Environmental Science Sustainability

Modern understandings of sustainable development hold that sustainability occurs when:

• biodiversity resources exceed human demand
• external costs are factored into the value of all converted ecosystems
• environmental goals overlap with social and economic goals, achieving a triple bottom line
• all economic costs of altering, developing, and maintaining converted ecosystems are taken into consideration

In terms of ecosystem services, the sustainability managed ecosystems would:

• provide enhanced and restored services over unaltered natural ecosystems
• provide somewhat diminished or damaged services
• provide more and more valuable services than converted ecosystems
• restore the original biodiversity of ecosystems

The world's average ecological footprint is about 2.7 hectares/person compared to the U.S. average of 9.5 hectares/person. The world is depleting renewable resources approximately___% faster than they can be replenished; however, the U.S. impact alone is approximately___ times greater than the world average

• 30%;3
• 15%;2.5
• 30%;5
• 30%;2.5

A scientific hypothesis:

• is a testable proposition that explains an observed phenomenon or answers a question
• is a prediction about something that has not yet been observed but that you want to test in a controlled manner
• includes the design of an experiment that can be used in scientific inquiry 
• always consists of one independent variable to be measured by a scientist

A controlled scientific experiment:

• preferably involves collection of quantitative data over qualitative data  
• is always designed to generate new scientific hypotheses advance science
• is an activity designed to test the validity of a hypothesis
• involves manipulating only the dependent variable and measuring the independent variable

Ecosystem Services:

• contribute to keeping ecosystems economically productive 
• are economically valuable services provided by natural systems
• are required to rebalance natural systems that we have disturbed
• are focused on providing humans with the essential life services

A well-designed and well-controlled experiment includes:

• a testable hypothesis, one independent variable, replicates, and a quantifiable dependent variable
• a testable hypothesis, several independent variables, one replicate, and a quantifiable dependent variable
• a testable hypothesis, one independent variable, replicates, and several quantifiable dependent variables
• a testable hypothesis, a quantifiable independent variable, one replicate, and a qualitative dependent variable

Which of the following will lead to a more sustainable world culture?

• increasing green energy production for everyone
• reducing overall consumption and halting population growth
• increasing consumer growth for all developing nations
• creating industrial systems that are linear in design and operation

The "lesson" of Easter Island was that:

• conservation of resources is always necessary for sustainable societies
• we never comprehend resource issues until the resource is gone
• political support is required to ensure sustainable societies
• economics is an important facilitator of sustainable societies

Structures given a LEED platinum ranking are:

• inefficient and need to be renovated and upgraded to meet green standards
• especially high in heavy metal content
• exemplary in sustainable design, especially energy efficiency
• constructed to function sustainability without electricity from fossil fuels