IAFS 1000 Ch 11

Terms in this set (20)

tragedy of the commons

a collective goods problem that is created when common environmental assets (such as fisheries) are depleted or degraded through the failure of states to cooperate effectively.

enclosure of the commons

splitting common assets into individually owned pieces.

the shared parts of earth, such as the oceans and outer space.

global climate change, including a long-term rise in average world temperature caused by the emission of carbon dioxide and other gases.

UN Environment Program

a UN organization whose main priority is to monitor environmental conditions and to measure environmental changes year-to-year.

greenhouse gases

the by-product of burning fossil fuels that concentrates in the atmosphere and let energy as in short-wavelength solar radiation reflect back onto Earth.

Kyoto protocol date

a formula adopted to reduce greenhouse gas emissions to 1990 levels in the global North over a decade.

the part of the atmosphere that screens out harmful ultraviolet rays from the sun. certain chemicals used in industrial economies break the ozone layer.

Montreal Protocol

an international agreement in which 22 states agreed to reduce CFC emissions in order to prevent ozone depletion.

the diversity of plant and animal species making up the earth's (global, regional and local) ecosystems.

International Whaling Commission

an IGO that sets quotas for hunting certain whaling species in an effort to protect whales and dolphins. limited effectiveness because participation is voluntary and governments are not bound by decisions they object to.

the portion of the ocean considered to be common territory, not subject to any country's jurisdiction.

UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS)

a UN convention that governs the uses of the oceans, including deep-sea mining and economic rights to the oceans. has yet to ratify.

Antarctic Treaty of 1959

a multilateral environmental treaty that forbids military activity and nuclear weapons in the Antarctic.

rain causes by air pollution that damages trees often crosses borders.

a 1986 Soviet nuclear meltdown that created airborne radioactivity that spread over much of Europe, from Italy to Sweden.

demographic transition

the process of economic development that brings about a change in birthrates and death rates that follows a fairly universal pattern, in which as countries develop, death rates fall as health care becomes more available, and then birth rates fall.

a policy that forces or encourages childbearing by outlawing or limiting access to birth control.

infant mortality rates

the proportion of babies that die in their first year, which serves as an excellent indicator of overall health because it reflects a population's access to nutrition, water, shelter and health care.

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