Deck 11: Environmental Management

Question 1

Which of the following is among the likely scientific arguments made by a climate scientist who opposes the idea of a human role in global warming?

A) Current weather patterns are part of cyclical changes throughout history.
B) Humans have not significantly increased CO₂ emissions over the last two centuries.
C) There is no significant evidence that global temperatures have been rising over the last hundred years.
D) Most climate scientists are motivated by politics, not science.

Answer 1

A

Question 2

With respect to CO₂ emissions, how does India differ from the United States?

A) It has a higher level of CO₂ emissions.
B) It has a faster rate of growth in CO₂ emissions.
C) It has done more to adopt policies that will reduce CO₂ emissions.
D) It is less reliant on coal than the United States.

Answer 2

B

Question 3

What two components were essential to global warming as predicted by meteorologist John Sawyer?

A) industrialization and deforestation
B) industrialization and CO₂ emissions
C) population growth and decreased oxygen levels
D) depletion of ozone and CO₂ emissions

Answer 3

B

Question 4

Which of the following has been a consequence of climate change thus far?

A) There has been a rise in temperature but a fall in precipitation.
B) There has been a decrease in migration of people throughout the world.
C) Poorer nations have been more harmed from the effects than wealthier ones.
D) National governments have collapsed, reducing overall greenhouse emissions.

Question 5

Which of the following statements about global warming and greenhouse gases is accurate?

A) CO₂ emissions from fuel consumption at the time of the Industrial Revolution were relatively high.
B) The U.S. consumes the most coal in the world by far.
C) The insulation shield around the earth has become thicker in the last 200 years.
D) Greenhouse gases are necessary to make life on Earth possible.

Question 6

What was remarkable about the Refuse Act of 1899?

A) It was one of the very rare environmental protection acts prior to the 1960s.
B) It sought to protect the environment but actually made things worse.
C) It was entirely created and passed by a citizen's movement.
D) It was sponsored by businesses, not citizens.

Question 7

Which of the following statements best represents the current thinking about global warming?

A) There is total consensus about the role of human development in the warming of the Earth's atmosphere.
B) A slight majority of climate scientists believe humans are a major cause behind climate-warming trends.
C) The clear majority of climate scientists believe global warming is accelerating but are unsure of the cause.
D) The clear majority of climate scientists believe humans are a major cause behind climate-warming trends.

Question 8

What general trend in human development is likely to increase the rate of global warming or the effects of global warming in the future?

A) the industrialization of undeveloped nations
B) the maturing of developed nations
C) the movement of peoples away from coastal areas
D) the leveling off of population growth

Question 9

What constitutes an Americum?

A) North and South America
B) any continental grouping of people living an American lifestyle
C) the sum total of the American people's greenhouse gas contribution in a year
D) any 350 million people living an American lifestyle

Question 10

When did the Industrial Revolution begin in the United States?

A) early 1700s
B) late 1700s
C) early 1800s
D) late 1800s

Question 11

When did the Paris Agreement go into effect?

A) 1990
B) 2000
C) 2016
D) 2006

Question 12

What goal did In the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) set in 2009 with respect to global warming?

A) cutting global CO₂ emissions in half by 2020
B) reducing human CO₂ emissions to preindustrial levels
C) returning global temperatures to preindustrial levels
D) keeping global temperatures at 2°C above preindustrial levels

Question 13

In which of the following ways could the world go from five Americums to six?

A) The United States decreases its average standard of living.
B) The overall population of South America doubles.
C) 350 million more people in China begin living an American lifestyle.
D) Australia brings its population to use more fossil fuels.

Question 14

What strategy did the Environmental Defense Fund and the Natural Resources Defense Council primarily use to combat environmental degradation?

A) lobbying
B) citizen mobilization
C) legal challenges
D) financing politicians

Question 15

How did the Paris Agreement differ from the Kyoto Protocol?

A) Its provisions were binding on signatories.
B) Fewer countries participated.
C) It did not make GHG emissions a priority.
D) It was less strict on developing countries like China.

Question 16

Which of the following contributes the most to global contribution to greenhouse gases from human beings?

A) oil
B) natural gas
C) coal
D) nuclear energy

Question 17

Which of the following statements about early environmental damage and responses is accurate?

A) The Industrial Revolution began to cause noticeable environmental damage by the mid-1800s.
B) The earliest opposition to human-caused environmental damage came from citizens.
C) Early environmental protection usually began with top-level government directives.
D) Environmentalism was relatively late in coming to the United States.

Question 18

Why would the Kyoto Protocol have affected the U.S. in a different way than it would have affected India?

A) The U.S. population is growing more rapidly than the Indian population.
B) India would have had to reduce emissions less because it is not pursuing an industrialized path.
C) India would have received economic assistance to help with industrialization.
D) India would have been exempt from reducing emissions, unlike the U.S.

Question 19

What contribution did the Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro make to efforts involving human-caused climate change?

A) a nonspecific accord of good faith
B) plans to record a benchmark of global GHG emissions at the 1990 level
C) plans to reduce global GHG emissions by 5 percent overall
D) plans to freeze global GHG emissions at 1990 levels

Question 20

Which of the following is a projection of the bipartisan report Risky Business: The Economic Risks of Climate Change in the United States?

A) Roughly 20 percent of the American landmass will be under water by 2050.
B) Many Americans will see an increase in number of days over 95°F each year by 2050.
C) Hurricane losses will increase by a factor of 10 by 2050.
D) Approximately 800,000 residents of New York City will be living in flood zones by 2050.

Question 21

What common characteristic exists between the EU and China about GHG emissions?

A) They have developed, or have pledged to develop, a cap-and-trade system.
B) They have roughly similar levels of CO₂ emissions.
C) They have both failed to live up to their Paris Agreement promises.
D) They both refused to sign the Kyoto Accord.

Question 22

When China enacts a low-carbon city, that city will ______.

A) have to develop and abide by CO₂ emissions targets
B) have to be run almost entirely with green energy
C) be capped at a certain level of economic output
D) not be allowed to have fossil-fuel using industries

Question 23

Which of the following best describes how the EPA seeks to promote compliance to environmental rules among companies?

A) reliance on self-reporting by companies
B) a mix of self-reporting and randomized on-site inspections
C) a mix of self-reporting and reliance on citizen watchdog groups
D) reliance on targeted site inspections

Question 24

If Miriam implements a sustainability program and its associated changes on her company, what can she likely expect?

A) higher savings but slower growth over the long term
B) initial savings that increase over time
C) a quick improvement in stock value
D) high up-front costs but long-term savings

Question 25

Which of the following could a company concerned about its environmental impact seek from the EPA?

A) free installation of carbon-scrubbing technology
B) immunity from inspections for a period of one year
C) tools for implementing an Environmental Management System
D) advance warning about what exactly an EPA audit will cover and when it will come

Question 26

Miriam wants to implement a sustainability program for her mid-sized paper goods production company, but she knows much of her upper management is skeptical about global warming and environmental issues. What case should she next make to convince them to adopt her plan?

A) Emphasize how sustainability improves business and shareholder approval.
B) Emphasize that the company can better avoid regulatory problems if they adopt the plan.
C) Offer personal financial incentives, particularly bonus packages, for those who come on board.
D) Don't waste time trying to convince management, but go to lower-level employees to make the case.

Question 27

In Wisconsin, which has the Green Tier program, a company chooses to voluntarily implement an EMS program. If verified, what can this company expect from doing so?

A) faster permit granting from the state
B) increased profits
C) exemption from state corporate taxes
D) an ability to trade or buy emissions credits from low-carbon companies

Question 28

Through what process does the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI) seek to reduce greenhouse emissions?

A) a cap-and-trade system
B) a requirement for regular introduction of energy-efficient machinery
C) governmental fines for use of fossil fuels
D) tax incentives for GHG reductions

Question 29

A company in a country with an emissions trading system (ETS) will hit its government-mandated emissions limit before the allotted year is finished. What ethical action is open to it?

A) Try to purchase extra emissions allotment from a low-carbon company.
B) Try to hide its extra emissions from investigators.
C) Shut down to avoid paying the government fines.
D) Lobby the government to change its cap-and-trade system.

Question 30

How does the U.S. differ from the European Union in terms of efforts to reduce GHG emissions?

A) The U.S. has made a bigger reduction in its GHG emissions.
B) Internal politics has had a bigger effect on consistency of U.S. efforts to reduce GHG.
C) The U.S. has chosen to place a carbon tax on companies, while the EU has not.
D) The U.S. has managed to stay consistent with its 1990 GHG levels.

Question 31

Which of the following policies were sought by President Obama during his presidency?

A) forcing a strict emissions trading system on all U.S. companies
B) establishing higher efficiency standards for vehicles
C) relaxing the Stream Protection Rule
D) seeking more cooperative regulation

Question 32

Which of the following is TRUE of President Trump's position or actions toward climate change issues?

A) He has put his support behind a carbon tax.
B) He has sought to strengthen Obama's regulatory measures.
C) He publicly doubts the science behind climate change claims.
D) He seems unconcerned with the effect of regulation on job creation.

Question 33

What is used to assess companies involved in the SRI market?

A) Theory X
B) balanced scorecard
C) SMART goals
D) triple bottom line

Question 34

How has European Union GHG emissions reduction differed from Chinese emissions reduction?

A) It pledged a steeper rate of reduction of GHG emissions in Paris.
B) It began reducing GHG emissions long before China.
C) It has pledged to enact higher energy efficiency standards.
D) It is seeking to create low-carbon cities.

Question 35

According to Neilsen, which of the following is TRUE of companies that make sustainability a priority?

A) The number of sustainable products is shrinking, but the market share of those products is growing.
B) They show the same annual economic growth as companies that do not care about sustainability.
C) Most consumers are willing to pay more for their products because they are sustainable.
D) Baby boomers are more willing to support sustainable companies than are younger generations.

Question 36

Which of the following statements about sustainability initiatives in the U.S. is true?

A) The Rockefeller Brothers Fund, which was created with oil money, now encourages divesting of oil company assets.
B) Major brokerage houses consider social performance but not environmental performance specifically.
C) Wall Street brokerages are rated by 350.org on the sustainability of their portfolios.
D) Barron's rating of top sustainable mutual funds shows low return on investment.

Question 37

Which of the following statements about China's development is accurate?

A) China will soon be the largest CO₂ emitter.
B) Between 1990 and 2013, the Chinese poverty rate declined by almost 25 percent.
C) If China implements free market reforms, its economy will grow at an even more rapid rate.
D) China's economy has been growing at about a 10 percent annual rate since the 1970s.

Question 38

Which of the following strategies for reducing GHG in the United States is most favored by Republican presidents?

A) subsidies for reduction behaviors
B) cooperative regulation
C) adversarial regulation
D) governmental regulation

Question 39

Which of the following would be least important in assessing a company's adherence to the socially responsible investing (SRI) approach?

A) profitability
B) environmental impact
C) social performance
D) management pay scale

Question 40

With respect to regulatory measures for GHG emissions, Republican leaders have most worried that they ______.

A) won't have any impact on global warming
B) won't go far enough
C) will have a negative impact on business
D) will undermine a cap-and-trade system

Question 41

At Edgewood College, what was the difference between the efforts of the Green Campus Task Force and the green team it later transformed into?

A) The task force was more focused on changing culture than on specific programs or goals.
B) The task force was more focused on how past efforts could inform new ones.
C) The task force was more interested in developing best practices than in reaching out to staff.
D) The task force was more internally-focused, while the green team was more externally-focused.

Question 42

An environmental mission statement should express the need to make environmental concern in ______.

A) those aspects of the organization subject to government regulation
B) those aspects of the organization that produce measurable waste or emissions
C) all consumer-affecting processes
D) all operational processes

Question 43

Which of the following should be a core functionality of employee green committees or green teams?

A) designing the company's green goals and changes to production processes
B) reaching out to government regulators about company goals
C) helping solve interdepartmental issues related to environmental programs
D) coordinating with international bodies like the Paris Accord implementation leadership

Question 44

Which of the following was accomplished by Edgewood College's new environmental focus and green team?

A) adherence to the Paris Climate agreement for small organizations
B) new emphasis and focus on sustaining a wetland
C) conversion of the campus to 100 percent renewable energy
D) a requirement that all students contribute time to environmental cleanup efforts

Question 45

Which of the following is a by-product of Walmart's implementation of environmental goals?

A) an increase in shipping costs
B) the end of landfill use for any of its products or packaging
C) a net reduction of GHG in the atmosphere
D) greater affordability of organic products for low-income consumers

Question 46

Edgewood College has an evolving loan fund to finance up-front costs for energy efficient improvements. Where does the money to replenish that loan come from in year ten of the loan?

A) the school's endowment
B) governmental tax incentives
C) student and donor contributions
D) savings from reduced energy consumption

Question 47

How have Walmart's long-term goals differed from its short-term goals?

A) They are much more ambitious and aspirational.
B) They are much more profit-centered.
C) They are relatively easier to achieve.
D) They are more related to emissions than waste.

Question 48

Which of the following is a likely outcome of presenting a new environmental plan to all employees?

A) general opposition from most employees, who will not want additional work
B) approval from those scoring high in organizational citizenship but disinterest from others
C) approval and support from most employees
D) general disinterest from most employees

Question 49

Kiara is in charge of the team that is designing an environmental concern and sustainability plan for her company. Which of the following actions that they have proposed would have the biggest environmental protection impact?

A) shifting from gas use to solar and wind for their factories
B) reducing the amount of packaging material employed for their products
C) shifting to recyclable materials for their product packaging
D) promoting their new environmental stands to both direct customers and the public at large

Question 50

Which of the following is TRUE of Walmart?

A) It is the largest private user of electricity.
B) It is the largest private polluter in the world.
C) Its continued disinterest in sustainability has damaged consumer relations.
D) It has focused on short-term sustainability goals, not long-term goals.

Question 51

How does the text define "renewable energy sources"?

A) natural processes continuously replenished by nature at a higher rate than they are consumed
B) energy sources repeatedly producible by humans at no net cost to the environment
C) natural processes including wind, solar, and hydroelectric that can be used as energy sources
D) energy sources excluding fossil fuels and fuels that generate net waste

Question 52

The CEO of a company has decided to make that company an eco-friendly organization. What should be the CEO's first step in starting this process?

A) Involve all employees by taking a survey about initiatives that would be most popular.
B) Assign one specific manager responsibility for implementing an environmental program.
C) Create a council among executive leadership with responsibility for implementing sustainability.
D) Copy the sustainability program of an environmental leader like Walmart or Coca-Cola.

Question 53

Who is the primary target of publications like National Green Pages and the National Geographic Green Living website?

A) consumers
B) environmental advocates
C) company management/leadership
D) governmental regulators

Question 54

What do an environmental mission statement and a code of ethics have in common?

A) They list specific actions taken to improve an ethical profile.
B) They are foundational statements used to determine specific action.
C) They have more to do with the average employee than with management.
D) They require the use of a lawyer to design.

Question 55

What lesson is the text trying to impart when relating the 2015 experience of the company British Petroleum?

A) The up-front investments in sustainability can be costly.
B) Long-term investment in sustainability brings higher profits.
C) Shareholders tend to abandon companies that aren't sustainable.
D) Failure to invest in environmental responsibility can be very damaging to a company.

Question 56

Which of the following convinced Coca-Cola to become a sustainability leader?

A) a desire to be more attractive to shareholders
B) an environmental and economic threat
C) the increasing burden of governmental regulation
D) an internal company democratic process

Question 57

Howard is the dean of a small liberal arts college in Pennsylvania. The college has just joined the Billion Dollar Green Challenge. What will he have to do (in coordination with other leadership) to implement this program?

A) Reduce the school's energy by 1% each year they participate in the challenge.
B) Have students make a pledge that they will make contributions to environmental causes in their future careers.
C) Contribute school profits to a national fund seeking to raise a billion dollars for climate change.
D) Give part of the school's endowment to a fund for environmental improvements.

Question 58

Who should be appointed to employee green teams?

A) high-functioning employees from the human resources department
B) a random cross-section that includes employees from every department
C) vested executive leadership
D) some of the company's go-getter employees

Question 59

What is perhaps the easiest and lowest-cost way for companies to promote their environmental programs to the public?

A) printing messages to go along with products sold
B) reporting through their own websites
C) making their products 100 percent recyclable
D) seeking to coordinate with advocacy groups

Question 60

Which of the following best represents the relationship between the media and sustainable companies?

A) Magazines often report on environmental programs, but television and radio typically ignore them.
B) Media typically reports only on profitability and novelty of product.
C) Companies can get a lot of free advertising from media if committed to sustainability.
D) The media will typically not punish unsustainable companies if they are very profitable.

Question 61

An environmental financial statement allows a company to ______.

A) understand the governmental fines it accrues through poor environmental management programs
B) measure the amount of money it has available to contribute to environmental programs
C) measure the financial impact of its environmental programs
D) adequately compensate other companies and governments for the environmental problems it causes

Question 62

How does Energy Star certification differ from LEED certification?

A) It is administered by the government.
B) It is more difficult to attain.
C) It makes no promises to be environmentally friendly.
D) It is not available to private commerce.

Question 63

How much of U.S. consumed energy came from renewable sources in 2016?

A) 5 percent
B) 10 percent
C) 25 percent
D) 40 percent

Question 64

What form of climate change mitigation is illustrated in the text's description of action by Michael Bloomberg?

A) direct philanthropic donation
B) purchasing carbon offsets
C) reducing carbon footprint
D) executive-level government regulation

Question 65

Which of the following statements about renewable and clean energy in the United States is accurate?

A) Solar accounts for the most-consumed renewable energy source.
B) Fortune 500 companies have made minimal savings using renewable energy but have seen stock prices soar as a result.
C) Biomass is highly used but also the least environmentally friendly renewable energy source.
D) Only a handful of private companies have yet adopted the Paris Agreement's science-based targets.

Question 66

What entity originated the Environmental Management System (EMS)?

A) the United Nations
B) the Obama presidential administration
C) the International Organization for Standardization
D) a consortium of nonprofit environmental groups

Question 67

Why is it necessary to link analysis of environmental performance to organizational strategy?

A) Based on strategy, it may be acceptable to avoid or work against some federal environmental guidelines.
B) Managers will not know what eco-friendly behavior is without a strategy guide.
C) It is impossible to measure current environmental input or output divorced from strategy.
D) Based on strategy, some increase in energy use or waste may be acceptable.

Question 68

How does Walmart help ensure that its entire supply chain is more eco-friendly?

A) It gives its suppliers credits for applying standards similar to its own.
B) It manufactures everything in-house so that it can apply strict standards.
C) It contracts with suppliers only from developed countries.
D) It works only with suppliers that have signed the Paris Accord's science-based standards.

Question 69

Which of the following has been a traditional complaint about the LEED system, which the United States Green Building Council has sought to rectify?

A) the lack of tax credits available for LEED building owners or builders
B) the unrealistic requirements to get LEED certification
C) the lack of energy savings from an LEED building
D) manipulation of the point system to get certification

Question 70

Which of the following must happen in adoption of an Environmental Management System?

A) execution of an extensive employee training program in the needs of an eco-friendly footprint in the marketplace
B) installation of clean energy equipment and acceptance of waste targets detailed in the global EMS standards
C) implementation of ISO's standardized planning system for corporations in creation of environmental policy and procedures
D) creation of a written document detailing all the organization's environmental policy, planning, implementation, and review processes

Question 71

If a manufactured paper good is a cradle-to-cradle product, what happens to it after it has been completely used by the initial customer?

A) It is biodegradable, breaking down entirely into organic matter.
B) It is converted to energy by a utility or other manufacturing company.
C) It is disposed of in a green landfill.
D) One hundred percent of the waste product becomes recycled or used by another organization.

Question 72

What business sector accounts for the majority of CO₂ emissions in the U.S.?

A) industrial sector
B) building sector
C) transportation sector
D) energy sector

Question 73

What is a major benefit for a company of building a green building?

A) It makes the company much more profitable.
B) It ensures positive media exposure.
C) It has low up-front costs but high energy-savings.
D) It does a lot to advertise company values to the public.

Question 74

How does a company acquire certification that it has produced a cradle-to-cradle product?

A) It receives certification from a qualified third party.
B) It employs a self-certification process.
C) The federal government certifies the product.
D) The appropriate state governmental authority certifies it.

Question 75

How does an LEED-certified building differ from the average traditional building?

A) It is made without asbestos.
B) It is made of recycled materials.
C) It consumes slightly less water.
D) It produces less than half the amount of CO₂ emissions.

Question 76

In addition to developing goals and targets, which of the following components is necessary for continuous environmental improvement by an organization?

A) establishment of historical benchmark measurements
B) investment in green/LEED building construction
C) annual reduction in CO₂ emissions
D) a cultural revolution within the organization

Question 77

Which of the following can an organization reasonably expect to happen if it implements an EMS plan?

A) better competitive performance in the marketplace
B) elimination of environmental risk
C) a supplier chain that adheres to strict environmental standards
D) a negative carbon footprint

Question 78

Which of the following best describes an ideal eco-friendly manager?

A) a manager who promotes eco-friendly behaviors within the company
B) a manager who promotes eco-friendly culture at work but allows employees to make their own decisions
C) a manager who promotes eco-friendly behaviors at work and in his private life
D) an ethical manager who also demonstrates eco-friendly behaviors at work

Question 79

Why would a company purchase carbon offsets?

A) It is unable to reduce its carbon footprint as much as it would like.
B) It wants to acquire another company's governmental carbon allowances.
C) It is unable to develop an environmental management system.
D) It is uninterested in trying to protect the environment.

Question 80

Mikala wants to transition her company from natural gas to wind power energy use. What are her options for acquiring solar energy?

A) In most parts of the country, it can only be acquired through a third-party nonprofit.
B) It must be transmitted by the government for a government-determined fee.
C) The company can purchase it directly from its utility provider or possibly other third parties.
D) She must have her company install wind power turbines on properties owned or leased.