环境科学复习要点.doc

CHAPTER ONE：Environmental Interrelationships Environment: the surrounding conditions that affect people and other organism. In a broader definition, environment is everything that affects an organism during its lifetime. 环境：与某一中心事物有关的周围事物，就是这个中心事物的环境。 Environmental Science: is an interdisciplinary area of study that includes both applied and theoretical aspects of human impact on the world. The field of environmental science involves an understanding of scientific principles, economic influences, and political action. Environment decisions ofent involve compromise.(fig. 1.1) International Organization In order to solve the common environmental issues, several international organizations were founded, and several international conventions were established. The international joint commission (1909) boundary waters treaty The united nations conference on environment and development (1992, UNCED) sustainable development and biodiversity Agenda 21 The Kyoto conference on climate change (1997) the Kyoto protocol The United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) supported many environmental programs. An ecosystem： is a region in which the organisms and the physical environment form interacting unit. For solving regional environmental issues, it’s very useful to adopt ecosystem approach. No region is free of environmental concerns. Regional vignettes in America The Wideness Northcharacteristic: wilderness--areas with minimal human influence. Much of this land is owned by governments, not by individuals, so government policies have a large effect on what happens in these regions. The Agricultural Middle characteristic: intensive agriculture.Original, natural ecosystems have been replaced by managed agricultural enterprise.nonpoint pollution sources (pollution that does not have an easily identified point of origin).The Dry West characteristic: inadequate rainfal