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exponential growth
when a quantity increases at a constant rate per unit of time
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environmental science
the study of how the earth works, how we interact, and how to deal with the problems caused (interdisciplinary)
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environment
everything that affects a living organism
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ecology
a biological science that studies the relationships between living things and their environment
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environmentalism
a social movement dedicated to protecting the earth's life support systems for us and other species
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economic growth
an increase in the capacity of a country to proide people with goods and services
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economic development
improving standard of living by economic growth
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globalization
the process of social, economic, and environmental global changes that lead to an increasingly interconnected world
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resouces
anything obtained from the environment that meet our needs and wants
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perpetual resource
renewed continuously (solar)
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renewable resource
can be replenished fairly rapidly through natural process (fresh water, forests, animals.....)
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nonrenewable resources
exist in a fixed quantity or can renew through processes which may take thousands to millions of years (coal, oil, gas.....)
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pollution
the presence of substances at high enough levels to threaten life or activities of organisms
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point source pollution
single identifiable sources
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nonpoint source pollution
dispersed and difficult to identify
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biodiversity depletion
habitat destruction/ depletion
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food supply problems
over-harvesting, desertification, water shortages
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waste production
soild/ hazardous waste
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water pollution
pesticides, oil spills, farm runoff
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air pollution
climate change, acid rain, noise
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