Exam 14: Global Responsibility for the Preservation of the Environment

Your textbook notes that nearly all climate scientists are in agreement that global warming is occurring and that it is caused by human activities that emit greenhouse gases, with catastrophic results predicted.  In fact, scientists estimate that if all of Greenland's ice sheet were to melt, the global sea level would rise by 23 feet.  Ominously, in 2012 satellites revealed that 40 percent of the ice sheet's surface had melted, and that by July 12 a shocking 97 percent of the ice sheet had turned to slush. But sea levels did not rise more than 1 or 2 millimeters in 2012, not the several feet predicted by the scientists.   With so much of the scientific community in agreement about this issue, why might significant doubt about climate change persist among the general public?

The 1987 Montreal Protocol limits the production of CFCs in an attempt to stop depletion of the ozone layer.

Environmentalists view using trade to promote environmental standards as one way to combat the negative impact that trade can have on the environment.

The gas primarily responsible for the greenhouse effect, carbon dioxide, is released by

Biodiversity includes genetic diversity, species diversity, and ecosystem diversity.

What are the benefits to using nuclear energy?  What are the drawbacks?  Considering both the benefits and drawbacks, do you think the world should pursue nuclear energy as a replacement for fossil fuels like coal?

Neo-Malthusians are optimistic about the capacity of the world to supply enough food for its growing population through market forces and advances in technology.

A renewable source of energy is _________ .

The claiming of common properties by states or private interests for their own use is known as the

The term that refers to scientific experts on a subject of inquiry such as global warming that are organized internationally as NGOs to communicate with one another and use their constructed understanding of "knowledge" to lobby for global transformations is

Which of the following does NOT contribute to environmental degradation?

A neighborhood uses well water, and no individual family has to pay for the water they consume.  Thus, each family waters their grass excessively and doesn't bother to conserve water.  The well runs dry.  This is an example of the economic model known as

The United Nations has been actively involved in studying the phenomenon of climate change and in organizing diverse countries to attempt to find a global solution.

One reason the price of food has risen worldwide is

The earth's temperature began to rise with the invention of power-driven machinery in the late eighteenth century.

_____ is research to discover new types of plant and human life for sale and use as substitutes for those produced naturally, and _____ are agricultural products with improved characteristics created artificially by combining genes from species that would not naturally interbreed.

The effects of continued rising temperatures include all of the following EXCEPT

In 1972, the United Nations General Assembly convened the first UN Conference on the Human Environment in Stockholm. During the ensuing years, other conferences were held. (a) What factors mitigate against international cooperation to solve global ecological problems? (b) What are the prospects for achieving sustainable development through a managed global commons arrangement?

The volatility of oil prices may be even more threatening than high oil prices due to the instability and inability to plan future energy investments.

Which school of thought is more likely to focus on encouraging swift action on environmental issues to prevent a calamitous future?