Question 1

"Pollution permits" are an example of which of the following methods of achieving our environmental goals?

Accepted Answer

A)  pricing mechanisms
B)  government subsidies
C)  a laissez-faire approach
D)  regulations A

Question 2

The disparity between private industrial costs and public social costs is what economists call an "internality."

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False  False

Question 3

Is it a moral right or privilege for human beings to live in a clean environment?  Defend your answer.

Accepted Answer

It is both a moral right and a privilege for human beings to live in a clean environment.

From a moral perspective, every individual has the right to live in a healthy and safe environment. This includes access to clean air, water, and land. It is a fundamental human right to be able to live in a place that does not pose a threat to one's health and well-being. Additionally, a clean environment is essential for the preservation of biodiversity and the overall health of the planet, which in turn affects the quality of life for all living beings.

On the other hand, living in a clean environment can also be seen as a privilege. Not everyone has the opportunity to live in a clean and healthy environment, and those who do should recognize and appreciate this privilege. It is a responsibility for those who have the means and resources to maintain and protect the cleanliness of their surroundings, not only for their own benefit but for the benefit of future generations.

In conclusion, it is both a moral right and a privilege for human beings to live in a clean environment. It is a fundamental human right to have access to a healthy and safe environment, and it is a privilege to be able to contribute to the preservation and maintenance of that environment.

Question 4

Would you propose an incentive based program to challenge companies to reduce their environmental liability?  Explain in your own words an example of how this can be done.

Accepted Answer

The answer of Would you propose an incentive based program...

Question 5

Cost-benefit analysis

Accepted Answer

A)  involves value judgments and factual uncertainties.
B)  considers only short-term effects.
C)  values costs over benefits focusing on internalities.
D)  is a value-free social-scientific approach.

Question 6

According to William F. Baxter, we ought to respect the "balance of nature" and "preserve the environment" even if doing so brings no benefit to human beings.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 7

An assessment of costs and benefits inevitably involves

Accepted Answer

A)  facts.
B)  monetary costs only.
C)  false opinions.
D)  value judgements and factual uncertainties

Question 8

Environmental protection is always a static trade-off, with a fixed economic price to be paid for the gains we want.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 9

What's a "free rider"?

Accepted Answer

The answer of What's a "free rider"?...

Question 10

Advocates of a "naturalistic ethic" believe that penguins are important only because people like them.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 11

According to the anthropocentric (or human-oriented)ethic of Baxter and others,

Accepted Answer

A)  environmental preservation is inherently valuable.
B)  the Grand Canyon is valuable only because people care about it.
C)  we have a strong, almost absolute obligation to preserve species from extinction.
D)  future people have no interests that we need to respect now.
E)  nature has value in and of itself, apart from human beings.

Question 12

Tampering with the ecosystem always has injurious effects.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 13

Some environmental regulations (like forbidding the burning of coal in cities)benefit each and every one of us because the air we all breathe is cleaner. If a company ignores the regulation and burns coal, while others obey the regulation, then the company

Accepted Answer

A)  violates our right to a livable environment.
B)  is being a free-rider.
C)  benefits from externalities.
D)  creates an internality.

Question 14

Which of the following is a drawback to the regulatory approach?

Accepted Answer

A)  regulation can take away an industry's incentive to do more than the minimum
B)  regulation is an incentive to an industry to do more than the minimum
C)  regulation does not apply to all equally
D)  does not require polluters to use the strongest most feasible means of pollution control.

Question 15

Explain a cost-benefit analysis, and how is it relevant to environmental issues?

Accepted Answer

The answer of Explain a cost-benefit analysis, and how is...

Question 16

Which of the following is true of factory farms?

Accepted Answer

A)  They are farms that produce large amounts of fruits and vegetables at low prices.
B)  Small production of meat where ecological concerns are paramount.
C)  Contrary to the critics, the animals in them rarely suffer.
D)  Have the largest and most devastating impact on animals.

Question 17

Which environmental statement is true?

Accepted Answer

A)  An American consumer can cause more tropical rain forest destruction than a poor person living within the forest itself.
B)  Because of technological breakthroughs, people living in developed countries put less strain on the environment than do people in poorer countries.
C)  There are only about 1000 species of animals left in the world.
D)  The United States consumes only its proportional share of the world's irreplaceable natural resources.

Question 18

Advocates of a naturalistic ethic contend that some natural objects are morally considerable in their own right, apart from human interests.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 19

Business has considered the environment to be

Accepted Answer

A)  a scarce commodity.
B)  free and nearly limitless.
C)  a limited supply.
D)  costly.

Question 20

In consideration for the obligation to others

Accepted Answer

A)  we have no genuine moral obligations to future generations.
B)  future people have a right to be born.
C)  the U.S. uses more than its proportional share of the world's resources.
D)  environmental protection is always a static trade-off, with a fixed economic price to be paid for the gains we want.

Exam 7: The Environment

"Pollution permits" are an example of which of the following methods of achieving our environmental goals?

The disparity between private industrial costs and public social costs is what economists call an "internality."

Is it a moral right or privilege for human beings to live in a clean environment? Defend your answer.

Would you propose an incentive based program to challenge companies to reduce their environmental liability? Explain in your own words an example of how this can be done.

Cost-benefit analysis

According to William F. Baxter, we ought to respect the "balance of nature" and "preserve the environment" even if doing so brings no benefit to human beings.

An assessment of costs and benefits inevitably involves

Environmental protection is always a static trade-off, with a fixed economic price to be paid for the gains we want.

What's a "free rider"?

Advocates of a "naturalistic ethic" believe that penguins are important only because people like them.

According to the anthropocentric (or human-oriented) ethic of Baxter and others,

Tampering with the ecosystem always has injurious effects.

Some environmental regulations (like forbidding the burning of coal in cities) benefit each and every one of us because the air we all breathe is cleaner. If a company ignores the regulation and burns coal, while others obey the regulation, then the company

Which of the following is a drawback to the regulatory approach?

Explain a cost-benefit analysis, and how is it relevant to environmental issues?

Which of the following is true of factory farms?

Which environmental statement is true?

Advocates of a naturalistic ethic contend that some natural objects are morally considerable in their own right, apart from human interests.

Business has considered the environment to be

In consideration for the obligation to others