The greenhouse effect is the trapping of heat from the sun's radiation by greenhouse gases like carbon dioxide and methane in the Earth's atmosphere, causing the planet to warm.

Biodiversity refers to the variety of living species on Earth, including plants, animals, fungi, and microorganisms, as well as the ecosystems they are part of.

The main sources of air pollution include transportation (vehicles), industrial processes, power generation, residential wood burning, and agricultural practices.

Acid rain is precipitation (rain, snow, fog) that is acidic due to the presence of certain pollutants like sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxides, which can damage ecosystems and human-made structures.

Renewable energy sources are those that are replenished naturally and continually, such as solar, wind, geothermal, hydropower, and biomass.

The ozone layer is a region of the Earth's stratosphere that contains a high concentration of ozone gas, which absorbs harmful ultraviolet (UV) radiation from the sun and protects life on Earth.

Desertification is the process by which fertile land becomes desert, typically due to human activities like overcultivation, overgrazing, and deforestation, as well as climate change.

An ecological footprint is a measure of the demand that human activities place on the environment, including the land and resources required to produce the goods and services consumed.

Eutrophication is the excessive enrichment of water bodies with nutrients like nitrogen and phosphorus, often from agricultural runoff or sewage, leading to excessive algal growth and depletion of oxygen.

Sustainable development is development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs, balancing environmental, economic, and social considerations.

The water cycle is the continuous movement of water on, above, and below the Earth's surface, involving processes like evaporation, condensation, precipitation, and runoff.

Habitat fragmentation is the breaking up of a contiguous habitat into smaller, isolated patches, often due to human activities like urban development and deforestation, leading to a loss of biodiversity.

Succession is the gradual process by which an ecological community transitions from one species composition to another over time, often following a disturbance.

The Tragedy of the Commons is a situation where individuals, acting independently and rationally according to their own self-interest, deplete a shared resource despite it not being in their collective long-term interest.

Environmental justice is the fair treatment and meaningful involvement of all people regardless of race, color, national origin, or income, with respect to the development, implementation, and enforcement of environmental laws, regulations, and policies.

The greenhouse gas effect is the trapping of heat from the sun's radiation by certain gases like carbon dioxide, methane, and nitrous oxide in the Earth's atmosphere, causing the planet to warm.

Biomagnification is the increasing concentration of persistent, toxic substances like pesticides and heavy metals in the tissues of organisms at higher trophic levels in a food chain or web.

Point source pollution comes from a specific, identifiable source, like a factory smokestack or sewage pipe. Nonpoint source pollution comes from dispersed sources, like agricultural runoff or urban stormwater.

A carbon footprint is the total amount of greenhouse gas emissions, especially carbon dioxide, caused directly and indirectly by an individual, organization, event, or product.

The Endangered Species Act is a U.S. federal law that provides for the conservation of threatened and endangered species and the ecosystems on which they depend.

The Montreal Protocol is an international agreement designed to protect the ozone layer by phasing out the production and consumption of ozone-depleting substances like chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs).

Urban sprawl is the uncontrolled, expansive growth of urban areas, typically characterized by low-density development, increased dependency on motor vehicles, and conversion of natural and agricultural lands.

The precautionary principle is the idea that action should be taken to address potential environmental risks, even if scientific evidence is incomplete or inconclusive, as a precaution against causing harm.

An ecological niche is the role and position a species occupies within an ecosystem, including its behavior, habitat preferences, and the resources it uses.

The Kyoto Protocol is an international agreement adopted in 1997 to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and mitigate climate change, setting legally binding targets for participating developed countries.

Bioremediation is the use of living organisms, like bacteria or plants, to break down or remove pollutants and contaminants from soil, water, or other environments.

The Clean Air Act is a U.S. federal law aimed at controlling air pollution on a national level by regulating air emissions from stationary and mobile sources.

The hydrologic cycle, or water cycle, is the continuous movement of water through the Earth's systems, including evaporation, condensation, precipitation, surface runoff, and groundwater flow.

Producers, like plants, are organisms that can produce their own food from inorganic materials through photosynthesis. Consumers, like animals, are organisms that obtain energy and nutrients by feeding on other living things.

Carrying capacity is the maximum population size of a particular species that a given environment can sustain indefinitely without degradation of the environment.

The Clean Water Act is a U.S. federal law that aims to regulate and eliminate pollutant discharges into waters, maintain water quality standards, and protect wetlands.

Conventional energy sources are non-renewable fossil fuels like coal, oil, and natural gas. Alternative energy sources are renewable sources like solar, wind, geothermal, and biofuels.

Weather is the current state of atmospheric conditions like temperature, precipitation, and wind at a particular time and place. Climate is the long-term average weather patterns over an extended period in a given region.

Resource conservation is the protection, preservation, and efficient use of natural resources such as water, soil, forests, minerals, and energy sources to ensure their availability for future generations.

Greenhouse gases are gases in the Earth's atmosphere that trap heat from the sun's radiation, contributing to the greenhouse effect. Examples include carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide, and ozone.

Primary succession is the gradual establishment of an ecosystem on a previously uninhabited area like bare rock or sand. Secondary succession is the re-establishment of an ecosystem after a disturbance or disruption.

The purpose of the Endangered Species Act is to protect and recover endangered and threatened species and their habitats, preventing their extinction.

Bioaccumulation is the gradual accumulation of substances, like pesticides or heavy metals, in the tissues of living organisms, usually at higher levels than in the environment.

A food chain is a linear sequence of organisms where each organism obtains energy by feeding on the preceding one. A food web is a network of interconnected food chains, showing the complex relationships between different organisms in an ecosystem.

Natural selection is the process by which individuals with favorable traits that make them better adapted to their environment are more likely to survive and reproduce, passing their traits on to future generations.

The Clean Air Act Amendments of 1990 strengthened the original Clean Air Act by providing more comprehensive regulation of air pollutants, including provisions for controlling acid rain and ozone depletion.

Thermal pollution is the degradation of water quality by the introduction of heated effluents, often from industrial processes or power plants, which can disrupt the ecological balance of aquatic ecosystems.

CERCLA, also known as the Superfund Act, is a U.S. law that provides a federal 'Superfund' to clean up uncontrolled or abandoned hazardous waste sites and hold responsible parties liable for cleanup costs.

Population dynamics refers to the changes in size, distribution, and structure of a population over time, influenced by factors like births, deaths, immigration, and emigration.

The Montreal Protocol is an international agreement that aims to protect the ozone layer by phasing out the production and consumption of ozone-depleting substances like chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs).

Environmental sustainability refers to practices, decisions, and actions that meet the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs, ensuring a balance between environmental, economic, and social factors.