Laramy Montgomery

VALU 191 The Environment & Society Unit 1 Vocabulary

1. Anthropogenic: Caused by humans: relating to or resulting from influence that humans have on the natural world. 2. Radiative forcing: disruption of radiation balance: a process that alters the energy balance between incoming solar radiation and outgoing infrared radiation from the Earth, including volcanic eruptions and greenhouse gases. 3. Permafrost: permanently frozen land: underlying soil or rock that remains permanently frozen, found mainly in the polar regions. 4. Paleoclimatology: Study of prehistoric climates: the study of prehistoric climates on a global or regional scale from evidence preserved in glacial deposits, sedimentary structures, and fossils.

5. Carbon cycle: carbon flow between organisms and environment: the exchange of carbon between living organisms and the environment. Carbon dioxide is taken from the atmosphere by photosynthesizing plants and returned by the respiration of plants and animals and by the combustion of fossil fuels. 6. Climate change: change in global weather patterns : long-term alteration in global weather patterns, especially increases in temperature and storm activity, regarded as a potential consequence of the greenhouse effect. Specifically through human activity by IPCC useage. 7. Sustainable development: economic development without polluting environment: economic development maintained within acceptable levels of global resource depletion and environmental pollution. 8. Kyoto Protocol: a legally binding agreement under which industrialized countries will
reduce their collective emissions of greenhouse gases by 5.2% compared to the year 1990.

9. Greenhouse effect: warming of the Earth's surface as a result of atmospheric pollution by gases. It is now feared that the warming effects are being undesirably increased, causing climate changes and melting polar icecaps. 10. Carbon sequestration: uptake and storage of carbon, especially by trees and plants that absorb carbon dioxide and release oxygen.

11. sunshine policy: the practice of naming and shaming of specific companies that don't follow or comply with environmental regulations. 12. Ecological footprint: a measure of human demand on the Earths ecosystems. Comparing human demand with planet Earths ecological capacity to regenerate. 13. Meta-trend: a change occurring over time which has many parts or facets; it indicates a transformation over time. 14. Montreal Protocol: an international treaty designed to protect the ozone layer by phasing out the production of numerous substances believed to be responsible for ozone depletion. (entered into force Jan 1, 1989). 15. global sustainability: the study of the use of resources over time, measuring how long something will last, often in terms of a specific business or environment. 16. Anthropocentric: Considering humans to be the central or most important part of the universe. 17. Ozone depletion: a steady decline of about 4% per decade in the total volume of ozone in earths stratosphere (ozone layer) since the late 1970s, and a larger, but seasonal decrease in stratospheric ozone over Earths polar regions during the same period. 18. Atlantic conveyor belt: The global recirculation of water masses in the Atlantic Ocean that determines todays climate for Europe. 19. Pollution taxes: taxes intended to promote ecologically sustainable activities via economic incentive by taxing for emission of pollutants. 20. Biotechnology: the use of biological processes in industrial production. (examples: making cheese, wine, beer, vaccines, and insulin.)