Term | Definition |
religion | expression of human belief in, and reverence of, a superhuman power, which may be recognized as a creator and governor of the universe, a supernatural realm, or an ultimate meaning |
pantheism | belief that multiple gods were responsible for the various forces and workings of nature |
monoteism | belief in a single God who created the universe but is separate from and outside of His creation |
anthropocentric worldview | way of perceiving reality that places humans in a preeminent position that is both above, and separate from, the rest of nature |
biocentric worldview | way of perceiving reality that recognizes an inherent worth in all life and maintains that humans are no more or less valuable than all other parts of creation |
stewardship worldview | way of perceiving reality that maintains humans have a responsibility to care for earth |
ethics | branch of philosophy concerned with standards of conduct and with distinguishing between right and wrong behavior |
morals | principles that help to distinguish between good and evil |
frontier ethic | code of conduct based on premises: resources are essentially unlimited, exploration or human inventiveness will discover new resources to replace those resources that are deplete, tech will solve prob arising from human exploitation of the environment |
environmental ethics | caring about the planet and all of its inhabitants, allowing unselfishness to control the immediate self-interest that harms others, and living each day so as to leave the lightest possible footprints on the plants |
land ethic | biocentric code of conduct based on the premise that nonhuman nature has intrinsic value |
stewardship ethic | anthropocentric; it is a code of conduct based on premise that humans are to act as stewards of nature, with the responsibility of caring for and nurturing out planet |
economics | discipline concerned with he production, distribution, and consumption of wealth and with the various related problems of labor, finance, and taxation |
natural capital | natural resources |
human capital | skill and labor |
economic goods | manufactured capital |
manufactured capital | clothes and appliances, for example |
throughput | natural capital used to produce economic goods because these resource are taken from the environment, used by humans to produce goods, and eventually returned to the environment |
economy | system of production, distribution, and consumption of economic goods or services |
traditional economy | ppl grow their own food and make the goods that they need to survive |
pure command economy | government makes all economic decisions, such as what goods to make and how to distribute goods/service among the population |
pure market economy | - pure capitalism, economic decisions are made by buyers and seller in the marketplace and are based not he interactions of demand, supply, and price |
mixed economic system | one that combines elements of all 3 major economic systems |
economic growth | an increased capacity of the economy to produce goods and services |
gross national product (GNP) | total national output of all goods and services valued at market prices in current dollars for a given year |
real GNP | the GNP adjusted for any rise in the average price of final good and services |
real GNP per capita | real GNP divided by the total population |
ecosystem services | functions or processes of a natural ecosystems and its biota that provide benefits to humans |
net national product (NNP) | based on GNP but factors in the depletion or destruction of natural resources |
human development index | proposed by UN Development Programme, uses 3 indicators: life expectancy at birth, literacy rates, and real GNP per capita to estimate the average quality of life in a country |
index of sustainable economic welfare (ISEW) | adjusts the per capita GNP according to inequalities in income distribution, resource depletion, loss of wetlands, loss of farmland, and the cost of air and water pollution |
- internal costs | direct costs |
external costs | harmful social or environmental effects of the production and consumption of an economic good that are not included in the market price of the good |
- cost-benefit analysis | technique used to compare the estimated costs (losses) of a proposed project with the benefits to be gained |
culture of consumption | disposable products proliferate, products quickly become outdated and are replaced by newer models, and fashion dictates that we change clothing and home styles frequently |
ecological economics | transdsiciplinary field of study that addresses the relationships between ecosystems and economic systems in the broadest sense |
sustainability | relationship between dynamic human economic systems and larger dynamic, but normally slower-changing, ecological systems, in which human life can continue indefinitely, human individual can flourish, and human cultures can develop |
steady-sate economy (SSE) | characterized by constant level of human population and a constant level of artifacts, known as stock |
sustainable development | improving quality of human life while living within the carrying capacity of supporting ecosystems |
- sustainable resource use | use of renewable resources at rates that do not exceed their capacity for renewal |
green taxes | fees assessed to discourage the use of environmentally harmful practices or products or to extend the life of nonrenewable resources |
government | established system of administration through which a nation, state, or district is ruled |
politics | encompasses principles, policies, and programs of government; arena in which citizens debate those issues that affect their individual and collective health and welfare |
environmental law | organized way of using all of the laws in a nation’s legal system to minimize, prevent, punish, or remedy the consequences of action that damage or threaten the environment |
common law | body of written and unwritten rules based on precedent |
precedent | legal decision or case that may serve as an example, reason, or justification for a later decision |
nuisance | class of wrongs that arise from the unreasonable, unwarrantable, or unlawful use of a person’s own property that produces annoyance, inconvenience, or material injury to another |
trespass | unwarranted or uninvited entry upon another’s property by a person, the person’s agent, or an object that he or she cause to be deposited there |
negligence | failure to exercise the care that a “prudent person” usually takes, resulting in an action or inaction that causes personal or property damage |
statutory law | body of facts passed by a local legislature or Congress |
education | study of the processes through which students learn, developing knowledge, skills, and expertise in diverse subjects |
environmental education | concerned with he process of learning about he biosphere, its associated problems, and the human role in causing and solving those problems |