ENVT 101 FINAL EXAM QUESTIONS WITH VERIFIED ANSWERS
Why is population an important question in Both the total population and the rate of consumption per person are of
environmental science? In what ways is population less of concern in environmental science. More people (and especially more wealthy
a problem than in earlier years? people) consume more resources, destroy more habitat, and create more
pollution. Nevertheless, there are signs that population growth is stabilizing
nearly everywhere. If we all convert to more sustainable lifestyles, we could
minimize our impacts
In what ways is pollution still a problem? Has it Although air and water quality have improved dramatically in most
improved? Why? developed countries, we still emit more pollution than can be cleaned up by
ecological systems. These improvements are due to better public
understanding of environmental issues and demands for protective
legislation. We're now particularly about long-lived, highly toxic materials,
such as mercury and lead, that have deleterious effects at extremely low
levels that may not be manifest for years or decades and act in subtle ways
to disrupt endocrine regulation or other fundamental controls on growth
and development.
What is an "ecological footprint"? An ecological footprint is a measure of our environmental impacts. It's
generally calculated using a few standard measurements that can be
converted (somewhat controversially) into global hectares (of productive
land) that would be needed to support each activity we undertake
Differentiate "conservation" and "preservation." Identify Conservation usually means wise use of resources to make them last as
one person associated with each long as possible, but still use, nonetheless. Gifford Pinchot was an
important proponent of conservation. Preservation emphasizes the
protection of organisms and resources for their own sake regardless of their
utility to us. John Muir pioneered many of our ideas about preservation
, What was Rachel Carson’s Silent Spring about? Why? Silent Spring was concerned with the dangers of chemical pollution and
especially its effects on human health. Rachel Carson's interest in this topic
began after the Second World War, when there was a great explosion of
synthetic chemical use (most of which hadn't been sufficiently tested) in
every walk of life
In what ways is environmental quality tied to social Increasingly, environmental activists are linking environmental quality and
progress? social progress on a global scale. One of the core concepts of modern
environmental thought is sustainable development, the idea that economic
improvement for the world's poorest populations is possible without
devastating the environment. A core belief is that as we become wealthier
and more technologically advanced, we become more interested in
environmental quality, we have the resources and technology to improve
our environment
Think of five ecosystem services on which you rely. Photosynthesis, carbon capture, nutrient recycling, water purification, and
temperature regulation (as well as food and fuel supply).
What is the "tragedy of the commons"? List any two of the The "tragedy of the commons" is an idea proposed by Garrett Hardin in
factors that can help communities manage a commons. 1968 claiming that population growth leads inevitably to overuse and then
destruction of common resources—such as shared pastures, unregulated
fisheries, fresh water, land, and clean air because each of us acts only in our
own self-interest motivated primarily by fear and greed. However, there are
many cases of successful long- term management of common-property
resources, such as sustainable fisheries, common forests, and grazing
lands, in communities around the world. Among the requirements for
communal resource management are (1) effective and inexpensive
monitoring of resource use; (2) an ability to exclude outsiders, who don't
understand rules of use; and (3) frequent face-to-face communications and
strong social networks among users.
List several concerns of the Millennium Development The Millennium Development Goals include ending poverty and hunger,
Goals universal education, gender equity, child health, maternal health, combating
HIV/AIDS, environmental sustainability, and global cooperation in
development efforts. Many of these goals emphasize health and rights for
women and children, who traditionally have little access to resources,
education, health care, or political rights in many developing areas
Why do indigenous people often have an interest in Indigenous (native) people are often the least powerful, most neglected
protecting biodiversity? people in the world
Development challenges are severe for those people
At least half of world's 6,000 distinct languages are dying
Indigenous homelands may harbor vast percentage of world's biodiversity
Recognizing native land rights and political rights may often be a solid
ecological safeguard as indigenous people have a rich knowledge of local
habitats
What is science? What are some of its basic principles? Science is a process for producing knowledge methodically and logically.
Some of the basic principles of science are empiricism, uniformitarianism,
parsimony, uncertainty, repeatability, an assumption that proof is elusive,
and a demand for testable questions
Why is population an important question in Both the total population and the rate of consumption per person are of
environmental science? In what ways is population less of concern in environmental science. More people (and especially more wealthy
a problem than in earlier years? people) consume more resources, destroy more habitat, and create more
pollution. Nevertheless, there are signs that population growth is stabilizing
nearly everywhere. If we all convert to more sustainable lifestyles, we could
minimize our impacts
In what ways is pollution still a problem? Has it Although air and water quality have improved dramatically in most
improved? Why? developed countries, we still emit more pollution than can be cleaned up by
ecological systems. These improvements are due to better public
understanding of environmental issues and demands for protective
legislation. We're now particularly about long-lived, highly toxic materials,
such as mercury and lead, that have deleterious effects at extremely low
levels that may not be manifest for years or decades and act in subtle ways
to disrupt endocrine regulation or other fundamental controls on growth
and development.
What is an "ecological footprint"? An ecological footprint is a measure of our environmental impacts. It's
generally calculated using a few standard measurements that can be
converted (somewhat controversially) into global hectares (of productive
land) that would be needed to support each activity we undertake
Differentiate "conservation" and "preservation." Identify Conservation usually means wise use of resources to make them last as
one person associated with each long as possible, but still use, nonetheless. Gifford Pinchot was an
important proponent of conservation. Preservation emphasizes the
protection of organisms and resources for their own sake regardless of their
utility to us. John Muir pioneered many of our ideas about preservation
, What was Rachel Carson’s Silent Spring about? Why? Silent Spring was concerned with the dangers of chemical pollution and
especially its effects on human health. Rachel Carson's interest in this topic
began after the Second World War, when there was a great explosion of
synthetic chemical use (most of which hadn't been sufficiently tested) in
every walk of life
In what ways is environmental quality tied to social Increasingly, environmental activists are linking environmental quality and
progress? social progress on a global scale. One of the core concepts of modern
environmental thought is sustainable development, the idea that economic
improvement for the world's poorest populations is possible without
devastating the environment. A core belief is that as we become wealthier
and more technologically advanced, we become more interested in
environmental quality, we have the resources and technology to improve
our environment
Think of five ecosystem services on which you rely. Photosynthesis, carbon capture, nutrient recycling, water purification, and
temperature regulation (as well as food and fuel supply).
What is the "tragedy of the commons"? List any two of the The "tragedy of the commons" is an idea proposed by Garrett Hardin in
factors that can help communities manage a commons. 1968 claiming that population growth leads inevitably to overuse and then
destruction of common resources—such as shared pastures, unregulated
fisheries, fresh water, land, and clean air because each of us acts only in our
own self-interest motivated primarily by fear and greed. However, there are
many cases of successful long- term management of common-property
resources, such as sustainable fisheries, common forests, and grazing
lands, in communities around the world. Among the requirements for
communal resource management are (1) effective and inexpensive
monitoring of resource use; (2) an ability to exclude outsiders, who don't
understand rules of use; and (3) frequent face-to-face communications and
strong social networks among users.
List several concerns of the Millennium Development The Millennium Development Goals include ending poverty and hunger,
Goals universal education, gender equity, child health, maternal health, combating
HIV/AIDS, environmental sustainability, and global cooperation in
development efforts. Many of these goals emphasize health and rights for
women and children, who traditionally have little access to resources,
education, health care, or political rights in many developing areas
Why do indigenous people often have an interest in Indigenous (native) people are often the least powerful, most neglected
protecting biodiversity? people in the world
Development challenges are severe for those people
At least half of world's 6,000 distinct languages are dying
Indigenous homelands may harbor vast percentage of world's biodiversity
Recognizing native land rights and political rights may often be a solid
ecological safeguard as indigenous people have a rich knowledge of local
habitats
What is science? What are some of its basic principles? Science is a process for producing knowledge methodically and logically.
Some of the basic principles of science are empiricism, uniformitarianism,
parsimony, uncertainty, repeatability, an assumption that proof is elusive,
and a demand for testable questions
