Understanding Sustainability: Indicators, Ecological Footprint, and Risk Assessment
Sustainability Indicators and Environmental Assessment
To uphold the principle of irreversibility, it’s crucial to assess the environmental damage caused by human activities and implement mitigation strategies.
The Role of Environmental Indicators
An environmental indicator is a variable or assessment tool that provides insights into the state or evolution of a specific environmental problem. It aids in the decision-making process to adopt the most appropriate solutions.
Objectives of Sustainability
- Ecological
Celestial Bodies: From Planets to Neutron Stars
The Pythagorean model placed a central fire, around which the Earth, Moon, Sun, and planets revolved.
Geocentric Model
Aristotle proposed a geocentric model where the Earth is the center of the universe, and stars revolve around it. Retrograde motion refers to the apparent clockwise rotation of a body when viewed from above the solar north pole. Epicycle models were geometric models designed to explain variations in the speed and direction (retrograde motion) of the Moon and planets.
Heliocentric Model
The
Read MoreCanary Islands Vegetation: A Guide to Plant Life & Adaptations
Vegetation of the Canary Islands
Vegetation: The archipelago boasts over 1800 plant species, with 50% being endemic.
Determinants of Vegetation Zones
- Climate: Temperature decreases with altitude (approximately 1°C per 100m in dry air, 0.5°C per 100m with moisture). At the same altitude, southern areas experience higher temperatures than northern areas. Rainfall and cloud cover are more prevalent in the north due to trade winds, creating humid air between 500-1500m, known as the “sea of clouds,” leading
Understanding Natural Disaster Risks: Earthquakes, Tsunamis, Volcanoes, and Floods
Understanding Hazard Risk
Hazard risk is not equal to the value that achieves a risk. It depends on three factors:
- A hazard’s potential to be catastrophic, often occurring with quick escalation.
- Overexposure or the volume of population and property that may be affected.
- Vulnerabilities of a community to be damaged.
Prediction is based on statistical data that indicate whether a particular phenomenon is common in the area.
Prevention proposes the adoption of measures necessary for the event to have minimal
Read MoreUnderstanding Vertical Temperature Gradients and Atmospheric Stability
Vertical Temperature Gradients
Vertical Gradients: The difference in temperature between two points located at an altitude difference of 100 meters.
The Vertical Temperature Gradient (GTV) represents the vertical variation in air temperature under static or resting conditions. Its value varies with height, latitude, and season.
Inversion: An airspace where the temperature increases with altitude instead of decreasing, i.e., when the GTV is negative. Example: Winter.
Dry Adiabatic Lapse Rate (GAS): This
Read MoreKey Events and Concepts of the Cold War and WWII
Cold War
General Assembly: Body where all UN member states are represented. It dictates resolutions and sanctions approved by a majority.
UNICEF: UN fund responsible for developing programs for the defense and protection of children.
Cold War: Indirect cultural and political confrontation between the USA and the USSR, which emerged after WWII to lead the world.
Arms race: Accumulation of weapons, each time more sophisticated, during the Cold War.
Sputnik: In 1957, the launch of the first artificial satellite
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