Key Concepts in Science, Sustainability, and Technology
Paradigm
Context, commitments, principles, and practices that define a scientific discipline at a given time. A scientific revolution occurs when a paradigm shift happens.
Sustainable Development
Meeting present needs without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.
Agenda 21
A comprehensive work plan for government institutions to create a framework for sustainable development.
Ecological Footprint
An indicator measuring the impact of human activities on Earth.
Biocapacity
The maximum number of individuals that can be sustained by the resources generated within a given territory.
Ecological Deficit
Occurs when a country borrows resources from other regions or overexploits its own, leading to environmental problems and social inequalities.
Energy Intensity
The amount of energy used per unit of currency produced by the economic system.
Human Development Index (HDI)
An indicator synthesizing demographic, economic, and cultural factors to assess a country’s development.
Thermodynamics
The science studying energy transformations.
1st Law
Energy cannot be created or destroyed, only transformed.
2nd Law
In any energy conversion process, the final state’s potential energy is less than or equal to the initial state’s. Physicists refer to this as an increase in entropy.
Endosomatic Energy
Energy needed for human survival, obtained through food.
Exosomatic Energy
Energy used for services beyond basic survival needs.
Energy Source
Natural resources from which energy can be obtained. Primary energy comes directly from natural systems.
Renewable Energy
Sources that are inexhaustible or replenish quickly on a human timescale. Examples: hydroelectric, wave, biofuels, geothermal, solar thermal, solar photovoltaic, wind, ocean thermal.
Nonrenewable Energy
Sources like oil, coal, natural gas, nuclear fission, and nuclear fusion.
Benefits of Fire
- Defense against predators
- Cold weather adaptation and land colonization
- Improved food digestibility
- Tool improvement
- Increased sociability
Ceramics
Crystalline or partially crystalline materials formed by heating inorganic constituents.
Polymers
Long molecules made of repeating monomer units.
Natural Polymers
Produced by biological processes (e.g., keratin, chitin, resin).
Artificial Polymers
Polymers that have undergone transformation processes.
Synthetic Polymers
Industrially designed and manufactured polymers, often identified as plastics.
Plastic Types
Thermoplastics
Can be molded after heating.
Thermosets
Cannot be remolded after taking shape.
Elastomers
Possess thermoplastic properties but lose them after vulcanization.
Vulcanization
Hardening and strengthening of rubber by mixing it with sulfur and applying heat.
Plastics Today
Derived from organic monomers obtained from petroleum distillation. Examples: high-density polyethylene, low-density polyethylene, polyvinyl chloride.
Nanotechnology
The design and manufacture of objects at the nanoscale (atomic and molecular level). 1 nanometer = 1 billionth of a meter.
Bioplastics
Biodegradable polymers produced by organisms or from biological polymers like cellulose, starch, or soybean oil.
Life Cycle Analysis (LCA)
A method examining the environmental impact of a product throughout its entire life cycle, from creation to disposal.