APES: Midterm I

How the natural world works and how the environment affects humans and vice versa

• Renewable natural resources: can be replenished
• -Perpetually renewed: sunlight and wind
• -Renew themselves over short periods: timber
• -These can be destroyed
• Nonrenewable natural resources: unavailable after depletion-Oil, coal, minerals

the cumulative amount of carbon that a person emits, and is indirectly responsible for emitting, into the atmosphere, contributing to global climate change

• unregulated exploitation of public resources leads to depletion and damage
• –Soil, air, water
• Garret Hardin

• Earth’s natural resources provide “services” to us
• arise from the normal functioning of natural services
• Examples:
• Purify air and water
• cycle nutrients
• regulate climate
• Pollinate plants
• receive and recycle wastes

• -By depleting resources
• destroying habitat
• generating pollution
• Increased human affluence has intensified degradation

• we must live within our planet’s means so the Earth and its resources can sustain us and all life for the future
• involves conserving resources

• the cumulative number and diversity of living things
• Human actions have driven many species extinct
• Biodiversity is declining dramatically