PEOPLE AND THE EARTH’S ECOSYSTEM

(STS 11)

Bachelor of Science in Business Administration Major in Financial Management

MIDTERM EXAM

Submitted by:

FLORY VIC L. BAKIAO

Student

Submitted to:

MS. LOVELY PATETE

Instructor

BA2-F
1. Discuss the development of ideas about how humans have changed their environment?
For thousands of years, humans have modified the physical environment by clearing
land agriculture or damming streams to store and direct water. As we
industrialized, we built factories and power plants. While these modifications
directly impact the local environment, they also impact environments farther away
due to interconnectivity of Earth’s system. For example, when a dam is built, less
water flows downstream. This impacts the communities and wildlife located
downstream who might depend on that water. In another, humans impact the
physical environment also in many ways: overpopulation, pollution, burning fossil
fuels, and deforestation. Changes like these have triggered climate change, soil
erosion, poor air quality, and undrinkable water. These negative impacts can affect
human behavior and changes to the environment.
2. List at least three ways in which humans directly influence environmental conditions?
 Burning fossil fuels
 Deforestations
 Overpopulation
3. Explain the difference/s between economic growth and ecological sustainable
development.
In terms of the perspective from the developed countries, economic growth results in
increasing wealth, income, standard of living, and improved health care facilities.
This state of affluence on the other hand came at a price of environmental
degradation, which commenced from the dawn of the industrial revolution in the
18th Century. Therefore, when we think in terms of economic growth, we realize
that growth is the major economic goal of many nations (McConnell 2002, p.137).
Thus, as a goal, a Nation that can achieve economic growth will be better suited to
meet the wants of individuals and resolve socio-economic problems such as poverty
(McConnell 2002). Thereby, ensuring the well-being of the economy and improving
standard of living, by raising incomes/ providing jobs. In addition, economic growth
 can possibly even protect the environment by the creation of parks, reserves, and
implementation of key policies. In the whole process, it is important to understand,
that economic growth is not synonymous with economic development. What this
actually means, is that economic development is the advancement of economic
wealth of a country, aimed at the overall welfare of the citizens. Achieving overall
welfare is accomplished through improving the quality of life, measured by life
expectancy, literacy, gross domestic product (GDP), and so forth. While in
comparison, economic growth measures in a narrower context using only GDP.
One of the core goals of sustainable development is to leverage renewables. The
world energy’s requirement is not going to slow down. The aim is to reduce
dependence on fossil fuel supplies and ensure that sustainable sources of energy like
solar, hydro, etc. can help in satisfying our growing requirements. Homeowners and
commercial establishments need to be encouraged to start shifting towards
renewable sources and to start using solar air conditioners. Small steps in this
regard can go a long way in reducing the adverse effects of Global Warming and
Climate Change on our planet.
The World Commission on Environment and Development (1987) defines the term
Sustainable Development as “Development that meets the needs of the present
without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.”
This concept, therefore, takes into consideration the right to development and the
protection of the environment. Sustainable Development, therefore, aims to meet
present needs and address short-term issues with the overall goal of long-term
Sustainability.
4. If there were no domestications of animals, would it still produce the same development
in our species? Why or why not?
No, because by means of domestications it is the action of taming animals or the
process of breeding animals. When we say domestications of animals it is helped to
contribute to the development of permanent settlements because some animals could
 help in a certain problems just like to locate where the things are gone using their
capability.
5. Discuss how fire is essential for environmental cycle?
The natural process of fire is as essential to many of the world’s ecosystems most
especially to our environment as sunlight or precipitation, particularly for forests
and grasslands. In the absence of fire, forests become much denser, and fuels like
leaves, branches and dead trees accumulate. In others, many ecosystems benefit
form periodic fires, because they clear out dead organic material-and some plant
and animal populations require the benefits fire brings to survive and reproduce.
Several plants actually require fire to move along their life cycles