✅ I.
Introduction to Environmental Science
❓ Define environmental science and explain its interdisciplinary nature.
Answer:
Environmental science is the study of how humans interact with the environment, including both
natural and built systems. It is interdisciplinary because it combines knowledge from biology,
chemistry, physics, earth science, economics, and sociology to understand and solve environmental
problems.
❓ What is systems thinking and how do biotic and abiotic components interact?
Answer:
Systems thinking sees the environment as a web of interconnections. Biotic (living) and abiotic (non-
living) components interact constantly. Example: Trees (biotic) rely on sunlight, water, and soil
(abiotic), and in return, they affect temperature and humidity.
❓ What are environmental ethics and stewardship?
Answer:
Environmental ethics guides how we value nature and make moral choices regarding it. Stewardship
means responsibly managing natural resources to ensure sustainability for current and future
generations.
❓ Give a real-world example of a human-environment interaction and feedback loop.
Answer:
Urbanization → deforestation → soil erosion → flooding → loss of homes → more infrastructure
built → more deforestation (positive feedback loop).
✅ II. Environmental Policy and Legislation
❓ Summarize the major Philippine environmental laws.
RA 8749 – Clean Air Act: Regulates air pollutants from vehicles and factories.
RA 9275 – Clean Water Act: Controls water pollution, requires wastewater treatment.
RA 9003 – Ecological Solid Waste Management Act: Promotes waste segregation, recycling, and MRFs.
RA 9512 – Environmental Awareness Act: Promotes environmental education in schools.
RA 7586 – NIPAS Act: Establishes protected areas like forests, marine sanctuaries.
❓ What are examples of international environmental agreements?
Answer:
Montreal Protocol: Bans CFCs to protect the ozone layer.
Paris Agreement: Global commitment to limit climate change below 2°C.
❓ Compare national vs. international policies.
Answer:
National laws like RA 9003 focus on local implementation (barangays, LGUs), while international
policies like the Paris Agreement depend on global cooperation and often lack enforcement.
❓ What challenges exist in implementing environmental regulations?
Answer:
Weak enforcement, lack of public awareness, corruption, overlapping agency roles, and insufficient
funding.
✅ III. Earth’s Physical Environment
❓ Describe tectonic boundaries, lithosphere, and soil profiles.
Answer:
Tectonic boundaries: Where Earth's plates meet, causing earthquakes and volcanoes.
Lithosphere: Earth’s outermost solid layer (crust + upper mantle).
Soil profile: Layers include O (organic), A (topsoil), B (subsoil), C (parent material), and R (bedrock).
❓ Explain the composition and texture of different soil types.
Answer:
Sandy: Large particles, drains quickly.
Clay: Small particles, holds water.
Loam: Mix of sand, silt, and clay—best for farming due to balance.
❓ What are hydrologic processes?
Answer:
Infiltration: Water enters soil.
Runoff: Water flows on surface.
Evaporation: Liquid turns to vapor.
Water table fluctuation: Changes in underground water levels.
❓ How are Earth’s systems interdependent?
Answer:
Volcanic eruptions (geologic) release gases (atmospheric), which affect climate and rainfall
(hydrologic).
❓ How do humans alter the physical environment?
Answer:
Through urbanization, land conversion, mining, and dam construction, leading to erosion, habitat loss,
and flooding.
✅ IV. Biodiversity and Conservation
❓ Differentiate genetic, species, and ecosystem diversity.
Answer:
Genetic diversity – variation in genes within a species (e.g., different rice varieties).
Species diversity – number of species in an ecosystem (e.g., a coral reef has many fish and coral types).
Ecosystem diversity – variety of ecosystems in a region (e.g., forests, wetlands, mangroves).
❓ What are ecosystem services and the value of biodiversity?
Answer:
Ecosystem services are benefits humans get from nature:
Provisioning – food, water
Regulating – flood control, climate regulation
Supporting – soil formation, pollination
Cultural – recreation, heritage
Biodiversity supports these services by maintaining healthy, functioning ecosystems.
❓ What are major threats to Philippine and global biodiversity?
Answer:
Habitat loss (e.g., deforestation in Sierra Madre)
Invasive species (e.g., golden apple snail in rice fields)
Pollution, overexploitation, climate change
❓ What is the IUCN Red List and what are conservation strategies?
Answer:
The IUCN Red List ranks species by extinction risk:
Vulnerable, Endangered, Critically Endangered, Extinct in the Wild, Extinct.
Conservation strategies:
In situ: protect species in natural habitat (e.g., Mt. Hamiguitan Wildlife Sanctuary)
Ex situ: outside habitat (e.g., breeding in zoos, seed banks)
❓ How can communities conserve biodiversity ethically?
Answer:
Through education, eco-tourism, reforestation, and protected area management based on local
participation and respect for indigenous practices.
✅ V. Pollution and Waste Management
❓ Identify types and sources of pollution.
Answer:
Air – vehicle emissions, factories
Water – sewage, oil spills
Soil – pesticides, dumpsites
Noise – traffic, construction
❓ What are impacts of pollutants like heavy metals, nitrates, plastics?
Answer:
Heavy metals (e.g., lead) – toxic to brain and kidneys
Nitrates – cause eutrophication and "blue baby" syndrome
Plastics – persist in oceans, harm marine life (ingestion, entanglement)
❓ Explain waste management methods.
Answer:
Composting – breaks down organic waste into fertilizer
Landfilling – stores waste, can cause leachate
Incineration – burns waste but may release toxins
MRFs – Materials Recovery Facilities, sort and recycle waste
Source reduction – reduce waste generation at the start
❓ Evaluate RA 9003 and community practices.
Answer:
RA 9003 mandates waste segregation, barangay MRFs, and education. Success depends on local
compliance. Some barangays excel, others struggle due to budget and awareness gaps.
❓ What is the “Polluter Pays” principle?
Answer:
It means that the entity causing pollution is responsible for the cost of cleanup or prevention. It
promotes accountability and sustainable behavior.
✅ VI. Climate Change and Global Issues
❓ Define climate change and distinguish it from weather.
Answer:
Climate change is long-term alteration in temperature and weather patterns, mainly due to human
activities. Weather is short-term (daily) conditions like rain or sunshine.
❓ What are the major greenhouse gases and their roles?
Answer:
CO₂ – from fossil fuels
CH₄ (methane) – from livestock, landfills
N₂O – from fertilizers
CFCs – from refrigerants (banned by Montreal Protocol)
These gases trap heat in the atmosphere, causing global warming.
❓ What are climate change impacts in the Philippines?
Answer:
Sea-level rise – threatens coastal communities
Stronger typhoons – like Yolanda
Crop failure – reduced rice yield from drought/floods
Coral bleaching – affects fisheries and tourism
❓ Evaluate global responses: Paris Agreement, adaptation, mitigation.
Answer:
Paris Agreement aims to limit warming to <2°C.
Adaptation = adjusting to impacts (e.g., elevated housing).
Mitigation = reducing causes (e.g., renewable energy, reforestation).
❓ What is climate justice and intergenerational equity?
Answer:
Climate justice: Rich nations caused most emissions; vulnerable nations suffer most.
Intergenerational equity: Today’s actions must not harm future generations.
✅ VII. Application and Integration
❓ How do you analyze a food web or biogeochemical cycle?
Answer:
Food web: Identify producers, consumers, and flow of energy.
Biogeochemical cycle (e.g., carbon): Track how carbon moves through atmosphere (CO₂), organisms
(photosynthesis, respiration), and soil.
❓ How to justify MCQ or T/F answers?
Answer:
Use definitions, cause-effect reasoning, and evidence.
Example: "False – because deforestation increases carbon, not reduces it."
❓ Use scientific terms in fill-in-the-blanks.
Answer:
Be precise! Terms like “infiltration,” “eutrophication,” “sustainability,” and “mitigation”
often appear.
❓ Explain systems thinking with diagrams.
Answer:
Draw arrows to show interactions. Example:
Urbanization → less vegetation → more runoff → floods → water pollution → disease.
