18 concepts the spec wants you to use precisely, drawn from the Panther database. Read them, then test yourself.
In test mode, tap a concept to reveal its definition.
The concepts
Carrying capacity (environmental)(tap to reveal)- The maximum number of people or organisms the Earth can support without permanently damaging the natural systems that life depends on.
Environmental governance(tap to reveal)- The system of rules, institutions and agreements at all levels that manage how the environment is protected, including international treaties and national agencies.
Environmental summits(tap to reveal)- Major international meetings where countries negotiate agreements to tackle environmental problems.
Global commons(tap to reveal)- Areas and resources that no single country owns, such as the oceans, the atmosphere, and Antarctica.
Anthropocentrism(tap to reveal)- The idea that humans come first in moral thinking and that nature matters mainly because it is useful to people. Shallow ecologists take this view; deep ecologists reject it.Use it: Use in shallow vs deep ecology debates. Sustainable development and green capitalism are anthropocentric approaches; deep ecology/ecocentrism rejects this. Also links to Just War debates about whose lives count in humanitarian intervention (human-centred vs sovereignty-centred).
Brundtland definition (sustainable development)(tap to reveal)- Using resources today in a way that does not prevent future generations from meeting their own needs. Introduced by the 1987 Brundtland Report, it became the standard definition behind all global environmental agreements since Rio 1992.Use it: Use as the founding definition of sustainable development in all environmental governance questions. Note the tension between "weak sustainability" (growth is fine as long as it is sustainable) and "strong sustainability" (deep ecology: stop growth altogether). Link to Rio 1992, Kyoto, and Paris as implementation of Brundtland principles in international law.
Common but differentiated responsibilities(tap to reveal)- The idea in climate diplomacy that all countries must help protect the environment, but richer countries that caused most of the damage must do more and help poorer countries to act.
Common but differentiated responsibility(tap to reveal)- The idea that all countries must tackle climate change, but richer countries that caused more pollution must do more.
Earth Summit (Rio)(tap to reveal)- A landmark 1992 UN conference in Rio de Janeiro that put sustainable development on the international agenda and led to major environmental agreements including the first global climate treaty.
Ecocentrism(tap to reveal)- The view that nature matters in its own right, not just because it is useful to humans. Deep ecologists argue that animals, plants, and ecosystems have rights too, and that the whole way capitalism treats the environment must change.Use it: Use to contrast shallow and deep ecology approaches. Deep ecologists would reject Paris Agreement and C40 Cities as insufficient because they work within the capitalist system. Contrasts with green capitalism and sustainable development.
Free rider problem(tap to reveal)- When countries (or people) benefit from something shared without paying their fair share of the cost. Climate action is a classic example: all countries benefit from a stable climate, but each has an incentive to let others bear the economic costs of cutting emissions.Use it: Central to explaining why global environmental governance is so difficult. Use alongside Prisoner's Dilemma and Tragedy of the Commons to argue that state selfishness undermines collective action. Counter with Paris Agreement's NDC approach (bottom-up self-set targets reduce free-riding incentives).
Human rights(tap to reveal)- Basic rights and freedoms that all people are entitled to, simply by being human.
Humanitarian intervention(tap to reveal)- Military action taken against a state, without its consent, to protect civilians from mass atrocities or serious human rights abuses.
IPCC(tap to reveal)- The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change: the UN body that gathers and assesses the science of climate change to guide international action.
International Court of Justice (ICJ)(tap to reveal)- The main court of the UN, which settles legal disputes between countries.
International Criminal Court (ICC)(tap to reveal)- A court that puts individuals on trial for the most serious international crimes, such as genocide and war crimes.
International law(tap to reveal)- Rules and agreements that govern how countries and other international actors behave towards each other.
International tribunals(tap to reveal)- Courts set up to deal with specific conflicts, such as those dealing with war crimes in the former Yugoslavia.