Exploring Key Concepts in Environmental Science

What is the environment according to the lecture?

• Only the atmosphere

• Only living things around us

• Only nonliving things around us

• All living and nonliving things around us

What is a renewable natural resource?

• A resource that is derived from minerals

• A resource that is only available after depletion

• A resource that is perpetually renewed

• A resource that cannot be replenished

What is an example of an ecosystem service?

• Purification of air and water

• Manufacturing of cars

• Mining of coal

• Construction of buildings

What major event significantly increased the human population?

• The Middle Ages

• The Bronze Age

• The Renaissance

• The Industrial Revolution

What is the term for using resources faster than they are replenished?

• Sustainability

• Overshoot

• Affluence

• Conservation

What is the difference between environmental science and environmentalism?

• Environmental science is biased, environmentalism is unbiased

• Environmental science is a social movement, environmentalism is a scientific study

• Environmental science focuses on politics, environmentalism focuses on nature

• Environmental science is objective, environmentalism is subjective

What is the primary goal of science?

• To support conventional wisdom

• To ignore past experiences

• To develop solutions to problems

• To create new political movements

What is a hypothesis?

• A proven fact

• A statement that tries to explain a question

• An educated guess

• A random idea

What is a paradigm shift?

• A small adjustment in experimental methods

• A gradual acceptance of conventional wisdom

• A dramatic change in the dominant viewpoint

• A minor change in scientific understanding

What does sustainability involve?

• Using resources without any limits

• Developing short-term solutions

• Ignoring the planet's means

• Conserving resources and keeping ecosystems functional