Exam 1: Environmental Problems, Their Causes, and Sustainability

The exhaust pipe of an automobile or the smokestack of a coal-burning powerplant are examples of ______________ sources.

Many scientists contend that the earth is the only real example of a sustainable system. What are the three major natural factors have played the key roles in the long-term sustainability of life on this planet? How can you apply each to your life?

While we are heavily dependent on the environment, we are not dependent on it for everything we need to stay alive and healthy.

According to the World Bank, about how many people worldwide live in extreme poverty?

Research by social scientists suggests that it takes ____ percent of the population of a community, country, or the world to bring about major social change.

How many people can the earth support indefinitely?

A resource such as solar energy, that is constantly available, is called a(n)__________ __________.

The _______________ _______________ worldview holds that we are separate from and in charge of nature, that nature exists mainly to meet our needs and increasing wants, and that we can use our ingenuity and technology to manage the earth's life-support systems, mostly for our benefit, into the distant future.

What term describes the highest rate at which a renewable resource can be used indefinitely without reducing its available supply?

Which of the following illustrates natural capital degradation?

Your ____________ ____________ is a set of assumptions and values reflecting how you think the world works and what you think your role in the world should be.

A basic cause of environmental problems results from the fact that companies using resources have to pay for the cost of the harmful environmental costs of supplying their products.

Solar energy is known as a(n)____.

A drainpipe of a factory that is releasing a pollutant is an example of nonpoint source of pollution.

What is the most likely effect of a pollutant?

Each of the three major cultural revolutions has allowed _____.

Which discipline is most associated with environmental science?

Consider the total and per capita ecological footprints of the selected countries below and then use the data to answer the accompanying question. Country Total Ecological Footprint (hectares/person)Share of Global Biological Capacity (%)United States 2,810 (25%)European Union 2,160 (19%)China 2,050 (18%)India 780 (7%)Japan 540 (5%)The total ecological footprint of China is relatively large, why is the per capita ecological footprint of China so small?

Which revolution began about 50 years ago and involved the development of technologies for gaining rapid access to all kinds of information and resources on a global scale?

Exponential growth occurs when a population increases at a(n)_____ per unit time.