GEF

10 Introduction UNIT4 | TheGlobal ecosysTem 84 4.4 The Importance of Ecosystems An ecosystem isabiologicalcommunityofplants,animals, bacteria, fungi,andotherorganismsand theirenvironment. Ecosystemsaredifferent fromoneanother,dependingon the organismsandflowofenergy,nutrients,andminerals through the system.The typeoforganisms living inanecosystemsare determinedbymany factors, includingclimate, soil type,and amountofprecipitation.Someexamplesofecosystemsare tropical forests,deserts,andcoral reefs.Someecosystemsare definedbya specific location, suchas theGreaterYellowstone ecosystem in thewesternUnitedStates.Humansarealsoa partofmostecosystemsand impacthowecosystemswork. “Thinking likeanecosystem” isavitalcomponentofpracticing sustainability.Anecosystemapproachencouragesus to think about the linksbetweennatural systems.Whenwe think likean ecosystem,webetterunderstand the resultsofhumanactivities andfind solutionsalignedwithEarth’secologicalbalance. ECOSYSTEM Biologicalcommunitiesof plants,animals,bacteria, fungi,andotherorganisms incombinationwith their environment. sUsTaINabIlITy coNcePTs Sustainability isnot intended tobe taughtasa separate subject,but ratherasa framework toapply toall corecurriculum subjects.Addressinganyof themain challengesof sustainability, fromclimatechange to the foodcrisis, requiresknowledgeofmultiple studies, suchas science, technology,engineering,math, social studies,andeconomics.Sustainabilityoffersa real-world framework touse tounderstand importantconcepts from manydifferent subjectareas. UNIT4 | TheGlobal ecosysTem 86 4.5 Sustainability as an Integrating Concept Likeecology, sustainabilityemphasizes linksbetweenpeople and theEarth.The integratedapproachnecessary for sustain- ability isbasedon systems thinking ,amethodof study that emphasizes theconnectionsbetweenpartsand thewhole. Understandingecological systemsallowsus to see the links between theEarthandhumanactivities.Systems thinking requires thatwemakedecisionsbasedonenvironmental, economic,and social impact.Recall that these threeelements of sustainabilityareknownas the triplebottom line .This approachdemands thatweconsider interconnectionsand root causeswhenaiming forglobal sustainability. SYSTEMS THINKING Amethodof study that emphasizes the integra- tionofvariousparts into thewhole,andconnections betweenparts. TRIPLE BOTTOM LINE A standardoriginating in thebusinessworld thatgives equalweight toeconom- ics, theenvironment,and socialequity. WaTch & leaRN https://youtu.be/JRWLQuUYxOY Watch thevideoand respond to thequestionsbelow. 1. Whatare threegases found in theEarth’satmosphere? 2. What is thehydrosphere? 3. Listat least ten thingsyoucan thinkof that live in theEarth’sbiosphere. video: TheBiosphere Sustainability Concepts features expand on the current topic, raising your awareness of challenges and successes surrounding sustainability issues. Interactive Watch & Learn videos take you out of the text to expand on the current topic. Prompts encourage you to think critically about the message from each video and apply the information to sustainability challenges.