Glossary

Atmosphere - The air envelope surrounding the Earth .Earth's atmosphere is the layer of gases surrounding the planet Earth retained by the Earth's gravity

Biosphere - The totality of living organisms with their environment, i.e. those layers of the Earth and the Earth's atmosphere in which living organisms are located. Vernadsky defined ecology (originally intended as the "economy of nature") as the science of the biosphere.

Ecology - The branch of science that studies the distribution and abundance of living organisms, their habitats, and the interactions between them and their environment - which includes both biotic (non-living) elements like climate and geology, and biotic ones like other species

Hydrosphere - The water envelope surrounding the Earth. Hydrosphere describes collective mass of water that is found under, on and over the surface of the Earth

Lithosphere - The outer solid shell of the Earth, i.e. the outer layers of the earth made up of the crust and the outer portion of the mantle (the layer between the core and the crust)

Noosphere - Literally, "the envelope of mind" or the "sphere of human thought". "The Noosphere is the last of many stages in the evolution of the biosphere in geological history".

"Looking far ahead, Vernadsky considered the emergence of the noosphere as a critical evolutionary step needed for preserving and reconstructing the biosphere in the interest of humanity as a single entity... We have already altered the biosphere to such an extent that the only rational way out is to understand as good as possible its intricate functions - and then to make sure that the future changes we inflict on the global environment will remain within tolerable limits. Obviously, the collective role of human consciousness will be essential if this unprecedented process of planetary management is to succeed... Limiting and eventually reducing the human impact on the biosphere would require an unprecedented degree of international, indeed global, cooperation and, inevitably, collective willingness to forgo certain kinds of consumption.

Sustainability - An economic, social, and ecological concept. It is intended to be a means of configuring civilization and human activity so that society and its members are able to meet their needs and express their greatest potential in the present, while preserving biodiversity and natural ecosystems, and planning and acting for the ability to maintain these ideals indefinitely. Sustainability affects every level of organization, from the local neighborhood to the entire globe

Дата добавления: 2014-01-05