EVSC 1080 Chapter Notes - Chapter 1: Gross Domestic Product, Natural Capital, Ecosystem Services
21 May 2016
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Inexhaustible resources- a continuous supply for a long long time (solar energy) Renewable resources- one that can be replenished by natural processes (could take hours or centuries) Nonrenewable resources- those that exist in a fixed quantity. Economic growth- an increase in a nation"s output of goods and services. Measured by the percentage of change in a country"s gross domestic product (gdp) which is the annual market value of all goods and services produced by all businesses operating within a country. Environmental degradation or natural capital degradation- scientific evidence indicates that we are living unsustainably by wasting, depleting, and degrading the earth"s natural capital at an accelerating rate. According to a 4-year study, human activities have degraded about 60% of the earth"s natural or ecosystem services, mostly since 1950. Pollution- any presence within the environment of a chemical or other agent at a level that is harmful to the health, survival, or activities of humans or other organisms.
