ENVS 25 STUDY

What does Patricia Haynes offer in the article "Taking population out of the equation, reformulating IPAT"?

Offers a feminist critique of IPAT Highlights the gendered and race-related justice implications of the equation Suggests that we should be more critical of luxury consumption

James Hansen proposes imposing a gradually increasing carbon fee on all fossil fuel companies, and distributing 100% of those proceeds as a dividend to all Americans. He argues that this program would move us towards a clean energy future because it would:

Stimulate the economy Stimulate innovation Creates millions of jobs

The Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation and Liability Act (CERLA) is commonly referred to as:

Superfund

According to this video, a new school of thinking about the "stuff" we consume, should be based on which of the following?

Sustainability and equity - Examples of these new approaches are green chemistry, zero waste, closed loop production, renewable energy, and local living economies.

Which one is more accurate about technology as a variable in the IPAT equation?

Technological development is unpredictable. Although some technological advances will likely decrease our environmental impacts, others may cut the other way

The Supreme Court case Massachusetts v. EPA, determined that:

The EPA does have the the authority to regulate greenhouse gases under the Clean Air Act Greenhouse gasses are air pollutants covered under the Clean Air Act

In order for the terms of a treaty to become binding on a nation-state:

The state must ratify the treaty domestically and the treaty must have entered into force

What is true to pollution trading systems:

There is a limited number of permits Governments can auction permits to the highest bidder Governments can give permits away Firms can sell unused permits to other companies

What does the Santa Cruz County Dump do with electronic wastes?

They take the electronics off to another facility to process and break them down

What is Hardin's solution to the tragedy of the commons?

Top-down regulation and privatizing resources

Environmental justice has its roots in:

Toxics issues in the US in the 1980s

Environmental justice concepts can be used to analyze:

Toxics issues in the US in the 1980s Climate change issues in the US in the 2000s Biodiversity issues in Brazil in the 1990s The COVID-19 crisis in 2020

The strongest form of international law?

Treaties

What are the four sources of international environmental law?

Treaties, Custom, Principles, Judicial Decisions

Climate Justice includes the idea that communities shouldn't suffer disproportionate climate change impacts because they belong to a certain race, national origin or socioeconomic status.

True

Elinor Ostrom argues that centralization and privatization are not the only solutions of successful systems. In practice, there are many examples of people and communities working together to effectively manage common-pool resources without top-down regulation.

True

Environmental justice is a social movement.

True

Environmental justice is an analytical concept.

True

In 1992, President George H.W. Bush founded the Office of Environmental Justice inside the EPA.

True

In the city of Santa Cruz, no form of plastic clamshells is accepted in the recycling process.

True

The common law is a set of legal principles that have evolved over the centuries through judicial decisions.

True

Tennis balls and corks are recyclable, but they are not recycled in the blue curbside service.

True - There is a company called Recork America which gathers corks and uses them for different purposes. There is also a company for recycling tennis balls which turn them into sport courts.

The common law principle of "trespass" might apply when materials from a waste disposal site find their way onto someone else's property.

True - This might happen if material is wind blown or underground transport of contaminants by ground water

The US is currently a member of the Paris Agreement

True -President Obama joined the Paris Agreement in 2015. President Trump withdrew the US from the Paris Agreement in November 2020. In early January 2021, President Biden rejoined the Paris Agreement

Carbon pricing seeks to:

internalize externalities by reflecting the true cost of consumption on society

Decolonial approaches to environmental justice:

Center the voices and world-views of impacted communities

Where does the term "climate justice" emerge from?

Civil society

In Ostrom's opinion, which of the following is a condition that led to effective management in the absence of top-down regulation?

Clear boundaries Local autonomy Monitoring schemes

_______________ is measured by statistics such as average temperatures and rainfall and frequency of droughts. In contrast, _______________ refers to changes in these statistics over seasons and year-to-year changes as well as decades over centuries and even over thousands of years.

Climate - Climate Change

Which of the following is NOT one of the IPCC's three working groups?

Climate Justice

Policy options for addressing pollution:

Markets Taxes Standards Subsidies

Santa Cruz County Dump is a _______________ center. They sort and bale material and have a broker who represents different buyers who purchase some of that material.

Sorting and processing

_______________ are persons or groups of persons who, for reasons of sudden or progressive climate-related change in the environment that adversely affects their lives or living conditions, are obliged to leave their habitual homes either temporarily or permanently, and who move either within their country or abroad.

Climate refugees

What US President issued an Executive Order requiring all federal agencies incorporate environmental justice concerns into their work?

Clinton

The __________ Convention was negotiated among African countries in response to shortcomings in the ___________ Convention to address hazardous waste dumping in Africa.

- Bamako - Basel

Recycling reduces the garbage at the disposal step and also reduces the pressure to mine and harvest new stuff at the extraction step. But why is recycling not enough?

- Because even if we could recycle 100% of the waste coming out of the households, it doesn't get to the core of the waste problems - Because much of the garbage cannot be recycled

Why were environmental justice policies stalled under President George W. Bush?

- Because he shifted the focus of the Office of Environmental Justice from protecting low-income and minority communities to protecting all people - Because the environmental justice efforts were no longer focused on protecting the people who needed it most - Because many environmental civil rights claims were delayed for years or rejected

Which of the following is an example of an environmental justice issue in the US?

- Cleaning up after Hurricane Maria, Miami officials dumped debris next to a community with lots of low-income residents and people of color - Houston residents who weren't physically able to evacuate before Hurricane Harvey had no choice but to stay behind as the city flooded

Eychmans argues that revenue from a carbon tax should be used for:

- Compensating poor communities for disproportionate impacts - Lowering employment/labor taxes

The Basel Convention controls the transport and disposal in which of the following:

- E-wastes - Used Oil - Pesticides - Biomedical waste

Which of the following can potentially limit the success of cap-and-trade systems in delivering emission reductions?

- Free permits - Offsetting - By distracting from real solutions

Which of the following countries have been victims of "toxic colonialism"?

- Ivory Coast - Nigeria - Ghana

The video "Ivory Coast Toxic Waste Cleaned up after Decades" explains that a ship named the Probo Koala dumped toxic waste in Ivorian waters in 2006 , sickened thousands of people, and killed at least 15 people. What is the request of the victims of that incident today?

- Justice and compensation - Medical expenses coverage - Prosecution of the companies accountable for the incident

Which of the following actors can be held responsible for cleaning up hazardous waste sites under CERLA:

- Land owners - Generators - Transporters - Suppliers

Waste law in the US takes place at which level:

- Local - State - Federal

What is associated with product life cycles as reflected on the Santa Cruz County Dump stickers ?

- Rethink - Reduce - Reuse - Recycle - Rot - Refuse

What solutions does Annie Leonard suggest to save our future?

- Solid caps and strong laws - Citizen action - Carbon fees to pay off ecological debt - Creating a clean energy economy

Which of the following terms have been used to describe the phenomenon of dumping hazardous wastes in developing countries?

- Toxic colonialism - Toxic terrorism - Environmental racism

The 1976 Resources and Recovery Act sets cradle-to-grade requirements for hazardous waste disposal, including:

- Treatment - Storage - Disposal

Which one is an example of refuse?

- Using your own shopping bag - Using your own water bottle instead of plastic bottles - Using your own tupperware instead of plastic containers

California's AB32 first required:

A reduction in greenhouse gas emissions to 1990 levels by 2020

California AB32 then required:

A reduction in greenhouse gas emissions to 80% below 1990 levels by 2050

Which of the following principles was included in the 1992 Rio Declaration that was agreed at the Earth Summit?

Common but differentiated responsibilities Polluter Pays Sustainable development

Example of an externality?

Air pollution from aviation Soil contamination from agricultural production Water pollution from paper production Health impacts from air pollution

In the context of international climate change law, the principle of common but differentiated responsibilities means that:

All countries have some responsibility for addressing climate change but their responsibilities vary

What is the main political message of Van Jones' lecture on Environmental Justice?

American society is socially divided, and liberals need to be more inclusive and enlarge their circle

Which of the following is food waste turned into?

Animal feed

Which if the following is NOT one of the UN's official languages?

Arabic Chinese French Russian Spanish English

Simon Kuznets explains the relationship between economic development and inequality. What does his environmental curve demonstrate?

As per capita income increases, environmental problems get worse but only to a certain point At a certain level of economic development, environmental degradation begins to decrease This curve is used to justify development as a solution to environmental degradation

Who prevailed in the 2010 whaling case against Japan at the International Court of Justice?

Australia

Why is the materials economy in crisis? What is the main problem?

Because it is a linear system and we live in a finite planet

Why is cap and trade considered a distraction?

Because it will move our attention away from real solutions and it can create a false sense of progress - Some argue that relying on markets to reduce pollution distracts us from what is actually needed -- real point source emission reductions. Although markets can be helpful in terms of reducing emissions at the lower costs, they are not necessarily the most effective way to maximize emission reductions.

Why does it take a long time for legislators in Ghana to pass laws preventing illegal e-waste imports according to the video "Computer recycling West Africa"?

Because legislators do not want to curb the legitimate trade of used tech

Why does Malthusian theory predict that population growth will outstrip food supply?

Because population growth increases exponentially while availability of food resources increases arithmetically

Why does Annie Leonard think many environmental groups and activists, who really care about the future, support cap-and-trade?

Because they think it is an important first step and it is better than nothing

Which of the following treaties/organizations is not a central piece of international climate change law?

Bonn Convention

Which of the following is a successful example of EPR (extended producer responsibility) programs?

Bye-Bye mattress program - EPR programs get manufacturers involved in the life cycle of what they are generating in the first place.

Which of the following is the primary legislative body in the U.S. government, and what is its main function?

Congress - Making the laws

Most international environmental agreements are developed through which of the following ordered approaches:

Convention - Protocol

Under the Paris Agreement, parties agreed to:

Determine at the national level what they will do to reduce their emissions

Some argue that carbon pricing is unfair because it:

Disproportionately impacts poor communities

strategies for measuring the non-market benefits of a clean environment:

Dose response Mitigating expenditures Hedonic pricing Travel cost Contingent valuation

The 1982 protest in Warren County, North Carolina was concerned with:

Dumping of soil contaminated with PCBs

Which of the following is not one of the three dimensions of environmental justice?

Ecological

Which of the following is not an accurate characterization of ecological and/or environmental economics?

Ecological economics sees the environment as a subsystem of the economy, whereas environmental economics assumes that the economy is operating within the environmental system - Environmental economics sees the environment as a subset of the economy. It provides inputs such as labor or capital. However, ecological economists emphasize the economy as a subsystem of the environment and focus on preserving natural capital.

The common law came to the U.S. from which country?

England

The 1992 Principles of Environmental Justice call for:

Equal rights of participation in decision making Safe and healthy work environments Reductions in consumption

Which branch of the government designs regulations and makes decisions on how to implement them?

Executive - When Congress passes a statute that creates a general requirement, the Executive branch is responsible for implementing it. This includes making decisions about how to implement when certain parts of the statute are unclear and need interpretation. For example, the Obama administration interpreted the Clean Air Act as allowing for regulation of greenhouse gases. Although the administration promulgated regulations limiting greenhouse gas emissions under the Act, their interpretation was legally challenged by the state of Massachusetts, and eventually unraveled by the Trump administration who then passed less stringent regulations.

_____________ arise when market prices for goods and services do not reflect the cost to society.

Externalities

In which order do resources move through the materials economy?

Extraction - Production - Distribution - Consumption - Disposal

Because Congress is the body responsible for creating climate change law, it doesn't really matter who is President.

False - Although Congress does have critically important rule making authority, the President also has the power to limit that authority as we saw with the Trump administration's roll back and significant weakening of the Obama administration's Clean Power Plan.

Environmental economists believe that markets, such as carbon markets, should be used to address pollution only as a last resort.

False - Although difficult to create, markets are a preferred method of addressing environmental problems for environmental economists.

Offset permits are only ever created when companies actually reduce their own carbon emissions.

False - Although offset permits should only be created when a company actually reduces its carbon emissions there are many ways that the system has been manipulated. There have been several instances when companies have been found to have cheated or bent the rules to generate and/or use offsets.

Ecological economics uses individualistic thinking as opposed to systemic thinking.

False - Ecological economics is grounded in systemic thinking, which underscores the importance of interconnections and interdisciplinarity. Environmental economics is more concerned with the actions of individuals and shaping individual behavior.

For environmental economists, there is no such thing as socially beneficial pollution.

False - Environmental economists believe that there is a socially efficient level of pollution. This level of pollution minimizes the social costs of pollution, where the social costs are the damages caused by the pollution plus the abatement costs of addressing the pollution.

Wet paper is easier to recycle.

False - If the paper is wet, it is harder to process it in the recycling system.

International environmental law is automatically binding on all states.

False - International environmental law is only binding on those states that consent to be bound by it - e.g. through domestic ratification

Over time the U.S. federal government has given more power to states in the context of environmental law.

False - Over time federal law has preempted state-level law, decreasing the power of state level governments.

The United States is a party to the Kyoto Protocol.

False - President Clinton negotiated and signed the Kyoto Protocol but his successor George W. Bush never took it to the Senate for ratification.

CERCLA is more forward looking than RCRA.

False - RCRA is forward looking in setting standards for how to deal with hazardous wastes. CERLA is more backward looking in setting liability standards for hazardous waste sites. That is, it helps determine who has to pay for cleaning up sites.

The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change Assessment reports conduct original research on climate change-related topics.

False - The IPCC ARs are basically big literature reviews that summarize all the research done globally by others on climate change related topics.

The IPCC tells governments how to address climate change through policy.

False - The IPCC reviews existing policy relevant science but does not offer policy prescriptive advice to governments.

The Endangered Species Act (ESA) requires the government to create environmental impact statements for certain federal actions.

False - The National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) requires the government to create environmental impact statements for certain federal actions. The ESA creates protections for endangered species.

Congress has been a leader in developing climate change law in the U.S.

False - The U.S. Congress has done very little to address climate change and the key question in U.S. climate policy has been: what can we do without congress?

The United States is a party to the Basel Convention.

False - The US signed the treaty under George H.W. Bush but the senate never ratified it.

If a company that created a hazardous waste site goes bankrupt, there is no way to pay for the clean up.

False - The company that generated the waste is only one of many players who can be held responsible for the cost of clean up. However, if a responsible party cannot be found CERCLA provides a pot of money generated from a tax on oil and gas companies to find such clean ups. This pot of money is called Superfund.

Santa Cruz County Dump recycles scrap metals.

False - They only accept aluminum cans and tin cans. The machinery is not designed to take scrap metal. There are some drop-off facilities, like Grey Bears, in this region which is a non-profit which collects scrap metals

According to the video "Computer recycling West Africa", regardless of whether electronic wastes, such as used TVs, work or don't work, they are considered as hazardous waste.

False - Used electronic devices that work are not technically considered as hazardous waste.

Which of the following is a limitation of state-level action to address climate change?

States interests in regulating climate change is variable Federal action can preempt and possibly rescind states' ability to regulate

Which of the following international treaties does not address hazardous wastes?

Geneva Convention

Ways to address concerns with carbon pricing include:

Having all countries introduce carbon prices simultaneously Provide targeted support to poor communities to decarbonize Force consumers to confront the real costs of their consumption choices b/c this changes behavior

What does James Hansen identify as his main incentive to speak out about climate change, which included his willingness to to get arrested for protesting in front of the White House?

His grandchildren and the fact that it would be immoral to leave the next generation with a climate system spiraling out of control

Which of the following best reflects the main message of the lecture of Greta Thunberg, the young Swedish climate activist?

It is necessary to increase public awareness about the consequences of everyday life decisions on climate change and to take action before it is too late

Common law is most simply:

Judge made law

Which Supreme Court Justice drafted the majority opinion in Massachusetts v. EPA?

Justice Stevens

In 2005, the drinking water in Flint, Michigan, was found to be contaminated with:

Lead

What are the three branches of the U.S. government?

Legislative, Judicial, Executive

When externalities are not accounted for goods are priced too _______

Low

Fashion is a prime example of _______________. Advertisements and media, in general, play a big role in it.

Perceived obsolescence - Planned obsolescence means designing for the dump. It means the companies actually make stuff to be useless as quickly as possible. However, perceived obsolescence convinces us to throw away stuff that is still perfectly useful by changing the way the stuff looks.

The economist famous for studying environmental externalities was

Pigou

According to Paul and Anne Ehrlich in their article "Too many people, too much consumption," what are the two most important drivers of environmental harm?

Population growth and overconsumption

Which of the following is not a characteristic identified in the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) for the identification and listing of hazardous wastes?

Rarity

When environmental economists talk about "efficiency" they are talking about:

Reducing emissions at the lowest possible cost

According to Leslie O'malley, the waste reduction program manager of the city of Santa Cruz, which of the following is most important when it comes to decreasing the amount of waste we generate?

Refuse - Decreasing consumption by refusing to purchase things is the best way to decrease the amount of material that enters the waste stream.

What is the famous Supreme Court case "Massachusetts v. EPA" about?

Regulation of greenhouse gases under the Clean Air Act

What is the main disadvantage of the "production" step in the materials economy?

Releasing toxic chemicals

When countries are setting their mitigation targets, they are negotiating their respective _______________ for addressing climate change. When countries are negotiating access to financial assistance for adaptation they are negotiating their respective _______________ to assistance

Responsibility - rights

Which one best describes our approach when we choose to buy eggs in paper cartons rather than in clamshell packaging?

Rethink

The closest Superfund site to Santa Cruz is in:

Scotts Valley

What waste product was made at the Scotts Valley Superfund Site?

Semiconductors

Human activities, especially the burning of fossil fuels, are responsible for much of the warming and related changes being observed on earth.

True - A variety of factors, both natural and human, can influence the earth's climate system. The earth has gone through warm and cool phases in the past, and long before humans were around. Forces that contribute to climate change include the sun's intensity, volcanic eruptions, and changes in naturally occurring greenhouse gas concentrations. But records indicate that today's climatic warming, particularly the warming since the mid-20th century, is occurring much faster than ever before and can't be explained by natural causes alone.

For environmental economists, the economy and the environment are separate systems.

True - Although the economy cannot survive without inputs from the environment, environmental economists understand these systems as conceptually independent. This a key difference from ecological economics, which sees these two systems as inseparable.

Ecological economics is compatible with public participation, science, and discursive democracy.

True - By accepting methodological pluralism within ecological economics, we acknowledge that the understanding adequate for making important decisions that fully incorporates the richness of our sciences and our values, can best come out from shared learning through discursive democratic processes. Democracy in this context is not the same as voting, it means coming to shared understanding.

California has achieved its first goal under AB32 (reduce emissions to 1990 levels by 2020).

True - CA achieved this goal early in 2018.

For civil society, climate justice is just as much a matter of politics as it is of ethics.

True - Climate justice politically challenges the technocratic, economistic, and neoliberal assumptions of the international climate change regime and includes an ethical aspiration for a more equal and sustainable world. Therefore, climate justice can and should be understood both as a method of ethics and politics.

Cost-benefit analysis is a way to assess the social benefits and costs of pollution.

True - Cost-benefit analysis is a central tool that environmental economists use to determine how to incentivize individuals' behaviour. If the benefits of a policy outweigh the costs of the policy, then environmental economists would likely support the policy.

Environmental economists try to address environmental problems by creating incentives to change the way people behave.

True - Environmental economists focus on individuals and how they behave. They focus on motivations and think about how to incentivize people to behave in particular ways. One example of this is putting a price on carbon as a way to incentivize people to decrease the emissions they emit, by making emitting more expensive.

The "cap and giveaway" refers to a cap and trade system in which industrial polluters get the vast majority of emission permits, also called allowances, for free.

True - In both Europe and the US, this type of cap-and-trade system was used. As a result, the value of permits was volatile, energy costs jumped up for consumers, and free permits caused carbon emissions to rise. The polluters made billions of dollars in extra profits because in the cap and giveaway system they got the vast majority of the valuable permits for free. Some argue that instead of just giving permits away to polluters, we could sell them and use the money to build a clean energy economy, create dividends for citizens, or share the proceeds with those who are most harmed by climate change.

Human breast milk is at the top of the food chain and therefore has the highest levels of many toxic contaminants.

True - Many factory workers are women of reproductive age who are working with reproductive toxins, carcinogens and more. These women usually have no other job options. Food also is a source of exposure to many environmental chemicals found in human milk. The main route of human exposure to lipophilic chemicals, such as persistent organic pollutants, which tend to bioaccumulate in the lipid compartment, is the ingestion of foods containing high amounts of animal fat. Bioaccumulation results in increased exposure of these chemicals for humans, but mainly to breastfeeding infants, who are at the top of the food chain.

The common law principle of "nuisance" refers to the unreasonable interference with someone else's property.

True - One example in the waste sector is odor coming onto someone else's property from a dump. The aggrieved might be able to secure monetary payment for such damages.

The US is currently a party to the Paris Agreement.

True - President Obama joined the Paris Agreement in 2015. President Trump withdrew the US from the Paris Agreement in November 2020. In early January 2021, President Biden rejoined the Paris Agreement.

The Clean Air Act provides a way for CA to regulate fuel efficiency standards at a level that is more strict than federal standards.

True - The US Clean Air Act allows for California and only California to obtain a waiver from the US EPA administrator if it wishes to implement fuel efficiency standards that are more strict than the federal fuel efficiency standards, called the Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE) standards. Under the Obama administration, California applied for and was granted a waiver to regulate greenhouse gas emissions in this way. The Trump administration is currently trying to rescind this waiver.

The limit of the "extraction" step in the materials economy, in general, is that we are running out of resources and using too much stuff. But the problem in the US is not just using too much stuff; it is that Americans are consuming more than their share of the world's resources.

True - The US constitutes 4% of the world's population, but consumes 30% of the world's resources and creates 30% of the world's waste.

The United States is a party to the UNFCCC.

True - The US senate ratified the UNFCCC in 1992.

Climate refugees give a human face to climate change. Their experiences demonstrate how climate change affects human rights.

True - The films highlight several examples of climate refugees: households whose children are pulled out of school to work as casual labors, families who flee across borders to escape drought, communities exposed to climate impacts who are forced to relocate against their will. The Environmental Justice Foundation argues that these groups need adequate assistance and protection. This is why they are calling for the United Nations special rapporteur on human rights and climate change in order to consolidate and mobilize urgent action at an international level.

Federalism describes the relationship between which two actors in the U.S. context?

U.S. government and state-level governments

Environmental externalities measure:

Uncompensated environmental effects of production and consumption Health care costs of air pollution

An opportunity cost is:

What you give up for something

Environmental justice is concerned with disproportionate impacts in terms of:

ace Class Gender

The difference between what parties say they will do to address climate change under the Paris Agreement, and what their nationally determined contributions (NDCs) will actually do is called the:

ambition gap - It's also sometimes called the emissions gap