-
Environment:
The aggregate of all the external conditions and influences affecting the life and development of an organism.
-
Ecology:
a branch of science concerned with how living organisms are connected to each other and to their environment; derived from the Greek oikos, household or living place.
-
Ecosystem:
The organisms of a particular habitat, such as a pond or forest, together with their physical environment. Depending upon their purpose scientists, resource managers or policymakers consider a lake, a watershed or an entire region an ecosystem.
-
Habitat:
The environment in which an organism lives.
-
Sustainable Development:
Development which meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.
-
Greenhouse effect:
Changes in the earth's atmosphere due to the burning of fossil fuels, the release of other pollutants and deforestation which is increasing the temperature of the earth.
-
Ozone depletion:
The loss of the shield matter in the upper atmosphere which blocks out harmful ultra-violet rays due to the release of chemicals such as chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs).
-
Deforestation:
The permanent loss of forests or their conversion to other uses.
-
Limits to survival:
Each species operates within environmental limits beyond which survival is not possible; if things are too cold, hot, dry, wet--death results; if change is slow enough a species may adapt and survive.
-
Soil Degradation:
a process that describes human-induced phenomena which lessen the current and/or future capacity of the soil to support human life.
-
Evolutionary adaptation:
Plants and animals have evolved the ability to deal with the physical conditions to which they are normally exposed.
-
Photosynthesis:
The process by which simple carbohydrates (sugars, starches, cellulose) are formed from carbon dioxide, water and essential nutrients in special plant cells using sunlight as the energy source.
-
Cellular Respiration:
the controlled burning of carbohydrates which produces energy and enables growth and reproduction--this is (roughly) the reverse of photosynthesis.
-
Food chains:
the cycle in which the nutrients necessary for life pass from and through plants and animals to the soil and from the soil back to plants.
-
Politics:
The activity of reconciling conflicts and gathering support that makes government possible.
-
Desertification:
The process by which extreme levels of soil degradation (usually preceded by deforestation) produce desert like conditions in formally non-degraded soils.
-
Acclimation:
The ability of the current generation of individual plants and animals to change their tolerance to physical factors when exposed to gradually changing conditions.
-
Transpiration:
The process by which plants release water through tiny pores where evaporation occurs.
-
Decomposers:
The bacteria, fungi, soil insects and worms which digest the wastes/dead bodies of other organisms; breaks down organic molecules and returns them to soil or water.
-
Carrying capacity:
The maximum number of organisms that can use a given area of habitat without degrading it and without causing social stresses that cause species to die or to die out.
-
Biodiversity:
All living organisms and the ecological complexes of which they are a part; in other words, the variety of the world's species and genes.
-
Renewable fuels:
Examples are wood, plants, dug, falling water, geothermal sources, solar, tidal, wind, wave, human and animal muscle power and nuclear 'breeder' reactors and fusion reactors.
-
External costs:
Costs (or benefits) imposed on others by the producer which effect neither the producer's decision to produce nor his costs.
-
Industrialization:
The process in which work organization dominated by capital- intensive industry, division-of-labour and economies of scale in which the use of machines powered by fossil fuels replaced craftwork and the power of humans, animals and nature.
-
Modernity:
Refers to modes of social life or organization which emerged in Europe from about the seventeen century and which subsequently became more or less worldwide in their influence.
-
Globalization:
The intensification of worldwide social relations which link distant localities in such a way that local happenings are shaped by events occurring many miles away and vica versa.
-
Temperate Forests:
Hardy, resilient trees which have evolved to survive in a seasonal climate and draw 97% of the nutrients for new growth from the soil.
-
Tropical Forests:
Trees which survive in a relatively constant climate; they are sensitive and have less ability to survive change; 90% of the nutrients they need are stored in vegetation.
-
Urbanization:
The phenomena in which the effects of industrialization forced the predominately rural population to migrate to urban areas.
-
Government:
The process that makes and enforces rules and decisions for society.
|
|
