Deck 5: Economics, Policy, and Sustainable Development

Question 1

Environmental policy aims to _______________.

A) protect the values of the landowner
B) promote economic growth
C) use natural resources for economically important industrial products
D) preserve all present natural areas in their pristine condition
E) promote fairness among people and groups in the use of resources

Answer 1

promote fairness among people and groups in the use of resources

Question 2

ʺIf domestic gas prices rise to $5 per gallon, growth will slow significantly and our quality of life will decline.ʺ This view is consistent with _______________ economics.

A) subsistence
B) social
C) anarchic
D) environmental
E) neoclassical

Answer 2

neoclassical

Question 3

Choose the item that best matches each item in the following:
A rule or guideline that directs individual, organizational, or societal behavior

A)Clean Air Act
B)executive order
C)Environmental Protection Agency
D)congressional act
E)Silent Spring
F)non-governmental organization
G)treaties
H)statutory law
I)National Environmental Policy Act
J)policy
K)regulations
L)general land ordinances

Answer 3

policy

Question 4

ʺIf domestic gas prices rise to $5 per gallon, conservation will increase, alternative fuels will be developed, and energy efficiency and our quality of life will improve.ʺ This view is consistent with _______________ economics.

A) social
B) neoclassical
C) subsistence
D) environmental
E) anarchic

Question 5

Use the figure above to answer the following question.
According to the figure, the basis for government policy regarding environmental issues _____________

A) comes only from the natural and social sciences and is acted upon without bias
B) comes from both the public and the private sectors
C) comes primarily from the private sector
D) comes from the sciences, with additional input from the public and private sectors
E) is primarily driven by lobbying

Question 6

Choose the item that best matches each item in the following:
Specific rules based on more broadly written statutory law passed by Congress

A)Clean Air Act
B)executive order
C)Environmental Protection Agency
D)congressional act
E)Silent Spring
F)non-governmental organization
G)treaties
H)statutory law
I)National Environmental Policy Act
J)policy
K)regulations
L)general land ordinances

Question 7

Choose the item that best matches each item in the following:
Early environmental laws that gave the federal government the right to manage western lands

A)Clean Air Act
B)executive order
C)Environmental Protection Agency
D)congressional act
E)Silent Spring
F)non-governmental organization
G)treaties
H)statutory law
I)National Environmental Policy Act
J)policy
K)regulations
L)general land ordinances

Question 8

The World Bank _______________.

A) regulates U.S. environmental administrative agencies
B) assists U.S. corporations to circumvent foreign nationsʹ environmental laws
C) is a major source of funds for global economic development
D) mandates that environmental law preempt all other federal laws
E) is a U.S. NGO that funds any project that may affect global environment

Question 9

An environmental impact statement is required _______________.

A) only by executive order
B) for any federal action that may affect U.S. environmental quality
C) to be put to voters on every local ballot if federal action may affect local environments
D) before Congress can pass any law
E) for implementation of any program funded by the World Bank

Question 10

Use the figure above to answer the following question.
The distinction of scientific studyʹs input into governmental solution of environmental problems is that it ______________.

A) is modified by consumer incentives, such as rebates and tax breaks
B) bypasses the public sector in determining consumer choices and lifestyles
C) is the product of both consumer advocacy and industrial goals
D) bypasses the private sector in making improvements to technology
E) is independent of any other influences in its effect on forming government policy

Question 11

Environmental damage from industry or land development has traditionally been labeled as _______________ by economists.

A) free riders
B) ecosystem services
C) steady state economics
D) greenwashing
E) external costs

Question 12

Use the figure above to answer the following question.
In recent decades a great deal of scientific research and observation has been funded and published by commercial and corporate interests. Since this science may not have to pass the peer review process and may have motives for biased reporting, it could be included in the diagram as _____________.

A) a box between ʺinformation and analysisʺ and ʺgovernmentʺ
B) lobbying by the public sector
C) lobbying by the private sector
D) a new means of establishing government environmental policies
E) a box above and pointing to the one titled ʺnatural and social sciencesʺ

Question 13

Choose the item that best matches each item in the following:
Agreements with foreign countries

A)Clean Air Act
B)executive order
C)Environmental Protection Agency
D)congressional act
E)Silent Spring
F)non-governmental organization
G)treaties
H)statutory law
I)National Environmental Policy Act
J)policy
K)regulations
L)general land ordinances

Question 14

The primary role of the United Nations is to _______________.

A) make international laws regarding commerce and the environment
B) develop international business cooperatives
C) regulate international travel, emigration and immigration among member states
D) maintain international environmental education standards
E) cooperate in solving international economic, social, cultural, and humanitarian problems

Question 15

Choose the item that best matches each item in the following:
Responsible for U.S. water quality, air pollution, and solid waste management

A)Clean Air Act
B)executive order
C)Environmental Protection Agency
D)congressional act
E)Silent Spring
F)non-governmental organization
G)treaties
H)statutory law
I)National Environmental Policy Act
J)policy
K)regulations
L)general land ordinances

Question 16

Legislation passed by Congress is known as _______________.

A) mandatory law
B) case law
C) utilitarian law
D) environmental law
E) statutory law

Question 17

Choose the item that best matches each item in the following:
Specific legal instructions, drafted by the president, for use by government agencies

A)Clean Air Act
B)executive order
C)Environmental Protection Agency
D)congressional act
E)Silent Spring
F)non-governmental organization
G)treaties
H)statutory law
I)National Environmental Policy Act
J)policy
K)regulations
L)general land ordinances

Question 18

The social changes in the United States in the 20th century gave rise to environmental laws concerned primarily with _______________.

A) management of private land
B) mining and homesteading
C) the settlement of the West
D) reducing pollution caused by industry
E) preserving endangered species

Question 19

Enforcement and elaboration of U.S. statutory law is given to _______________.

A) watchdog groups
B) the judicial branch
C) administrative agencies
D) the legislative branch
E) oversight committees including private citizens

Question 20

Use the figure above to answer the following question.
Regarding the issue of global warming, until the hurricane season of 2005, the federal governmentʹs official stance was that the information available from the scientific community was neither conclusive nor persuasive. This governmental position was probably due to ______________.

A) laws passed by voters
B) the lack of good, measurable data from the scientific community
C) lobbying efforts on the part of environmental organizations
D) the consumer opinion polls
E) the private sectorʹs reluctance to change manufacturing and land use strategies

Question 21

List the economics-based approaches to environmental policy. How are these superior to the use of tort law for controlling pollution?

Question 22

The principle that ʺinternal costs,ʺ which are the costs and benefits borne by the buyer and seller alone, represent the true and full economics of all transactions is a principle of _______________.

A) sustainable economies
B) classical economics
C) ecological economics
D) neoclassical economics
E) steady-state economics

Question 23

Rachel Carsonʹs book Silent Spring, published in the 1960s,_______________ .

A) awakened the American public to negative effects of artificial hormones
B) warned of insect pollinator losses through pesticide use
C) was concerned with birth defects in humans
D) was the beginning of the first wave of U.S. environmental policy
E) focused on chemical pollutants, including industrial chemicals

Question 24

Lobbying, legal action, and campaign funding are all means used by _______________ to influence governmental environmental policies.

A) the public sector
B) the judicial branch of government
C) social science studies
D) the legislative branch
E) the scientific community

Question 25

The entire environmental policy process _______________.

A) can only be completed by paid political lobbyists
B) includes more steps than the average citizen is able to accomplish alone
C) is only accessible to wealthy individuals
D) can be accomplished by anyone acting alone
E) can only be completed by the major political parties

Question 26

Robert Constanza and his colleagues have shown that _______________.

A) ecosystems services cannot be assigned monetary values because they are external
B) the value of ecosystem services is more than $48 trillion in 2013 dollars
C) NAFTA has had environmental benefits worth $2.7 billion in 2011
D) ecosystem services are valued at less than 0.5% of the U.S. GDP
E) nutrient cycling is the least valuable of ecosystem services

Question 27

The National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) _______________.

A) was signed into law by Bill Clinton
B) requires compensation to be given to anyone harmed by deliberate pollution from any business or corporate entity
C) altered the amount of chemicals allowed in water as a result of industrial pollution
D) required environmental impact statements for any projects funded by the U.S. government
E) put all federal land under stringent environmental protection

Question 28

Rising per capita consumption of goods and rising population growth lead to _______________.

A) less fossil fuel use and global climate change
B) greater availability of goods to poorer nations and people
C) steady-state economics
D) more resource extraction, waste and pollution
E) increased biodiversity and ecosystem services

Question 29

To control pollution, industry has been given limits and been threatened with punishment if these limits are violated. This approach is called _______________.

A) limit and manage
B) command and control
C) end of the alley
D) last chance
E) carrot and stick

Question 30

The first national park in the world was _______________.

A) Grand Canyon
B) Death Valley
C) Glacier National Park
D) Yosemite
E) Yellowstone

Question 31

What is the main goal of environmental policy? Describe the tragedy of the commons and externalities, and explain why environmental policy would focus on these problems.

Question 32

Discuss the three major eras of environmental law in the United States. What key events sparked each era, and/or resulted from each one?

Question 33

A distinguishing feature of ecological economics is the concept of _______________.

A) steady-state economies that, like natural systems, neither grow nor shrink
B) cost-benefit analysis
C) greenwashing to increase public acceptance of products
D) the only healthy economy is one that is growing
E) environmental damage and also environmental benefits are external

Question 34

Enumerate the steps of developing environmental policy and explain how each is achieved.

Question 35

International environmental policies arise from _______________.

A) international conventions or treaties
B) decisions by the United Nations Environment Programme
C) informal agreements reached by multinational corporations
D) distribution and use of pollution permits
E) environmental impact statements

Question 36

Juanita and Sam attend a beach party and notice that the local beach appears to have a great deal more trash washed up on shore than it did when they were young. The water doesnʹt appear nearly as clear, and there seems to be less evidence of small water creatures living in the shallows. An afternoon at the local library convinces them that one major cause is the new factory nearby. After some discussion, they decide their next step should be _______________.

A) lobbying their elected representatives to complain about the problem
B) talking to a local environmental group about solutions
C) identifying the cause of the changes
D) picketing the guilty factory
E) identifying the problem

Question 37

Critics of the World Trade Organization _______________.

A) charge that the WTOʹs subsidy policies unfairly target poor people
B) charge that it gives too much money to environmental causes
C) complain that it frequently worsens environmental problems
D) complain that it shapes environmental policy by establishing unfair international laws
E) say that the international taxes that it regulates are burdensome to smaller countries

Question 38

The World Bank was established in 1944 to _______________.

A) fund international environmental studies of issues such as pollution and global warming
B) fund international projects for developed nations, including dams on international rivers, multicountry irrigation projects, and the spraying of herbicides and insecticides
C) provide ease of banking for multinational corporations
D) fund economic development for all countries, rich and poor, including dams and irrigation in the poorest countries, for the poorest peoples
E) help weak governments by loaning money to heads of state for military infrastructure

Question 39

Cap and Trade is a system that _______________.

A) has been repealed by Congress as useless in diminishing pollution
B) permits industries that pollute under the federal cap to sell credits to industries that pollute over the cap
C) rapidly brings pollution emissions to near zero for participating industries
D) allows industries to set their own levels for pollution emission so trading can continue
E) specifies a certain cap on industrial pollutants that can be traded to other nations

Question 40

What is the significance of the National Environmental Policy Act?

Question 41

Read the following scenario and answer the question(s) below.
Wetlands provide a multitude of ecological, economic, and social benefits. They provide habitat for many organisms and are nurseries for many saltwater and freshwater fishes and shellfish. Wetlands also hold and slowly release floodwater and snow melt, recharge groundwater, act as cleansing filters, recycle nutrients, and provide recreation. As of 2000, the contiguous United States was estimated to have about 105 million acres of wetlands remaining. Over the past 60 years, it has lost over 16 million acres of wetlands, and the loss continues at about 58,000 acres annually. Nearly one -third of the loss is due to urban development, with the rest being nearly equally divided between rural development, agriculture, and silviculture (predominantly logging). The southeastern United States is experiencing the greatest losses. The Emergency Wetlands Resources Act of 1986 requires the Fish and Wildlife Service to conduct status and trend studies of the nationʹs wetlands and to report the results to Congress each decade. The overall goal is to have no more net loss of wetlands. In the past 5 years, money for flood control projects in Louisiana has been cut dramatically. During that time, two simulations, one of a category 4 hurricane and one of a category 5 hurricane, indicated catastrophic damage and loss of life along the Gulf Coast. The levees were predicted to break, and massive flooding to occur, in part due to the loss of the sheltering wetlands.
In the United States, wetlands are primarily considered to be ______________.

A) important because they provide many valuable ecosystem services
B) useful for fisheries
C) belonging to the owner of the private property, to be developed or not by the owner
D) important only for recreational purposes
E) useful to develop for economic purposes

Question 42

Read the following scenario and answer the question(s) below.
Wetlands provide a multitude of ecological, economic, and social benefits. They provide habitat for many organisms and are nurseries for many saltwater and freshwater fishes and shellfish. Wetlands also hold and slowly release floodwater and snow melt, recharge groundwater, act as cleansing filters, recycle nutrients, and provide recreation. As of 2000, the contiguous United States was estimated to have about 105 million acres of wetlands remaining. Over the past 60 years, it has lost over 16 million acres of wetlands, and the loss continues at about 58,000 acres annually. Nearly one -third of the loss is due to urban development, with the rest being nearly equally divided between rural development, agriculture, and silviculture (predominantly logging). The southeastern United States is experiencing the greatest losses. The Emergency Wetlands Resources Act of 1986 requires the Fish and Wildlife Service to conduct status and trend studies of the nationʹs wetlands and to report the results to Congress each decade. The overall goal is to have no more net loss of wetlands. In the past 5 years, money for flood control projects in Louisiana has been cut dramatically. During that time, two simulations, one of a category 4 hurricane and one of a category 5 hurricane, indicated catastrophic damage and loss of life along the Gulf Coast. The levees were predicted to break, and massive flooding to occur, in part due to the loss of the sheltering wetlands.
From the scenario above, one conclusion regarding the Gulf Coast damage from the hurricane season of 2005 is that _______________.

A) the budget was sufficient, but the planning failed to estimate the amount of damage and did not prepare properly
B) wetland losses and improper economic perspectives leading to budget cuts were responsible
C) the majority of the damage was because of the low budget and poor planning over the past 5 years
D) nothing could have improved the outcome, given the loss of wetlands
E) even though the economic perspective was accurate, no one could have predicted the amount of damage and prepared for it

Question 43

What is a subsidy? Describe the role of subsidies in natural resource management.

Question 44

Political boundaries do not always match environmental boundaries. What does this mean for environmental protection in each country?

Question 45

Differentiate between a green tax and marketable emission permits. Which is superior for U.S. markets?

Question 46

Read the following scenario and answer the question(s) below.
Wetlands provide a multitude of ecological, economic, and social benefits. They provide habitat for many organisms and are nurseries for many saltwater and freshwater fishes and shellfish. Wetlands also hold and slowly release floodwater and snow melt, recharge groundwater, act as cleansing filters, recycle nutrients, and provide recreation. As of 2000, the contiguous United States was estimated to have about 105 million acres of wetlands remaining. Over the past 60 years, it has lost over 16 million acres of wetlands, and the loss continues at about 58,000 acres annually. Nearly one -third of the loss is due to urban development, with the rest being nearly equally divided between rural development, agriculture, and silviculture (predominantly logging). The southeastern United States is experiencing the greatest losses. The Emergency Wetlands Resources Act of 1986 requires the Fish and Wildlife Service to conduct status and trend studies of the nationʹs wetlands and to report the results to Congress each decade. The overall goal is to have no more net loss of wetlands. In the past 5 years, money for flood control projects in Louisiana has been cut dramatically. During that time, two simulations, one of a category 4 hurricane and one of a category 5 hurricane, indicated catastrophic damage and loss of life along the Gulf Coast. The levees were predicted to break, and massive flooding to occur, in part due to the loss of the sheltering wetlands.
Wetlands in the United States _______________.

A) have decreased due to natural causes, such as floods and hurricanes
B) have increased due to natural causes, such as floods and hurricanes
C) have stayed about the same over the past 40 years
D) have decreased due to human development
E) have increased due to human development

Question 47

Briefly discuss the relationship between NAFTA and environmental protection.

Question 48

What is an environmental impact statement (EIS)? What is the role of an environmental impact statement, and who is required to prepare it?

Question 49

Read the following scenario and answer the question(s) below.
Wetlands provide a multitude of ecological, economic, and social benefits. They provide habitat for many organisms and are nurseries for many saltwater and freshwater fishes and shellfish. Wetlands also hold and slowly release floodwater and snow melt, recharge groundwater, act as cleansing filters, recycle nutrients, and provide recreation. As of 2000, the contiguous United States was estimated to have about 105 million acres of wetlands remaining. Over the past 60 years, it has lost over 16 million acres of wetlands, and the loss continues at about 58,000 acres annually. Nearly one -third of the loss is due to urban development, with the rest being nearly equally divided between rural development, agriculture, and silviculture (predominantly logging). The southeastern United States is experiencing the greatest losses. The Emergency Wetlands Resources Act of 1986 requires the Fish and Wildlife Service to conduct status and trend studies of the nationʹs wetlands and to report the results to Congress each decade. The overall goal is to have no more net loss of wetlands. In the past 5 years, money for flood control projects in Louisiana has been cut dramatically. During that time, two simulations, one of a category 4 hurricane and one of a category 5 hurricane, indicated catastrophic damage and loss of life along the Gulf Coast. The levees were predicted to break, and massive flooding to occur, in part due to the loss of the sheltering wetlands.
There has been legislation designed to encourage protection of wetlands, but funding has been greatly reduced, because _______________.

A) a system of green taxes is already in place to fund the needed work
B) wetlands have little or no economic value
C) the ecosystem services of wetlands has been ignored
D) there has been no funding available for any federal projects
E) green taxes have been opposed by state governments

Question 50

Read the following scenario and answer the question(s) below.
Wetlands provide a multitude of ecological, economic, and social benefits. They provide habitat for many organisms and are nurseries for many saltwater and freshwater fishes and shellfish. Wetlands also hold and slowly release floodwater and snow melt, recharge groundwater, act as cleansing filters, recycle nutrients, and provide recreation. As of 2000, the contiguous United States was estimated to have about 105 million acres of wetlands remaining. Over the past 60 years, it has lost over 16 million acres of wetlands, and the loss continues at about 58,000 acres annually. Nearly one -third of the loss is due to urban development, with the rest being nearly equally divided between rural development, agriculture, and silviculture (predominantly logging). The southeastern United States is experiencing the greatest losses. The Emergency Wetlands Resources Act of 1986 requires the Fish and Wildlife Service to conduct status and trend studies of the nationʹs wetlands and to report the results to Congress each decade. The overall goal is to have no more net loss of wetlands. In the past 5 years, money for flood control projects in Louisiana has been cut dramatically. During that time, two simulations, one of a category 4 hurricane and one of a category 5 hurricane, indicated catastrophic damage and loss of life along the Gulf Coast. The levees were predicted to break, and massive flooding to occur, in part due to the loss of the sheltering wetlands.
If you were a resident of southern Louisiana in 2009-2012, your most effective political response, to try to lessen future hurricane damage, might be to _______________.

A) consider joining a local PAC focused on wetlands restoration and flood control
B) concentrate on identifying the causes of the damage from the 2005 hurricanes so that damage can be minimized or avoided in the future
C) consider running for public office to change government priorities regarding wetlands and floods
D) gather information about the possible solutions to the Gulf Coast damage in 2005
E) write proposed legislation for wetlands restoration and flood control and send it to your elected representatives

Question 51

Discuss the environmental economic research of Robert Constanza.

Question 52

Read the following scenario and answer the question(s) below.
Wetlands provide a multitude of ecological, economic, and social benefits. They provide habitat for many organisms and are nurseries for many saltwater and freshwater fishes and shellfish. Wetlands also hold and slowly release floodwater and snow melt, recharge groundwater, act as cleansing filters, recycle nutrients, and provide recreation. As of 2000, the contiguous United States was estimated to have about 105 million acres of wetlands remaining. Over the past 60 years, it has lost over 16 million acres of wetlands, and the loss continues at about 58,000 acres annually. Nearly one -third of the loss is due to urban development, with the rest being nearly equally divided between rural development, agriculture, and silviculture (predominantly logging). The southeastern United States is experiencing the greatest losses. The Emergency Wetlands Resources Act of 1986 requires the Fish and Wildlife Service to conduct status and trend studies of the nationʹs wetlands and to report the results to Congress each decade. The overall goal is to have no more net loss of wetlands. In the past 5 years, money for flood control projects in Louisiana has been cut dramatically. During that time, two simulations, one of a category 4 hurricane and one of a category 5 hurricane, indicated catastrophic damage and loss of life along the Gulf Coast. The levees were predicted to break, and massive flooding to occur, in part due to the loss of the sheltering wetlands.
Part of the reason for the lack of good flood control in the United States is that _______________.

A) sufficient funding is actually present, but the groups to carry out the work are too small
B) money has been tight, and government spending overall has been reduced
C) government spending priorities have shifted, and flood control funds have been cut
D) there has been no long-term planning that showed a need for flood control
E) there is no use spending money for something we cannot control anyway

Question 53

Read the following scenario and answer the question(s) below.
Wetlands provide a multitude of ecological, economic, and social benefits. They provide habitat for many organisms and are nurseries for many saltwater and freshwater fishes and shellfish. Wetlands also hold and slowly release floodwater and snow melt, recharge groundwater, act as cleansing filters, recycle nutrients, and provide recreation. As of 2000, the contiguous United States was estimated to have about 105 million acres of wetlands remaining. Over the past 60 years, it has lost over 16 million acres of wetlands, and the loss continues at about 58,000 acres annually. Nearly one -third of the loss is due to urban development, with the rest being nearly equally divided between rural development, agriculture, and silviculture (predominantly logging). The southeastern United States is experiencing the greatest losses. The Emergency Wetlands Resources Act of 1986 requires the Fish and Wildlife Service to conduct status and trend studies of the nationʹs wetlands and to report the results to Congress each decade. The overall goal is to have no more net loss of wetlands. In the past 5 years, money for flood control projects in Louisiana has been cut dramatically. During that time, two simulations, one of a category 4 hurricane and one of a category 5 hurricane, indicated catastrophic damage and loss of life along the Gulf Coast. The levees were predicted to break, and massive flooding to occur, in part due to the loss of the sheltering wetlands.
The economic principles in play with the fate of U.S. wetlands have been governed by _______________.

A) traditional neoclassical cost-benefit analysis, excluding environmental damage
B) steady-state economics
C) a centrally planned economy
D) careful attention to the guidelines outlined by Robert Constanza and colleagues
E) including the dollar value of wetlandsʹ ecosystem services for flood control

Question 54

Discuss the differences between neoclassical, ecological, and environmental economics.