this business? What happens to the area where the business once was located? Have you seen this in real-life?
The Once-ler's business failed because they used up all the natural resources around them that he could use to make his product. The area became polluted and all the trees were cut down causing the business to fail. The area is now polluted and overused. There are no more trees in the area because the Once-ler did not replenish these trees. An example of this is that butterflies that camouflage to trees started to become exposed because pollution was starting to make tree barks darker causing the butterflies to become exposed.
The Once-ler learned that he had made a serious mistake. What, in your opinion, was his mistake? What could he have done differently? (How could the Once-ler have managed his company to protect natural resources and not run out of trees)
The Once-ler's mistake was that he kept cutting down trees without replenishing them. The Once-ler could have planted a tree every time he cut down a tree in order to not run out of the trees. The Once-ler just kept cutting down trees without realizing if he kept doing what he was doing he would run out of trees.
Explain, in your own words, what the Once-ler says must happen for the Lorax and his animals to return.
The Once-ler must plant new trees in order for the Lorax and the other animals to return. In order for this to happen someone must care enough to plant these trees.
*** change words around
Can you think of a real-life example of how man-made pollution affected a real ecosystem, its abiotics (eg: temperature, water quality, air quality, etc.) or its habitat? Explain.
Motor boats in the ocean are polluting the water causing sea life to die. The gas used in the boats enters the water and make the animals sick causing them to die. This is causing a lot of sea life to die.
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The use of technology requires the use of natural resources. The use of natural resources always has an effect on the environment. How did the production of Thneeds affect the Truffula trees, a key biotic natural resource?
The production of Thneeds affect the Truffula trees because in order to make thneeds the Truffula trees have to die. This will cause the Truffula trees to run out.
Threatened and endangered species are those plant and animal populations threatened by or becoming extinct. Often, this is a result of human activity. Can you name the threatened or endangered species in the story and describe why they faced this condition?
Fish in the water because the water was polluted. They faced this condition because the factories were causing pollution.
Certain animals depended on Truffula trees. Name the animals. Explain why these animals needed Truffula trees.
Brown barboloots because they needed the resources from these trees in order to survive.
Often, technological production creates, "byproducts". For example, a byproduct of sawing wood is sawdust. Sometimes the byproducts of technology are unwanted or dangerous and are pollutants in the environment. Sometimes byproducts are useful. Name two byproducts that resulted from making Thneeds.
1: smoke
2: waste
What does the Once-ler mean by UNLESS? Explain.
Unless meaning that unless you care to help the environment its not going to get better and its not going to change. A person has to care enough to make the change.
What does your Truffula Seed represent and what should you do with this knowledge and your seed? Be sure to tell why.
The Truffula seed represents the earth and the environment because it will help the earth to grow. You need to plant the seed in order to replenish trees.
Do you think it is possible to achieve sustainable development; to balance quality of life with quality of the environment?
Yes I think it is possible to achieve sustainable development; to balance quality of life wit quality of the environment.
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The environmental impact of a person or population
Amount of biologically productive land +
water for raw materials and to dispose/recycle waste
Overshoot:
humans have surpassed the Earth's capacity
The ecological footprints of countries vary greatly (not all equal)
United States, Canada, and France have some of the largest ecological footprints** (carbon?)
Environmental science
can help us avoid mistakes made by past civilizations.
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