Weedy species: plants, animals, and other organisms that thrive in continually disturbed, human-dominated environments. They are adaptive, and will flourish in a world where only the human species survives, so much to the point that we often deem them “pests”. For example: raccoons, milfoil, rats, the white-tailed deer. Significant to global environmental politics because author Stephen Meyer says these are the only animals that have any chance of surviving if we continue on the same path of destruction.

relic species: organisms that live on the margins in ever-decreasing numbers and contracting spacial distribution. They do not thrive in human-dominated environments, and have largely survived through benign neglect. Meyer says, “little on Earth is remote anymore” and human pressures are threatening these relic species. For example: African elephant, the giant panda. Significant to global environmental politics because these animals have no hope of survival if we continue on the same path of environmental degradation, and often we will never recognize that the species is a relic until it is too late, says Meyer.

extinction debt: With a high number of extinction, you have a debt that is represented – a future ecological cost of current habitat destruction. Many decades can pass between the start of the decline of a species and the observable collapse of a population structure, especially where moderate-to-long-lived life forms are involved. There is a “debt” or a gap between appearance and reality. In the past century we have accumulated a vast extinction debt that will be paid in the century ahead. The number of plants and animals we discover to be threatened will spiral as the extinction debt comes due. Significant to global environmental politics because it represents the costs of not taking action to prevent the environment, and also what our future may include if we chose not to act.

Here are the things that I'm a little unsure of so far, if anyone could help!
- A good definition for:
Global environmental politics
nitrogen cycle
pollution
Promethean???
precautionary principle
-How are people thinking about tackling the short answer question on sustainable development? I feel like we didn't really talk about it enough to be able to answer a whole question..Any ideas?

Also, if anyone wants to get together on Monday night to review I would be down for that...