Soc 220
Windmills were first used for electric power generation
in the late 1800s
Batteries are charged directly using electricity, whereas fuel cells produce electricity when fed with hydrogen fuel (providing a "refillable" battery, in other words).
True
In a Random Controlled Trial (RCT), the assignment of different units to different treatment groups is chosen randomly. This insures that no unobservable characteristics of the units is reflected in the assignment, and hence that any difference between treatment and control units reflects the impact of the treatment.
True
The opportunity cost of making the switch from coal to wind is the increase in cost per kilowatt hour minus the value per kilowatt hour of an improved environment with wind generation.
True
In the paper "Sustainability: Human, Social, Economic and Environmental" by Robert Goodland he provided definitions of human, social, economic and environmental sustainability. He says that human sustainability means maintaining
*CASE SENSITIVE* human capital social capital maintained physical environment
Which of the following are examples of resilience?
- Developing new skills and moving from one sector to another for work as the demand for products changes. - Missing few classes and making up work while having pneumonia during the winter in Iowa - Adapting to climate change by planting crops that are more consistent with a warmer and drier climate.
Which of the following relate most prominently to intragenerational justice?
- Disproportionate distribution of benefits to the wealthy and powerful at the expense of the poor and weak - Exploitative social arrangements - Sacrifice of the fundamental needs of some for the sake of less central interests or mere 'wants' of others
In his original paper 1995 paper entitled "The Concept of Environmental Sustainability" Robert Goodland of The World Bank identified three types of sustainability. What are those three types?
Environmental sustainability, economic sustainability, social sustainability
If pollution licenses are simply handed out to existing players, any revenue that would have gone to the government through a Pigouvian tax or the sale of licenses goes to those who were, are, or will be polluting.
True
Inputs may be perfect complements in that they must be used in a fixed ratio as part of a production process
True
John Rawls has argued that justice does not allow for sacrifices imposed on a few being be outweighed by the larger sum of advantages enjoyed by many.
True
One purpose of sustainability policy is to create and maintain conditions under which humans and nature can exist in productive harmony, that permit fulfilling the social, economic and other requirements of present and future generations.
True
Public policy is a course of action or principle adopted or proposed by a governmental organization to achieve the objectives of its constituents.
True
Robert Solow has argued that the duty imposed by sustainability is to bequeath to posterity not any particular thing — with rare exceptions such as Yosemite, for example — but rather to endow them with whatever it takes to achieve a standard of living at least as good as our own and to look after their next generation similarly.
True
Social costs include both the private costs and any other external costs to society arising from the production or consumption of a good or service.
True
The opportunity cost an acre foot of water applied to water sorghum on the farm of Farmer Swami is the net revenue that would have been obtained if he had applied it to his cotton (assuming the only two uses of the water are growing sorghum and cotton on this farm).
right
Natural climate forcings include
- Changes in the Sun's brightness - Large volcanic eruptions - Milankovitch cycles
Which of the following were the energy services that the new energy technology of fire provided to early humans?
- Heat - Heat Treatment - Cooking - Protection - Light
Which of the following statements describe the institutional structure in the current paradign for personal transportation?
- Private market provision of most personal transportation with some public transportation via buses, trains, and planes - Public provision of most roads with relatively few tolls in many parts of the United States - Government subsidies of some portions of transportation and energy sector
The following are three categories of transaction costs often used to describe resources required to establish, operate and enforce a resource allocation, management, or regulatory system.
- Search and information - Bargaining and decision costs - Policing and enforcement costs
Which of the following are "market'' solutions to market failure?
- Taxes or fines such as effluent or pollution charges - Tradable permits - Carbon offsets - Subsidies to or outright purchases or sales of products in markets where there are market failure.
Consider the following graph which appeared in a series of articles in the Wall Street Journal in 2012. Which of the following is the interpretation of the group of 16 scientists who originally wrote that there is No Need to Panic About Global Warming"?
- The projections exaggerate, substantially, the response of the earth's temperature to CO2 which increased by about 11% from 1989 through 2011.
Carbon credits can be generated from various types of projects including the following:
- Using garbage as a fuel to create energy as compared to burying it in a landfill where it will produce methane. -Switching the generation of electricty from coal to wind.
In the three factor model of sustainability we seek to balance economic, social and environmental sustainability factors in harmony. Match the following lists of sustainability factors with their results. Environmental and Social Sustainability Environmental, Social, and Economic Sustainability Environmental and Economic Sustainability Social and Economic Sustainability
Environmental and Social Sustainability - Bearable Environmental, Social, and Economic Sustainability - Sustainable Environmental and Economic Sustainability - Viable Social and Economic Sustainability - Equitable
The United States accounted for over 25% of world energy use in 2018.
False
The poor are less impacted by the cost of energy than the rich becuase they use less.
False
Lidar stands for
Light detection and ranging
Social capital requires maintenance and replenishment by shared values and equal rights, and by community, religious and cultural interactions.
True
Technology can be both knowledge of techniques and the skills used to implement them, which may be embedded in humans, or it can be directly embedded in machines, computers, devices and factories.
True
The Taylor Grazing Act of 1934 was intended to "stopinjury to the public grazing lands by preventingovergrazing and soil deterioration, to provide for theirorderly use, improvement and development, to stabilize thelivestock industry dependent upon the public range, and forother purposes".
True
The algorithms that make decisions in automated vehicles use machine learning to find patterns in identification and decisions by actual humans in various environments and situations.
True
The amount of energy consumed in the manufacture of a material is called the embodied energy of the material.
True
The electric power sector was the largest consumer of energy in the United States in 2018.
True
The government can help create clean inexpensive energy both by providing consumption or production subsidies and/or by supporting innovation to create lower cost technologies.
True
The purpose of just (real) savings is to establish just institutions in order to secure a social world that makes possible a worthwhile life for all its citizens.
True
Which of the following are elements of human flourishing proposed by the PERMA model.
- engagement - meaning - accomplishment - relationship with other people - positive emotion
Which four of the following are often listed together as sustainable development objectives.
- environmental sustainability - economic prosperity - social inclusion and cohesion - good governance
Which of the following were effective for defining and enforcing property rights among cattlemen on the open range in Wyoming, Montana, and the Dakotas in the 1800's?
-Cattlemen's associations -line camps
Which of the following statements are correct?
-Efficiency is about doing things in an optimal way, for example doing it the fastest or in the least expensive way. -Effectiveness is about doing the right task, completing activities and achieving goals.
Which of the following is not a characteristic of good governance?
Directly elected leaders
Nicholas Stern has argued that while climate change is a major market failure, it is not on the scale on the two major wars of the 20th century. We should work to correct it but not sabotage the economy in the process.
False
Over the past 30 years the United States has developed a clear and effective energy policies to reduce "America's century-long addiction to fossil fuels."
False
The Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE) standards regulate how far vehicles must travel on a gallon of fuel. The standard for a given manufacturer is an average for all types of vehicles (passenger cars, light trucks, medium-duty trucks and heavy-duty trucks and engines).
False
The Human Development Index is generally higher in countries with a higher percentage of the population living in rural areas.
False
In 2050, projected energy consumption in the United States has the following order in terms of largest consumption to smallest
Liquid Fuels, Natural gas, other renewables
An example of planned obsolescence is new editions of college textbooks.
True
Innovation is the creation of something new, or a "breakthrough" in technology.
True
Sustainability and human flourishing are not mutually exclusive.
True
Technology can be the knowledge of techniques and the skills used to implement them. Technology can also be embedded in machines, computers, devices and factories.
True
Technology is often complementary with material or human inputs in the sense that a backhoe increases the ability of a person to dig trenches. But technology can also substitute for human inputs in the sense that one backhoe and one person can be substituted for 10 workers and ten shovels, in the sense that one machine is replacing 10 workers.
True
The Sustainable Development Goals clearly support innovation.
True
US greenhouse gas emissions actually fell in 2020.
True
Match examples of sustainable development objectives with those objectives. If the example fits more than one objective, choose the one that fits it best. Equitable economic growth Rising per-capita income Low inflation and low unemployment People are connected by durable relations that extend beyond immediate genealogical ties Commonly shared values, rules, and information Reduced production of greenhouse gases Water conservation Internalizing the externalities Transparency
Equitable economic growth - economic prosperity Rising per-capita income - economic prosperity Low inflation and low unemployment - economic prosperity People are connected by durable relations that extend beyond immediate genealogical ties - social inclusion and cohesion Commonly shared values, rules, and information - social inclusion and cohesion Reduced production of greenhouse gases- environmental sustainability Water conservation - environmental sustainability Internalizing the externalities - good governance Transparency - good governance
It is clear that villages included in the Millennium Villages Project (MVP) are much better off than they would have been if they had not been included in the project.
False
Microenterprises are almost always a stepping stone to broader economic development.
False
Most of the growth in the United States in the last 50 years has been in cities as compared to suburbs.
False
Most of the mining sites in the eastern DRC have been reached by traceability or certification efforts so that exports are now proceeding at strong pace.
False
Negative externalities are present when a portion of the costs of an economic transaction are imposed on others outside of that transaction without their consent. An example would be when neighbors get together to host a block party and pool their resources to cover refreshments and a band and everyone opts in. And the neighborhood is secluded and not near any other homes.
False
One of the advantages of tradable permits is that a firm that has more licenses than it intends to use can buy even more.
False
Economic sustainability refers to the ability of an economic system to produce a constant or increasing standard of living over time. This is a goal or objective in which we are interested.
True
Economics is the study of how individuals and societies choose to employ scarce resources.
True
Economists such as Bjorn Lomborg and John Cochrane argue that the overall economic costs of climate change may be less than the costs of slowing climate change to the levels proposed by many climate advocates.
True
For a construction firm there may be some positive network externalities if there are more contractors in a give metropolitan because more because more supply firms and sub-contractors may also locate in the area to support the demand for materials and workers. This may reduce somewhat the potentially negative effects of more construction firms on low bids for projects.
True
Fuel economy and greenhouse gas ratings are generally the same for most vehicles. They are different, however, for compressed natural gas and diesel vehicles.
True
Gasoline powered vehicles produce pollution primarily through the tailpipe during operation while fully electric vehicles create pollution mostly from the production of the fuel they use.
True
Geothermal energy generally has a low levelized cost of electricity (LCOE) relative to coal, natural gas, wind and solar.
True
Global warming could affect ocean currents is such a way as to make parts of Europe colder.
True
Green transportation has a low or a negative effect on the environment since it makes use of energy sources that are sustainable.
True
If damage costs resulting from combustion of fossil fuels in cars and trucks were internalised into the price of these vehicles, hybrid and electric cars and trucks would be better able to compete and sales would increase.
True
Which of the following conditions are necessary and sufficient for competitive equilibrium?
Profit maximization, utility maximization, and market clearing
Match the item with whether it is a valuable resource or part of the institutional structure. Renewable and non-renewable energy Government subsidies of some portions of transportation and energy sector Skilled labor force Public provision of most roads with relatively few tolls Private provision of insurance Innovative technologies Oligopoly with some international barriers to trade Government regulations related to vehicle performance and emissions
Renewable and non-renewable energy - Available resources Government subsidies of some portions of transportation and energy sector - Institutional structure Skilled labor force - Available resources Public provision of most roads with relatively few tolls - Institutional structure Private provision of insurance - Institutional structure Innovative technologies - Available resources Oligopoly with some international barriers to trade - Institutional structure Government regulations related to vehicle performance and emissions - Institutional structure
If production of a product creates a negative externality, the social value of production is generally less than the private value.
True
If the pollution damage costs resulting from combustion of fossil fuels in cars and trucks were internalised into the price of these vehicles, hybrid and electric cars and trucks would be better able to compete and sales would increase.
True
Improving the quality and quantity of energy was an important goal of the Millenium Villages Project.
True
In 2018, most coal in the United States was used in the production of electricity.
True
In a series of experiments Bonnefon, Shari, and Rahwan found that participants were generally comfortable with utilitarian Autonomous Vehicles, programmed to minimize an accident's death toll. That is the vehicle might choose to run over and kill a single person in order to avoid plowing into a crowd and killing several.
True
In terms of systems, drawing the "box'' means drawing a boundary such that we can effectively analyze or model a subsystem or part of the whole system.
True
In terms of the atmosphere we might say that we have a free rider problem in the sense that I would prefer that everyone else pollute less so that I can keep polluting at the same level. And I am likely to continue to pollute hoping others will pollute less.
True
In the Democratic Republic of the Congo a cobalt rush has brought human rights violations, child labor and dangerously tunnel-riddled neighborhoods.
True
In the United States the transportation sector is a more significant source of greenhouse gas emissions than that industrial sector.
True
In theories of justice and equality it is sometimes appropriate to treat equals equally and treat unequals unequally.
True
In thinking about ways to create human flourishing, solutions must be consistent with the laws of nature and existing (and or likely to be invented in the near future) technologies.
True
Inputs may be substitutes in the sense that the quantity of one input can be decreased and another one increased without reducing output
True
Intel has now certified that all of its processors are conflict free''.
True
It a production of a product creates a negative externality, the social cost of production is generally higher than the private cost
True
Robert Solow has argued that current generations have an obligation to conduct themselves so that they leave to the future the option or thecapacity to be as well off as people are currently.
True
The opportunity cost of an acre foot of water applied to Farmer Swaminathan's wheat farm is the net revenue that would have been obtained if he had applied it to his millet (assuming the only two uses of the water are growing wheat and millet on this farm).
True
The opportunity cost of putting an acre of land in the Conservation Reserve is the net profit it would bring growing a corn and soybean rotation plus the costs of maintaining a cover crop less any revenue (or value grazing livestock) obtained from selling whatever is produced as cover.
True
The opportunity of moving firefighters from the Bald Mountain fire to the Pole Creek fire is the potential loss of grazing land, wildlife habitat, natural areas, cabins, and homes in the Bald Mountain area if the fire expands.
True
The resource curse---also known as the paradox of plenty-describes the phenomenon whereby countries that are rich in natural resources such as oil, gas or minerals, end up poorer and more unequal than countries without them.
True
The simplest version of a Pigovian tax is an effluent fee: anyone who dumps pollutants into a river, or emits them into the air, must pay a sum proportional to the amount dumped or damage done.
True
The social cost of carbon (SCC) is an estimate, in dollars, of the economic damages that would result from emitting one additional ton of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere.
True
The travel cost method is most often used to measure the benefits of recreationalresources such as parks, rivers, or beaches, whether they be used for hiking,fishing, surfing, or just hanging out.
True
The value of having access to a FAX machine increases as more people have access to FAX machines.
True
The value of having access to a digital scanner increases as more people have e-mail access to the internet and the ability to receive scanned documents. This is called a positive network externality.
True
The value of having access to a telephone increases as more people have access to a telephone. This is called a positive network externality.
True
Match the theory with its principles. We should always do whatever will produce the greatest possible balance of happiness over unhappiness fo everyone who will be affected by our action. Morality is the set of rules that rational people will agree to obey, for their mutual benefit, provided that other people will obey them as well. So act that you treat humanity, whether in your own person, or in that of another, always as an end and never as a means only. Act only according to that maxim by which you can at the same time will that it should become a universal law Principles of social justice and moral behavior are chosen in an original agreement. . . . and these principles that free and rational persons concerned to further their own interests would accept in an initial position of equality . . . and these principles regulate all further agreements --- the kinds of social cooperation and forms of government that are permissible.
We should always do whatever will produce the greatest possible balance of happiness over unhappiness fo everyone who will be affected by our action. - utilitarianism Morality is the set of rules that rational people will agree to obey, for their mutual benefit, provided that other people will obey them as well. - social contract theory So act that you treat humanity, whether in your own person, or in that of another, always as an end and never as a means only. - deontology Act only according to that maxim by which you can at the same time will that it should become a universal law - deontology Principles of social justice and moral behavior are chosen in an original agreement. . . . and these principles that free and rational persons concerned to further their own interests would accept in an initial position of equality . . . and these principles regulate all further agreements --- the kinds of social cooperation and forms of government that are permissible. - Rawl's Approach to justice
Why does cap and trade give everyone an incentive to reduce pollution?
- Because sellers can unload more licenses if they can cut back on their emissions. - Because buyers would not have to acquire as many licenses if they can cut back on their emissions.
Which factors may affect whether the use of a public area such as Backbone State Park or Central Campus may or may not be a rival good?
- Congestion - The number of people showing up to use it in a given period
The following are common causes of market failure.
- Externalities - Public goods such as common pool resources - natural monopoly - uncertainty or asymmetric information
We have said that nations and cities often fail due to extractive economic and political institutions. Why else do cities fail?
- Geography - Environmental issues - Insufficient resources - lack of positive or outright negative network effects
If households and firms act perfectly competitively (i.e. as price takers) and most goods and services are traded in markets at publicly known prices then the market outcome is Pareto optimal in the sense that inequality is reduced relative to any planning solution.
False
It is well documented historically that there is a correlation between the sun's output and the Earth's temperature. In the last 15 years energy from the sun has been up, which might explain the recent rise in the Earth's temperature.
False
Strong environmental sustainability argues that the substitutability of natural capital by other types of capital is quite flexible In other words, the various kinds of capital are more or less substitutes, at least within the boundaries of current levels of economic activity and resource endowment.
False
Successful village level interventions are often able to take advantage of economies of scale and scope.
False
Sustainability is mostly about resources.
False
Terbium is primarily responsible for the red color in fluorescent lights as well as flat screen TVs and computer screens.
False
The Second Principle of Justice states that: Social and economic inequalities are to be arranged so that1) they are to be of the least benefit to the most-advantaged members of society, consistent with the just savings principle, and 2) offices and positions must be open to everyone with the requisite skill set.
False
US greenhouse gas emissions fell in 2020 and surprisingly continued to fall in 2021.
False
We usually say that "solutions'' in sustainable economic systems must have a rate of return (either from profits or some other other source) that is at least 10% higher than the "market rate of return'' so that firms will have an incentive to enter the market.
False
Worldwide, 2021 was the hottest year on record.
False
What might be an appropriate way to value competing uses in the case of the following resources. Ogallala aquifer An oil deposit Yosemite National Park Fishery Central campus as Iowa State University
Ogallala aquifer- Consider what farmers are paying for water permits to pump from the Platte river. An oil deposit- What consumers would be willing to pay for gasoline in 2050 assuming a rate of technological change in energy similar towhat has happened in the last 100 years. Yosemite National Park- What developers are willing to pay for land to build homes on large acreages in the mountains. Fishery -What a sailing company is willing to pay to have an area of a bay restricted to recreation (non-commercial) uses. Central campus as Iowa State University- What student clubs are willing to pay to reserve open areas for picnics, fundraisers, and frisbeegolf.
A group of researchers investigated the management of rice paddies by Balinese farmers, where ecological processes impose constraints on the timing and spatial scale of collective action. They investigated responses to environmental and social conditions by eight traditional community irrigation systems (subak) along a river in Bali, to test the intuition that older and more demographically stable subaks function differently than those with less stable populations. Results confirm the existence of two attractors, with sharply contrasting patterns of social and ecological interactions. The transition pathway between the two basins of attraction is dominated by differences in the efficacy of sanctions and the ability of subaks to mobilize agricultural labor. Which of the following is the best way of characterizing the management of rice paddies in Bali.
Social-ecological systems are complex adaptive systems which may have multiple stable states.
Suppose I want to design a hybrid car that weighs less than 3,500 pounds, gets 50 mpg and can be produced for less than $20,000. What is an appropriate constraint set?
The car must weigh less than 3,500 pounds, achieve at least fifty miles per gallon and have a production cost less than $20,000.
A market failure could result in the market for herbicides such as glyphosphate (Roundup) if producers do not take account of the potential development of herbicide resistant plants.
True
An auction of permits for water use or the right to pollute will generally be efficient in allocating resources but may not be equitable if some bidders (rich, well connected) are able to buy permits in quantities that are not optimal for society because of wealth or power or other factors.
True
An example of a Pigovian tax is an effluent fee.
True
An example of an natural monopoly is an electric utility where there are economics of scale in production and distribution.
True
Firms who maximize profit always minimize the private cost of producing the profit maximizing output level.
True
Fuel economy labels on new cars show city, highway and combined city/highway estimated mpg.
True
If the production of a product creates a negative externality, the social cost of production is generally higher than the private cost.
True
Oil produced more energy than any other fossil fuel in the world in 2017.
True
One of the advantages of tradable permits is that a firm that has more licenses than it intends to use can sell its surplus.
True
Public policy is a course of action or principle adopted or proposed by a governmental organization to achieve the objectives of its constituents
True
Rises in the sea level are caused by the oceans becoming warmer and the melting of water trapped in glaciers.
True
Solar PV generally has a lower Levelised Cost of Energy (LCOE) than Solar Thermal.
True
Solar and wind generally have lower capacity factors than coal and natural gas.
True
Strong environmental sustainability requires maintaining separate kinds of capital. Thus, for natural capital, receipts from depleting oil should be invested in ensuring that energy will be available to future generations at least as plentifully as that enjoyed by the beneficiaries of today's oil consumption. This assumes that natural and human-made capital are not perfect substitutes.
True
Subtractability refers to the degree to which use of a resource by one person subtracts from someone else's ability to use the resource.
True
Successful village level interventions can help to reduce poverty, but progress is often slow.
True
Successful village level interventions may face limited markets or have limited market power.
True
Sustainability and human flourishing are not mutually exclusive, neither does one imply the other.
True
The ``Google Algorithm'' in the Google car uses sensors about the immediate environment and data from Google maps to set an optimal route and then follow it efficiently and safely.
True
The fact that firms must be profitable or return a level of profit no less than the "market rate" of return is a constraint on sustainable solutions.
True
The first principle of justice, according to Rawls is that each person should to have an equal right to the most extensive total system of equal basic liberties compatible with a similar system of liberty for all.
True
The government might discourage the use of a nonrenewable resource by providing a subsidy to those who produce or consume products using renewable resources, by not purchasing products manufactured using the non-renewable resource, and/or imposing a tax on products based on the percentage of value-added coming from the non-renewable resource.
True
The government might encourage the use of a renewable resource by providing a subsidy to those who produce or consume products using that resource, or by purchasing products manufactured using that resource in preference to those produced using non-renewable resources. An example would be Iowa State purchasing flex-fuel vehicles and then consistently using E-85. Or the state placing a lower per gallon tax on gasoline blended with ethanol.
True
The idea of the tyranny of small decisions is that though the individual impact of any one decision is almost negligible, when accumulated over a large number of individuals, the impact is large.
True
The inflation reduction act of 2022 includes a charge on methane emissions The charge starts at $900 per metric ton of methane, increasing to $1,500 after two years. This emissions charge is the first time the federal government has directly imposed a charge, fee, or tax on GHG emissions.
True
The network effect of more players showing up to play basketball at the Rec Center could go from positive to negative as the number showing up goes above a certain number.
True
The opportunity cost of President Biden proposing to restore the land removed from the Bears Ears National Monument by President Trump to increase the amount of space that is available for wilderness, solitude, indigenous hunting and so forth is the decline in revenue from use of the land for mineral development, grazing, four-wheeling and so on.
True
The personal opportunity cost of buying a hybrid vehicle versus a standard one is the difference in initial purchase cost (assumed higher) minus the discounted present value of fuel savings over your ownership of the vehicle as well as the difference in the discounted present value of the trade-in price when you dispose of it. Assume you will hold the vehicles the same period of time and that they otherwise have similar operating and maintenance costs.
True
The rationality assumption consists of two components: first, individuals are assumed to form, on average, correct beliefs about events in their environment and about other people's behavior; second, given their beliefs, individuals choose those actions that best satisfy their preferences.
True
There is a market failure in the market for antibiotics because of increases in the pool of antibiotic-resistant bacteria because of the overuse of antibiotics in humans or livestock.
True
There is significant potential for market failure in the sale and purchase of used cars because of information asymmetries between owners of used cars and those interested in purchasing them.
True
Thomas Hobbes has argued that in the state of nature with no social contracts, there would be no place for industry, because the fruit thereof was uncertain, and that the life of man would be solitary, poor, nasty, brutish, and short.
True
Transportation is a much larger relative contributor to greenhouse gas emissions in the United States as compared the rest of the world.
True
Wind and solar are both environmentally benign technologies relative to coal.
True
Wind generally has a lower Levelised Cost of Energy (LCOE) than solar.
True
Young adults moving to downtown Des Moines because of the restaurants, bars, nightclubs, and each other is an example of a positive externality.
True
ohn Rawls has argued that justice does not allow for sacrifices imposed on a few being be outweighed by the larger sum of advantages enjoyed by many.
True
Match the terms with their definitions. Use Value Exchange Value Intrinsic Value Classical Value Instrumental Value
Use Value - The qualitative aspect of value, i.e., the concrete way in which a thing meets human needs: ``The utility of a thing makes it a use-value.'' Exchange Value - The value of a commodity: what quantity of other commodities it will exchange for, if traded. Intrinsic Value - That which is desirable or worthy of esteem for its own sake, valued as an `end-in-itself.' Classical Value - The value of a thing in any given time and place, is the largest amount of exertion that anyone will render in exchange for it. Instrumental Value -The value of objects, both physical objects and abstract objects, not as ends-in-themselves, but as a means to some other end or purpose.
President Wintersteen's carbon footprint is 40 tons per year. She can buy carbon offets from a company called terrapass (They also make Climate Change Chocolate) for $10.00 per ton. How much will it cost her per year to be a carbon neutral consumer?
$400
Aristotle said that ``Yet evidently, as we said, it needs the external goods as well; for it is impossible, or not easy, to do noble acts without the proper [e].
*CASE SENSITIVE* equipment
Additive manufacturing has the following characteristics.
- Achieved by additive processes, in which new material is added layer by layer. - Each product is made as an individual item rather than as just one of many in traditional manufacturing.
What are the three main objectives of the mental model or framework we will use in this class to evaluate sustainability options.
- Adaptbale or resilience - improve the human condition - just
What are the five constraints we have discussed that limit potential increases in human flourishing?
- Economic profitability - environmentally sound - socially acceptable - technological feasibility - physical possibility
Which of the following statements are true?
- If the government imposes a pollution tax, polluters know what price they will have to pay, but the government does not know how much pollution they will generate. - If the government simply auctions off licenses or permits for pollution and collects the revenue, then it is just like a tax which imposes costs on the private sector while generating revenue for the government.
The Coasean perspective does not define environmental problems in terms of externalities, but in terms of
- Ill-defined property rights - establishing property rights, bargaining over them, and enforcing them
Which of the following are hydrologic and physical attributes of water?
- Interdependency among users is pervasive - water is mobile
Which three of the following are key parts of the mission of the Critical Materials Institute?
- Reduce waste in the production and use of critical materials - Diversify and expand production of critical materials - Develop substitutes for critical materials
The following are examples of complementary pairs of inputs or products
- Sewing machines and thread - Gallons of gasoline and fuel tank capacity - Computers and CAD/CAM software
Which of the following are usually considered basic needs?
- Shelter - Food - Water - Clothing
Which of the following are examples of market failure?
- The manufacture and sale of epi-pens - the person-to-person market for used cars - fishery communities near Mumbai, India - climate change induced by human activities - The condition of Guanabara Bay, the site of olympic sailing events during the summer olympics in Rio
The National Water Carrier of Israel and the Central Valley Project are similar in which of the following ways.
- Water is moved by means of a series of canals, aqueducts and pump plants. - They move water from the north to the south.
Which of the following would directly help create a circular materials economy? (choose all answers that apply)
- better behavior: regulation, social adaptation, and lifestyle changes. -better design to extend product life - better methods of extraction of materials
In addition to temperature increases, the potential consequences of increased carbon dioxide in the atmosphere include which of the following? (mark all that apply)
- changes in rainfall patterns - increase in the acidity of the oceans
What are the three elements of the Triple Top line?
- ecology - equity - economy
What are the four ways by which we typically differentiate products? We sometimes refer to these as economic utilities.
- form - time - possession - place
9.1 BILLION US Tons of plastic has been produced since plastic was introduced in the 1950s. The amount of plastic produced in a year is roughly the same as the entire weight of humanity. Virtually every piece of plastic that was ever made still exists in some shape or form (with the exception of the small amount that has been incinerated). 91% of plastic waste isn't recycled. And since most plastics don't biodegrade in any meaningful sense, all that plastic waste could exist for hundreds or even thousands of years. 500 MILLION plastic straws are used EVERY DAY in America. That's enough to circle the Earth twice. 100 BILLION plastic bags are used by Americans every year. Tied together, they would reach around the Earth's equator 773 times! ONE MILLION plastic bottles are bought EVERY MINUTE around the world --- and that number will top half a TRILLION by 2021. Less than half of those bottles end up getting recycled. 8 MILLION METRIC TONS of plastic winds up in our oceans each year. That's enough trash to cover every foot of coastline around the world with five full trash bags of plastic. There is more microplastic in the ocean than there are stars in the Milky Way. There are a number of potential policies that could reduce plastic pollution and/or the harm it causes. Enact a ban on the use of plastics for packaging including plastic bags, drink bottles, shipping containers and so on Require mandatory recycling of plastics by disallowing their disposal in any normal trash cycle and requiring trash collection firms to provide easy recycling pickup for customers. Mandate recycling by trash collection and disposal firms. Provide strong financial incentives for consumers and firms (from public funds) to recycle even when the value of the product for recycling is much less than the private cost of recycling the product. Develop new materials that can do the same jobs as current plastics, but are biodegradable, nontoxic and do not concentrate in food chains. Such materials already exist in nature. As it turns out, many microorganisms make moldable bioplastic polymers that are fully degradable. They store these polymers inside their cells as tiny granules. Interestingly, these granules contain ``the seeds of their own destruction'': enzymes that break the polymer down when it is needed for food. But cost is a huge issue. We do not current have fully biodegradable polymers that are cost-competitive. About half the cost of making biodegradable polymers is the cost of feedstock. Sugar and oils are too expensive. Fortunately, microorganisms can also use cheap, renewable substrates, such as food wastes, biogas methane, carbon dioxide and renewable hydrogen. But the technology, infrastructure and sufficient economies in scale are not yet in place. A ban on the use of plastics for packaging including plastic bags, drink bottles, shipping containers and so on
- is technologically feasible - may not improve the human condition if the social costs of producing and using plastic substitutes (glass, paper, etc) in packaging are higher than the social gains from eliminating plastic packaging - may or may not be environmentally sound depending on the enviromental costs of producing, using and recycling substitutes for the plastics - may not be a just solution if workers in the plastics industry all lose their jobs and receive no assistance in transitioning to new jobs in new communities - is physically possible but not technologically feasible - would not likely return a normal level of profit to trash collection firms unless they received a subsidy from the government - would improve the human condition - would not be a just solution if the large incentives to recycle created opporunities for corruption or ``crony capitalism' where the distribution of subsities depended on political connections
Which of the following are parts of the current stylized paradigm for personal transportation?
- one device for all needs - convenience is critical - weight and size = safety
The following are examples of pure public goods
- police protection - Public roads - The air we breathe - Street lights - Public Parks
Some of the hidden social and environmental costs of transferring production and services to low-cost countries such as China, India and Brazil are
- the excessive use of hydrocarbons - the exploitation of cheap labor - the indiscriminate logging of the Amazon basin
What are the five certification criteria of the Cradle to Cradle Products Innovation Institute?
- water usage and discharge quality - material reutilization - assessment of energy required for production - fair labor practices - material health
The following are examples of substitute pairs of inputs or products
- wind and solar energy - Nitrogen fertilizer and manure - Paper and plastic bags -coal and natural gas
Abraham and Isaac, respectively, fought with Abimelech over which of the following?
-Access to a well of water
Violet prefers $20.00 now to $21.00 one year from now but prefers $23.00 one year from now to $20.00 now. Which of the following provides the tighest correct bounds on her personal rate of discount, ip ?
0.05 0.15
Thea prefers $25.00 now to $27.00 one year from now but prefers $30.00 one year from now to $25.00 now. Which of the following provides the tightest correct bounds on her personal rate of discount, ?
0.08 0.20
Jasper prefers $30.00 now to $33.00 one year from now but prefers $36.00 one year from now to $30.00 now. Which of the following provides the tightest correct bounds on his personal rate of discount, ?
0.1 0.2
Put the following in order from least preferred to most preferred.
1 - Disposal 2- Energy Recovery 3- Recycling 4- Reuse 5- minimization 6- prevention
Rank the following methods of irrigation in terms of their general level of efficiency in use of water with the most efficient being first.
1 - drip 2 - sprinkler 3 - flood and furrows 4 - flood
A 1 kilowatt (1 kW) cooking stove burner requires 1 hour (1h) to cook beans and rice for a meal. The stove is 30% efficient. How much energy is used in the cooking process (i.e., how much energy input does the stove use during the cooking process)? (kWh)
1 kWh
A cooking stove uses 2 kWh of energy to cook beans and rice for a meal. The stove is 40% efficient. How much energy is lost as a part of this process (i.e., how much energy input does not directly contribute to the cooking the food)? (kWh)
1.2 kWh
According to the book Reinventing the Automobile: Personal Urban Mobility for the 21st Century,what percent of the U.S.'s retail sales and manufacturing output are automobile sales and vehicle production?
20%
As of June 2014, the government of the Democratic Republic of Congo had certified how many mining sites out of hundreds in South and North Kivu provinces as "green'' ---meaning there was no presence of armed groups and there were no children or pregnant women laborers.
25
Energy provides about how many servants for each of us?
250
Denali prefers $65 now to $68 one year from now but prefers $71 one year from now to $65 now. Which of the following provides the tightest correct bounds on her personal rate of discount, ip?
3/65 6/65
What percent of total global water is in the oceans?
96.5
Match the theory with its principles. Act only according to that maxim by which you can at the same time will that it should become a universal law So act that you treat humanity, whether in your own person, or in that of another, always as an end and never as a means only. We should always do whatever will produce the greatest possible balance of happiness over unhappiness fo everyone who will be affected by our action. Morality is the set of rules that rational people will agree to obey, for their mutual benefit, provided that other people will obey them as well. Principles of social justice and moral behavior are chosen in an original agreement. . . . and these principles that free and rational persons concerned to further their own interests would accept in an initial position of equality . . . and these principles regulate all further agreements --- the kinds of social cooperation and forms of government that are permissible.
Act only according to that maxim by which you can at the same time will that it should become a universal law - Deontology So act that you treat humanity, whether in your own person, or in that of another, always as an end and never as a means only. - Deontology We should always do whatever will produce the greatest possible balance of happiness over unhappiness fo everyone who will be affected by our action. -Utilitarianism Morality is the set of rules that rational people will agree to obey, for their mutual benefit, provided that other people will obey them as well. - Social Contract Theory Principles of social justice and moral behavior are chosen in an original agreement. . . . and these principles that free and rational persons concerned to further their own interests would accept in an initial position of equality . . . and these principles regulate all further agreements --- the kinds of social cooperation and forms of government that are permissible. -Rawl's Approach to Justice
Which of the following is likely to be most effective in reducing overuse of the Ogallala aquifer?
Allocate use permits that limit the amount that anyone can withdraw in a given period.
Water is generally most effectively used near its source in the mountains.
False
Water problems are usually not site specific.
False
Water vapor, carbon dioxide, methane, and other trace gases are transparent to many wavelengths of thermal infrared energy.
False
We are likely to run out of energy
False
Match the system type with its definition Closed system isolated system open system
Closed system - System that does not allow certain types of transfers in or out of the system isolated system - A system that does not exchange energy or matter with its surroundings. open system- A system that interfaces and interacts with its environment, by receiving inputs from and delivering outputs to the outside
Match examples of sustainable development objectives with those objectives. If the example fits more than one objective, choose the one that fits it best. Commonly shared values, rules, and information Equitable economic growth Water conservation Internalizing the externalities Rising per-capita income Reduced production of greenhouse gases
Commonly shared values, rules, and information - social inclusion and cohesion Equitable economic growth - economic prosperity Water conservation - environmental sustainability Internalizing the externalities - good governance Rising per-capita income - economic prosperity Reduced production of greenhouse gases - environmental sustainability
Match the following resources with their types Computer Programming Skill Investments and services that create the basic framework for society Copper The improved dexterity of a workman Oil Goodwill associated with a brand name such as KFC An ocean Fishery Building Computer Chip A forest
Computer Programming Skill - Human Capital Investments and services that create the basic framework for society - Social Capital Copper - Non-renewable natural resource The improved dexterity of a workman - Human Capital Oil - Non-renewable natural resource Goodwill associated with a brand name such as KFC - Other produced (not physical) capital An ocean Fishery - Renewable natural resource Building - produced physical capital Computer Chip - Produced physical capital A forest - Renewable natural resource
Match the interested group with their wants/needs in the area of personal transportation. Consumers Firms Society
Consumers - One device for all needs, convenience, low cost, varied designs, short commuting time, accessible parking, low accident rate Firms - High profit rate, stable profits, stable supply of inputs, labor force stability, minimal regulation Society - Low pollution levels, renewable energy, quiet cities, low levels of congestion, equitable access, low accident rate
What are negative externalities?
Costs that economic actors impose on others without paying a price for their actions
Match the type of public policy for sustainability with appropriate examples. Design standards subsidies taxes production quota fines permits that can be traded effluent permits that are not tradable
Design standards - Regulation subsidies -economic incentives taxes - economic incentives production quota - regulation fines - economic incentives permits that can be traded - economic incentives effluent permits that are not tradable - regulation
The narrator in the video clip Story of Stuff'' says that which of the following is the most toxic manmade substance known to science''.
Dioxin
Human sustainability and social sustainability are more or less the same thing.
False
GM's Project P.U.M.A. primarily saves vehicle parking space by
Dynamic Stabilization
John Rawls has argued that justice would allow for sacrifices imposed on a few to be outweighed by the larger sum of advantages enjoyed by many.
False
If households and firms act perfectly competitively (i.e. as price takers) and most goods and services are traded in markets at publicly known prices then the market outcome is Pareto optimal, i.e., no one can be made better off without making someone else worse off.
False
If people in a social-ecological system are flourishing, the system is sustainable.
False
If the government imposes a pollution tax, polluters know what price they will have to pay, and the government knows how much pollution the polluter will generate.
False
In 1960 Baltimore was America's eighth largest city with 876,050 people.
False
match each of the five constraints on sustainability we have discussed with a definition or example. Economic profitability environmentally sound socially acceptable technological feasibility physical possibility
Economic profitability - Return a level of profit no less than the "market rate" of return. environmentally sound - Actions should not release significant toxic materials to the air, land or water socially acceptable - Reduces income inequality without making others worse off technological feasibility - Can be implemented at a commercial scale physical possibility - Satisfies laws of nature
What did Ted Schultz think was necessary to improve the human condition of poor but efficient farmers?
Education and/or access to resources and technology
Match the type of power to its definition. Elastic Potential Energy Gravitational Energy Electric Potential Energy Chemical Potential Energy Sound Thermal Energy
Elastic Potential Energy - Energy stored as a result of deformation of an object such as a spring. Gravitational Energy - Energy stored in an object's height. Electric Potential Energy - Energy that results from conservative Coulomb forces and is associated with the configuration of a particular set of point charges within a defined system. Chemical Potential Energy - Energy stored in the bonds of atoms and molecules. Sound - The movement of energy through substances in longitudinal (compression/rarefaction) waves. Thermal Energy - The random motion of the atoms, molecules, and ions within substances.
In the three factor model of sustainability we seek to balance economic, social and environmental sustainability factors in harmony. Match the following lists of sustainability factors with their results. Environmental and Economic Sustainability Environmental, Social, and Economic Sustainability Social and Economic Sustainability Environmental and Social Sustainability
Environmental and Economic Sustainability- Viable Environmental, Social, and Economic Sustainability- Sustainable Social and Economic Sustainability- Equitable Environmental and Social Sustainability- Bearable
A defensible clean energy policy should "pick winners" by choosing which specific technologies and firms should receive subsidies.
False
Match the following good/service pairs with their type. If you feel there is some ambiguity, pick the type that is most common in current practice. Flood irrigation, center pivot irrigation and drip irrigation Bolts and nuts Hydro and Solar as sources for producing electricity Meat for eating and hide for making shoes Beef and pork as protein sources in a human diet Buses and light rail Wheels and tires
Flood irrigation, center pivot irrigation and drip irrigation - Substitutes Bolts and nuts - Complements Hydro and Solar as sources for producing electricity - Substitutes Meat for eating and hide for making shoes - Joint Outputs Beef and pork as protein sources in a human diet - Substitutes Buses and light rail - Substitutes Wheels and tires - Complements
One way to get at the value of water is to create an active market in which the right to withdraw so many acre feet per year is auctioned off.
True
Match the type of automation with its definition High Automation Full Automation Conditional Automation Partial Automation Driver Assistance No Automation
High Automation - The vehicle is capable of performing all driving functions under certain conditions. The drive may have the option to control the vehicle. Full Automation - The vehicle is capable of performing all driving functions under all conditions. The drive may have the option to control the vehicle. Conditional Automation - Driver is a necessity, but is not required to monitor the environment. The driver must be ready to take control of the vehicle at all times. Partial Automation - Vehicle has combined automated functions, like acceleration and steering, but the driver must remain engaged with the driving task and monitor the environment at all times. Driver Assistance - Vehicle is controlled by the driver, but some driving assist features may be included in the vehicle design. No Automation - Zero autonomy, the driver performs all the driving tasks
Which of the following is correct?
In 2018 the countries producing the most vehicles in rank order were China, the United States, Japan and India while in 2010 the rank order was China, Japan, the United States and Germany.
John Wesley Powell talked about competing arguments for selecting lands for irrigation higher in the mountains versus lower in the valleys. Which of the following best describes his arguments.
Looking to the conservation of water, it is best to select lands as high on the streams as possible. But opposite to this the argument related to temperature, the higher the land the colder the climate, and the shorter the growing season..
Which of the following statements are true?
Most coal goes to electricity production while most petroleum goes to transportation.
Match a description of a method of estimating willingness to pay with its formal name. People's responses to hypothetical questions, of the form, what would you do if ? or what would you be willing to pay for? Observations of people acting in real-world settings, where people must live with the consequences of their choices.
People's responses to hypothetical questions, of the form, what would you do if ? or what would you be willing to pay for? - Stated preference methods Observations of people acting in real-world settings, where people must live with the consequences of their choices. - Revealed Preference methods
The three parts of the triple bottom line are as follows.
People, Planet, Profits
In 2018, energy usage in the world had the following order in terms of largest consumption to smallest
Petroleum, coal, natural gas
Match the following externalities with their types. Plastic water bottles acid rain attending class when sick diesel defear devices planting wildflowers along a fence row Planting milkweed along with a variety of native flowering species with different bloom times in a city park Creation of wildlife habitat when setting aside land previously in row crops to decrease soil erosion Placing of water, sewer and gas utilties along an undeveloped road by a business building a warehouse near the end of the zoned area
Plastic water bottles - Negative Externality acid rain - Negative Externality attending class when sick - Negative Externality diesel defear devices - Negative Externality planting wildflowers along a fence row - Positive Externality Planting milkweed along with a variety of native flowering species with different bloom times in a city park - Positive Externality Creation of wildlife habitat when setting aside land previously in row crops to decrease soil erosion -Positive Externality Placing of water, sewer and gas utilties along an undeveloped road by a business building a warehouse near the end of the zoned area- Positive Externality
Match the model of ``poor'' agents with their characteristics Poor but neoclassical Poor and not neoclassical Poor but efficient
Poor but neoclassical - There are market failures Poor and not neoclassical - Agents may have limited rationality, and/or limited willpower, may not be purely self-interested Poor but efficient -Agents need education and/or access to resources and technology
Match the definitions on the right with the definitions on the left
Primary electricity - Electricity from nuclear, hydro, wind, solar, and geothermal Secondary energy - a carrier of energy, such as electricity Fossil energy - Coal, oil, and natural gas Primary energy - an energy form found in nature that has not been subjected to any human engineered conversion or transformation process.
Match the ways products are differentiated with examples or case Purchase of a building lot within the private unit development (PUD) E-85 versus E-10 Storage of corn from harvest until later in the season when prices are higher Organic carrots Ownership of land that provides shares in an irrigation company Different usage rates on U-Haul trucks depending on origin and destination of rental
Purchase of a building lot within the private unit development (PUD) - Possession E-85 versus E-10 - Form Storage of corn from harvest until later in the season when prices are higher - Time Organic carrots - Form Ownership of land that provides shares in an irrigation company - Possession Different usage rates on U-Haul trucks depending on origin and destination of rental - Place
Organic/sustainably produced standards are an attempt to prevent market failures due to asymmetric information between consumers who want to buy "green" and producers of those products.
True
Match the following situations with whether they best characterize the need for market/public intervention or more specifically for public finance. Research not sufficiently profitable in the short run to draw private investment Redistribution of wealth or income. Market Failure Fighting extreme poverty Social insurance
Research not sufficiently profitable in the short run to draw private investment - Public finance Redistribution of wealth or income. - Market/public intervention Market Failure - Market/public intervention Fighting extreme poverty - Public finance Social insurance- Public finance
People leaving older urban neighborhoods for the suburbs is an example of a negative externality.
True
Consider the numerous individuals and groups who would like to have access to Yosemite National Park for a variety of activities. Which of the following are reasonable approaches to prevent damage/overuse and are also fair and just?
Set up up a quota system where entrance passes are allocated using a lottery.
Match each term with its definition. Social Sustainability Economic Sustainability Human Sustainability Environmental Sustainability
Social Sustainability - Practices to ensure that the cohesion of society and its ability to work towards common goals are maintained. Economic Sustainability - Maintaining the level of human well-being so that it does not decline through time. Human Sustainability - Maintaining Human Capital Environmental Sustainability - Practices to ensure that natural resource capital remains intact.
Match the characteristics of the current and the new DNA for automobiles. Stand alone operation Electronically controlled Energized by electricity and hydrogen Powered by internal combustion engine Electrically driven Powered by electric motors Mechanically driven Energized by petroleum Intelligent and interconnected Mechanically controlled
Stand alone operation - Current DNA Electronically controlled - New DNA Energized by electricity and hydrogen - New DNA Powered by internal combustion engine - Current DNA Electrically driven - New DNA Powered by electric motors - New DNA Mechanically driven - Current DNA Energized by petroleum - Current DNA Intelligent and interconnected - New DNA Mechanically controlled - Current DNA
Which of the following is the definition of capacity factor.
The capacity factor for a given piece of equipment is given by the ratio of power actually produced to potential power production.
Suppose I want to design a hybrid car that weighs less than 3,000 pounds, gets 60 mpg and can be produced for less than $15,000. What is an appropriate constraint set?
The car must weigh less than 3,000 pounds, achieve at least sixty miles per gallon and have a production cost less than $15,000.
People on Easter Island were no longer able to hunt for porpoises, one of their main food staples, because they cut down too many trees.
True
Places that fairly regularly experience modest disruptions tend to be more resilient that those which seldom have to deal with disruptions.
True
Plug-In vehicles use both gasoline and electricity for fuel.
True
A market failure occurs when a competitive market fails to bring about an efficient allocation of resources.
True
A negative externality is an activity that imposes a negative effect on an unrelated party.
True
A quota is a limit on the quantity of something.
True
A social-ecological system may have multiple stable states.
True
Match the type of public policy for sustainability with appropriate examples. Tradable permits Subsidies Production quota Effluent permits Vaccination requirements Design standards Taxes Price controls Fines Safety standards
Tradable permits - Economic Incentives Subsidies - Economic Incentives Production quota - Regulation Effluent permits - Regulation Vaccination requirements - Regulation Design standards - Regulation Taxes - Economic Incentives Price controls - Regulation Fines - Economic Incentives Safety standards - Regulation
Which of the following sectors has produced the highest CO2 emissions in the United States since 2000.
Transportation
85% of personal travel is by auto.
True
Like big cities, economies of scale are seen in anthills, termite mounds, and so on.
True
Robert Solow, a Nobel Prize winner in economics has argued, "You could say that our ancestors, who were considerably poorer than we are, whose standard of living was considerably less than our own, were probably excessively generous in providing for us. They cut down a lot of trees, but they saved a lot and they built a lot of railroad rights-of-way."
True
What was the first energy shortage in the American colonies?
Wood
Which curve represents super-linear scaling?
a
Which curve represents linear scaling?
b
Match the following terms with their definitions. complicated system complex system self-organization Emergence Reslilience Adapatbility spontaneous order nonlinear system
complicated system - the elements maintain some independence and removing one does not change the system's fundamental nature complex system - the elements are highly dependent on one another and removing an element can fundamentally change the system''s behavior self-organization- the spontaneous formation of structures in systems composed of few or many components Emergence - is a phenomenon whereby larger entities arise through interactions among smaller or simpler entities such that the larger entities exhibit properties the smaller/simpler entities do not exhibit Reslilience - the capacity of a system to absorb disturbance, undergo change and still retain essentially the same function, structure, identity, and feedbacks Adapatbility - the capacity of actors in a system to manage resilience, either by moving the system toward or away from a threshold that would fundamentally alter the properties of the system. spontaneous order - can be seen in herd behavior, whereby a group of individuals coordinates their actions without centralized planning. nonlinear system- change of the output is not proportional to the change of the input.
Match the following terms with their definitions. complicated system self-organization emergence resilience complex system
complicated system - the elements maintain some independence and removing one does not change the system's fundamental nature self-organization - the spontaneous formation of structures in systems composed of few or many components emergence - is a phenomenon whereby larger entities arise through interactions among smaller or simpler entities such that the larger entities exhibit properties the smaller/simpler entities do not exhibit resilience - the capacity of a system to absorb disturbance, undergo change and still retain essentially the same function, structure, identity, and feedbacks complex system - the elements are highly dependent on one another and removing an element can fundamentally change the system''s behavior
An adaptable solution "locks-in" existing concepts and technologies, is able to respond quickly to new challenges, and is resilient.
disagree
Match the system type with its definition open system isolated system closed system
open system: A system that interfaces and interacts with its environment, by receiving inputs from and delivering outputs to the outside Isolated system: A system that does not exchange energy or matter with its surroundings. Closed system: System that does not allow certain types of transfers in or out of the system
Which of the following fuels produces the highest level of CO2 emissions in the United States.
petroleum
Match each word with its definition. pounds of force potential energy joule energy force due to gravity power work force kinetic energy newton weight
pounds of force - 4.4482 Newtons potential energy - The energy that is stored in matter. joule - The SI unit of work and energy. It is equal to the energy expended (or work done) in applying a force of one newton through a distance of one meter. energy - The capacity of doing work. force due to gravity - 9.8 m/s^2 power - The rate at which work (W) is performed or energy is converted. work - The energy transferred to or from an object by means of a force acting on the object. force - Any influence that causes an object to undergo a change in speed, a change in direction, or a change in shape. kinetic energy - The energy which an object possesses due to its motion. newton - The International System of Units (SI) unit for force; it is equal to the amount of net force required to acceleratea mass of one kilogram at a rate of one meter per second squared. weight - The magnitude of the net force required to prevent the body from falling freely, as measured by someone on the ground.
Match the words with their definitions. resilience adaptability adaption self organization emergence
resilience - The capacity of a system to absorb disturbance, undergo change and still retain essentially the same function, structure, identity, and feedback adaptability - the capacity of actors in a system to manage resilience either by moving the system towards or away from a threshold that would fundamentally after the properties of the system adaptability - the process by which an organism becomes better suited to its habitats adaption - the spontaneous formation of structures in systems composed of few or many components self organization - The arising of novel and coherent structures, patterns, and properties during the process of self organization in complex systems.
"Tom Konz received about $102,000 from Dakota Access for the right to run the oil pipeline across his farm, a figure that included payments for the easement, plus three years' worth of crop damage. But he said that's nothing compared with the ongoing costs of anticipated crop losses.'' The opportunity cost of having the pipeline running across his ground is the decrease in value of his farm, which might be approximated by the value of reduced crop yields (in perpetuity) discounted back to the present time.
right
The opportunity cost of land needed to build a dam for a reservoir might be approximated by what it would have sold for at a public auction.
right
Match the following resources with their types welding robot the savannah in Africa natural gas fishing the Chesapeake bay Private property shall not be taken for public use without just compensation Plant variety rights protection warehouse The improved dexterity from learning by doing of a welder iron welding skill Networks together with shared norms, values and understandings that facilitate co-operation within or among groups
welding robot - produced physical capitol the savannah in Africa - renewable natural resource natural gas - non-renewable natural resource fishing the Chesapeake bay - renewable natural resource Private property shall not be taken for public use without just compensation - other produced (not physical) capitol Plant variety rights protection - other produced (not physical) capitol warehouse - Produced physical capital The improved dexterity from learning by doing of a welder - Human capital iron - Non-renewable natural resource welding skill - Human capital Networks together with shared norms, values and understandings that facilitate co-operation within or among groups - Social capital
The opportunity cost of diesel used to transport gravel to a construction site is what it cost to produce the diesel.
wrong
Match a particular policy with its general type. You buy the right to release more phosphate from swine production into the environment from a person who was allocated that right previously An automaker selling 100,000 cars in California in 2018 will need at least 4,500 ZEV (zero-emission vehicle) credits, with at least 2,000 coming from battery-electric or fuel cell vehicle sales. The state of Iowa provides a tax credit for the installation of low energy appliances Stanford University wants to maintain its place with the highest score in the Sustainability Tracking, Assessment Rating System (STARS) and so invests in the distribution of efficient stoves in less developed countries to offset emission from construction activities on new buildings on campus A farmer sells 150 acres that includes a natural lake to a realty company who subdivides it and sells 3 acre lots to individuals. The lots are privately owned and maintained. The lots near the lake sell first and are soon all taken. These owners get together and decide to regulate use of the lake as a group, charging an annual fee and agreeing to let others in the development access to the lake based on a set of rules. They also agree to write these rules into the deeds of their property so that any future owners of the lots are bound by these rules. Hint: This is not ``Well defined property rights'' thought aspects of that apply. A limit of on total amount of particulate matter that is allowed into the air from a given power plant You purchase the exclusive right (for 50 years) to graze 200 head of your cattle on land owned by the Federal Government which was previously open to a number of producers who had grazing permits allowing 400 head. The government allows you to fence the land. Iowa State University buys flex fuel vehicles and uses E-85. A fee on industrial waste discharged into a stream proportional to the damage done. You are tired of the run-down public parks in your town which are plagued by gang violence and noisy college students. You and some friends buy up a track of low-cost dilapidated housing and raze the buildings. You then build a private park which is only available to your family and that of your friends. You hire some of the people who used to live in the dilapidated housing to act as armed guards and gate controllers for the property. You pay them $55,000 for their services and allow them to also use the park.
you buy the right to release more phosphate from swine production into the environment from a person who was allocated that right previously - Tradable permits An automaker selling 100,000 cars in California in 2018 will need at least 4,500 ZEV (zero-emission vehicle) credits, with at least 2,000 coming from battery-electric or fuel cell vehicle sales. - Quota The state of Iowa provides a tax credit for the installation of low energy appliances - Subsidies to or outright purchases of "greener" processes Stanford University wants to maintain its place with the highest score in the Sustainability Tracking, Assessment Rating System (STARS) and so invests in the distribution of efficient stoves in less developed countries to offset emission from construction activities on new buildings on campus - Carbon offset A farmer sells 150 acres that includes a natural lake to a realty company who subdivides it and sells 3 acre lots to individuals. The lots are privately owned and maintained. The lots near the lake sell first and are soon all taken. These owners get together and decide to regulate use of the lake as a group, charging an annual fee and agreeing to let others in the development access to the lake based on a set of rules. They also agree to write these rules into the deeds of their property so that any future owners of the lots are bound by these rules. Hint: This is not ``Well defined property rights'' thought aspects of that apply. - Cooperative organization A limit of on total amount of particulate matter that is allowed into the air from a given power plant - Quota You purchase the exclusive right (for 50 years) to graze 200 head of your cattle on land owned by the Federal Government which was previously open to a number of producers who had grazing permits allowing 400 head. The government allows you to fence the land. - Well defined property rights Iowa State University buys flex fuel vehicles and uses E-85. - Subsidies to or outright purchases of "greener" processes A fee on industrial waste discharged into a stream proportional to the damage done. - Pigovian tax You are tired of the run-down public parks in your town which are plagued by gang violence and noisy college students. You and some friends buy up a track of low-cost dilapidated housing and raze the buildings. You then build a private park which is only available to your family and that of your friends. You hire some of the people who used to live in the dilapidated housing to act as armed guards and gate controllers for the property. You pay them $55,000 for their services and allow them to also use the park. - Cooperative organization
Manmade climate forcings include
- The rising concentration of atmospheric carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases - Particle pollution (aerosols) - Deforestation
Walter prefers $48.00 now to $51.00 one year from now but prefers $54.00 one year from now to $48.00 now. Which of the following provides the tightest correct bounds on his personal rate of discount, i_pip? There may be more than one correct answer.
1/16 1/8 0.0625 0.125
Received paradigms encourage us to think outside the box, to consider disruptive change to envision or design alternatives to current systems.
False
The line typically used to separate the arid portions of the United States from the semi-humid and humid ones is the... (insert answer).
100th Meridian
The average rate of incoming energy from sun is
340 wattsm2
One of the strengths of the Millenium Villages Project lead by Jeffrey Sachs is that it included a system of controls in the project so that comparisons could be made to similar communities that didn't benefit from the same aid.
False
Which country in the world produced the most cars in 2018?
China
Over half the world's population live in a rural environment.
False
Almost all natural monopolies occur in nature, things like Yosemite, the Grand Canyon, Mount Everest and so on.
False
Batteries on fully electric vehicles will usually need to be replaced after about five years.
False
Robert Solow said the following If you don't eat one species of fish, you can eat another species of fish. Resources are, to use a favourite word of economists, fungible in a certain sense. They can take the place of each other. That is extremely important because it suggests that we do not owe to the future any particular thing. There is no specific object that the goal of sustainability, the obligation of sustainability, requires us to leave untouched. This statement is more or less consistent with strong environmental sustainability.
False
Robert Solow, a Nobel Prize winner in economics, has argued that one of the reasons we have to be so concerned about sustainability today is that our ancestors were overly greedy in using resources and have not left enough for us to live like they did.
False
Under a carbon offset program, an electric utility in Pennsylvania might be allowed to continue to burn coal if they were to purchase rain forest land in Brazil and guarantee that it would not be harvested, or buy up the right to harvest the trees from that rain forest, but then not exercise that right.
True
Upcycling is the process of converting waste materials into new materials or products of higher quality
True
Virtual Arrival (VA) is an operational emissions management measure that seeksto reduce a vessel's speed to meet a revised arrival time when there is a knowndelay at the discharge port.
True
We usually say that "solutions'' in sustainable economic systems must have a rate of return (either from profits or some other source) that is no less than the "market rate of return".
True
Weak environmental sustainability assumes that natural capital and manufactured capital are essentially substitutable and considers that there are no essential differences between the kinds of well-being they generate. What matters for sustainability is the total stock of capital, not that of any particular type.
True
What are the two distinct but interrelated aspects of the Mobility Internet?
- Social networking for vehicle occupants - Networked computing and control for vehicles
Adaptability is the capacity of actors in a system to manage externalities, either by moving the system toward or away from a threshold that would fundamentally alter the properties of the system.
False
Additive manufacturing for metals usually starts with molten metal much as with the case of the golden calf in the Old Testament.
False
What are the four categories by which goods are normally differentiated?
Form, Place, time, possession
John Rawls has argued that meeting citizens' basic needs may be lexically prior to an adequate scheme of equal basic rights and liberties.
True
Smart phones contain a relatively large number of rare earth elements.
True
The majority of energy for transportation comes from petroleum.
True
We usually say that a system is sustainable if it is more or less able to _ or _ itself over _ without significant _ _of _ .
*CASE SENSITIVE* reproduce maintain time external injection resources
In this course we have defined a paradigm as "A paradigm is a set of ____________ that define a _____________, _______________ of __________, or approach to _______________ ____________ at any particular period of time."
*CASE SENSITIVE* practices discipline community thought problem solving
The use of a park such as Yellowstone or Arches may or may not be a rival good depending on the level of [con].
*CASE SENSITIVE* congestion
we usually say that a system is sustainable if it is more of less able to _____ or ______ itself over _____ without significant _______ of _______
*CASE SENSITIVE* reproduce maintain time external injections resources
The equipment, in a very anthropocentric sense, is the ________ or _______ in which we live.
*CASE SENSITIVE* world, environment
Section 3 of the Taylor Grazing Act concerns grazing [p] issued on public lands within the grazing districts established under the Act.
*CASE SENSITIVE* permits
In Texas, landowners own the groundwater beneath their property, but a neighbor pumping groundwater from the same aquifer can [s] it away without penalty.
*CASE SENSITIVE* siphon
The two carbon offset markets are the
- compliance market - voluntary market
How previous energy crises that occurred over the past 1000 years been resolved (select the two correct answers)?
- By finding new energy sources - By technology advance (e.g., making better use of existing energy sources)
The following are characteristics of tradable emissions permits
- Fines might be imposed on firms which pollute at higher levels than that for which they have permits - Limited number of licenses to emit a specified pollutant - A firm that wants to create more pollution than it is licensed for can go out and buy additional licenses from other parties - If the permits are simply handed out to existing firms, the potential revenue from allocation goes to industry instead of the government. -Buyers will not have to acquire as many licenses if they can cut back on their emissions
Which three sources of electricity have the lowest leveled cost before government subsidies as reported by the US Energy Information Agency for plants put into operation in 2023?
- Geothermal - Hydro - Advanced combined cycle natural gas
Which of the following statements are true.
- If I were a utilitarian and gave equal weighting to all people born between 1950 and 2150, I would likely promote policies significantly reducing greenhouse gases below their current levels. - Immanuel Kant would argue that it would have been morally impermissible to require a small number of workers to return to the Fukushima nuclear plant after the earthquake to insure little radiation was released in order to save the lives of many people living within 20 miles of the plant. - If only the welfare of people currently living on the earth were included in the utilitarian calculus, more investment would likely go to poverty reduction in the third world than to green subsidies in the OECD countries. - If all individuals in common property situations were to follow the maxim Act only such that you could will the maxim on which you act as a universal law'', the commons problem would likely go away.
Which of the following are examples of uncertainty created by governmental environmental policy?
- If the government imposes a pollution cap, it knows the amount of pollution, but polluters do notknow what the price of emissions will be. - If the government imposes a pollution cap, producers will not know how much they might have to pay at an auction to buy shares of the overall pollution allocated by the cap. - If the government imposes a pollution tax, polluters know what price they will have to pay, but the government does not know how much pollution they will generate. - With both pollution taxes and trading caps there may be measurement issues in determining the amount of harmful pollution emmitted by any particular agent, or even from which agent pollution may be coming.
The Los Angeles metropolitan area has suffered from severe air pollution for many many years. Much of it comes from the transportation section, but industry also contributes. One possible solution to address the problem would be a mandate that all on-road vehicles registered in Los Angeles County be electric by 2030. In order ramp up to this goal, registration fees until that time might be made proportional to their level of pollution, the more the car pollutes, the higher the registration fee. This fee could be increased over time to encourage people to switch to electric vehicles before the deadline. Vehicles registered in Los Angeles county (identified by onboard sensors) could be made exempt from or have reduced rates associated with various tolling mechanisms adopted to discourage driving in general. This would discourage LA County residents from registering their non-electric cars in other counties and collect a tax on those who drive non-electric vehicles in the county. With advances in technology and regulation, information of the carbon footprint of all vehicles sold in California could be collected in real time so as to assess taxes proportional to damage. Vehicles without the sensor would be charged a uniform high fee. The policy would need to be flexible to adjust to changes in technology and the policies adopted on other parts of California and across the the United States in general. There would be no mandated maximum pricing on electric cars.
- Improves the human condition - is a just solution depending on whether the electric cars are made affordable for most of the general population - is an adaptable solution - is physically possible - is technologically feasible - would be profitable for the electric car sector - may or may not be environmentally sound depending on the electricity source for charging the vehicles - is socially acceptable
The Los Angeles metropolitan area has suffered from severe air pollution for many many years. Much of it comes from the transportation section, but industry also contributes. One possible solution to address the problem would be a mandate that all on-road vehicles registered in Los Angeles County be electric by 2030. In order ramp up to this goal, registration fees until that time might be made proportional to their level of pollution, the more the car pollutes, the higher the registration fee. This fee could be increased over time to encourage people to switch to electric vehicles before the deadline. Vehicles registered in Los Angeles county (identified by onboard sensors) could be made exempt from or have reduced rates associated with various tolling mechanisms adopted to discourage driving in general. This would discourage LA County residents from registering their non-electric cars in other counties and collect a tax on those who drive non-electric vehicles in the county. With advances in technology and regulation, information of the carbon footprint of all vehicles sold in California could be collected in real time so as to assess taxes proportional to damage. Vehicles without the sensor would be charged a uniform high fee. The policy would need to be flexible to adjust to changes in technology and the policies adopted on other parts of California and across the the United States in general. There would be no mandated maximum pricing on electric cars. The electric car policy
- Improves the human condition - is a just solution depending on whether the electric cars are made affordable for most of the general population - is an adaptable solution - is physically possible - is technologically feasible -would be profitable for the electric car sector -may or may not be environmentally sound depending on the electricity source for charging the vehicles -is socially acceptable
What are the two main characteristics of intelligent recycling?
- Low recycling costs - High-value product
Which of the following are NOT ways to NOT run out of energy.
- Mandate the use of public transportation in large U.S. cities. - Pass a United Nations Resolution banning the use of some non-renewable resources.
What were the four largest primary energy sources for US energy in 2018?
- Nuclear - Coal - Natural Gas -Petroleum
Which of the following are assumptions of perfect competition.
- Perfect information - No transaction costs - No externalities - Firms have freedom of entry and exit - Perfect divisibility of output - Buyers and sellers are price takers - Homogeneous goods
Which of the following are complex adaptive systems?
- Power grids in the United States - Helser Hall at Iowa State University - traffic - twitter
Which of the following are likely to be fairly effective in reducing overfishing around the world.
- Put a tax on at-risk fish - Allocate and enforce catch limits - Set up standards on sustainability such as the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC). Allow fish coming from such fisheries to be labelled with the MSC label and encourage consumers to only purchased certified fish. - Allocate more sections of the ocean to marine protected areas (MPA's).
Social sustainability can be described as (choose all that apply)
- maintaining social capital - fostering a society in which social arrangements are not exploitive and that effectively protect rights and liberties regardless of income, race, etc.
Which of the following statements (or statement) provide(s) the clearest path to not running out of energy?
- Reduce usage through cutting back on activities that are energy hogs and adopting more energy efficient technology in consumption. - Adopt more efficient production processes in general. - Reuse elements of discarded items in order to reduce the energy required to produce new items.
High quality carbon credits can be generated from various types of projects including the following:
- Reliable carbon funding that enables pastoralists, who are dedicated to permanently protecting land in each individual conservancy or physical grassland area, to develop and implement strategic rotational grazing practices. Grazing "assistants'' in each conservancy advise herders in the field and monitor results. These new grazing practices translate into healthier grass, greater root depth and increased soil carbon. - Replacing traditional three stone fires with enclosed cook stoves - Switching the generation of electricty from coal to wind. - Using garbage as a fuel to create energy as compared to burying it in a landfill where it will produce methane.
The Mount Nebo Wilderness is part of the 109 million acre National Wilderness Preservation System. This System of lands provides clean air, water, and habitat critical for rare and endangered plants and animals. In wilderness, you can enjoy challenging recreational activities like hiking, backpacking, climbing, kayaking, canoeing, rafting, horse packing, bird watching, stargazing, and extraordinary opportunities for solitude. Wilderness managers often need to take action to limit the impacts caused by visitor activities in order to protect the natural conditions of wilderness as required by the Wilderness Act of 1964. Managers typically implement `indirect' types of actions such as information and education measures before selecting more restrictive measures. When regulations are necessary, they are implemented with the specific intent of balancing the need to preserve the character of the wilderness while providing for the use and enjoyment of wilderness. Because of the high demand for use, the US Forest Service is considering a system for allocating use permits. Which of the following are reasonable approaches to prevent damage/overuse and are also fair and just?
- Restrict the size of groups to 15. - Set up a reservation system where use permits are available for up to one year in advance on a first come first serve basis. Individuals may make as many reservations as they choose. Major holiday weeks are allocated by lottery. There is a $15 per day/night reservation fee which more or less covers processing costs. Permits may be not transferred to individuals other than the original purchaser. All reservations are uniquely tied to an individual last name, address and social security number. There is a sweepstakes at the end of the season for all people who fill out a use survey, the prizes being refunds of the permit fee for 150 people. - Require that permits be requested three months in advance, or first come, first serve on a daily basis. On days when there is more advance demand than capacity, allocate the remaining perrmits using a lottery. - Set up a reservation system where reservations are available for up to one year in advance on 2, 9, 16, 23, and 30 January and 2, 9, 16, 23, and 30 July each year and those who can sign up during the various weeks in January and June rotate by groups of last names every year. Otherwise reservations are only available three months in advance. Individuals may make no more than two reservations at any one destination during the January and June signup periods and no more than three at any one destination more than one month in advance. There is a $15 per day/night reservation fee. All reservations are uniquely tied to an individual last name, address and social security number. The Federal government sets up an electronic bulletin board system where individuals may trade reservations with any other individual. Reservations may not be bought or sold or traded for other goods (Assume this is enforcible).
Common pool resources have the following characteristics
- Rival - Non-excludable
Consider the numerous individuals and groups who would like to have access to the Brushy Creek State Recreation Area in north central Iowa. Which of the following are reasonable approaches to prevent damage/overuse and are also fair, just, an improve the human condition?
- Set up a reservation system where use permits for 1/2 of normal daily capacity are available for up to one year in advance. Individuals may make as many reservations as they choose up to this daily limit. There is a $10 per day/night reservation fee. These permits may be transferred to individuals other than the original purchaser. The rest of the reservations are allocated via a lottery where there is no fee to participate but a person may not submit requests for more than 10 days in any one year. The permits are not transferable but may be traded for permits held by other lottery winners. - Set up a reservation system where reservations are available for up to one year in advance on 2, 9, 16, 23, and 30 January and 2, 9, 16, 23, and 30 July each year and those who can sign up during the various weeks in January and July rotate by groups of last names every year. Otherwise reservations are only available three months in advance. Individuals may make no more than two reservations at any one destination during the January and July signup periods and no more than three at any one destination more than one month in advance. There is a $10 per day/night reservation fee. All reservations are uniquely tied to an individual last name, address and social security number. The Federal government sets up an electronic bulletin board system where individuals may trade reservations with any other individual. Reservations may not be bought or sold or traded for other goods (Assume this is enforceable).
Carbon credits can be generated from various types of projects:
- Switching the generation of electricity from coal to wind. - Using garbage as a fuel to create energy as compared to burying it in a landfill where it will produce methane which us emitted into the atmosphere. - Restoring biodiversity-rich forests that have been degraded or fragmented. - Helping communities in the Karnataka and Tamil Nadu regions of India to gain access to energy efficient cookstoves. They are designed to reduce fuel consumption (typically wood) by up to 60%, compared to traditional `Chulhas'. The stoves also produce less smoke, black soot and particulate matter, helping to lower indoor air pollution and prevent respiratory diseases.
Which of the following are good examples of market failures.
- The market for organic carrots with incomplete information - Oil sales and consumption - Open access logging - The market for rural fire services in states where pay to spray contracts are illegal - Climate change
John Wesley argued which of the following as far as optimal water use.
- The water ought not to not to be used too far from the source --- 200, 300, 400, or 500 miles further than it ought to run, because when it gets there, there is little left. - Looking to the conservation of water, it is best to select lands as high on the streams as possible. But opposite to this the argument related to temperature, the higher the land the colder the climate, and the shorter the growing season. - The water ought to be used as near the mountains as possible --- all of which I have said to you heretofore --- but not in the mountains, in order that the lands may be in a climate where agriculture is possible for a variety of crops.
The famous economist Alfred Marshall emphasized three different types of transport costs --- the costs of moving goods, people, and ideas --- that could be reduced by industrial agglomeration. First, he argued that firms would locate near suppliers or customers to save shipping costs. Second, he developed a theory of labour market pooling to explain clustering that takes advantage of scale economies associated with a larger pool of workers and firms. Finally, he began the theory of intellectual spillovers by arguing that in agglomerations, ``the mysteries of the trade become no mystery, but are, as it were, in the air.'' Which of the following statements about Silicon Valley in California are consistent with Marshall's ideas.
- UC Berkeley and Stanford provide well trained workers who have experience living in the Bay Area - IT workers live and socialize near one another. Ideas are exchanged over cups of coffee and glasses of wine and at youth soccer games - California culture tends to be open and expressive, not tied to traditional patterns and processes. Innovative people tend to seek to be around other innovative people.
High quality carbon credits can be generated from various types of projects:
- Using garbage as a fuel to create energy as compared to burying it in a landfill where it will produce methane. - Replacing traditional three stone fires with enclosed cook stoves - Reliable carbon funding that enables pastoralists, who are dedicated to permanently protecting land in each individual conservancy or physical grassland area, to develop and implement strategic rotational grazing practices. Grazing ``assistants'' in each conservancy advise herders in the field and monitor results. These new grazing practices translate into healthier grass, greater root depth and increased soil carbon. - Switching the generation of electricty from coal to wind.
A recent article in Scientific Reports entitled ``Environmentally Optimal, Nutritionally Sound, Protein and Energy Conserving Plant Based Alternatives to U.S. Meat'' had the following abstract. Because meat is more resource intensive than vegetal protein sources, replacing it with efficient plant alternatives is potentially desirable, provided these alternatives prove nutritionally sound. We show that protein conserving plant alternatives to meat that rigorously satisfy key nutritional constraints while minimizing cropland, nitrogen fertilizer (Nr) and water use and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions exist, and could improve public health. We develop a new methodology for identifying nutritional constraints whose satisfaction by plant eaters is challenging, disproportionately shaping the optimal diets, singling out energy, mass, monounsaturated fatty acids, vitamins and D, choline, zinc, and selenium. By replacing meat with the devised plant alternatives—dominated by tofu, soybeans, peanuts, and lentils—Americans can collectively eliminate pastureland use while saving 35-50% of their diet related needs for cropland, Nr, and GHG emission, but increase their diet related irrigation needs by 15%. While widely replacing meat with plants is logistically and culturally challenging, few competing options offer comparable multidimensional resource use reduction. A plant based diet
- does not degrade the human condition of food consumers if we measure welfare by meeting nutritional goals independent of their taste preferences - improves the human condition because there will be less animal suffering from inhumane production and slaughter practices - may not be a just solution because a fruit and vegetable diet may be much more expensive than one containing some animal products. Some of the cheapest food one can eat is a McDonald's Happy Meal - is an adpatable solution to food susainability problems - may not be physically possible in some parts of the world with current populations unless food can be transported in from other areas - may not be technologically feasible in some parts of the world - may have little effect on overall profits in food production and distribution - is environmentally sound - may become more socially acceptable over time as tastes and eating habits change
A recent article in Scientific Reports entitled Environmentally Optimal, Nutritionally Sound, Protein and Energy Conserving Plant Based Alternatives to U.S. Meat'' had the following abstract. Because meat is more resource intensive than vegetal protein sources, replacing it with efficient plant alternatives is potentially desirable, provided these alternatives prove nutritionally sound. We show that protein conserving plant alternatives to meat that rigorously satisfy key nutritional constraints while minimizing cropland, nitrogen fertilizer (Nr) and water use and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions exist, and could improve public health. We develop a new methodology for identifying nutritional constraints whose satisfaction by plant eaters is challenging, disproportionately shaping the optimal diets, singling out energy, mass, monounsaturated fatty acids, vitamins B3,6,12and D, choline, zinc, and selenium. By replacing meat with the devised plant alternatives—dominated by tofu, soybeans, peanuts, and lentils—Americans can collectively eliminate pastureland use while saving 35-50% of their diet related needs for cropland, Nr, and GHG emission, but increase their diet related irrigation needs by 15%. While widely replacing meat with plants is logistically and culturally challenging, few competing options offer comparable multidimensional resource use reduction.
- does not degrade the human condition of food consumers if we measure welfare by meeting nutritional goals independent of their taste preferences - improves the human condition because there will be less animal suffering from inhumane production and slaughter practices - may not be a just solution because a fruit and vegetable diet may be much more expensive than one containing some animal products. Some of the cheapest food one can eat is a McDonald's Happy Meal - is an adpatable solution to food susainability problems -may not be physically possible in some parts of the world with current populations unless food can be transported in from other areas - may not be technologically feasible in some parts of the world - may have little effect on overall profits in food production and distribution - is environmentally sound - may become more socially acceptable over time as tastes and eating habits change
Carbon dioxide released into the atmosphere as a result of human activity is a significant contributor to climate change. Climate change has both positive and negative effects on human welfare but consensus estimates indicate an overall negative effect over time. Many economists argue that a carbon tax offers the most cost-effective lever to reduce carbon emissions at the scale and speed that is necessary to address this issue. By imposing a carbon tax, production and consumption of goods and services moves away from those that create the most damage to the climate. Most suggest that the carbon tax should increase every year until emissions reductions goals are met and be revenue neutral to avoid debates over the size of government. In order to prevent carbon leakage and to protect U.S. competitiveness, a border carbon adjustment system would need to be be established. This system could enhance the competitiveness of American firms that are more energy-efficient than their global competitors. It would also create an incentive for other nations to adopt similar carbon pricing. And to maximize the fairness and political viability of a rising carbon tax, all the revenue would be returned directly to U.S. citizens through equal lump-sum rebates. The majority of American families, including the most vulnerable, would benefit financially by receiving more in ``carbon dividends'' than they pay in increased energy prices. This carbon tax
- improves the human condition as long as the overall social benefits from reduced climate change outweigh the societal losses from producing and consuming those goods and services that would have been produced and consumed without the tax - is a just solution on the consumer side as those with lower incomes will likely get more back in carbon dividends than their energy bill goes up - is adaptable because the level of the tax can be adjusted as conditions change - is physically possible - is technologically feasible to the extent that sources of carbon can be accurately measured and monitored - would allow firms in the energy sector to have normal profit as all carbon output including that from foreign firms is taxed - is environmentally sound - might be more socially acceptable if the government provided medium term transition payments and retraining for workers displaced as jobs are eliminated in some fossil fuel industries
American shoppers spend nearly $2 billion on flowers — most of which will be roses — on Valentine's Day each year. Almost all of these roses will have been flown in from Latin America, specifically the sunny, mountainous regions of Colombia and Ecuador, the world's second- and third-largest exporters of cut flowers after the Netherlands. Colombia alone shipped more than 4 billion flowers to the US in 2019. Valentine's Day makes up more than one-fifth of the country's rose growers' annual revenue. Part of the reason for this import level is that even California, the leading producer of domestic roses, isn't always warm enough to produce the volume of roses shoppers have come to expect around Valentine's Day. But climatic differences don't tell the whole story. There's the fact that labor costs are much lower in Colombia and Ecuador. And there's also the fact that both countries' floriculture industries have benefited from a longstanding trade agreement with the US that was originally intended to give Andean farmers viable alternatives to coca, the plant used to make cocaine. During most of the year, flowers are shipped on passenger planes that are going anyway. But hundreds of cargo planes full of flowers fly from the Andes to Miami in the month before Valentine's Day. The International Council on Clean Transportation has estimated that those three weeks of flower delivery flights burn approximately 114 million liters of fuel, emitting approximately 360,000 metric tons of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. Once the roses land in Miami, they get fashioned into bouquets before being loaded onto refrigerated delivery trucks that will drive across the country. The flowers need to be kept cold every step of the way, otherwise they'll wilt. This refrigeration causes trucks to burn more fuel, meaning they have greater carbon emissions than their non-refrigerated counterparts. Given the current lack of political will in the United States to pass a meaningful overall carbon tax (a good example of a Pigovian tax), an alternative might place an import tax on roses during the six weeks leading up to Valentines Day and return all the revenue to researchers in the United States working on alternative ways to produce roses inexpensively during the winter.
- improves the human condition of rose growers in California - improves the human condition of researchers working on alternative ways to produce roses inexpensively during the winter - is not a just solution in that for those who are poorer the rise in the price of roses is a greater barrier to purchase - is adaptable because the tax can be adjusted as market conditions change - is physically possible - may not be technologically feasible to the extent that there are ways to import and distribute the roses without paying the tax as has been the case with cocaine - would reduce overall profits in the rose industry as their price rose relative to other goods - may or may not be environmentally sound depending on the environmental costs of producing roses in California verus in Latin America - might not be socially acceptable if the rose tax leads to enslavement of Latin American farmers to drug lords
Non-point source pollution from crop production is a major problem in the Mississippi River Basin and in Iowa. One way to address this problem is through the use of a Pigouvian tax on above and below ground drainage from farmers' fields. The difficulty is that this discharge is hard to measure and monitor. Suppose a research in Agricultural and Biological Engineering at Iowa State University develops a new method for monitoring this effluent that is accurate and only moderately expensive. Suppose that the state of Iowa adopts a policy to tax non-point source pollution such that it is reduced significantly. What is your assessment of this plan.
- may or may not improve the human condition depending on the level of the pollution tax and the monitoring costs relative to the damage done by the pollution and the changes in food prices resulting from the policy - is probably not a just solution - may not adaptable to changes in water flows due to climage change - is physically possible - is technologically feasible - will not likely be profitable if the tax is high and not assessed on other states, or places in the world - is environmentally sound - is socially acceptable
Conflict minerals are generally defined as (mark all that apply)
- minerals mined in conditions of armed conflict and human rights abuses. - minerals whose sale funds armed conflict
Heidi prefers $24 now to $28 one year from now but prefers $32 one year from now to $24 now. Which of the following provides the tightest correct bounds on her personal rate of discount, ? There may be more than one correct answer.
0.1666 0.33333 1/6 1/3
Sylvia prefers $10.00 now to $12.00 one year from now but prefers $12.00 one year from now to $9.00 now. Which of the following provides the tighest correct bounds on her personal rate of discount, ?
0.2 0.333333
A 1 kilowatt cooking stove takes 1 hour to cook beans and rice for a meal. The stove is 30% efficient. How much energy is added to the food during this process? (kWh)
0.3 kWh
Eco-efficiency releases fewer pounds of toxic material into the air, water, and soil every year and measures prosperity by less activity.
True
Ecoefficiency is primarily about doing less harm than doing more good.
True
Match the concept with its definition. Biological nutrients Technical nutrients
Biological nutrients - A material or product that is designed to return to the biological cycle, i.e., it is consumed by plants and animals. Technical nutrients- A material or product that is designed to go back to the technical cycle, i.e., into the technical metabolism from which it came.
Match the type of power to its definition. Chemical Potential Energy Radiant Energy Elastic Potential Energy Thermal Energy Electric Energy Gravitational Energy Mechanical Energy
Chemical Potential Energy - Battery Radiant Energy - Sunshine Elastic Potential Energy - An Arrow Drawn into a bow Thermal Energy - Internal Combustion Engine Electric Energy - Fluorescent light Gravitational Energy - Hydropower Mechanical Energy- Aroldis Chapman Fastball
Match the characteristic with the type of institution. Concentrate power and opportunity in the hands of only a few Structured to extract resources from the many by the few Enforce property rights Create a level playing field Encourage investments in new technologies and skills Use the resources they obtain to cement their hold on political power. Synergistically linked to extractive political institutions
Concentrate power and opportunity in the hands of only a few - Extractive economic and political institutions Structured to extract resources from the many by the few - Extractive economic and political institutions Enforce property rights - Inclusive economic and political institutions Create a level playing field - Inclusive economic and political institutions Encourage investments in new technologies and skills - Inclusive economic and political institutions Use the resources they obtain to cement their hold on political power. - Extractive political institutions Synergistically linked to extractive political institutions - Extractive economic institutions
The principal source of coltan in the world is
Democratic Republic of Congo
Match characteristics with ideas for reinventing the automobile. Electricity, roads, parking, and vehicles Energy-efficient buildings Electric-drive vehicles Permit drivers to share information and remain seamlessly connected to their personal, social, and business networks Provide price signals and incentives that regulate supply and demand Motivate sustainable activity patterns within cities Optimal mix of batteries and hydrogen fuel cells to facilitate both stationary and vehicle uses of electricity. Enable vehicles to share enormous amounts of real-time, location-specific data Smart utility grids to create distributed, responsive energy systems Utilization of diverse and renewable (but intermittent) sources of electricity Manage traffic more optimally. Automobiles will become nodes in mobile networks. Ubiquitous metering and sensing
Electricity, roads, parking, and vehicles - Electronically managed, dynamically priced markets Energy-efficient buildings - Smart, Clean, Energy Electric-drive vehicles - Smart, Clean, Energy Permit drivers to share information and remain seamlessly connected to their personal, social, and business networks - Mobility Internet Provide price signals and incentives that regulate supply and demand - Electronically managed, dynamically priced markets Motivate sustainable activity patterns within cities - Electronically managed, dynamically priced markets Optimal mix of batteries and hydrogen fuel cells to facilitate both stationary and vehicle uses of electricity - Smart, Clean, Energy Enable vehicles to share enormous amounts of real-time, location-specific data - Mobility Internet Smart utility grids to create distributed, responsive energy systems - Smart, Clean, Energy Utilization of diverse and renewable (but intermittent) sources of electricity - Smart, Clean, Energy Manage traffic more optimally - Mobility Internet Automobiles will become nodes in mobile networks. - Mobility Internet Ubiquitous metering and sensing - Electronically managed, dynamically priced markets
Match the following words with their definitions. Expendable Factors of production capital services capital factors of production non-excludable good bad renewable resource system good human capital non-rival good common property resource
Expendable Factors of production- Raw materials or other items that are completely used up or consumed during a single production period capital services - The flow of productive services that can be obtained from a given capital stock during a production period capital factors of production - A stock that is not used up during a single production period, provides services over time, and retains a unique identity non-excludable good - Impossible or extremely costly to exclude nonpayers from consumption bad - An object whose consumption decreases the well-being or utility of an individual renewable resource - Can replenish with the passage of time, either through biological reproduction or other naturally recurring processes system - A set of connected parts making an integrated whole good - An object whose consumption increases the well-being or utility of an individual. human capital - The muscle-power, dexterity, abilities, skills and education embodied in a human being non-rival good - Can be used or consumed by one person without reducing the amount left for others. In other words, it can be used again and again at almost no additional cost common property resource - Goods or services which are rival but non-excludable
Human capital is the aggregate of the actual or potential resources which are linked to possession of a durable network of more or less institutionalized relationships of mutual acquaintance and recognition -- or in other words, to membership in a group.
False
If a social-ecological system is sustainable, the people in it will flourish.
False
In 2018, the majority of natural gas went the either to electricity generation or transportation.
False
Innovation is the spread of a technology through a society or industry.
False
Inputs may be perfect substitutes in that they must be used in a fixed ratio as part of a production process
False
Iowa is one of the faster growing states in the U.S.
False
It has generally been quite straightforward to differentiate between "conflict'' and "conflict-free'' minerals.
False
A major sustainability issue is that the world is running out of energy.
False
A paradigm is a set of practices that define a discipline, community of thought, or approach to problem solving over multiple time periods and geographic locations.
False
A sustaining innovation helps create a new markets and value networks.
False
Adaptability is the capacity of actors in a system to manage resilience, either by moving the system toward or away from a threshold that would fundamentally alter the properties of the system.
False
Additive manufacturing consists of adding irregularly shaped objects of various sizes and shapes to an initial product.
False
Agriculture is one of the major sources of greenhouse gases in the United States.
False
Atmospheric carbon dioxide levels have remained relatively constant over the last 200 years.
False
Automobile transportation has dramatically enhanced our personal mobility and helped us realize our aspirations for growth and prosperity, These freedom and prosperity benefits have been substantial, including greater access to jobs, goods, and services, convenient and safer personal travel, and the ability to go where we want,when we want, while carrying the things that we need. It is clear that these benefits far outweigh side effects such as environmental damage, use of natural resources, traffic deaths and congestion in cities.
False
Because of increasing demand the real price of most metals has generally risen over the last century.
False
Consumers concerns about fuel economy and and potential damage greenhouse gases are more or less uniform across the United States.
False
Drought forecasts based on scenarios from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) show a much higher incidence of drought in the Southwest United States but little increase if drought in the Central Plains.
False
Energy shortages are a relatively new phenomenon.
False
The United States used more energy than any other country in 2018. True
False
The difference between mineral resources and mineral reserves is that mineral resources are resources that are known to be economically extractable.
False
To date there have been no deaths in tests of automated vehicles.
False
Weak Environmental Sustainability is maintaining total capital intact without regard to the partitioning of that capital among the four kinds (Natural, Human, Human-made, Social). This would imply that the various kinds of capital are more or less substitutes, at least within the boundaries of current levels of economic activity and resource endowment.
False
sustainable future with far fewer jobs is consistent with human flourishing as long as people are able to obtain their basic and secondary needs from government programs and/or charitable giving.
False
Put the following steps in computing the social cost of carbon in order so as to determine the net present value of the current and future damages. Fourth step third step second step first step
Fourth step - Convert future damages into their present-day value and add them up to determine total damages. third step - Assess the economic impact that these climatic changes will have on agriculture, health, energy use, and other aspects of the economy. second step - Model future climate responses, such as temperature increase and sea level rise. first step- Predict future emissions based on population, economic growth, and other factors
What problem occurs when those who benefit from resources, goods, or services do not pay for them, which results in either an under-provision of those goods or services, or in an overuse or degradation of a common property resource?
Free Rider
Dr. Hallam's 2012 TOYOTA SIENNA AWD 3.5 Eng 6 cylinder van with an automatic transmission has a footprint of 9,876 pounds per year given that he drives it 11,000 miles per year. Terrapass sells carbon outsets for $5.95 per 1,000 lbs. This means he can have a clear carbon conscience (at least as far as his van) for $58.76 a year. He is considering trading in his van for a Toyota Highlander SUV. He is considering the gasoline and hybrid models. The carbon footprint of the gasoline Highlander is about 9,700 pounds per year while that of the hybrid is 6,173 pounds per year. Assume he plans to keep either vehicle for four years. Which of the following statements best describes how he should make his decision given that he really cares about carbon emissions?
He should look at the projected trade-in value of the two vehicles in four years, discount that back to the present time, and then subtract from the purchase price to get a net asset cost for each. Assuming that maintenance and repair costs will be the same he should find the present value of the projected fuel costs for the two vehicles over the four year period. Assuming that the price of carbon offsets does not change over the four year period he should find the net present value of ($57.72, $57.72, $57.72, $57.72) for the standard Highlander and ($36.73,$36.73,$36.73,$36.73) for the hybrid Highlander. He should then add together the net asset cost, the present value of projected fuel cost, and the present value of projected carbon offset cost for each vehicle and choose the one with lowest cost.
Claire's five year old car has a footprint of 10,000 pounds per year. Terrapass sells carbon outsets for $5.95 per 1,000 lbs. This means she can have a clear carbon conscience (at least as far as his car) for $59.50 a year. She is considering trading in her car and buying either a hybrid or an extended range electric car such as the Chevrolet Volt. Having rejected the Volt due to expiration of the government subsidy for its purchase she wonders about whether to buy a Toyota Highlander 4WD or the Toyota Highlander Hybrid 4WD. The carbon footprint of the standard Highlander is about 12,000 pounds per year while that of the hybrid is 8,000 pounds per year. Assume she plans to keep either vehicle for four years. Which of the following statements best describes how she should make his decision given that she really cares about carbon emissions?
He should look at the projected trade-in value of the two vehicles in four years, discount that back to the present time, and then subtract from the purchase price to get a net asset cost. Assuming that maintenance and repair costs will be the same he should find the present value of the projected fuel costs for the two vehicles over the four year period. Assuming that the price of carbon offsets does not change over the four year period he should find the net present value of ($71.40, $71.40, $71.40, $71.40) for the standard Highlander and ($47.60,$47.60,$47.60,$47.60) for the hybrid Highlander. He should then add together the net asset cost, the present value of projected fuel cost, and the present value of projected carbon offset cost for each vehicle and choose the one with lowest cost.
Dr. Hallam's 19 year old truck has a CO2 footprint of 10,000 pounds per year. Terrapass sells carbon outsets for $4.99 per 1,000 lbs. This means he can have a clear carbon conscience (at least as far as his truck) for $49.90 a year. He was considering trading in his truck and buying either a hybrid or an electric car such as the Chevrolet Bolt or a Tesla Model S, but being unsure about whether electric is really cleaner (given that the electricity to charge the batteries might be produced using coal), he is now considering whether to buy a Toyota Highlander 4WD or the Toyota Highlander Hybrid 4WD. The carbon footprint of the standard Highlander is about 12,000 pounds per year while that of the hybrid is 8,000 pounds per year. Assume he plans to keep either vehicle for four years. Which of the following statements best describes how he should make his decision given that he really cares about carbon emissions? Note: He still has the truck but bought a non-hybrid Highlander.
He should look at the projected trade-in value of the two vehicles in four years, discount that back to the present time, and then subtract that from the purchase price to get a net asset cost. Assuming that maintenance and repair costs will be the same he should find the present value of the projected fuel costs for the two vehicles over the four year period. Assuming that the price of carbon offsets does not change over the four year period he should find the net present value of ($59.88, $59.88, $59.88, $59.88) for the standard Highlander and ($39.92, $39.92, $39.92, $39.92) for the hybrid Highlander. He should then add together the net asset cost, the present value of projected fuel cost, and the present value of projected carbon offset cost for each vehicle and choose the one with lowest cost.
A negative externality is an activity that imposes a negative effect on an unrelated third party, while a positive externality is the positive effect an activity imposes on an unrelated third party. Match the following with positive or negative externality. Homeowner spending $7,500 in landscaping improvements to their property in hopes of increasing the market value of their home. Beekeeper who keeps bees for their honey while the bees pollinate surrounding crops. Reducing the level of CO2 emissions in my country even if other countries do not do the same Posting match by match results of a wrestling tournament to my Twitter account so wrestlers' parents can see them Open pit mining where some tailings enter groundwater Adding more cattle to the open savannah Adding more nitrogen to my continuous corn crop (eschewing a soybean rotation) which results in nitrogen runoff Driving home after five beers at the local pub Installing scrubbers on a power plant smokestack even though the people in range pay nothing towards their cost
Homeowner spending $7,500 in landscaping improvements to their property in hopes of increasing the market value of their home. - Positive externality Beekeeper who keeps bees for their honey while the bees pollinate surrounding crops. - Positive externality Reducing the level of CO2 emissions in my country even if other countries do not do the same - Positive externality Posting match by match results of a wrestling tournament to my Twitter account so wrestlers' parents can see them - Positive externality Open pit mining where some tailings enter groundwater - Negative externality Adding more cattle to the open savannah - Negative externality Adding more nitrogen to my continuous corn crop (eschewing a soybean rotation) which results in nitrogen runoff - Negative externality Driving home after five beers at the local pub - Negative externality Installing scrubbers on a power plant smokestack even though the people in range pay nothing towards their cost - Positive externality
Match the concepts with their definitions and/or examples Hyperbolic discounting Impatience Salience bias Framing effects Perceived self-efficacy (PSE)
Hyperbolic discounting - People choose as if they discount future rewards at a greater rate when the delay occurs sooner in time Impatience - Animals (and humans) often prefer smaller, immediate rewards over larger rewards that are deferred Salience bias - Rrefers to the fact that individuals are more likely to focus on items or information that are more prominent and ignore those that are less so Framing effects - Which one of these products would you pick: A 95%effective'′condomora5% failure' condom? 80%≤an′groundbeefor20%' fat ground beef? Perceived self-efficacy (PSE) - Individuals' view of their domain-specific capabilities fundamentally shapes their internal constraints and thereby drives economic behavior
Match the item with its description Isolated System Closed system Open system
Isolated System - Does not exchange energy or matter with its surroundings Closed system - Restricted interactions with the outside environment Open system - Interfaces and interacts with its environment, by receiving inputs from and delivering outputs to the outside
Match the concept with its definition or example. Isoquant Capital factor of production Resources Non-point source pollution Expendable factor of production Non-renewable resource Renewable resources Point source Wildlife Coal Capital services
Isoquant - A contour line drawn through the set of points at which the same quantity of output is produced while changing the quantities of two or more inputs. Capital factor of production- A stock that is not used up during a single production period, provides services over time, and retains a unique identity Resources - Anything that can be used directly or indirectly to satisfy human wants. Non-point source pollution- Generally results from land runoff, precipitation, atmospheric deposition, drainage, seepage or hydrologic modification. Is often caused by rainfall or snowmelt moving over and through the ground. Expendable factor of production - Raw materials, or produced inputs that are completely used up or consumed during a single production period. Non-renewable resource - Something which cannot be reproduced, grown, generated, or used on a scale which can sustain its consumption rate; once depleted there will be no more available for future use. Renewable resources - Things which can replenish with the passage of time, either through biological reproduction or other naturally recurring processes. Point source - Means any discernible, confined and discrete conveyance, including but not limited to any pipe, ditch, channel, tunnel, conduit, well, discrete fissure, container, rolling stock, concentrated animal feeding operation, or vessel or other floating craft, from whichpollutants are or may be discharged. Wildlife - Things which can replenish with the passage of time, either through biological reproduction or other naturally recurring processes. Coal - Something which cannot be reproduced, grown, generated, or used on a scale which can sustain its consumption rate; once depleted there will be no more available for future use. Capital services - The flow of productive services that can be obtained from a given capital stock during a production period.
Match each word with its definition. Joule Potential Energy Force due to gravity weight work pounds of force kinetic energy energy force power newton
Joule - The SI unit of work and energy. It is equal to the energy expended (or work done) in applying a force of one newton through a distance of one meter. Potential Energy - The energy that is stored in matter. Force due to gravity - 9.8 m/s^2 weight - The magnitude of the net force required to prevent the body from falling freely, as measured by someone on the ground. work - The energy transferred to or from an object by means of a force acting on the object. pounds of force - 4.4482 Newtons kinetic energy - The energy which an object possesses due to its motion. energy - The capacity of doing work. force - Any influence that causes an object to undergo a change in speed, a change in direction, or a change in shape. power - The rate at which work (W) is performed or energy is converted. newton - The International System of Units (SI) unit for force; it is equal to the amount of net force required to acceleratea mass of one kilogram at a rate of one meter per second squared.
Match the component with its definition LIDAR DRSC - Based Receiver Cameras GPS Radar Ultrasonic Sensors Central Computer
LIDAR - Measures distance by illuminating target with pulsed laser light and measuring reflected pulses with sensors to create 3-D map of area. DRSC - Based Receiver - Communications device permitting vehicle to communicate with other vehicles (V2V) Cameras - Provide real-time obstacle detection to facilitate lane departure and track roadway information GPS - Triangulates position of the vehicle using satellites. Radar - Radio waves detect short & long-range depth. Ultrasonic Sensors - Use high-frequency sound waves and bounce-back to calculate distance. Central Computer - ''Brain'' of the vehicle. Receives information from various components and helps direct vehicle overall.
Match a way to create and operate greener vehicles with an example. Less pollution in production Less pollution in operation Less pollution in production of fuel source Less energy consumption in production Less energy consumption in operation Less energy consumption in production of fuel source
Less pollution in production - Sourcing tires from a company that creates the heat used in producing the tires from renewable energy Less pollution in operation - Redesign engine to release less exhaust fumes to the environment Less pollution in production of fuel source - Use green hydrogen which is produced via the electrolysis of water, with the electricity used in the process coming from renewable sources like wind and solar. Less energy consumption in production - Use of low energy robots in assembly of the vehicle Less energy consumption in operation - Development of more efficient internal combustion engines Less energy consumption in production of fuel source- Use of more efficient mechanical equipment in frackingin
Match the person with the Nobel Prize they won. Norman E. Borlaug Muhammad Yunus and the Grameen Bank Edmund S. Phelps Paul Krugman Abhijit Banerjee, Esther Duflo and Michael Kremer
Norman E. Borlaug - Won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1970 Muhammad Yunus and the Grameen Bank - Won the Nobel Peace Prize in 2006 Edmund S. Phelps -Won the Nobel Prize in Economic Sciences in 2006 Paul Krugman - Won the Nobel Prize in Economic Sciences in 2008 Abhijit Banerjee, Esther Duflo and Michael Kremer - Won the Nobel Prize in Economic Sciences in 2019
Match the type of production with its definition. One-off production batch production mass production continuous flow production
One-off production - Only one product is made at a time. Every product is different so it is labor intensive batch production - A small quantity of identical products are made. May be labor intensive, but jigs and temples are used to aid production mass production - Hundreds of identical products are made,usually on a production line. Often involves the assembly of a number of sub-assemblies of individual components. continuous flow production - Many thousands of identical products are made. The production line is kept running 24 hours a day, seven days a week
Match each of five constraints on sustainability we have discussed with a definition or example. Physically posible Technological Feasibility Economic profitability Environmentally Sound Socially Acceptable
Physically posible- Satisfies laws of nature Technological Feasibility - Can be implemented at a commercial scale Economic profitability - Return a level of profit no less than the "market rate" of return. Environmentally Sound- Actions should not release significant toxic materials to the air, land or water Socially Acceptable - Reduces income inequality without making others worse off
Match the following types of rights. Police protection of person and property Public education through 12th grade To receive according to need, and to give according to ability Freedom of worship Freedom of speech Freedom from slavery Right to counsel Right to sell property to the highest bidder Natural right
Police protection of person and property - Positive right Public education through 12th grade - Positive right To receive according to need, and to give according to ability - Positive right Freedom of worship - Negative Right Freedom of speech - Negative Right Freedom from slavery -Negative Right Right to counsel - Positive right Right to sell property to the highest bidder - Negative Right Natural right - A right one is born with as a human being
Match the good type with its characteristics. Private goods pure public goods club goods common pool resources
Private goods - Rivalrous and excludable pure public goods - Non-rivalrous and non-excludable club goods - Non-rivalrous and excludable common pool resources - Rivalrous and non-excludable
Match the items that belong together Protect intellectual property and brandnames Utilize skilled trade negotiators Improved educational system Be anti-trust, not anti-trade Create market based environmental programs Fair and transparent legal system Vigorously enforce anti-trust laws Significantly reduce water and power subsidies
Protect intellectual property and brandnames - Create incentives to innovate, reduce harmful subsidies. Utilize skilled trade negotiators - Encourage foreign trade and investment. Improved educational system - Especially important for rural people Be anti-trust, not anti-trade - Encourage foreign trade and investment. Create market based environmental programs - Create incentives to innovate, reduce harmful subsidies. Fair and transparent legal system - Especially for disadvantaged and informal individuals and groups. Vigorously enforce anti-trust laws - Remove entry barriers. Significantly reduce water and power subsidies - Create incentives to innovate, reduce harmful subsidies.
Match the following terms with their definition. Resource base Resources Reserve base Reserves
Resource base - All of a mineral commodity that is in earth's crust Resources - All of the mineral commodity whose location is known or estimated Reserve base- Quantity of a mineral commodity that meets specified criteriarelated to quality of deposit Reserves- Quantity of a mineral commodity that is both known and profitable to exploit
Washington State ballot initiative I-1631 would charge large emitters for the carbon emissions they release. In turn, the policy would send a signal to the market to spur innovation and investments in lower-carbon, less polluting alternatives. The proposed fee begins at $15 per metric ton of carbon content in 2020 and proceeds to increase by $2 per metric ton each year thereafter, plus any necessary adjustments for inflation. This is estimated to generate hundreds of millions of dollars annually that could be used to promote renewable green energy production. Notably, the price does not go up indefinitely. Instead, as a reflection of the intention of the price --- to achieve a climate-relevant reduction in carbon emissions --- once the state's 2035 greenhouse gas reduction goal of 25 percent below 1990 levels is met, and the state's emissions are on a trajectory that indicates compliance with the state's 2050 goal of 50 percent below 1990 levels, the fee is to be fixed. +++++++++++++ This is an example of the following type of policy to manage an externality.
Taxes/Subsidies
Suppose I want to design a hybrid car that weighs less than 4,000 pounds, gets 40 mpg and can be produced for less than $20,000. What is an appropriate constraint set?
The car must weigh less than 4,000 pounds, achieve at least forty miles per gallon and have a production cost less than $20,000.
The moral machine experiments are similar to a famous set of ethical questions know as the
Trolley Problem
A firm-creating entrepreneur creates and perhaps operates a new business firm, while an innovating entrepreneur transforms inventions and ideas into economically viable entities.
True
A large percentage of the world's cobalt production comes from Congo. China is increasingly dominant there and may use its growing dominance of cobalt to disrupt the American push toward electric vehicles by squeezing out U.S. manufacturers. In response, the United States is pressing for access to cobalt supplies from allies, including Australia and Canada.
True
According to Bettencourt and West, size is the major determinant of most characteristics of a city; history, geography and design have secondary roles.
True
According to the material presented in this class, we know that increased (and other greenhouse gases) will lead to rising temperatures (based on historical data and our understanding of the climate) and we are almost certain that the increase in is caused by humans (there are no other plausible sources).
True
Agriculture is a relatively higher contributor to greenhouse gas emissions in other parts of the world relative to the United States.
True
Airbnb depends network effects to pair up lots of travelers and people who have space to rent. This is one of reasons it is more prevalent in large cities.
True
An example of planned obsolescence is new versions of computer operating systems.
True
Approximately 1.35 million people die each year as a result of road traffic crashes.
True
As a commodity for drinking, water is generally a rival good.
True
At the current time the majority of problems related to cars with a new DNA relate to batteries.
True
Automated vehicle technologies that are carefully integrated into motor vehicles could help vehicle operators detect and avoid bicyclists, motorcyclists, pedestrians, and othervulnerable users on our roadways, and increase safety across the surface transportation system.
True
Based on our understanding of climate and data, most scientists conclude that the climate has warmed and human activity is the likely cause.
True
Because of the executive order that President Trump signed to reverse climate change policies put in place by President Obama, (including the Clean Power Plan), most regulations adopted in the last year of the Obama administration will probably become null and void unless reinstated by the courts or a different administration reimplements them.
True
Both the Buzz car and the Zip car are examples of peer-to-peer car sharing.
True
Broken windows theory is a criminological theory of the norm-setting and signaling effect of urban disorder and vandalism on additional crime and anti-social behavior. The theory states that maintaining and monitoring urban environments to prevent small crimes such as vandalism, public drinking, and toll-jumping helps to create an atmosphere of order and lawfulness, thereby preventing more serious crimes from happening.
True
By reusing materials we can save energy and waste by eliminating the material production stage.
True
Changes in technology and prices have driven a huge increase in estimated reserves of energy minerals in the US.
True
Chevrolet, Nissan, Tesla, Toyota, and Ford offered electric cars in 2019.
True
Clean energy innovation means more R&D, but also more transfer, testing, demonstration, and deployment.
True
Computational simulation models are a much better approach to predicting future changes in climate because they can be specified to take account of predicted population growth, development and adoption of technology, changes in standards of living, and feedback while simple linear extrapolations predict the future by assuming past patterns will continue.
True
Consider the following statement. It has long been known, for instance, that in all organisms the metabolic rate---the amount of energy used to sustain life---is roughly proportional to body mass raised to the power 3/4, that is q0=M3/4, where q0is metabolic rate and M is body mass. This implies that the amount of energy (which is an input) needed to support a given level of mass (an output) does not go up as fast as the mass that it supports. Given this information, it is clear that bodies of organisms have adapted to create economies of scale in supporting basic functions. A cat with 100 times the weight of a mouse will require less than 100 times the energy of the mouse to function.
True
Consumerism is a social and economic order and ideology that encourages the acquisition of goods and services in ever-greater amounts.
True
Current temperatures are higher than in any other period in the last 2,000 years.
True
Disaster assistance from the Federal Government such as that provided following tornadoes, hurricanes, derechos, floods, massive power failures and so on is an example of public finance where the government is providing social insurance for the kinds of hardships that cannot be insured effectively in private markets.
True
James C. Carter, a lawyer appointed to present the claims of the United States before the Bering Sea tribunal said the following. The extent of dominion which, by the law of nature, is conferred upon particular nations over the things of the earth is limited in that the things themselves are not given; but only the increase or usufruct thereof.''
True
James C. Carter, a lawyer appointed to present the claims of the United States before the Bering Sea tribunal said the following. ``The extent of dominion which, by the law of nature, is conferred upon particular nations over the things of the earth is limited in that the things themselves are not given; but only the increase or usufruct thereof.''
True
Jeffrey Sachs has vehemently argued that extreme poverty in rural Africa (and elsewhere) is not attributable to corruption or other aspects of flawed governance, but to a lack of sufficient funds.
True
Like with bicycles, carbon fiber is being used to make cars lighter, leading to increased fuel efficiency.
True
Local utilities (electric, natural gas, cable) are often regulated by a "Utilities Board'' because of economies of size in delivering these products and the potential resulting monopoly power that could lead to market failure.
True
McDonough and Braungart (the cradle-to-cradle people) say that relying on ecoefficiency to save the environment will in fact achieve the opposite---it will let industry finish off everything quietly, persistently and completely.
True
Michael Braungart and William McDonough, who wrote the book, "Cradle to Cradle" have said that Relying on ecoefficiency to save the environment will in fact achieve the opposite---it will let industry finish off everything quietly, persistently and completely.''
True
Most economists argue that a carbon tax offers the most cost-effective lever to reduce carbon emissions at the scale and speed thatis necessary.
True
Most travel in the United States is by privately owned automobiles, frequently with only the driver in the car.
True
Nature --- highly industrious, astonishingly productive and creative, even 'wasteful', is NOT necessarily efficient but is highly effective.
True
Neodymium is used to make some of the most powerful known permanent magnets.
True
Nobel Prize winning economist Edmund Phelps has argued that "that the great productivity slowdown was really caused by a major loss of people still keen on devising new commercial products and methods, and not by the Great Society. Certainly, it is implausible that those helped by the Great Society are to blame. In any case, there do not appear to be any econometric studies showing that countries that aid the disadvantaged more have less growth.''
True
Nobel Prize winning economist Edmund Phelps has argued that that the great productivity slowdown was really caused by a major loss of people stillkeen on devising new commercial products and methods, and not by the Great Society. Certainly, it is implausible that those helped by the Great Society are to blame. In any case, there do not appear to be any econometric studies showing that countries that aid the disadvantaged more have less growth.''
True
Nobel Prize winning economist Edmund Phelps opposes the idea of a Universal Basic Income (UBI) arguing that public revenue would be better directed toward increasing low-wage workers' income to a level enabling them to support themselves, which is essential for self-esteem. He further argues that a UBI would also draw (or keep) people and their children away from work, which is for many the only available avenue to personal fulfillment and to satisfying involvement in the world.
True
One of the advantages of Rawl's approach to a social contract in discussing sustainability (the original position with a veil of ignorance) as compared to Hobbes is that it puts all people on an equal footing in the bargaining before they realize the time, place, and conditions (social position, intelligence, family resouces) of their sojourn on earth.
True
One of the advantages of additive manufacturing is low-volume, customized production.
True
One of the goals of a ``reinvented automobile'' is to reduce or almost eliminate crashes.
True
One of the major goals the the Millenium Village Project was the diversification of farm and business income.
True
One thorny issue with the advent of self-driving cars is the ethics of harm, whether the car's artificial intelligence system should sacrifice the driver in a car with no other passengers in order to prevent hitting and killing five pedestrians.
True
One way to decrease atmospheric CO2 would be to raise the Federal gasoline tax and invest the income in research on hydrogen fuel cells as an energy source for transportation.
True
One way to decrease atmospheric CO_2CO2 would be to raise the Federal gasoline tax and invest the income in research on hydrogen fuel cells as an energy source for transportation.
True
Product reuse saves energy/waste by eliminating the material production and manufacture/deliver stages while material reuse only saves energy/waste by the eliminating the material production stage.
True
Recent data and that from ice cores shows a positive correlation between atmospheric and temperatures.
True
Robert Solow has said "There is no reason for our society to feel guilty about using up aluminum as long as we leave behind a capacity to perform the same or analogous functions using other kinds of materials---plastics or other natural or artificial materials." This statement is more or less compatible with weak environmental sustainability.
True
Robert Solow said the following If you don't eat one species of fish, you can eat another species of fish. Resources are, to use a favourite word of economists, fungible in a certain sense. They can take the place of each other. That is extremely important because it suggests that we do not owe to the future any particular thing. There is no specific object that the goal of sustainability, the obligation of sustainability, requires us to leave untouched. This statement is more or less consistent with weak environmental sustainability.
True
Solar thermal electric energy generation concentrates the light from the sun to create heat, and that heat is used to run a heat engine, which turns a generator to make electricity.
True
Some companies are pushing carpet leasing as an alternative to purchase as a means to more sustainable materials.
True
Some important minerals are economically obtained only in conjunction with the extraction of other minerals.
True
Some researchers have argued that excessive attention to tipping points tends to discount the humans' ability to mitigate global warming, i.e. to adapt to a changing environment so that we move away from perceived thresholds.
True
Some say that a sustainable society is one that can persist over generations; in this course we consider a sustainable society to be one that can sustain human flourishing over generations.
True
Tesla Motors has said it will equip all of its new vehicles with technology that enables fully autonomous driving, but would not activate the system until it undergoes further testing.
True
The Sustainable Development Goals make a strong statement about the need to combat climate change.
True
The Trump administration made its debut at a United Nations conference on climate change on Monday 13 November term-4342017 by giving a full-throated defense of fossil fuels and nuclear energy as answers to driving down global greenhouse gas emissions.
True
The Williams family and a few close friends have known about a small lake in the mountains in a remote part of Idaho for generations. An occasional hiker or hunter has come upon but in general it is "hidden''. John Williams III is a student at Lewis-Clark State College. During his sophomore year he and a few friends decide to have a kegger at the lake. They use horses and ATVs to bring in the booze. Word soon spreads and "Hidden Lake'' soon becomes the place to be on spring and fall weekends. This is an example of a negative network externality.
True
The Williams family and a few close friends have known about a small lake in the mountains in a remote part of Idaho for generations. An occasional hiker or hunter has come upon but in general it is ``hidden''. John Williams III is a student at Lewis-Clark State College. During his sophomore year he and a few friends decide to have a kegger at the lake. They use horses and ATVs to bring in the booze. Word soon spreads and ``Hidden Lake'' soon becomes the place to be on spring and fall weekends. This is an example of a negative network externality.
True
The Williams family and a few close friends have known about a small lake in the mountains in a remote part of Idaho for generations. An occasional hiker or hunter has come upon but in general it is hidden''. John Williams III is a student at Lewis-Clark State College. During his sophomore year he and a few friends decide to have a kegger at the lake. They use horses and ATVs to bring in the booze. Word soon spreads and Hidden Lake'' soon becomes the place to be on spring and fall weekends. This is an example of a negative network externality.
True
The basic principle of climate change is that the rate of energy into the earth minus the rate of energy out of the earth equals the rate of total energy change on the earth
True
The capacity factor for electricity generating plants put into service in 2023 is generally higher for natural gas fired plants versus coal plants.
True
The first principle of justice, according to Rawls, is that each person is to have an equal right to the most extensive total system of equal basic liberties compatible with a similar system of liberty for all.
True
The following is more or less a description of positive externalities in relation to cities? If you talk to an urban economist or a city planner, will tell you that the reason cities exist is because of this dynamic called agglomeration. And it harkens back to a very basic principle of economics, and it's that firms tend to cluster in space to take advantage of scale economies. So, the fact that clustering firms --- they can share inputs, they can share customer basis, they can share a well-trained labor pool. It basically all helps to reduce the cost of doing business, and it helps to increase revenues.
True
The government may choose to intervene in economic outcomes when there are not market failures. An example might be the redistribution of wealth or income.
True
The opportunity cost of aid donations to buy solar panels for the poor in the developing world is the number of mosquito nets which could be purchased with the same donation.
True
The opportunity cost of allowing windmills to be sited on my farmland is the value of any decrease in crop yields plus the psychic pain from having to look at a large ugly object in my fields.
True
Transportation is a much more important contributor to greenhouse gas emissions in the United States as compared the rest of the world.
True
Two major justifications for the government to intervene in the economy are to 1) correct market failure and 2) to redistribute wealth or income.
True
Under a carbon offset program an electric utility in Pennsylvania might be allowed to continue to burn coal if they were to purchase rainforest land in Brazil and guarantee that it would not be harvested, or buy up the right to harvest the trees from that rainforest but then not exercise that right.
True
Match the following examples of good governance with the one of the four characteristics What is required is that governments adopt goals and are responsible for following through and reporting on them, and on being clear about the measures that are needed to achieve them This means easily accessible data on finances, participation rates, rule-making processes, results of surveys, and scientific studies Citizens, market participants, can only hold government and business accountable for their actions, if they know what those actions are, what the behaviors are This means no secrecy, no back room deals, no special carve outs. Membership on oversight and advisory boards, appointment of government employees and private citizens to various commissions, and so on. The ability of citizens of governing units and stakeholders of businesses to be involved in decision making for those entities Polluter pays principle Reflect the full social costs of actions in decision making
What is required is that governments adopt goals and are responsible for following through and reporting on them, and on being clear about the measures that are needed to achieve them - Accountability This means easily accessible data on finances, participation rates, rule-making processes, results of surveys, and scientific studies -Transparency Citizens, market participants, can only hold government and business accountable for their actions, if they know what those actions are, what the behaviors are -Transparency This means no secrecy, no back room deals, no special carve outs. - Transparency Membership on oversight and advisory boards, appointment of government employees and private citizens to various commissions, and so on. - Participation The ability of citizens of governing units and stakeholders of businesses to be involved in decision making for those entities -Participation Polluter pays principle - Internalizing the externalities Reflect the full social costs of actions in decision making -Internalizing the externalities
Match the event with the time period World's first geothermal power plant is built in California First silicon solar cell developed at Bell Laboratories British use natural gas produced from coal to light houses and streets First commercial oil well drilled by Edwin Drake in Pennsylvania; kerosene begins to displace other lamp fuels First commercial coal production in U.S. begins in Richmond, Virginia Ethanol blend becomes popular lamp fuel in U.S., displacing whale oil First windmill to generate electricity developed in Cleveland, Ohio Svante Arrhenius says that fossil fuel comstion may cause global warming Abraham Lincoln enacts an ethanol tax to help finance the civil war, severely hampering the ethanol fuel industry
World's first geothermal power plant is built in California - 1921 First silicon solar cell developed at Bell Laboratories - 1953 British use natural gas produced from coal to light houses and streets - 1785 First commercial oil well drilled by Edwin Drake in Pennsylvania; kerosene begins to displace other lamp fuels - 1859 First commercial coal production in U.S. begins in Richmond, Virginia - 1748 Ethanol blend becomes popular lamp fuel in U.S., displacing whale oil - 1830s First windmill to generate electricity developed in Cleveland, Ohio - 1888 Svante Arrhenius says that fossil fuel comstion may cause global warming - 1896 Abraham Lincoln enacts an ethanol tax to help finance the civil war, severely hampering the ethanol fuel industry - 1862
Which of the following has the highest grams of CO2e/Ton-Mile?
air
Match the concepts to the best definition, description, or example of the concept. externality power transmission cost fixed energy variable non-dispatchable power investment cost rated capacity levelized cost of electricity availability dispatchable power capacity factor
externality - Bird kill by the Ivanpah Generating Station, for example power - The rate at which energy is produced or consumed transmission cost - The cost of electrical energy transmission from the power generation station to the end user. fixed - Operations and maintenance cost required regardless of the amount of power produced energy - An amount of work, heat, or light for example variable - Operations and maintenance costs that are related to the amount of power produced non-dispatchable power - A power system that cannot be scheduled to produce power when needed investment cost - The total cost to construct a power plant rated capacity - The maximum amount of electrical power (W, kW or MW) that a power system can produce levelized cost of electricity - A first-order economic assessment of the cost competitiveness of an electricity-generating system that incorporates all costs over its lifetime. availability - The % of the time the power plant is available dispatchable power - A power system that can be scheduled to produce power when needed capacity factor - The % of the electrical energy that was actually produced relative to the amount that could have been produced.
An open system is isolated from the outside environment.
false
Match the following concepts with their definitions or views. offstream use non-excludable good social capital rival good resilience non-rival good instream use economic capital common property resource public good
offstream use - depends on the diversion or withdrawal of water from a surface- or ground0water source and conveyed to the place of use non-excludable good - It is impossible or extremely costly to exclude nonpayers from consumption of this item social capital - The aggregate of the actual or potential resources which are linked to possession of a durable network of more or less institutionalized relationships of mutual acquaintance and recognition. rival good - Item whose consumption by one consumer prevents simultaneous consumption by other consumers resilience - The capacity of a system to undergo change and still retain basic function and structure non-rival good - Some thing that can be used or consumed by one person without reducing the amount left for others instream use - Hydroelectric power generation, navigation, fish propagation and use, and recreational activities. economic capital - The amount of risk capital assessed on a realistic basis, which a firm requires to cover the risks that it is running or collecting as a going concern such as market risk, credit risk, and open risk. common property resource - Goods or services whose size or characteristics makes it costly, but not impossible, to exclude potential beneficiaries from obtaining benefits from its use. Rival but non-excludable public good - non-excludable and non-rival
There are a number of reasons governments may become in involved in markets or transfer money to various individuals and groups. Indicate whether a particular issue is market failure reason for intervention or a public finance one. public goods information asymmetries/uncertainty natural monopoly externalities fighting extreme poverty direct support for same scientific research social insurance
public goods - market failure information asymmetries/uncertainty - market failure natural monopoly - market failure externalities - market failure fighting extreme poverty - public finance direct support for same scientific research - public finance social insurance - public finance
Match the following with their definitions. recycle upcycle reduce use or conserve reuse downcycle
recycle - Discards are separated into materials that may be incorporated into new products upcycle - Waste materials or used products are converted into new materials or products of greater quality and enhanced functionality. reduce use or conserve - Preserve, protect, or restore the natural environment, natural ecosystems, vegetation, and wildlife. reuse - Elements of the discarded item are used again downcycle - Waste materials or used products are converted into new materials or products of lesser quality and reduced functionality.
Match the concepts with their definitions. recycle downcycling reduce reuse upcycling conservation
recycle - discards are separated into materials that may be incorporated into new products. downcycling - the process of converting waste materials or used products into new materials or products of lesser quality and reduced functionality. reduce - to buy less and use less. reuse - elements of a discarded item are used again. upcycling - the process of converting waste materials or used products into new materials or products of greater quality and enhanced functionality. conservation - preservation, protection, or restoration of the natural environment, natural ecosystems, vegetation, and wildlife.
Match the need/want to the groups with which it is most associated. reduced emissions less congestion fun more equitable access accessible parking varied designs affordable/lower cost quieter cities shorter commuting distance time renewable energy
reduced emissions - society less congestion - society and consumers fun - consumers more equitable access - society accessible parking - consumers varied designs - consumers affordable/lower cost - consumers quieter cities - society shorter commuting distance time - consumers renewable energy - society
The opportunity cost of President Obama setting aside land in Utah for the Bears Ears National Monument is the amount of revenue that is being forgone by less use of the land for mineral development, grazing, four-wheeling and so on.
right
The opportunity cost of land used for a public park is what it would have brought at auction for use in the private sector or otherwise.
right
The personal opportunity cost of not recycling your aluminum cans is the value of the deposit forfeited minus the time required to collect the cans and take them to the store or redemption center.
right
Match the concept with its definition. technical nutrients biological nutrients
technical nutrients - A material or product that is designed to go back to the technical cycle, i.e., into the technical metabolism from which it came. biological nutrients - A material or product that is designed to return to the biological cycle, i.e., it is consumed by plants and animals.
Which of the following statements are true.
- Iowa State University's approch to COVID--19 mitigation with the Cyclone Cares project is much closer to a social contract as compared to a command and control approach. - A utilitarian would sum up the properly discounted benefits and costs of a given project across all agents affected and adopt the project if benefits exceed costs. - The following lines from the poem, Judge Softly, Pray, don't find fault with the man that limps, Or stumbles along the road. Unless you have worn the moccasins he wears, Or stumbled beneath the same load. are consistent the Rawlsian approach to justice.
Which of the following relate most prominently to intergenerational justice?
- Obligations to future generations - Present obligations that are based on the (future) rights of future persons
Which of the following are examples of common pool resources?
- Orange Roughy Fisheries - Ledges State Park - Ogallala Aquifer - Hiking trails at Ledges State Park - Squaw Creek near ISU - The ISU cross country course south of campus - a pasture open to all - a wilderness area such as the Badlands Wilderness - The High Trestle trail which runs from Woodward to Ankeny Iowa - The Mississippi River - I-35 between Ankeny and West Des Moines between 15:30 and 18:00. - Saylorville lake between Ames and Des Moines IA - Most of the interstate highway system - The Western Range before Cattlemens' Associations and barbed wire
The following are examples of technology with feedback.
- Recycling water from producing steam to create electricity - Workers becoming sick from the mine tailings that result from their extraction of ore - A thermostat system that turns the furnace off and on - A feed mixer where the levels of various feedstocks are determined by sampling the mix every 30 seconds and adjusting the inputs to meet specific targets for energy and protein
Consider the numerous individuals and groups who would like to have access to the Grand Canyon for a variety of activities. Which of the following are reasonable approaches to prevent damage/overuse and are also fair and just?
- Require that all travel in the park be by foot or bicycle except for those who are physically challenged. For these individuals provide minimal cost transportation using solar powered fat tire golf carts. - Set up up a quota system where entrance passes are allocated using a lottery.
Which of the following statements are true.
- Utilitarians would argue that pollution is unavoidable so that we must weigh the costs and benefits. They would look at the extent of pollution, ---- how many people/sentient beings are affected. They would also look at the duration --- how long the damage lasts and the certainty --- for example, what are the chances of an oil tanker spillage, and so on. -Immanuel Kant would argue that it would not have been morally permissible to require a small number of workers to return to the Fukushima nuclear plant after the earthquake to insure little radiation was released in order to save the lives of many people living within 20 miles of the plant. - Decision making is the act of evaluating the desirability of the forecasted future and, when it falls short of our values and preferences, choosing appropriate interventions to ensure that the actual future is more desirable than the forecasted future. - Rawl's theory of justice would argue that one is not allowed to justify differences in income or organizational powers on the ground that the disadvantages of those in one position are outweighed by the greater advantages of those in another. - A utilitarian might argue that moving all nuclear waste to Yucca Mountain, Nevada (100 miles northwest of Las Vegas) would be morally permissible because the number of people potentially harmed is so small given the sparse population in the area.
The MIT CityCar concept was designed as an all-electric four-wheel ultra-small vehicle (USV) for two passengers, and drive-by-wire driver interface. Each wheel is independently digitally controlled, with its own wheel motor, which enables them to move in different direction and speed, and allows the wheels to rotate up to 120 degrees, allowing for turning on a dime or 0-degree turn radius, thus giving the vehicle more precise maneuverability. This feature makes the CityCar suitable for urban conditions, as it can perform sideways motions for parallel parking, and O-turns instead of the conventional three-point turns. This wheel arrangement allows entry and exit at four points around the vehicle's perimeter. The CityCar was designed for front entry, which is feasible because there is no engine in the way. Baggage and emergency entry and exit are at the rear, and there is no side entry and exit. This configuration allows nose-in parking to the curb, and passenger embarkation from the sidewalk rather than from the road, which allows the elimination of the need for side clearance between parked vehicles. It also simplifies the vehicle, which does not need to accommodate door openings. The CityCar was designed with a collapsible frame through a four-bar linkage that enables the vehicle to fold up for more compact parking, making possible to stack three or four CityCars in the length of a traditional parking bay, a particularly efficient feature in crowded urban settings. Safety systems operate at multiple levels. The car's folding mechanism also provides space for crash-deceleration systems. Its electronic sensing and wireless communications contribute to reduce the likelihood of crashes. And if a crash occurs, the low mass and relatively low speed reduce the energy involved in a crash with a similar vehicle. Seat belts and airbags will still be needed. Consider the sustainability of the MIT CityCar concept using the decision framework we have developed in this course ( Just, Improve the Human Condition, Adaptable/Resilient, Physically Possible, Technologically Feasible, Environmentally Sound, Profitable, and Socially Acceptable). The MIT CityCar...
- concept improves the human condition by making it easier and more efficient to get around in cities that are more populated - improves the human condition for people commuting to work in large urban areas who do not have good mass transit options - is closer to a just solution if there are purchase subsidies for low income consumers -is not an adaptable solution because of passenger capacity - is physically possible - is technologically feasible - may not be profitable due to a limited market - may or may not be environmentally sound depending on the electricity source for charging - is socially acceptable
Match the type of right with its definition. A right to be subjected to an action or another person or group A right not to be subjected to an action of another person or group People should be treated as equals by their government and their legal system: no special privileges, just an entitlement to respect and consideration as human beings. A right one is born with as a human being.
A right to be subjected to an action or another person or group - Positive right A right not to be subjected to an action of another person or group - Negative Right People should be treated as equals by their government and their legal system: no special privileges, just an entitlement to respect and consideration as human beings. - Fundamental equality A right one is born with as a human being. - Natural Right
Which of the following is likely to be most effective in reducing overfishing in a given area.
Allocate catch permits that limit the amount that anyone can land in a given time period.
Match the following resources with their types Cash reserves Coal Legal rights Somewhat liquid resources needed to cover the risks of running a going concern
Cash reserves - Economic Capital Coal - non-renewable natural resource Legal rights - other human made (not physical) capital Somewhat liquid resources needed to cover the risks of running a going - Economic Capital
Match the correct concept or definition with each word. Center-Pivot San Joaquin River Restoration Settlement Act Reason a paper was withdrawn from ``Water Quality Management''. Delta Smelt Texas Legislature
Center-Pivot - A form of overhead sprinkler irrigation consisting of several segments of pipe (usually galvanized steel or aluminum) joined together and supported by trusses, mounted on wheeled towers with sprinklers positioned along its length. San Joaquin River Restoration Settlement Act - Goal was to restore fish to what had been a dry river bed. Reason a paper was withdrawn from ``Water Quality Management'' - The authors modified Figure 1 (changing the label from ``Israel'' to ``Historical Palestine''). The authors did not inform the editors or the publisher of this change in their manuscript. Delta Smelt - Vast amounts of water from the Sierra Nevada snow pack are sent through the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta into the ocean each year, exacerbating hardships endured by the growers in the three-year drought in Southern California, in order to protect me. Texas Legislature - In 2011 authorized the state's Commission on Environmental Quality to suspend water rights in emergencies like droughts. While the commission still had to allot water to rights holders in order of seniority, it also could consider ---much as was practical how that water was being used before ordering a rights holder's pumps shut off.
Match the following items with their definition Diffusion Corn is grown and then fed to cattle. Manure from the cattle is used as fertilizer to grow the corn Invention/innovation Nitrogen fixing legume in a crop rotation
Diffusion - The spread of a technology through a society or industry Corn is grown and then fed to cattle. Manure from the cattle is used as fertilizer to grow the corn - Technology with feedback Invention/innovation - Creation of something new, or a "breakthrough" in technology Nitrogen fixing legume in a crop rotation - Technology with feedback
Match the following words with their definitions. Expendable factors of production Non-rival good Economic Capital Bad Physical Capital Rival Goods An example of other produced (not Physical) capital Human capital Renewable resource capital services non-renewable resource capital factors of production excludable good non excludable good common property resource
Expendable factors of production - Raw materials or other items that are completely used up or consumed during a single production period Non-rival good - Can be used or consumed by one person without reducing the amount left for others. In other words, it can be used again and again at almost no additional cost Economic Capital - The amount of risk capital, assessed on a realistic basis, which a firm requires to cover the risks that it is running or collecting as a going concern, such as market risk, credit risk, and operational risk. Bad - An object whose consumption decreases the well-being or utility of an individual Physical Capital -Manufactured means of production Rival Goods - Goods whose consumption by one consumer prevents simultaneous consumption by other consumers. An example of other produced (not Physical) capital - Legal rights Human capital - The muscle-power, dexterity, abilities, skills and education embodied in a human being Renewable resource - Can replenish with the passage of time, either through biological reproduction or other naturally recurring processes capital services - The flow of productive services that can be obtained from a given capital stock during a production period non-renewable resource - Cannot be reproduced, grown, generated, or used on a scale which can sustain its consumption rate; once depleted there will be no more available for future use. capital factors of production - A stock that is not used up during a single production period, provides services over time, and retains a unique identity excludable good - It is possible to prevent people who have not paid for them from enjoying the benefits. non-excludable good - Impossible or extremely costly to exclude nonpayers from consumption common property resource - Goods or services which are rival but non-excludable
A sustainable future with far fewer jobs is consistent with human flourishing as long as people are able to obtain their basic and secondary needs from government programs and/or charitable giving.
False
Lock-in is defined as the ability of a producer, a consumer or society to move from one solution/state to another without extremely large transition costs.
False
One way to simplify complex systems for analysis is to divide them into parts of subsystems, optimize each subsystem, and then put them back together without reoptimizing.
False
People on Easter Island were no longer able to hunt for porpoises, one of their main food staples, because they discharged too much raw sewage in the bay where the porpoises normally calved.
False
Strong Environmental Sustainability is maintaining total capital intact without regard to the partitioning of that capital among the four kinds (Natural, Human, Human-made, Social). This would imply that the various kinds of capital are more or less substitutes, at least within the boundaries of current levels of economic activity and resource endowment.
False
The opportunity cost of moving firefighters from the Bald Mountain fire to the Pole Creek fire is the sum of all the cost of moving the crew and equipment from one fire fighting area to the other.
False
There has been increased discussion about the idea of providing a universal basic income (UBI) in which all permanent residents of a country receive a regular, liveable and unconditional sum of money from the government. Payment does not require the recipient to work or look for work, and is independent of any other income. UBI is consistent with the definitions of human flourishing we have discussed in this course.
False
Economic capital is typically calculated by determining the amount of capital that the firm needs to ensure that its realistic balance sheet stays solvent over a certain time period with a pre-specified probability.
True
Garrett Hardin has argued that mutual coercion, mutually agreed upon by the majority of the people affected is the most reasonable way to solve the tragedy of the commons.
True
Human produced technology is one example of a process that can promote human flourishing much like a natural process such as the carbon cycle.
True
Match examples to each type of good or resource. Private goods Human-produced Capital pure public goods common pool resources renewable natural resource club goods nonrenewable natural resources
Private goods - shoes, hamburgers, jackhammers Human-produced Capital -machinery, buildings, equipment pure public goods - police protection, lighthouses, flood control systems common pool resources - aquifers, petroleum reservoirs, rangeland renewable natural resource -forests, fish, wildlife club goods - housing developments with private covenants, golf courses, cable television nonrenewable natural resources -fossil fuels (oil, coal, natural gas)
If another 500 megalitres of water applied to the field of Farmer Samik increases rice yields less than the same 500 megalitres applied to field of Farmer Ramesh, then the water has more value to Farmer Ramesh (everything else held constant).
True
Match the following resources with their types Plant variety rights protection the savannah in africa welding skill private property shall not be taken for public use without just compensation iron Networks together with shared norms, values and understandings that facilitate co-operation within or among groups Natural gas fishing in the chesapeake bay welding robot The improved dexterity from learning by doing of a welder warehouse
Plant variety rights protection - Other produced (not physical) capital the savannah in africa - Renewable natural resource welding skill - Human Capital private property shall not be taken for public use without just compensation - Other produced (not physical) capital iron - Non-renewable natural resource Networks together with shared norms, values and understandings that facilitate co-operation within or among groups - Social Capital Natural gas - Non-renewable natural resource fishing in the chesapeake bay - Renewable natural resource welding robot - Produced physical capital The improved dexterity from learning by doing of a welder - Human Capital warehouse - Produced physical capital
Match examples to each type of good or resource. Private goods pure public goods common-pool resources mixed category club goods
Private goods - pencils, sushi, eyeglasses pure public goods - fire protection, street lighting, consumption of air quality common-pool resources -irrigation systems, open pasture, open wilderness area mixed category - housing developments with private covenants, Big Macs, Department of Defense club goods - DIRECTTV, movie theater, season tickets to ISU Cyclones Women's Basketball
Match each of five constraints on sustainability we have discussed with a definition or example. Technological Feasibility Physical Possibility Environmentally Sound Economic Profitability Socially Acceptable
Technological Feasibility- Can be implemented at a commercial scale Physical Possibility- Satisfies laws of nature Environmentally Sound- Actions should not release significant toxic materials to the air, land, or water Economic Profitability- Return a level of profit no less than the "market rate" of return Socially Acceptable- Reduces income inequality without making others worse off
Suppose I want to design a hybrid car that weighs less than 3,200 pounds, gets 40 mpg and can be produced for less than $18,000. What is an appropriate constraint set?
The car must weigh less than 3,200 pounds, achieve at least 40 miles per gallon and have a production cost less than $18,000.
As more of an input is used, it usually becomes more difficult to substitute that input for another keeping output the same
True
Diffusion is the spread of a technology through a society or industry.
True
Disruptive innovation can be thought of as a ``jump'' function as compared innovation along a continuous path.
True
Match a particular policy with its general type. You buy the right to release more nitrous oxide into the atmosphere from a person who previously bought that right at a government auction. Hillary Clinton feels guilty about all the airline miles she is logging running for President and so she directs the Clinton Foundation to provide more start-up loans for small farmers in India to install biodigesters. You are tired off the run-down public parks in your town which are plagued by gang violence and noisy college students. You and some friends buy up a track of low-cost dilapidated housing and raze the buildings. You then build a private park which is only available to your family and that of your friends. You hire some of the people who used to live in the dilapidated housing to act as armed guards and gate controllers for the property. You pay them $55,000 for their services and allow them to also use the park. The state of Iowa provides a tax credit for the installation of new windmills. Iowa State University buys flex fuel vehicles and uses E-85. Your neighbor pays you $600 to be out of town for several weekends while he is showing his house for sale. A fee on tailpipe emissions proportional to the damage done. A limit of on total amount of run-off that is allowed into a given waterway, all other run-off must be contained on property.
You buy the right to release more nitrous oxide into the atmosphere from a person who previously bought that right at a government auction. - Tradable permits Hillary Clinton feels guilty about all the airline miles she is logging running for President and so she directs the Clinton Foundation to provide more start-up loans for small farmers in India to install biodigesters. - carbon offset You are tired off the run-down public parks in your town which are plagued by gang violence and noisy college students. You and some friends buy up a track of low-cost dilapidated housing and raze the buildings. You then build a private park which is only available to your family and that of your friends. You hire some of the people who used to live in the dilapidated housing to act as armed guards and gate controllers for the property. You pay them $55,000 for their services and allow them to also use the park. - cooperative organization The state of Iowa provides a tax credit for the installation of new windmills. - Subsidies to or outright purchases of "greener" processes Iowa State University buys flex fuel vehicles and uses E-85. - Subsidies to or outright purchases of "greener" processes Your neighbor pays you $600 to be out of town for several weekends while he is showing his house for sale. - Somewhat well defined property rights A fee on tailpipe emissions proportional to the damage done. - Pigovian tax A limit of on total amount of run-off that is allowed into a given waterway, all other run-off must be contained on property. - Quota
