geog ch 2
Which of the following represents a market approach to environmental policy? A) Passing laws that limit the amount of mercury that can be released by a coal-fired power plant B) Regulations that require storm water and sewage to be separated in municipal water treatment plants C) Using a cap-and-trade system to control the levels of carbon dioxide released into the air D) Limiting the amount of national forests available for timber harvesting
Using a cap-and-trade system to control the levels of carbon dioxide released into the air
The elimination of leaded gasoline resulted in A) a doubling of gas mileage in cars. B) a 40% increase in the sale of diesel-powered vehicles. C) a benefit-to-cost ratio of at least 10 to 1. D) the renewal of the ozone layer.
a benefit-to-cost ratio of at least 10 to 1.
In general, problems caused by economic activities are A) characteristic of small populations. B) usually temporary. C) addressed by laws and public policies. D) not environmental problems.
addressed by laws and public policies.
) In the years 2004-2010, the benefit to cost ratio A) always had more benefits than costs. B) always had more cost than benefits. C) usually had more costs than benefits. D) usually had more benefits than costs.
always had more benefits than costs.
The ecological economic paradigm places the greatest emphasis on the A) amount and quality of capital available to industry. B) abundance of well-trained, well-educated labor that is available. C) essential functions of the natural environment. D) public's understanding of the natural environment.
essential functions of the natural environment.
Which one of the following reduces net GDP? A) A coal-fired power plant that pollutes the air B) Manufacture of products to clean polluted water C) Clear-cutting and logging of 1,000 acres of pine trees D) Degradation of farm equipment
degradation of farm equipment
The concept of sustainability requires that A) economic growth does not exceed the renewal of natural capital. B) all sources of energy used in an economy must come from the sun. C) global economic systems are based on the harvesting of natural products. D) economies use equal portions of land, labor, and capital.
economic growth does not exceed the renewal of natural capital.
A nation with a low GNP might actually be wealthier than it appears because GNP does not take into account A) corporate goods and services produced domestically. B) internal capital depreciation such as buildings and equipment. C) ecosystem services and goods created by families. D) bank assets, stocks, and bonds.
ecosystem services and goods created by families.
The World Bank measures of GDP did not initially include the economic value of A) ecosystem services such as the breakdown of wastes, climate regulation, and oxygen production. B) the regeneration of many natural resources by sustainable processes in which natural resources are renewed. C) the migration of many animal species from one region to another, replenishing the harvest of these natural resources. D) increases in the prices paid for natural products such as fish, wood, and fossil fuels.
ecosystem services such as the breakdown of wastes, climate regulation, and oxygen production.
Environmental public policy A) diminishes the wealth of a nation. B) transfers wealth from polluters to pollution controllers and to less polluting companies. C) is bad for the economy. D) has significantly increased unemployment in the United States.
transfers wealth from polluters to pollution controllers and to less polluting companies.
Economic growth in China has led to extensive air and water pollution because of A) the lack of government regulations addressing pollution. B) inadequately enforced environmental protection policies. C) the lack of concern from the general public. D) difficulties connecting environmental pollution to disease.
nadequately enforced environmental protection policies.
Unlike high-income countries, low-income countries rely most on their A) human resources. B) produced capital. C) natural capital. D) intangible capital.
natural capital
What do the GDP and the World Bank both fail to include in their measures of wealth? A) The importance of law and order in a society B) The gradual deterioration of machinery used in industrial manufacturing C) The income from the sales of goods abroad D) Natural services provided by ecosystems
natural services provided by ecosystems
) Natural capital includes ecosystem capital plus A) natural forms of energy, such as solar, wind, and flowing water. B) nonrenewable resources such as fossil fuels. C) money available to invest in growing industry. D) all of the products of photosynthesis in the biosphere.
nonrenewable resources such as fossil fuels.
In the classical view of economic activity, if the number of households in a region increases, A) total household consumption will decrease. B) the demands for labor will increase. C) goods and services will decline. D) the total cost of labor will decline.
the demands for labor will increase.
Which of the following is not included in the calculation of the GNP of a coal mine? A) The cost of fuel to run the mining equipment B) The cost of health benefits for the workers C) The gradual breakdown and need for replacement of the equipment D) The depletion of coal from the mine
the depletion of coal from the mine
From an ecological economist's perspective, without sustainability, as economies grow, A) gross national product grows too. B) natural resources are renewed. C) the natural world is depleted. D) natural ecosystems are replenished.
the natural world is depleted.
) In a free-market society, A) the needs of the poor are best met by the interests of business. B) the interests of the poor, labor and business are the same. C) governments ensure the free flow of goods and services in international trade. D) the needs of the poor are often not met by business interests but instead by government programs
the needs of the poor are often not met by business interests but instead by government programs
If you examine the trends in the GDP, the GPI/ISEW have remained fairly level because of A) the failure to include the depreciation of natural capital and ecosystem services. B) the decreasing environmental and social costs of economic activity. C) the rising environmental and social costs of economic activity. D) increasing education, better social programs, and overall reductions in crime.
the rising environmental and social costs of economic activity.
Which is an example of produced capital? A) Airports and highways B) Sustainably produced timber C) Organically grown mangoes D) Fisheries
Airports and highway
Which of the following best describes green economies compared to brown economies? A) Green economies will embrace technologies that reduce pollutants and increase efficiency. B) Brown economies will favor sustainable systems and reverse damage to ecosystem services. C) Both will continue with the race to develop more fossil fuel resources. D) Green economies will stress rapid growth, while brown economies will stress human well-being.
Green economies will embrace technologies that reduce pollutants and increase efficiency.
One way to participate in the development of environmental policies is to become a member of an NGO. What is an NGO? A) NGO stands for nongovernmental organization. B) NGO stands for national geographic organization. C) NGO stands for neogeopolitical organization. D) NGO stands for natural global outlook.
NGO stands for nongovernmental organization.
) Which of the following best illustrates an intergenerational consideration? A) Increasing health-care insurance for every citizen in a country B) Rationing gasoline in a time of short supply C) Reducing the harvest of blue fin tuna to sustainable levels D) Depleting a forest to produce firewood for use in heating and cooking
Reducing the harvest of blue fin tuna to sustainable levels
) How does the EPA affect environmental policy? A) The EPA passes laws that control environmental regulations. B) The EPA develops rules and regulations based on laws passed by Congress. C) The EPA determines which laws passed by the Judicial Branch apply to environmental policy. D) The EPA funds ecological studies that inform the executive branch about what environmental laws are needed.
The EPA develops rules and regulations based on laws passed by Congress.
Which of the following about U.S. pollution levels is true? A) The release of toxic chemicals has increased by 19%. B) The average levels of lead in the blood of children have declined by 90%. C) Acid deposition has increased by 27%. D) Total emissions of five principal air pollutants have increased by 14%.
The average levels of lead in the blood of children have declined by 90%.
Which of the following best describes what would happen in a community with increasing air and water pollution problems? A) The economy of the region would decline. B) The unemployment rates would decrease. C) The health care would become less important. D) The population would increase.
The economy of the region would decline.
Which of the following represents intangible capital? A) Pollination B) Coal and petroleum C) Solar energy D) The library of the Smithsonian Institution
The library of the Smithsonian Institution
Which of the following represents a potentially sustainable process? A) The transformation of oil into heat energy in a power plant B) The generation of wastes as a byproduct of human consumption C) The release of heat into the atmosphere D) The recycling of materials generated by human consumption
The recycling of materials generated by human consumption
In general, careful and detailed economic studies indicate that environmental protection helps the environment A) but hurts the economy and is bad for jobs. B) and produces more jobs but hurts the economy. C) and helps the economy but costs the loss of jobs. D) and does not hurt the economy or cost a net loss of jobs.
and does not hurt the economy or cost a net loss of jobs.
The modern U.S. environmental movement began as a A) partisan effort but now has broad bipartisan support. B) partisan effort that remains partisan and highly contested today. C) broad bipartisan effort that remains in effect today. D) broad bipartisan effort but has fractured into a contentious partisan debate with intense lobbying.
broad bipartisan effort but has fractured into a contentious partisan debate with intense lobbying.
Rising per capita income is associated with A) decreasing needs for recycling. B) cleaner air and safer water. C) increased risks of respiratory disease. D) increased frequency of water-borne diseases.
cleaner air and safer water.
In the classical view of economic systems, households A) are goods and services. B) pay for most of the labor. C) consume goods and services. D) provide most of the products.
consume goods and services.
Today, DDT is no longer used in the United States because it is illegal. At this point, the issue has reached the A) control stage because of a command and control strategy. B) control stage because of a market based strategy. C) implementation stage because of a command and control strategy. D) implementation stage because of a market based strategy.
control stage because of a command and control strategy.
) Costs of pollution control tend to A) decrease over time because of initial investments in reductions and new technologies. B) decrease over time because regulations generally become less restrictive. C) increase over time as levels of acceptable pollution become increasingly restrictive. D) increase over time as new technologies require renewed investments.
decrease over time because of initial investments in reductions and new technologies.
Given the eventual response to ban DDT, the late 1960s most likely represented which stage of the policy life cycle? A) Control B) Implementation C) Formulation D) Recognition
formulation
) Because of rising environmental and social costs of economic activity, the A) gap between the GDP and GPI/ISEW has increased. B) gap between the GDP and GPI/ISEW has decreased. C) GDP has remained stable while the GPI/ISEW has grown. D) GDP has declined while the GPI/ISEW has increased.
gap between the GDP and GPI/ISEW has increased.
) If current energy consumption trends continue and the per capita income of the world increased dramatically, we would expect that A) global climate change will be a greater problem. B) literacy levels will decrease. C) respiratory diseases in cities will increase. D) land and labor will no longer be economic factors.
global climate change will be a greater problem
Sustainable economic and environmental policies will shift the focus from A) sustainability to productivity. B) growth to the well-being of humans. C) productivity to growth. D) productivity to profits.
growth to the well being of humans
) Citizen science and citizen involvement in policy formulation A) make it even more difficult to enact international environmental policy. B) can help move policymaking out of the hands of special interest groups into law. C) have generally hampered local policies to fix environmental problems. D) are a continuing source of junk science and misinformed opinion.
have generally hampered local policies to fix environmental problems.
Teaching people to use forests in a sustainable way to produce lawn furniture represents A) human capital affecting renewable resources, generating produced capital. B) social capital affecting nonrenewable resources, used in the creation of recycled capital. C) recycling of nonrenewable resources to generate social capital. D) knowledge assets impacting nonrenewable resources in the generation of social capital.
human capital affecting renewable resources, generating produced capital.
) Environmental public policy is intended to A) promote the harvesting of natural resources. B) improve human welfare and protect the natural world. C) ensure access to natural resources for industry. D) measure the impact of industrial wastes on the environment.
improve human welfare and protect the natural world.
The GDP and GPI/ISEW include calculations of the A) labor that goes into housework, parenting, and volunteer work. B) cost of pollution. C) cost of crime. D) income from the sale of natural products.
income from the sale of natural products.
Command and control approaches to environmental public policy A) increase the likelihood of continued low levels of pollution, not the elimination of pollution. B) are not as good market-based policies for most environmental problems. C) are simpler than market based policies. D) use GPI economic principles to determine the nature of the response.
increase the likelihood of continued low levels of pollution, not the elimination of pollution.
In response to environmental problems, the Chinese government has A) increasingly relied upon local, non-governmental groups to monitor and respond. B) simply agreed that these are the costs associated with economic prosperity. C) insisted on centralized government control and removed power from local governments. D) refused to recognize any long-term problems associated with air and water pollution.
increasingly relied upon local, non-governmental groups to monitor and respond.
In general, centrally planned economies are run to promote the A) interests of society, while free-market economies depend on the self-interests of individuals. B) prosperity of all countries, while free-market economies promote the particular interests of a society. C) self-interests of individuals, while free-market economies promote the interests of governments. D) health of the environment, while free-market economies sacrifice sustainability.
interests of society, while free-market economies depend on the self-interests of individuals.
) The most difficult arena in which to attempt to gain consensus on environmental policy is A) local. B) state. C) national. D) international.
international
People who are well aware of the damaging effects of mercury might insist that all fish that they eat be free from mercury. They may be alarmed even if mercury levels remain at very low levels, far below that is known to cause harm. Insisting that mercury be completely eliminated from fish A) will likely require little additional cost with potentially great benefits. B) will likely reduce the cost of fish and improve the health of consumers. C) is not cost effective for the health benefits of complete elimination. D) is a necessary but expensive part of additional environmental controls.
is not cost effective for the health benefits of complete elimination.
) From a global sustainability perspective, economic production A) is the sum of all photosynthesis in the biosphere and the resulting natural products. B) consists of all of the natural products and natural resources in the world, which are available for harvesting by humans. C) is the process of converting the natural world to the manufactured world. D) represents the summed gross national products of all industrialized nations of the world.
is the process of converting the natural world to the manufactured world.
Which part of the government is responsible for passing public-policy laws? A) Executive branch B) Judicial branch c) legislative branch D) EPA
legislative branch
Environmental government policies and regulations are applied at the A) federal level only. B) state and federal levels. C) local, state, and federal levels. D) local level only.
local, state, and federal levels.
) Environmental policies A) may be cost-neutral or may come at a monetary cost, depending on the time frame for their evaluation. B) are always expensive, costing consumers and industry more money. C) never have a monetary cost associated with them. D) are paid for by local tax dollars, only indirectly costing most citizens nothing for their implementation.
may be cost-neutral or may come at a monetary cost, depending on the time frame for their evaluation.
Sustainable development and the protection of public health require A) the generation of electricity from fossil fuels. B) governments to recognize personal liberties as the highest priority. C) the independence of private landowners to develop individual policies. D) public policies that protect the environment.
public policies that protect the environment.
The preparation and publication of the book Silent Spring represented which stage of the policy life cycle? A) Control B) Implementation C) Formulation D) Recognition
recognition
) Large stocks of fish in the Great Lakes represent A) nonrenewable natural capital. B) renewable natural capital. C) intangible capital. D) produced capital.
renewable natural capital.
Today, environmental regulations in the United States A) require substantial scientific support and strong political efforts. B) require only substantial scientific support. C) are hopeless, with little support remaining and general reversals of many policies and regulations. D) are simply a matter of politics, with little effort to involve science and scientific data.
require substantial scientific support and strong political efforts.
A nation such as France which has a rich and ancient cultural heritage, a strong and sophisticated democracy and legal system and well established programs of education and creative arts would have A) very little natural capital. B) low levels of both produced and natural capital. C) a relatively low GNP. D) strengths in all aspects of intangible capital.
strengths in all aspects of intangible capital.
The best hope for the future global economy and environmental policy depends upon A) sustainability. B) economic growth. C) consumption. D) productivity.
sustainability
Considering the availability of ecosystem goods and services, A) there are more ecosystem good and services per person now than there were in 1969. B) there is a greater "safe space" now than in 1969. C) the amount of ecosystem goods and services has declined between 1969 and the present. D) the pressure from continuing population growth is not as severe as predicted 40 years ago.
the amount of ecosystem goods and services has declined between 1969 and the present.
) The ecological economic paradigm argues that the environment encompasses the economy because the environment is essential to provide A) the energy necessary to run our homes and factories. B) solar energy needed for plants and to light our environment during the day. C) transportation along highways, railways, rivers, and oceans. D) vital raw materials and ecosystem services and absorb wastes.
vital raw materials and ecosystem services and absorb wastes.
A large step toward the elimination of poverty and the reduction of resource consumption could be made possible if there were cooperation among wealthier nations to reduce the amount of A) wasted food and water. B) aid given to developing nations. C) redundant economic regulation. D) taxes paid by wealthier people.
wasted food and water