Deck 2: Sustainability and Human Values

Question 1

The use of goods and services that satisfy basic human needs,improve the quality of life but minimize resource use is referred to as:

A)sustainable consumption
B)organic agriculture
C)master planned communities
D)environmental justice

Answer 1

sustainable consumption

Question 2

Which of the following is the MOST sustainable product?

A)An organic pear from China.
B)Wild blueberries collected from a national forest.
C)Corn grown in an industrialized farm as cattle feed.
D)A locally produced orange grown using limited amounts of pesticides.

Answer 2

A locally produced orange grown using limited amounts of pesticides.

Question 3

For a population to live within the limits of its environment which of the following must occur?
1 Population growth must be held to a level that is sustainable
2 Resource consumption must be decreased
3 Quality of life must be lowered
4 Degree of affluence must be maintained
5 Environmental degradation must be reduced

A)1,2,and 4
B)2,3 and 5
C)1,2,and 5
D)3,4,and 5
E)1 and 2

Answer 3

1,2,and 5

Question 4

Environmental sustainability implies:

A)the actions of humans directly impact the wellbeing of the natural environment
B)future generations will have the resources necessary for quality of life
C)the environment can function indefinitely without going into a decline from the stresses imposed by human society on natural systems
D)all of these choices

Question 5

If economic decisions are to be sustainable they will have to consider which of the following?

A)environmental costs
B)societal costs
C)political costs
D)environmental and societal costs both must be considered

Question 6

Sustainable human activities or behaviors include all of the following EXCEPT:

A)identifying strategies for recycling natural resources.
B)working to limit human population growth.
C)developing technologies to improve car mileage.
D)promoting consumption to improve quality of life.

Question 7

The ability to meet humanity's current needs without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their needs is termed:

A)ecology
B)environmental sustainability
C)environmental ethics
D)environmental law

Question 8

Which of the following interact to promote sustainable development?
1 Economically viable decisions
2 Socially equitable decisions
3 Environmentally sound decisions
4 High rate of resources use
5 Rapid population growth

A)1 and 3
B)2 and 4
C)1,2,and 3
D)3,4,and 5
E)1,4,and 5

Question 9

A type of sustainable consumption which recognizes that individual happiness and quality of life are not necessarily linked to the accumulation of material goods but rather that a person's values and character define that individual more than how many things he or she own is know as:

A)environmental ethics
B)voluntary simplicity
C)sustainable development
D)environmental justice

Question 10

Which field of study considers the moral basis of environmental responsibility?

A)Deep ecology
B)Environmental science
C)Environmental ethics
D)Voluntary simplicity

Question 11

It has been argued that the United States has a serious consumption overpopulation problem.Why is this possibly true?

A)Birth rates are very high in the United States and this consumes a lot of hospital resources.
B)The United States is highly urbanized and this requires a massive transit system.
C)The United States climate is cold and this requires a huge use of fossil fuels to stay warm.
D)The United States population consumes too large a portion of the world's resources due to relatively affluent lifestyles.

Question 12

Why are both science and ethics necessary to solve environmental problems?

A)Science helps us understand the outcomes of particular actions and ethics are necessary to help us decide what we ought to do among a range of choices.
B)Ethics are necessary to keep environmental scientists from exaggerating scientific truths.
C)Ethics are necessary to provide economic solutions to problems identified by scientists.
D)Because of societal pressures humans cannot generally be trusted to do what is right.

Question 13

Which of the following issues might an environmental ethicist study?

A)The moral consequences of the use of human stem cells to control disease.
B)Whether NIMBY behavior is morally acceptable.
C)The endangered species act's economic impact on developers.
D)The impacts of biodiversity loss on local ecosystem.

Question 14

Which of the following is the BEST example of sustainable consumption?

A)Constructing a small house on farmland on the edge of town and carpooling to work.
B)Flying to the Bahamas for a weekend getaway.
C)Preparing a meal at home with food bought at the local farmers market.
D)Purchasing five pairs of shoes at a local minority owned business.

Question 15

Which of the following is the BEST example of voluntary simplicity?

A)owning a car and occasionally carpooling
B)owning a car and motorscooter
C)owning one traditional car,and one hybrid car
D)sharing ownership of a hybrid car with someone else

Question 16

Widespread adoption of sustainable consumption at the global level will not be easy because:

A)sustainable consumption requires the eradication of poverty which requires that poor people increase their consumption of certain essential resources to improve the quality of their lives and these resources are no longer available.
B)sustainable consumption requires that the consumption patterns of people in highly developed countries must change to allow for the eradication of poverty and such changes in the lifestyles of people in highly developed countries is a challenge.
C)sustainable consumption requires that everyone embrace voluntary simplicity on a compulsory basis and while this is supported by politicians,economists are not in support.
D)sustainable consumption requires the excessive reliance on global resources that will result in a tragedy of the commons

Question 17

An environmental ethicist would be concerned with:

A)what role humans play in determining the fate of Earth's resources
B)how humans should relate to the natural environment
C)the moral basis of environmental responsibility
D)all of these choices

Question 18

In 1987 the U.N World Commission on Environment and Development presented a report on sustainable development called?

A)Tragedy of the Commons
B)Lifeboat Principle
C)Our Common Future
D)Silent Springs

Question 19

Global sustainable development depends on eradication of poverty in the developing world.What is the consequence of this?

A)Developing countries will consume at the same levels as developed countries today.
B)Poor people will need to move to cities increasing urban air pollution.
C)Developing countries will be forced into deforestation in order to meet their economic needs.
D)Poor people in developing countries need to increase their consumption of certain essential resources.

Question 20

Which of the following statements about sustainable development is TRUE?

A)Sustainable development can support a high quality of life with continued population growth.
B)Sustainable development is only possible for people living in wealthy countries.
C)Sustainable development can only support levels of consumption within the limits of the environment.
D)Sustainable development will be able to support everyone in the world at the United States level of consumption.

Question 21

Which of the following is an example of an ecosystem service?

A)Car sharing programs.
B)Protection of watersheds and flood control.
C)Multi-cropping practices in agriculture.
D)Stabilizing human population growth.

Question 22

Which of the following is key to the elimination of world poverty and stabilizing global population?

A)Globalization
B)Work programs for men
C)Increased consumption
D)Educating women and children

Question 23

What is a serious shortcoming of the Western worldview to attaining environmental sustainability?

A)It promotes an unlimited consumption of goods and services.
B)A belief in the rights of individuals
C)The use of natural resources
D)A disregard of humans

Question 24

Why is the deep ecology worldview impractical?

A)It is immoral to ask people to lower their standards of living.
B)Everyone would need to become a vegetarian.
C)It is clearly not sustainable since it gives rights to animals.
D)Human population size would have to decline drastically for it to work.

Question 25

What is carrying capacity?

A)The maximum population in sustained development projects.
B)The maximum population that can be sustained by a given environment.
C)The average number of organisms living in a given environment.
D)The minimum population surviving in the world as a whole.

Question 26

All of the following statements regarding the need for environmental justice and the challenges in accomplishing its goals are true EXCEPT:

A)Many studies indicate that hazardous waste facilities,sanitary landfills,and incinerators are more likely to be located in low-income and minority communities.
B)Currently,we have little scientific evidence showing to what extent a polluted environment is responsible for the disproportionate health problems of poor and minority communities.
C)Research evidence suggests that minority communities tend to get more cooperation from government agencies that can help them.
D)Residents of low-income and minority communities have less involvement in the political process and may not even be aware of their exposure to increased levels of pollutants.

Question 27

Which of the following actions DOES NOT reflect environmental justice?

A)Promoting special efforts to clean up hazardous sites on Native American reservations.
B)Funding studies to study how environmental pollutants might interact with socioeconomic factors to cause health problems.
C)Helping less-developed countries cope with climate change.
D)All these actions reflect environmental justice.

Question 28

Environmental justice is BEST reflected in:

A)the concern that the largest number of landfills,incinerators,and sewage treatment plants are found in low-income communities.
B)the recognition that a person's values and character define that individual more than how many things he or she owns.
C)joining a car-sharing program rather than choosing individual car-ownership.
D)the idea that humans have no right to reduce the richness and diversity of life except to satisfy vital needs.

Question 29

Recommendations for achieving sustainable living include:

A)Eliminate poverty.
B)Design sustainable cities.
C)Provide adequate food for all people.
D)All these are recommendations for sustainable living.

Question 30

What rights does environmental justice seek to provide?

A)Adequate protection from environmental hazards.
B)Adequate wealth to live in clean neighborhoods.
C)The right to follow western worldview ideas.
D)Ability to live the deep ecology lifestyle.

Question 31

A deep ecology worldview would support all of the following EXCEPT:

A)Nonhuman life forms have value that is independent of the usefulness they may have for narrow human purposes.
B)The richness and diversity of life contribute to the flourishing of life on Earth and humans have no right to reduce this richness and diversity except to satisfy vital needs.
C)The inherent responsibility of individuals to implement changes in society so that humans can flourish.
D)A spiritual respect for life reflected in appreciating quality of life rather than adhering to a high standard of living.

Question 32

What is a potential shortcoming in achieving environmental justice?

A)It is more expensive to clean-up hazardous waste in low-income communities because of the lack of technical skill in these communities.
B)Residents of low-income and minority communities have less involvement in the political process and may not even be aware of their exposure to increased levels of pollutants.
C)Minority communities tend to get more cooperation from government agencies that can help them.
D)Too many programs exist to serve the environmental justice needs of low-income and minority communities and these are often in competition with each other making it hard to accomplish the goals.

Question 33

An expansionist worldview would support all of the following EXCEPT:

A)An anthropocentric utilitarian view of resources.
B)A desire to conquer and exploit nature.
C)The inherent right of individuals to accumulate wealth and consume unlimited resources to provide material comfort.
D)No exceptions,all of the above would be supported by an expansionist worldview.

Question 34

According to the Western worldview humanity is ethically obligated to which of the following?

A)other organisms
B)humans
C)biodiversity
D)natural resources

Question 35

What is deep ecology worldview?

A)A radical anthropocentric worldview.
B)A worldview based on the idea that all species have equal worth.
C)An idea that resource consumption is unethical.
D)An expansionist worldview.

Question 36

The issue that racial and ethnic minorities face unusually high exposure to environmental hazards is a central argument to:

A)racial prejudice
B)environmental justice
C)voluntary simplicity
D)phytoremediation.

Question 37

Which of the following statements reflects the Western worldview?

A)All organisms are interdependent
B)Nature should be preserved,not used
C)Humans have the right to modify the environment to benefit their wellbeing and high standard of living
D)Humans and all other species have equal worth

Question 38

The idea that species have intrinsic value would be supported by:

A)People with a deep ecology worldview.
B)People with a frontier attitude.
C)People with an expansionist worldview.
D)People with a Western attitude.

Question 39

A personal perspective based on a collection of basic values and beliefs about how the environment works,that helps us make sense of our place and purpose in it,and determine right and wrong behaviors describes:

A)Voluntary simplicity
B)Deep ecology worldview
C)Western worldview
D)Environmental worldview

Question 40

The deep ecology world view most closely resembles the:

A)Western worldview
B)utilitarian conservationist attitude
C)frontier attitude
D)biocentric preservationist attitude

Question 41

What is meant by food insecurity?

A)The potential decline in agricultural productivity due to reduced soil fertility as a result of multi-cropping.
B)The condition in which people live with chronic hunger and malnutrition likely due to poverty.
C)The increased pressures on food production as a result of increases in global population.
D)The potential decline in agricultural productivity due to conservation tillage.

Question 42

What is environmental justice? What steps can be taken to promote environmental justice?Discuss two.

Question 43

Why is it difficult to accomplish the goals of environmental justice?Discuss three reasons.

Question 44

What is sustainable consumption and why is accomplishing this not going to be easy?
What is one way that people in the United States and other highly developed countries have embraced sustainable consumption?

Question 45

In the book Plan B 2.0: Rescuing a Planet Under Stress and a Civilization in Trouble,Lester Brown proposes five recommendations for living a sustainable lifestyle.Describe these and provide one example of how you might help to accomplish each in your own lifetime.

Question 46

Some environmentalists have suggested that the phrase sustainable development is an oxymoron.How would you argue that this is not true?

Question 47

Why does consumption overpopulation normally occur when common resources are shared?

Question 48

What is cultural diversity?

A)An integration program to reduce poverty and discrimination based on environmental justice.
B)The total variety of organisms living on planet Earth.
C)Earth's variety of human communities,including,language,community,and identity.
D)The variety of ethnic backgrounds in a given area.

Question 49

What is sustainable development?
Describe the three interacting factors that must be considered in order to promote sustainable development.

Question 50

Why is it important for communities to take responsibility for their own (local)environments if our goal is to improve the global environment?

Question 51

What is living sustainably and how does it relate to the analogy of "living off the principle instead of living off the interest"? What changes are needed to approach this ideal?