APES Acronyms

Clean Air Act

Requires the EPA to enforce regulations that protect the public from airborne contaminants

• Clean Drinking Water Act
• Safe

Ensures the quality of safe drinking water in US

• Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, & Liability Act
• AKA Superfund

US federal law designed to clean up sites contaminated with hazardous substances. Gives authority to recover natural resource damage.

Clean Water Act

Primary Federal Law in US governing water pollution. Goal is to eliminate releases of toxic substances into water.

Endangered Species Act

Designed to protect critically imperiled species from extinction as a consequence of economic growth & development

Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act

US federal law that set up basic pesticide regulation to protect applicators, consumers, & the environment

Marine Mammal Protection Act

US law that prohibits the taking of marine mammals & enacts a moratorium on the import, export, & sale of any marine mammal

National Environmental Policy Act

Established a US national policy promoting the enhancement of the environment. Set up requirements for environmental assessments and environmental impact statements.

National Marine Sanctuaries Act

Authorizes the designation & protection of the marine environment for conservation, ecological scientific, etc… reasons

Resource Conservation and Recovery Act

the principal federal law in the US governing the disposal of solid waste & hazardous waste

Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act

Primary federal law that regulates the environmental impacts of coal mining; made of 2 programs: one for regulating and one for reclaiming

Toxic Substance Control Act

US law regulating the introduction of new or already existing chemicals

Bureau of Land Management

Administers America's public lands; sustains the health, diversity, & productivity of the public lands

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

National public health institute for the US; main goal is to protect public health & safety through control & prevention of disease, injury, and disability

Department of Energy

concerned with US policies regarding energy & safety in handling nuclear material

Environmental Protection Agency

Created for the purpose of protecting human health & the environment by writing & enforcing regulations

Food and Drug Administration

Responsible for protecting & promoting health through regulation & supervision

Fish & Wildlife Service

Dedicated to the management of fish, wildlife, & natural habitats

National Aeronautics & Space Administration 

Responsible for the civilian space program & aeronautics and aerospace research

National Marine Fisheries Service

Responsible for the stewardship & management of the nation's living marine resources & their habitat

National Park Services

Manages US national parks & monuments, and other conservation & historical properties

Occupational Safety and Health Administration

Assures safe and healthful working conditions for working men and women by setting and enforcing standards and by training, outreach, education, and assistance

United States Department of Agriculture

Responsible for developing and executing federal government policy on farming, ag, forestry, and food; aims to meet the needs of farmers, promote ag trade, work to assure food safety, protect natural resources, and hunger in the US and abroad

United States Geological Survey

Study the landscapes of the US, its natural resources, & the hazards that threaten it. Four major disciplines: biology, geography, geology, & hydrology

Dominican Republic-Central America Free Trade Agreement

North American Free Trade Agreement

Created large free trade zones between multiple countries

Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora

Multilateral treaty to protect endangered plants & animals; aims to ensure that international trade does not threaten survival of species

International Atomic Energy Agency 

International organization that seeks to promote the peaceful use of nuclear energy; promotes high standards for nuclear safety

International Center for Research on Women

Mission is to empower women, advance gender equality and fight poverty in the developing world

Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change

Aims to assess: human induced climate change, impacts of that, & options for adaptation and mitigation

International Union for Conservation of Nature

Influences and assists societies world-wide to conserve the integrity & diversity of nature; ensure that use of natural resources is equitable & ecologically sustainable

United Nations

Promotes international cooperation in peace, human rights, economic development, protecting the environment, & humanitarian aid

Food and Agriculture Organization

Strives to eliminate hunger, make agriculture more sustainable, reduce rural poverty, & increase food efficiency

World Health Organization

Provides leadership on global health matters, shapes the health research agenda, & monitors health trends

United Nation's Children's Fund

Provides long term humanitarian and developmental assistance to children & mothers in developing countries

International treaty that sets binding obligations on industrialized countries to reduce greenhouse gas emissions (Esp Co₂)

International treaty dealing with CFCs that destroy ozone

Biochemical oxygen demand

Amount of dissolved oxygen needed by aerobic biological organisms in a body of water to break down organic material

British thermal unit

The amount of energy needed to cool or heat one pound of water by one degree F

chlorofluorocarbon

• organic compound that contains only carbon, chlorine, and fluorine, produced as a volatile derivative of methane, ethane, & propane.
• Contributes to ozone depletion)

Methane

Main component of natural gas, atmospheric methane is a greenhouse gas

Carbon monoxide

Colorless, odorless, & tasteless gas; toxic to humans; plays a role in ground level ozone formation

Carbon dioxide

Used by plants for photosynthesis; produced by combustion of coal or hydrocarbons; greenhouse gas

Dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane 

Colorless, tasteless, dangerous, and persistent pesticide; banned by ESA

Dissolved oxygen/oxygen saturation 

A relative measure of the amount of oxygen that is dissolved or carried in a given medium

El Niño-Southern Oscillation

Refers to variations in the temperature of the surface of the tropical East Pacific Ocean & in air surface pressure in the tropical West Pacific Ocean

Haloacetic acids

Common undesirable by-product of drinking water chlorination

Harmful algae bloom

Algal bloom that causes negative impacts to other organisms via production of natural toxins

Hazardous Air Pollutant

Potassium

reactive with water

Lethal Dose 50%

Amount of substance required to kill 50% of a test population

Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design

Set of rating systems for the design, construction, operation, & maintenance of green buildings

Marine Protected Areas

Region in which human activity has been placed under restrictions

Nitrogen gas

Nitrogen Dioxide

Prominent air pollution

Nitrous Oxide

Laughing gas

Nitrogen Monoxide

Byproduct of combustion (cars, fossil fuels…)

Ammonia

Serves as a fertilizer

Not in my back yard

Opposition by residents to new development because its close to them

Dioxygen

Gas that is colorless, odorless, & tasteless

Methane

Pale, blue gas with a pungent smell, makes up .6ppm of the atmosphere

Lead

Soft metal used in construction, batteries, bullet, etc...

Measure of the acidity or basicity of an aqueous solution

Particulate Matter

Tiny pieces of solid or liquid matter associated with earth's atmosphere

Persistent organic pollutant

Organic compound that is resistant to environmental degradation

parts per billion

parts per million

Sulfur Dioxide

A toxic gas with a pungent, irritating, and rotten smell

Total dissolved solids

the total mass content of of dissolved ions and molecules in a liquid medium

Total suspended solids

Water quality measurement; conventional pollutant

Volatile Organic Compound

Chemicals that have a high vapor pressure at room temperature

Waste-to-Energy

The process go generating energy in the form of electricity/heat from the incineration of waste

Water treatment plant

A facility that performs water purification