Environmental Science

Sylva emphasizes the dangers to economies and social welfare systems from declining fertility rates. In comparison to Sylva, what would Seager say about declining fertility?

Declining fertility would provide many social benefits, such as less crowded schools and roads.

Why do we study demography?

Demography investigates the relationship between population ecology and population changes

Economic goals for sustainable development can be formulated ________.

only if we include environmental and social goals in the planning

Ignoring migration, the age structure of a human population likely to increase in size will have what shape?

pyramid

What keeps a population size stable?

replacement fertility

Predict which of the following United Nations funding proposals both Sylva and Seager might support.

A development plan to build schools for girls in a poverty-stricken country

Douglas Sylva gives four reasons why government population control is bad policy. Which of the following statements represents one of his reasons?

Government influence over family size is prone to abuse.

What does the T stand for in the IPAT model?

Technology

When birth rates decline, what happens to a given population?

The average age of the population grows older.

What is meant by "family planning"?

The effort to plan the number and spacing of one's children

John Seager describes several benefits of smaller families, including ____________.

reduced carbon emissions

How many MWh per year of savings are possible for HVAC?

1,500MWh

The student report estimated $45,500 in electricity savings. What was the approximate cost of electricity in cents per kilowatt hour (kWh) used to calculate this savings?

2.7 cents per kWh

How many megawatt hours (MWh) per year of savings did the students identify for computers at the Penn State Mueller Laboratory Building?

30 MWh

Estimate the total energy use at the lab building and the total estimated savings. Approximately what percentage of the total electrical energy use do these savings represent?

62%

Although Sylva and Seager seem to agree that couples should be able to make their own family planning decisions, they would disagree about which of the following statements?

Governments should provide resources and education for family planning.

Ignoring migration, the age structure diagram of a human population likely to maintain a relatively stable size will have what shape?

a rectangle tapering toward the top

Which of the following statements about Earth's carrying capacity for humans is true?

Human beings are not unlike other animals concerning carrying capacity, but we utilize technology to artificially raise the carrying capacity increasingly higher.

You are a member of a student committee at your college that is evaluating building energy use and potential savings. If your committee finds that your college's potential savings would be similar to those shown for Penn State, action in which area or combination of areas would result in approximately 5% energy savings?

Lighting

__________ death rates and __________ infant mortality rates are due in large part to technological advances, improved sanitation, and better medical care in developed countries.

Lower; lower

Why did China institute the one-child policy in 1970?

Resources were becoming strained, and pollution was increasing.

What is the primary reason that China changed its one-child policy to a two-child policy?

Shrinking workforce

In 1900, there were approximately 1.75 billion humans on Earth; in 1950, there were approximately 2.3 billion; in the year 2025, approximately 8 billion people will inhabit the biosphere. In the period between 1900 and 2025, what has happened to the human population?

The intervals between population doublings are decreasing.

Which statement describes the effects of having a total fertility rate of 2.1?

The value means that two children plus a fraction to compensate for the death of offspring will replace the average male and female in the population.

How do women cause a reduction in the total fertility rate?

Through empowerment, personal choice, and education

Environmental protection can positively affect local economies by ________.

creating jobs that will attract companies from other sectors of the economy

The term sustainability refers to ________.

keeping the natural environment and human society in a happy, healthy and functional state

What could be a roadblock to the success of the new two-child policy?

The increased cost of living could deter some couples.

Ignoring migration, the age structure of a human population likely to decrease in size will have what shape?

inverted pyramid