Human Impacts on the Environment MS-ESS3-4

Carrying capacity

The largest population that an environment can support. Carrying capacity. Carrying capacity is the maximum number of living things that an environment can support without running out of resources.

Conservation

The careful management and use of resources. Conservation. In Grade 8 terms, conservation means protecting and wisely using natural resources to ensure they last for future generations.

Fossil fuel

An energy source made of the remains of organisms that lived long ago, like coal or oil, is called a fossil fuel. Fossil fuels are natural materials that we burn for energy, formed from ancient plants and animals buried over millions of years.

Greenhouse effect

The warming of the Earth when the atmosphere traps heat like a blanket. Greenhouse effect. The greenhouse effect is when gases in Earth's atmosphere, like carbon dioxide, trap heat from the sun, keeping the planet warm.

Natural resource

A material or an energy source in the environment, like trees, water, or wind natural resource. Natural resources are things we use from nature to live and make things, like wood for houses or wind for energy.

Nonrenewable resource

A natural resource that is consumed faster than it can be created. Nonrenewable resource. A nonrenewable resource is something we use from nature that can't be replaced quickly, like coal or oil.

Pollution

Adding harmful substances to the land, water, or air. Pollution. Pollution is when harmful materials damage our environment, affecting everything that lives there.

Renewable resource

A resource that is replaced by nature more quickly than it is consumed. Renewable resource. A renewable resource is something nature makes more of, like sunlight or wind, so we won't run out.