Psu geog 030 1st quiz – Flashcards
Unlock all answers in this set
Unlock answersquestion
duality of human life
answer
humans are dependent on earth for food and energy. humans have transcended natural environmental limits by technologies
question
socioecological systems
answer
connected by water, food, and energy social - economic, biological, political, cultural ecological- hydrological, climate, biological, geological
question
evolution of socioecological systems
answer
hunter gathering to agrarian to industrial
question
geographical scale
answer
the spacial extent of a given process ex. global, national, regional, local
question
multiscalar
answer
connections across scales by multiple processes. ex. a flood event could be localized (site-specific), global (climate change), national (extent of damage, levy)
question
ecological fallacy
answer
patterns observed at one scale might not hold at another scale
question
landscape
answer
agglomeration of abiotic (nonliving), biotic (living), cultural (social relations)
question
anthropocene
answer
the current period of earth's history predominantly shaped by activity, not a universally accepted concept
question
plastiglomerates
answer
disposed plastics exposed to heat and pressure forming new rock like plastic
question
mechanisms through which humans impact the environment
answer
I = P x A x T institutions political economy environmental ethics
question
ecological footprint
answer
measure of individual impact on the environment. cumulative, measured by the number of earths required for everyone to live the way in which you do
question
open system
answer
exchanging matter and energy with environment ex. human body, society, watersheds
question
closed system
answer
exchanging only energy (sun) with environment (earth) ex. hot water radiant heating, hydrological cycle
question
isolated system
answer
does not exchange matter and energy ex. universe
question
waste
answer
outputs that are considered unproductive or of no use to the system
question
pollution
answer
material that cannot be absorbed by another system and is toxic or harmful either as a function of its concentration or chemical composition
question
Kuznet's curve
answer
as industry/wealth increases, we become more aware of our environmental impact. an increase in technology leads to an increase in environmental solutions
question
malthusianism
answer
as population increases, the earth becomes stripped of its resources
question
neomalthusianism
answer
belief there is a finite number of resources available. as population grows exponentially, resources grow linerally. solution - checks and balances, both natural and political, on population paul ehrlich
question
green revolution
answer
the development of new technologies increases maximum sustainable yield which increases carrying capacity aka "induced intensification". ex. tractor
question
carrying capacity
answer
total number of individuals that could be sustained by an environment, as population increases capacity decreases.
question
I = P x A x T
answer
Impact = Population x Affluence x Technology ex. energy use = household size x income x efficiency
question
Population
answer
malthusianism
question
Affluence
answer
inequality paradigm
question
Technology
answer
futurist paradigm defines our repetitive actions reconfigures the way in which we interact with/perceive the environment
question
the social inequality paradigm
answer
environmental degradation is the result of unfair and uneven distribution of resources at various scales
question
market response model
answer
scarcity is relieved by laws of supply and demand which together govern/sustain the relationship of people to nature
question
Coase theorem
answer
the most efficient outcomes will occur through bargaining between property owners
question
externality
answer
spill over of a cost or benefit. can be mediated ex. ecoli running down stream from manure
question
market failure
answer
condition where production/exchange of a good/service is not efficient ex. monopoly, uncontrolled externalities
question
transaction costs
answer
cost is associated with making an exchange ex. negotiating a price, high externalities = high costs
question
monopoly
answer
1 seller many buyers leads to inflation
question
monopsony
answer
many sellers 1 buyer leads to deflation
question
green taxes
answer
taxing goods/services an increases in prices leads to decreased use and increased innovation ex. landfill costs, labor expenses
question
cap and trade
answer
regulating agency determines a cap on bad allowances to use/emit are dispersed. targeted actors must submit enough allowances to cover their total use/ emissions of the bad
question
non market values
answer
success can only be measured in economic/anthropocentric terms
question
tuna
answer
unsustainably harvested
question
purse seine fishing
answer
fishing near the surface. net closes on the bottom
question
by-catch
answer
non target organisms incidentally caught by commercial fishing operations ex. dolphins
question
green consumption
answer
buying environmentally friendly products ex. dolphin safe
question
conditions of production
answer
material or environmental conditions required for a specific economy to function
question
relations of production
answer
the social relationships associated with a specific economy ex. workers/owners to modern capitalism
question
second contradiction of capitalism
answer
capitalism undermines environmental conditions for its own perpetuation through degradation of natural resources, eventually leading to resistance of capitalism and a new economy
question
utopian
answer
idealized social conditions arising from socio-political systems that facilitate cooperation over competition
question
maximum sustainable yield
answer
maximum rate of consumption while ensuring indefinite availability
question
exclusive economic zones
answer
ex. sea zones which states claim ownership over fishery and mineral resources
question
fordism
answer
relations of production dominant in many industrialized countries in the first several decades of the 20th century (ex. assembly line for cars). marked by large corporations, high wages and rates of consumption, and considerable state power. mass production, centralization, strong nation state
question
post fordism
answer
decentralized, specialized, subcontracted production. transnational corporations, diminished state power
question
TNC
answer
transnational corporation
question
tragedy of the commons
answer
collapse of a common but limited resource which occurs when individuals act selfishly to maximize personal gains
question
common pool resource
answer
resource that has broad value to human system. properties make it difficult to restrict access and to limit over exploitation
question
elements of environmental governance
answer
clear ownership and autonomy presence of community (social capital) collective buy in and sense of empowerment easily administered rules adaptive institutions conflict resolution protocol monitoring
question
clear ownership and autonomy
answer
from higher to lower authorities boundaries (social and political) are established ex. great lakes system - international, 2 different institutions
question
easily administered rules
answer
graduating ex. incentives, taxes, new markets, regulation
question
monitoring
answer
the status of the resource is checked in order to allow for adjustments
question
conflict resolution protocol
answer
social mechanisms must be developed to resolve conflicts between users
question
use value
answer
ecological value, value independent of marketplace. ex. ocean current, clean air, scenic view
question
exchange value
answer
market value, monetary value as expression of worth to individual. ex. natural gas, copper, gold
question
adding exchange value to use value
answer
ex. carbon tax, to use sink to release emissions pay $25
question
prisoner's dilemma
answer
multiple individuals making decisions in pursuit of their own interests tend to create collective outcomes that are non-optimal for everyone
question
game theory
answer
a form of applied mathematics used to model and predict people's behavior in strategic situations where people's choices are predicted on predicting the behavior of others
question
institutions
answer
rules and norms governing collective action. rules governing common property environmental resources
question
common property
answer
common pool resource. a good/resource whose characteristics make it difficult to fully enclose and partition, making it impossible for non-owners to enjoy resource benefits and owners to sustain costs from the actions of others.
question
boundaries
answer
the resource and the user group should have clearly defined boundaries
question
proportionality
answer
some form of compensation for any investments in equipment or labor that members of the commons commit to the group
question
collective choice
answer
arrangements need to be in place so that the specific rules for managing the resources are made by the resource users themselves and/or can be modified through some kind of deliberative group forum
question
irrigation
answer
multiple users cooperate in the actions, make decisions together, monitor the infrastructure, achieve equitable outcomes with little waste or loss of precious water
question
global climate
answer
a shared good. people polluting it constrains behavior through some kind of collective arrangement. the biggest commons
question
pollution haven hypothesis
answer
some countries may voluntarily reduce environmental regulations in order to attract foreign direct investment. race to the bottom
question
the basel convention
answer
international treaty (1922) designed to prevent wealthier countries from dumping hazardous waste on less developed countries
question
uneven development
answer
geographic tendency within capitalism to produce highly disparate economic conditions (wealth/property) and economic activity (production/consumption) in different places
question
capital accumulation
answer
tendency for profits, capital goods, savings, and value to flow toward, pool in, and/or accrue in specific places leading to the centralization and concentration of money and power
question
spatial fix
answer
tendency to temporarily solve inevitable periodic crises by establishing new markets, resources, sites.
question
commodity
answer
object of economic value that is valued generically
question
institutional fit
answer
the most successful institutions at maintaining sustainability have been small scale community based governance systems
question
buy in and empowerment
answer
enforced by government agency ex. hunting license - an institution is set up to restrict access
