Reference no: EM133198116 , Length: Word count: 3 Pages

Answer the following questions:

Question 1: Describe how global fertility rates and populations are changing.

Question 2: What is the idea of "ecological services"? Give an example.

Question 3: Distinguish between a hypothesis and a theory.

Question 4: Describe the steps in the scientific method.

Question 5: What is probability? Give an example.

Question 6: Why are scientists generally skeptical? Why do tests require replication?

Question 7: What is the first step in critical thinking?

Question 8: Distinguish between utilitarian conservation and preservation. Name two environmental leaders associated with each of these philosophies.

Question 9: Why do some experts regard water as the most critical natural resource for the twenty-first century?

Question 10: Does the most dramatic warming occur?

Question 11: What are the HDI ranges for the United States, India, and China?

Question 12: What is the link between poverty and environmental quality?

Question 13: Define sustainability and sustainable development.

Apply the principles you have learned in this chapter to discuss these questions with other students.

1. Changing fertility rates are often explained in terms of better education for girls and women. What might be some reasons for this association?

2. The analytical approaches of science are suitable for answering many questions. Are there some questions that science cannot answer? Why or why not?

3. Often opinions diverge sharply in controversial topics, such as the allowable size of fish catches or the balance of environmental and economic priorities in land management. Think of a controversial topic with which you are familiar. What steps can you take to maintain objectivity and impartiality in evaluating the issue?

4. Environmental activists often focus on questions of social justice and environmental justice. Consider an issue such as air or water quality. Why does it affect different groups unequally?

5. Suppose you wanted to study the environmental impacts of a rich versus a poor country. What factors would you examine, and how would you compare them?