Exam 2: Ethics, Economics, and Policy: Who or What Do We Value

Which of the following is an example of environmental policy implemented by the U.S. government?

Utilitarianism is often controversial because

A group of students at your school has decided to start a group focused on understanding how their decisions can influence environmental policy. Discuss at least two different things from Chapter 2 that your group could do to influence policy in your community.

Which of the following would be an externality associated with a bar allowing cigarette smoking?

The cost of solar panels has decreased dramatically in the last 10 years, going from over $8/watt to $3/watt. Based on the Jevons paradox, what would you predict should have happened to the demand for solar panels?

Battery packs that are used in electric vehicles have decreased in price, going from around $1,000 down to $200. As our efficiency in producing these battery packs has increased, driving prices lower, the Jevon paradox would predict an increase in our use of this technology. However, electric vehicles are only around 6% of all vehicle purchases. What other factors might have led to such a slow increase in electric vehicle sales? Do you think purchases of electric vehicles will increase in the future?

A company is preparing a report on the impact of creating a new landfill in a community, which is divided into sections assessing the various impacts. The section of the report detailing potential contamination of the drinking water, added air pollution, and other factors that will affect the residents of the community would be summarized as a view of the impact.

Environmental policies can include those that manage natural resources. Which of the following actions was done by the U.S. government for this purpose?

In the early 1900s the wild turkey population in the United States had been reduced to less than 30,000 birds. Today, however, there are over 7 million turkeys. Based on your understanding of the tragedy of the commons, what changes could have taken place to lead to this conservation success story?

Positive externalities and public goods are often due to the difficulty in assigning specific value.

Governments create laws and regulations that specify the actions and behaviors of its citizens and organizations. These laws and regulations are called

Public health experts recommend that all children be vaccinated against a range of infectious diseases. While there may be a small number of children who have a negative side effect from the vaccine, many more will have the benefits of avoiding these painful and potentially deadly illnesses. Using these principles to guide decision making on vaccination demonstrates

If a government wanted to increase the use of wind power by its residents, which of the following could be implemented?

Many people would say that a forest has importance in and of itself, separate from the value of the lumber or other materials that could be removed. This would be considered a(n)

Consider the following statement: all policies on environmental health are enacted by the federal government.

In what ways can politics influence policy decisions?

One factor that would differ between a biocentric view of a lake and an ecocentric view of a lake would be the

State and local governments often provide money for communities to create bike paths. These benefit many in the local community, but are often not developed without government help due to the high costs to private companies. Bike paths are an example of

Mangroves are small shrubs and trees in intercostal regions. They protect shorelines from damaging storms, winds, waves, and floods, which have been found to be important in preventing erosion. This aspect of mangroves is considered a(n)

Just as with oil, coffee is traded as a commodity on exchange markets. More than 50 countries around the world produce coffee beans, the sum production of which is considered the of coffee.