Chapter 1 – Question Outline – Environmental Problems, Their Causes, and
Sustainability –(Living in the Environment – Miller)
1. What is exponential growth and how does it relate to A) human population
B) human induced extinction
2. What are the three basic aspects of environmental science?
3. Create a mini concept map showing the interconnection between natural and
social science. Include the field of ecology.
4. Compare contrast the difference between environmental science and
environmentalism by giving an example of a component from each field.
5. Define sustainability and list the five steps in achieving it. Explain what these
steps should be based on.
6. Give an example of how a renewable resource can become nonrenewable.
7. List the two components of natural capital and give a few examples of resources
and services.
8. Do you live in a sustainable manner? Why or why not?
9. Explain why a 1.23% rate of increase is still significant in regards to human
population.
10. Explain the difference between economic growth, GDP, per capita GDP, and PPP.
What are the top six countries in terms of GDP?
11. What is environmentally sustainable development?
12. Explain the rule of 70.
13. How are perpetual and renewable resources different and how do they relate to
sustainable yield.
14. List four examples of environmental degradation
15. Describe Hardin’s Tragedy of commons theory in regards to renewable resources
and list two basic solutions to this problem
16. What is the ecological footprint and per capita ecological footprint. What happens
when a country’s ecological footprint is larger than its ecological capacity?
17. What five countries collectively use 74% of the earth’s ecological capacity?
18. What are two solutions to conserving nonrenewable resources?
19. Explain the difference between point and non-point pollution and give a few
examples of each.
20. What are the three types of unwanted effects of pollutants?
21. What are the two basic solutions in regards to pollution solutions and where
should the emphasis belong in regards to many environmental scientists?
22. What are the five major causes of environmental problems.
23. How is poverty linked to population growth? What are the four preventable health
problems that cause premature death among the desperately poor?
24. What is affluenza? How could become beneficial to the environment?
25. Explain this equation: I = P x A x T
26. Name and describe the three major cultural changes that have increased the
human impact on the environment.
27. According to the UN’s millennium Ecosystem Assessment, how do most experts
believe we are living?
28. Describe the extremes views of the technological optimist and the environmental
pessimist.
29. What is the difference between environmental worldview and environmental ethics?
30. Explain each of the following: planetary management worldview, stewardship
worldview, and environmental wisdom worldview.
31. What are the four basic components of the earth’s sustainability?
32. List the sustainability emphasis to each of the current emphasis issues: A) pollution
cleanup, B) waste disposal, C) protecting species, D) environmental degradation, E)
increase resource use, F) population growth, G) depleting and degrading natural capital.
33. Briefly describe the Chattanooga pollution story?