ecocentric worldview
A system-centered view that values intact ecosystems, not just the individual parts. (Chapter 1)
eco-industrial parks
Industrial parks in which industries are physically positioned near each other for “waste-to-feed” exchanges; the waste of one becomes the raw material for another. (Chapter 7)
ecolabeling
Providing information about how a product is made and where it comes from. Allows consumers to make more sustainable choices and support sustainable products and the businesses that produce them. (Chapter 6)
ecological diversity
The variety within an ecosystem’s structure, including many communities, habitats, niches, and trophic levels. (Chapter 12)
ecological economics
New theory of economics that considers the long-term impact of our choices on people and the environment. (Chapter 6)
ecological footprint
The land area needed to provide the resources for, and assimilate the waste of, a person or population. (Chapter 1, 6)
ecological succession
Progressive replacement of plant (and then animal) species in a community over time due to the changing conditions that the plants themselves create (more soil, shade, etc.). (Chapter 10)
economics
The social science that deals with the production, distribution, and consumption of goods and services. (Chapter 6)
ecosystem
All of the organisms in a given area plus the physical environment in which, and with which, they interact. (Chapter 8, 10)
ecosystem conservation
A management strategy that focuses on protecting an ecosystem as a whole in an effort to protect the species that live there. (Chapter 13)
ecosystem restoration
The repair of natural habitats back to (or close to) their original state. (Chapter 13)
ecosystem services
Benefits that are important to all life, including humans, provided by functional ecosystems; includes such things as nutrient cycles, air and water purification, and ecosystem goods such as food and fuel. (Chapter 6, 12)
ecotones
Regions of distinctly different physical areas that serve as boundaries between different communities. (Chapter 10)
ecotourism
Low-impact travel to natural areas that contributes to the protection of the environment and respects the local people. (Chapter 13)
edge effects
The different physical makeup of an ecotone that creates different conditions that either attract or repel certain species (e.g., it is drier, warmer, and more open at the edge of a forest and field than it is further in the forest). (Chapter 10)
edge species
Species that prefer to live close to the edges of two different habitats (ecotone areas). (Chapter 10)
effluent
Wastewater discharged into the environment. (Chapter 14)
electricity
The flow of electrons (negatively charged subatomic particles) through a conductive material (such as wire). (Chapter 18)
emerging infectious diseases
Infectious diseases that are new to humans or that have recently increased significantly in incidence, in some cases by spreading to new ranges. (Chapter 5)
emigration
The movement of people out of a given population. (Chapter 4)
empirical evidence
Information gathered via observation of physical phenomena. (Chapter 2)
empirical science
A scientific approach that investigates the natural world through systematic observation and experimentation. (Chapter 1)
endangered/endangered species
Describes a species that faces a very high risk of extinction in the immediate future. (Chapter 11, 12, 13)
Endangered Species Act (ESA)
The primary federal law that protects biodiversity in the United States. (Chapter 13)
endemic/ endemic species
Describes a species that is native to a particular area and is not naturally found elsewhere. (Chapter 11, 12)
endocrine disruptor
A substance that interferes with the endocrine system, typically by mimicking a hormone or preventing a hormone from having an effect. (Chapter 3)
energy
The capacity to do work. (Chapter 18)
energy flow
The one-way passage of energy through an ecosystem. (Chapter 8)
energy independence
Meeting all of one’s energy needs without importing any energy. (Chapter 19)
energy return on energy investment (EROEI)
A measure of the net energy from an energy source (the energy in the source minus the energy required to get it, process it, ship it, and then use it). (Chapter 18, 19)
energy security
Having access to enough reliable and affordable energy sources to meet one’s needs. (Chapter 19)
environment
The biological and physical surroundings in which any given living organism exists. (Chapter 1)
environmental ethic
The personal philosophy that influences how a person interacts with his or her natural environment and thus affects how one responds to environmental problems. (Chapter 1)
environmental health
The branch of public health that focuses on factors in the natural world and the human-built environment that impact the health of populations. (Chapter 5)
environmental impact statement (EIS)
A document that outlines the positive and negative impacts of a proposed federal action (including alternative actions and the option of taking no action); used to help decide whether or not that action will be approved. (Chapter 18, 24)
environmental justice
The concept that access to a clean, healthy environment is a basic human right. (Chapter 20, 25)
environmental literacy
A basic understanding of how ecosystems function and of the impact of our choices on the environment. (Chapter 1)
environmental policy
A course of action adopted by a government or organization that is intended to improve the natural environment and public health or reduce human impact on the environment. (Chapter 24)
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
The federal agency responsible for setting policy and enforcing U.S. environmental laws. (Chapter 3, 24)
environmental racism
Occurs when minority communities face more exposure to pollution than average for the region. (Chapter 20)
environmental science
An interdisciplinary field of research that draws on the natural and social sciences and the humanities in order to understand the natural world and our relationship to it. (Chapter 1)
epidemiologist
A scientist who studies the causes and patterns of disease in human populations. (Chapter 3, 5)
eutrophication
A process in which excess nutrients in aquatic ecosystems feed biological productivity, ultimately lowering the oxygen content in the water. (Chapter 15, 17)
evaporation
The conversion of water from a liquid state to a gaseous state. (Chapter 14)
evolution
Differences in the gene frequencies within a population from one generation to the next. (Chapter 11)
e-waste
Unwanted computers and other electronic devices such as discarded televisions and cell phones. (Chapter 7)
experimental study
Research that manipulates a variable in a test group and compares the response to that of a control group that was not exposed to the same variable. (Chapter 2)
exponential growth
The kind of growth in which a population becomes progressively larger each breeding cycle; produces a J curve when plotted over time. (Chapter 9)
external cost
A cost associated with a product or service that is not taken into account when a price is assigned to that product or service but rather is passed on to a third party who does not benefit from the transaction. (Chapter 6)
extinction
The complete loss of a species from an area; may be local (gone from an area) or global (gone for good). (Chapter 11)
extirpated/extirpation
Describes a species that is locally extinct in one or more areas but still has some individual members in other areas. (Chapter 11, 12)
exurbs
Towns beyond the immediate suburbs whose residents commute into the city for work. (Chapter 25)