This document defines key terms related to topics like global warming, glaciers, energy balance, water resources, plate tectonics, mangrove swamps, deforestation, ecotourism, renewable energy, industry, agricultural subsidies, tundra, open pit mines, petroleum, coral reefs, refugees, deserts, evolution theory, industrial fishing, polders, Chernobyl, active population, and forests. Definitions are provided for each term to concisely explain their meaning and significance.

1. Key Terms
Index from “La Historia de un viaje”
Global Warming- Global Warming is the increase of Earth's average surface temperature due to
effect of greenhouse gases, such as carbon dioxide emissions from burning fossil fuels or from
deforestation, which trap heat that would otherwise escape from Earth.
Glacier-Glaciers are made up of fallen snow that, over many years, compresses into large,
thickened ice masses. Glaciers form when snow remains in one location long enough to
transform into ice.
Energy Balance- Earth's Energy balance describes how the incoming energy from the sun is
used and returned to space. If incoming and outgoing energy are in balance, the earth's
temperature remains constant.
Water-The Earth might seem like it has abundant water, but in fact less than 1 percent is
available for human use. The rest is either salt water found in oceans, fresh water frozen in the
polar ice caps, or too inaccessible for practical usage.
While population and demand on freshwater resources are increasing, supply will always
remain constant. And although it's true that the water cycle continuously returns water to
Earth, it is not always returned to the same place, or in the same quantity and quality.
Tectonic Plates-Plate tectonics is the theory that Earth's outer shell is divided into several
plates that glide over the mantle, the rocky inner layer above the core. The plates act like a
hard and rigid shell compared to Earth's mantle.
From the deepest ocean trench to the tallest mountain, plate tectonics explains the features
and movement of Earth's surface in the present and the past.
Mangrove Swamp-A mangroove swamp is characterized as a wetland area where trees, shrubs,
and other plants grow in coastal saline or brackish water.
Deforestation-Deforestation is the permanent destruction of forests in order to make the land
available for other uses. An estimated 18 million acres (7.3 million hectares) of forest, which is
roughly the size of the country of Panama, are lost each year, according to the United Nations'
Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO).
Ecotourism- Ecotourism is now defined as "responsible travel to natural areas that conserves
the environment, sustains the well-being of the local people, and involves interpretation and
education" (TIES, 2015). Education is meant to be inclusive of both staff and guests.
Renewable Energy- Renewable energy is energy that is collected from renewable resources,
which are naturally replenished on a human timescale, such as sunlight, wind, rain, tides,

2. waves, and geothermal heat. Renewable energy often provides energy in four important areas:
electricity generation, air and water heating/cooling, transportation, and rural (off-grid) energy
services.
Industry- Industry is the production of goods or related services within an economy. The major
source of revenue of a group or company is the indicator of its relevant industry. When a large
group has multiple sources of revenue generation, it is considered to be working in different
industries.
Agricultural Subsidies- Agricultural subsidies are a form of financial assistance offered to
farmers by the government. Subsidies are usually given in order to help farmers produce more
and keep a constant flow of supply to the market. Subsidies may also be given to farmers in
order to help them stay competitive within the global market.
Tundra- a vast, flat, treeless Arctic region of Europe, Asia, and North America in which the
subsoil is permanently frozen.
Open pit mine- The definition of a open pit mine is an excavation or cut made at the surface of
the ground for the purpose of extracting ore. To expose and mine the ore, it is generally
necessary to excavate and relocate large quantities of waste rock.
Petroleum- A thick, flammable, yellow-to-black mixture of gaseous, liquid, and solid
hydrocarbons that occurs naturally beneath the earth's surface, can be separated into fractions
including natural gas, gasoline, naphtha, kerosene, fuel and lubricating oils, paraffin wax, and
asphalt and is used as raw material for a wide variety of derivative products.
The word petroleum comes from the Latin petra, meaning “rock,” andoleum, meaning “oil.”
Coral- Corals are sessile, which means that they permanently attach themselves to the ocean
floor, essentially "taking root" like most plants do. Corals are animals, though, because they do
not make their own food, as plants do. Corals have tiny, tentacle-like arms that they use to
capture their food from the water and sweep into their inscrutable mouths.
Refugees- A refugee is someone who has been forced to flee his or her country because of
persecution, war, or violence. A refugee has a well-founded fear of persecution for reasons of
race, religion, nationality, political opinion or membership in a particular social group. Most
likely, they cannot return home or are afraid to do so. War and ethnic, tribal and religious
violence are leading causes of refugees fleeing their countries.
Desert- Approximately one-third of the Earth's land surface is desert, arid land with meager
rainfall that supports only sparse vegetation and a limited population of people and animals.
They can be hot or cold. They may have regions of sand or vast areas of rocks and gravel
peppered with occasional plants, but deserts are always dry.

3. Evolution Theory- The theory of evolution by natural selection, first formulated in Darwin's
book "On the Origin of Species" in 1859, is the process by which organisms change over time as
a result of changes in heritable physical or behavioral traits. Changes that allow an organism to
better adapt to its environment will help it survive and have more offspring.
Industrial Fishing- Industrial fishing is the activity of catching fish and other seafood for
commercial profit, mostly from wild fisheries, on a large scale. It provides a large quantity of
food to many countries around the earth, but those who practice it as an industry must often
pursue fish far into the ocean under adverse conditions
Polder- A polder is a low-lying tract of land enclosed by dikes that forms an artificial
hydrological entity, meaning it has no connection with outside water other than through
manually operated devices. There are three types of polder:
Land reclaimed from a body of water, such as a lake or the sea bed
Flood plains separated from the sea or river
Marshes separated from the surrounding water by a dike and subsequently drained;
these are also known as koogs especially in Germany
Chernobyl- The Chernobyl nuclear disaster began early in the early hours of Saturday 26 April
1986 within the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant. An explosion and fire released large quantities
of radioactive contamination into the atmosphere, which spread over much of Western USSR
and Europe. It is considered the worst nuclear power plant accident in history and is one of only
two classified as a level 7 event on the International Nuclear Event Scale.
Active Population- Economically active population comprises all persons of either sex who
furnish the supply of labour for the production of economic goods and services as defined by
the United Nations System of National Accounts during a specified time-reference period.
Forest- The forest is a complex ecosystem consisting mainly of trees that buffer the earth and
support a myriad of life forms. The trees help create a special environment which, in turn,
affects the kinds of animals and plants that can exist in the forest.