acute poverty
	Insufficient income or access to resources needed to provide the basic necessities for life such as food, shelter, sanitation, clean water, medical care, and education.
altruistic preservation
	A philosophy of preserving nature for its own sake.
cornucopian fallacy
	The belief that nature is limitless in its abundance and that perpetual growth is not only possible but essential.
environment
	The circumstances or conditions that surround an organism or group of organisms as well as the complex of social or cultural conditions that affect an individual or community.
environmental science
	The systematic, scientific study of our environment as well as our role in it.
environmentalism
	Active participation in attempts to solve environmental pollution and resource problems.
First World
	The industrialized capitalist or market-economy countries of Western Europe, North America, Japan, Australia, and New Zealand.
Fourth World
	A political/economic category describing very poor nations that have neither market economies nor central planning and are either not developing or are developing very slowly. Also used to describe indigenous communities within wealthier nations.
global environmentalism
	A concern for, and action to help solve, global environmental problems.
neo-Malthusian
	A belief that the world is characterized by scarcity and competition in which too many people fight for too few resources. Named for Thomas Malthus, who predicted a dismal cycle of misery, vice, and starvation as a result of human overpopulation.
North/South division
	A description of the fact that most of the world's wealthier countries tend to be in North America, Europe, and Japan while the poorer countries tend to be located closer to the equator.
Promethean environmentalism
	A form of technological optimism that predicts that human ingenuity and enterprise will find cures for all our problems.
Second World
	The industrialized, socialist, centrally planned economy nations of Eastern Europe and the former Soviet Union and its allies.
sustainable development
	A real increase in well-being and standard of life for the average person that can be maintained over the long-term without degrading the environment or compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.
technological optimists
	Those who believe that technology and human enterprise will find cures for all our problems. Also called Promethean environmentalism.
Third World
	Lesser-developed countries that are not capitalistic and industrialized (First World) or centrally-planned socialist economies (Second World); not intended to be derogatory.
utilitarian conservation
	A philosophy that resources should be used for the greatest good for the greatest number for the longest time.

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