Sustainability

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Sustainable Development Noun

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[suh-steyn-uh-buhl di-vel-uhp-muhnt]

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Sustainable Development

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The practice of using resources to meet human needs while preserving the ecosystem services that are required for the future.

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Example: This image shows a healthy planet with many different plants and animals, and a person taking care of it, representing the balance between people and nature.

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Renewable Resource Noun

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[ri-noo-uh-buhl ree-sawrs]

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Renewable Resource

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A natural resource that can be produced or replaced by a healthy ecosystem's processes within a reasonable amount of time.

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Example: This image shows five examples of renewable resources: biomass (plants), solar (sun), geothermal (Earth's heat), wind, and water, which are naturally replenished.

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Nonrenewable Resource Noun

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[non-ri-noo-uh-buhl ree-sawrs]

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Nonrenewable Resource

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A resource that cannot be replenished by natural processes within a reasonable amount of time once it has been consumed.

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Example: This image displays examples of nonrenewable resources like coal, natural gas, and nuclear energy, which are energy sources that cannot be replenished quickly.

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Resilience Noun

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[ri-zil-yuhns]

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Resilience

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The ability of an ecosystem or community to deal with change and recover after facing environmental stresses and disturbances.

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Example: This diagram shows an ecosystem as a ball in a valley (a stable state). Resilience is the size of the 'hill' preventing the ball from rolling into a different valley.

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Ecosystem Services Noun

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[ee-koh-sis-tuhm sur-vis-iz]

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Ecosystem Services

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The essential benefits that humans obtain from the natural environment and from properly-functioning ecosystems that support all life.

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Example: This diagram shows the four types of benefits nature provides: provisioning (food), regulating (climate), cultural (recreation), and supporting (nutrient cycles).

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Fossil Fuels Noun

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[fos-uhl fyoo-uhls]

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Fossil Fuels

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Nonrenewable energy sources, including coal, oil, and natural gas, formed from the buried remains of ancient organic materials.

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Example: This diagram shows fossil fuels, like oil and gas, trapped deep underground beneath layers of rock, and the machinery used to extract them.

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Anthropocene Noun

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[an-thruh-puh-seen]

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Anthropocene

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The current geological age defined by the period when human activity became the dominant influence on the planet's climate.

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Example: This image shows a massive open-pit mine, where humans use huge machines to dig up resources, permanently changing the Earth's surface on a giant scale.