CWI Online Environmental Science Final

One of the most widespread and longest-lasting citizen science projects in the world, that gets community groups out in nature together, is the

Christmas Bird Count

Which of the following correctly describe ways in which lawbreakers can be prosecuted for harming the environment?

Civil law can regulate relations between individuals and corporations where there is accusation of environmental and personal impact. Criminal law allows for someone to seek compensation for damages when they have been impacted by environmental pollution.

Which issues are addressed by the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)?

Clean energy Clean water Gender equality

What arguments support fossil fuel divestment?

Climate change is a threat to society and the global economy. Fossil fuels will become a poor investments as we switch to renewable energy sources.

What are some common air quality concerns that the Clean Air Act protects against?

Coal smoke Airborne metal such as mercury Airborne sulfuric acid

Which of the following agencies are responsible for studying and attempting to restore threatened and endangered species?

Fish and Wildlife Service National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

Put the steps of policy formation in the correct order, beginning with the first step on the top and the last step on the bottom.

Identify problem and set agenda Develop proposals Build support Enact rule or law Implement policy Evaluate results and suggest changes

What is the first step in the policy cycle?

Identifying a problem.

Based on a 2015 Pew Research Center poll, what was higher - people who supported greenhouse gas emission controls or people who were very concerned personally about climate change?

People who supported greenhouse gas emission controls

What can the Endangered Species Act (ESA) do when developers want to build on a site where an endangered species is located?

Provide habitat and land-use planning assistance. Provide grants and tax reductions to protect habitats.

The Sustainable Development Goals promoted by the United Nations include which of the following?

Providing safe water and clean energy Promoting gender and economic equality Eliminating severe poverty and hunger

Why were many environmental policies established in the 1970s?

The lobbying industry was still small. Environmental degradation was very apparent. There was strong bipartisan action in politics.

Which of the following are true regarding historical trends among international treaties and conventions?

The number of parties taking place in negotiations has grown. The rate at which the parties are signing on has increased dramatically.

Why were insurance companies the first corporations to call for action on climate change?

They could lose billions from worsening storms and droughts.

What frequently motivates a country to participate in an international agreement?

To avoid public embarrassment Maintaining a strong international reputation

What are the two goals of the National Environmental Education Act?

To encourage postsecondary students to pursue careers related to the environment To improve public understanding of the natural environment

What is the purpose of the Clean Air Act?

To identify and regulate seven major air contaminants To provide the first nationally standardized rules in the United States for air pollutants To identify, monitor, and reduce air contaminants

Two groups involved with environmental challenges are the World ___ Fund and the Natural ___ Defense Council.

Wildlife; Resources

What does it mean to divest yourself of fossil fuels?

You get rid of investments in the oil and gas industry.

The Standing Rock protest occurred in 2016 in response to

a planned oil pipeline in sacred tribal areas.

Sulfur oxides, lead, carbon monoxide, and nitrogen oxides are a few of the "___ pollutants" regulated under the Clean Air Act.

criteria

Colleges and universities are following ___or ___ building principles because of student pressure, money savings, and support of innovative initiatives.

green or LEED

A person who has environmental literacy

has fluency in the principles of ecology that gives them working knowledge of the basic grammar and underlying syntax of environmental wisdom.

The goal of the Superfund Act is to generate a large pool of money to

help remediate abandoned toxic sites.

Over time, the number of nations taking part in negotiations has ___, and the speed at which agreements take force has ___.

increased; increased

The Kyoto Protocol has been controversial because it sets tighter restrictions on ___ ___ than ___ ___ with the goal of reducing greenhouse gas emissions.

industrialized countries; developing countries

Established environmental groups likely have more ___ than newer groups because they have professional staff, lobbyists, and a longer history.

influence

The U.S. Supreme Court

is the court of last resort for appeals for both federal and state court systems is composed of nine justices whose job is to judge whether a law is consistent with the U.S. Constitution

To establish environmental ___, the judicial branch examines the body of legal opinions built up by many court cases and reviews legislative records from hearings to determine congressional intent.

laws

Individuals can be involved in the ___ process by writing or calling their elected representative, and showing up at public hearings.

legislative

The first goals of the Clean Water Act were to identify and control ___.

point-source pollutants end-of-the-pipe discharges from factories discharges from sewage treatment plants

The general public benefits from governmental assistance via ___

police and fire protection social security payments public schooling

The creation of policies in a democratic system include many influences: negotiation, compromise, citizen action, power, money, and open debate

policies

Countries have begun to recognize the interconnections of protecting our global environment, leading them to sign on to international

policies, agreements, treaties, conventions, accords, or policy

Practices and rules designed to protect natural resources and public health is the realm of environmental ___?

policy

The biggest success of the Millennium Development Goals was in reducing levels of ___?

poverty

In the United States, the executive branch is headed by the

president

The Sierra Club is an example of an established environmental group that has the ___ that newer, smaller groups might not have.

professional staff money Influence

Conspicuous consumption is the

purchasing of things we don't want or need to impress others

The importance of a ___ ___ such as STARS gives universities a visible structure to follow when trying to reach sustainability goals.

ranking system

Enforcement of international agreements frequently depends on how much a country cares about its ___ with other countries.

reputation

As was exhibited with the Montreal Protocol and the encouragement of reduced CFC production, trade ___ can be an effective tool to compel compliance with international treaties.

sanctions

While students may press their universities to following green building principles, administration may ultimately follow through because the buildings will

save money

The various agencies, boards, and commissions within the executive branch oversee environmental policy by ___.

setting rules deciding disputes investigating misconduct

Many new environmental groups are also concerned with ___ and environmental causes.

social

Every environmental impact statement (EIS) must contain a(n) ___.

statement of positive and negative environmental impacts of the proposed activity explanation of the purpose and need for the project descriptions of alternatives to the proposed action

The Montreal Protocol protects

stratospheric ozone

The term used to describe ways of living more lightly on earth by using less and sharing more is ___ ___.

sustainable development

The executive branch in the United States includes administrative agencies such as

the Environmental Protection Agency

The United States did not sign the Kyoto Protocol, and Canada withdrew from the agreement, because both considered

the binding emissions targets unreasonable

Many environmental policies were established in the ___ in response to unregulated environmental degradation, strong bipartisan action in politics, and the relatively weak influence (legally) of corporate monies.

1970s

The US ___ __ ___ ___ oversees public lands and national parks.

Department of the Interior

Based on a Pew Research Center poll from 2015, what percentage of people surveyed considered climate change a very serious/serious threat?

84%

Which of the following goals are included in the Superfund Act?

Address the remediation of orphaned sites Allow the Environmental Protection Agency to try to establish liability Address emergency spills

Match each major environmental area with its related environmental laws.

Air quality --- Clean Air Act, Clean Air Act Amendments Water quality --- Water Pollution Control Act, Safe Drinking Water Act Land, species, and habitat --Endangered Species Act, Alaska National Interest Lands Act Oceans --- Marine Protection Act, Coastal Zone Management Act

Match the organization with the environmental cause associated with its creation.

Audubon Society --- To protect birds which were being killed for their feathers Sierra Club --- To protect the giant redwoods in California Wilderness Society --- To protect wild land from development

Match the international agreement with the correct description.

Basel Convention --- Restricts shipment of hazardous waste across boundaries UN Framework Convention on Climate Change --- Directs governments to share data on climate change and to develop plans for controlling greenhouse gases Montreal Protocol --- Protect stratospheric ozone Kyoto Protocol --- Set targets for greenhouse gas emissions

How did Greenpeace put pressure on Britain to stop disposing of coal ash in the North Sea?

By exposing monitoring data, the evidence proved to be an embarrassment to Britain, and the ocean dumping practice was halted.

How can sustainable development be accomplished?

By having a growing reliance on renewable energy resources By growing through resource management, education, and the arts

How does the judicial branch of government establish environmental law?

By ruling on the constitutionality of statutes and interpreting their meaning.

How did the 2010 Citizens United Supreme Court decision affect the 2012 elections?

Corporations spent billions of dollars on the 2012 election.

Which of the following statements is correct about the U.S. court system?

Each state has its own supreme court to determine if a law is consistent with the state's constitution. The U.S. Supreme Court decides whether a law is consistent with the Constitution of the United States.

Which law allows a species to be listed for varying levels of protection and provides rules for that protection?

Endangered Species Act

People who are likely to develop technologies and products to clean up pollution and prevent its production in the first place are from which field of study?

Engineering

The role of the ___ ___ ___ is to oversee and enforce public laws regarding the protection of environmental quality in the United States.

Environmental Protection Agency

Which cabinet-level department has the primary responsibility for protecting environmental quality in the United States?

Environmental Protection Agency

The two agencies primarily responsible for the studying and restoration of threatened and endangered species populations are the U.S. ___ ___ ___ Service and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).

Fish and Wildlife

Which of the following are arguments made by those who oppose fossil fuel divestment?

It is a futile exercise in political correctness. It is risky to restrict financial decision making.

What does NEPA do?

It requires an environmental impact statement to be published for every major federal project likely to have an impact on environmental quality. It authorizes the Council on Environmental Quality. It directs federal agencies to take environmental consequences into account in decision making.

People in which career field are needed to develop government and industry policy, laws, and regulations to protect the environment?

Lawyers

Identify some of the major "criteria pollutants" that are regulated under the Clean Air Act.

Metals Carbon monoxide Lead Ozone Sulfur oxides

As of 2018, large progress has been made with the ___ ___ ___ including reducing by half the proportion of undernourished people.

Millennium Development Goals

In 1990, Congress recognized the importance of environmental understanding by passing the

National Environmental Education Act

Match the following groups to the correct department.

National Park Service --- Department of the Interior U.S. Forest Service --- Department of Agriculture

Which of these environmental regulations were passed to control toxic substance pollution?

Resource Conservation and Recovery Act Toxic Substances Control Act Marine Protection Act

How can citizens be involved in the legislative process?

Signing a petition By writing a letter to an elected representative Appearing at public hearings

Native Americans came together at ___ ___ in 2016 to protest the planned route of an oil pipeline across sacred lands.

Standing Rock

Which of the following is an example of a citizen science project?

Students from a high school team up with a state park biologist to study the park's bald eagle population. Farmers gather data on pasture and stream health on their property that they then share with their local agricultural extension agency.

Which three entities are involved in the process of passing statutory laws?

The House of Representatives The president The Senate

Which of the following are examples of a civil case leading to a conviction?

The Koch oil company paid $35 million in fines and penalties to state and federal authorities for negligence in more than 300 oil spills. The Exxon oil company was charged with paying $5 billion in damages to Alaskan fishermen.

What is NEPA?

The National Environmental Policy Act

What does the Endangered Species Act do?

The act provides a structure for identifying and listing species that are vulnerable, threatened, or endangered. The act provides rules for protecting endangered species and their habitat.

A landowner discovers that a listed endangered species lives on their property. How might the ESA handle this?

The landowner could get tax breaks for conserving the land.

The 2010 Citizens United decision by the Supreme Court ___ ___ political spending by corporations.

allowed unlimited

A campus ___ involves students, faculty, and administrators in examining water and energy use on campus, waste production and disposal, paper consumption, and recycling

audit

Prior to 1995, the Superfund was supplied by ___, but after 1995 ___.

contributions from industrial producers of hazardous wastes; Congress voted to end that source and it is now supplied by public taxpayer money

When the Superfund was created, it was funded by contributions from corporations that produce hazardous waste. Now it is

funded by individual taxpayers

President Trump hiring a corporate leader from the oil and gas industry to head the Department of Energy is an example of regulatory ___; one intention behind this was to change environmental policy.

capture

Federal laws are created by first being proposed and enacted by ___ and then being signed by ___ ___.

congress; the president

Regulatory capture occurs when a president hires someone who is antagonistic to an agency's mission as the head of that agency, with the intent to

dramatically change U.S. policy.

Corporations benefit from governmental assistance through ___.

educated workers infrastructure police and firefighter protection

Environmental ___ are needed to help train an environmentally literate populace.

educators

One way to help improve the environmental literacy of the general populace is to

encourage people to spend time outdoors so they become more environmentally aware.

An analysis required by provisions in the National Environmental Policy Act of 1970, determining the effects on the environment of any major program that a federal agency plans to undertake, is called a(n) ___ ___ statement.

environmental impact

The Clean Water Act (CWA) of 1972 aimed to make U.S. waters "___ ___ ___"

fishable and swimmable

Nations have become increasingly interested in signing on to international agreements because ___.

they recognize that they cannot protect their resources on their own many issues cross international boundaries they recognize the interconnections of our global environment

A person who is environmentally literate is more likely to ___.

understand how human society is influencing the environment understand the scientific concepts and facts that underlie environmental issues be involved in activities to improve and restore environmental quality

In a campus audit, students, faculty, and administrators may examine ___.

waste production recycling amounts energy use water use

The primary reason why insurance companies, and even some energy companies such as Statoil in Norway, are divesting their fossil fuel holdings and supporting environmental policies is that they

will lose a lot of money if they don't.

The poorest people in the world will suffer the most from climate change, so groups such as 350.org

work toward environmental and social causes