Deck 23: Environmental Devastation

Question 1

Whats defention of terms:
-cap-and-trade or emissions trading system

Answer 1

an administrative process by which emissions are limited, but polluters are required to buy and sell pollution permits

Question 2

Whats defention of terms:
-carbon tax

Answer 2

a type of pollution tax on energy sources, such as coal or gasoline, that varies in proportion to the amount of carbon dioxide their use emits into the atmosphere

Question 3

Whats defention of terms:
-climate change

Answer 3

refers to variations in the earth's prevailing weather conditions over time

Question 4

Whats defention of terms:
-greenhouse effect

Question 5

Whats defention of terms:
-Malthusian argument

Question 6

Describe types of pollution resulting from production and consumption.
-List different types of pollution and their impact on the environment.

Question 7

Describe types of pollution resulting from production and consumption.
-Do the different types of pollution affect only the area immediately surrounding the source of the pollution? Explain using examples.

Question 8

Describe types of pollution resulting from production and consumption.
-Are the effects of some types of pollution always immediately apparent? Why or why not? Give an example.

Question 9

Explain the overarching reason that firms in capitalist market economies may not actively seek to reduce the pollution from production.
-Explain how firms can pass on the costs of pollution to the public.

Question 10

Explain the overarching reason that firms in capitalist market economies may not actively seek to reduce the pollution from production.
-What are some ways the public "pays" for the costs associated with pollution from nearby plants or factories?

Question 11

Explain the overarching reason that firms in capitalist market economies may not actively seek to reduce the pollution from production.
-If firms are not paying all costs associated with the production of a product, how do you think that will affect the price of that product in the market and the consumption of that product?

Question 12

Compare and contrast the policy recommendations of conservatives, liberals, and progressives.
-What is the implied assumption about how people behave in the "tragedy of the commons"? Do you think this is always the way people behave? How might different institutions and incentives work into your answer?

Question 13

Compare and contrast the policy recommendations of conservatives, liberals, and progressives.
-Describe the market solutions to pollution. What are some possible problems with the solutions?

Question 14

Compare and contrast the policy recommendations of conservatives, liberals, and progressives.
-According to liberals, why does the Environmental Protection Agency exist? How does it fit into their policy suggestions about pollution?

Question 15

Compare and contrast the policy recommendations of conservatives, liberals, and progressives.
-What are problems that might be associated with regulation of polluting firms?

Question 16

Compare and contrast the policy recommendations of conservatives, liberals, and progressives.
-How do conflicts of interest of profit-maximizing business and governmental regulators affect pollution laws and their enforcement? Give an example.

Question 17

Compare and contrast the policy recommendations of conservatives, liberals, and progressives.
-Why is a no-growth policy to pollution not feasible? Give some specific examples to support your argument.

Question 18

Compare and contrast the policy recommendations of conservatives, liberals, and progressives.
-What do progressives suggest is the solution to pollution?

Question 19

Compare and contrast the policy recommendations of conservatives, liberals, and progressives.
-What do you think would be an effective policy to control pollution? How would you support your argument?

Question 20

Compare and contrast the policy recommendations of conservatives, liberals, and progressives.
-Climate change provides an engaging example of an issue where neoclassical conservatives, neoclassical liberals, and progressives have far different perceptions of the problem and proposed solutions. Briefly describe these three different perspectives.

Question 21

Compare and contrast the policy recommendations of conservatives, liberals, and progressives.
-Explain the advantages and disadvantages of a carbon tax and an emissions cap-and-trading system. Which do you think is better? Why

Question 22

What does the phrase, "tragedy of the commons" refer to?

A) refers to the tragic pollution of an area called, the commons, in England in the 1800s.
B) refers to the idea that all land in the U.S. is now privately owned.
C) refers to the idea that unrestricted access to public land will lead to resource depletion.
D) refers to the idea that people will prefer to use privately owned land rather than public land.

Question 23

According to conservatives the problem of pollution arises because

A) government fails to pass effective laws controlling pollution
B) pollution does not affect business firms.
C) the market price of pollution is too high.
D) the costs of pollution do not affect business profits.

Question 24

According to critics of the Liberal view, laws to control pollution are

A) generally very effective.
B) very costly to both business and consumers.
C) often ineffective due to the opposition of powerful business lobbies.
D) less effective than relying on the invisible hand of the market.

Question 25

Who was Robert Malthus?

A) a famous environmentalist of the 1920s.
B) the creator of the Clean Air Act.
C) an economist who believed population growth would eventually lead to resource depletion.
D) an economist who believed that technological change will eventually correct most ecological imbalances.

Question 26

The environmental problem currently receiving the most media attention is climate change. What is the issue of climate change about?

A) the issue is the inability of some populations to adapt to seasonal climate changes.
B) climate change deals with technological breakthroughs in the ability to predict tornados, hurricanes and other natural disasters.
C) climate change deals with efforts on the part of scientists to control the climate in the northern hemisphere.
D) deals with variations in the Earth's prevailing weather conditions over time.

Question 27

What is the greenhouse effect?

A) The effect that building a lot of greenhouses has on the economy.
B) The effect that building massive greenhouses in desert areas has on annual rainfall.
C) The effect of accumulations of hydrogen dioxide in oceans.
D) The effect of accumulations of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere.

Question 28

Why are neoclassical conservative economists optimistic about climate change?

A) They have faith in the ability of government to handle emergencies.
B) They believe a robust global economy will lead to technological advances that will eventually lead to a cleaner environment.
C) They look forward to climate change as a welcome stimulus to the economy.
D) Neoclassical conservative economists are just generally optimistic people.

Question 29

A much discussed approach to greenhouse emissions is the cap-and-trade system. How does this work?

A) Businesses would trap greenhouse gases in gas canisters and trade them on the open market.
B) Businesses would be given subsidies to encourage them to pollute less.
C) Businesses would buy a permit to allow them to pollute above a certain legal limits.
D) Businesses would have pay a tax based on the amount of pollution that emit.

Question 30

Examples of "visible pollutants" include

A) cans, wastepaper and smoke.
B) cans, carbon dioxide and smoke.
C) wastepaper, carbon monoxide and smoke.
D) cans, wastepaper and sulphur.

Question 31

The most important source of smog in most cities is

A) automobiles.
B) wood burning.
C) hydroelectric dams.
D) nuclear power plants.