Deck 8: Energy and the Environment: The Limits of Us Leadership

Question 1

Which of the following is a "collective good"?

A) Clean air.
B) Foreign aid.
C) A bilateral alliance.
D) All of the above.

Answer 1

A

Question 2

Which of the following environmental agreements has the United States ratified?

A) The Kyoto Protocol to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change.
B) The Convention on Biological Diversity.
C) Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer.
D) The Basel Convention on Control of Transboundary Movements of Hazardous Wastes.

Answer 2

C

Question 3

Which U.S. president oversaw the establishment of the Environmental Protection Agency?

A) Jimmy Carter.
B) George W. Bush.
C) Richard M. Nixon.
D) Dwight

Answer 3

C

Question 4

Which U.S. president had close ties to the energy industry?

A) Jimmy Carter.
B) George W. Bush.
C) Richard M. Nixon.
D) Dwight

Question 5

Which U.S. president introduced foreign species into America that are now viewed as environmentally harmful?

A) James Madison.
B) John Adams.
C) Thomas Jefferson.
D) Theodore Roosevelt.

Question 6

Who was America's "Conservationist President"?

A) James Madison.
B) John Adams.
C) Thomas Jefferson.
D) Theodore Roosevelt.

Question 7

What did the Lacey Act seek to accomplish?

A) Establish America's first wilderness area.
B) Prevent the illegal transport of fish, wildlife, and plants.
C) Set limits on U.S. carbon emissions.
D) Establish limits on corporate waste in rivers.

Question 8

What U.S. president signed the National Environmental Policy Act, establishing a national policy to protect the environment?

A) Jimmy Carter.
B) George W. Bush.
C) Richard M. Nixon.
D) Barack Obama.

Question 9

What did America's "wise use" movement advocate?

A) Protecting private property rights and opening the country's natural resources to development.
B) Paying greater attention to clean water and air in the U.S.
C) Enlarging federal wilderness areas.
D) Fostering support for the Kyoto Protocol.

Question 10

Why might residents of West Virginia oppose limitations on carbon emissions?

A) West Virginians believe they have very clean air.
B) Many West Virginians fear that such limitations would reduce property values.
C) Many West Virginians fear such legislation would entail higher local taxes.
D) Many West Virginians are involved with coalmining.

Question 11

What type of multilateral treaty are U.S. officials most likely to oppose?

A) Those that deal with issues that the U.S. already regulates domestically.
B) Treaties that require new domestic legislation.
C) Treaties which are consistent with U.S. law.
D) Treaties that affect international trade.

Question 12

Which of the following are endangered by depletion of the ozone layer?

A) It causes water pollution.
B) It causes air pollution.
C) It is linked to cancer.
D) It reduces biodiversity.

Question 13

What other environmental issue is linked to depletion of the ozone layer?

A) Climate change.
B) Biodiversity.
C) Renewable energy.
D) Smog.

Question 14

What was the major objective of domestic U.S. air-quality legislation like the 1955 Air Pollution Control Act?

A) Pollution in U.S. cities.
B) Reducing greenhouse gases.
C) Closing the hole in the ozone layer.
D) Regulating the emission of methane.

Question 15

What chemical compound produces depletion of the ozone layer?

A) Carbon tetrachloride.
B) Chlorofluorocarbon.
C) Hydrogen fluoride.
D) Mercury sulfide

Question 16

What U.S. city experienced an air-pollution disaster in October, 1948?

A) Waco, Texas.
B) Akron, Ohio.
C) Saginaw, Michigan.
D) Donora, Pennsylvania.

Question 17

What U.S. nongovernmental organization sued the Environmental Protection Agency for for failing to carry out ozone regulations?

A) Greenpeace.
B) The Natural Resource Defense Council.
C) The Sierra Club.
D) Environmental Defense Fund.

Question 18

Where was a hole in the ozone layer discovered?

A) Over the Arctic.
B) Over Canada.
C) Over Brazil.
D) None of the above.

Question 19

What is the "global commons" problem?

A) A problem that can be solved only with the cooperation of the world's wealthiest countries.
B) A problem for which no solution is apparent owing to insufficient scientific data.
C) A problem in which the actions of a few countries could have global consequences and that requires everyone's participation to resolve.
D) A problem requiring the participation of all the permanent members of the UN Security Council.

Question 20

What U.S. statesman was instrumental in mobilizing political support for the Montreal Protocol?

A) James Baker.
B) Henry Kissinger.
C) George Schultz.
D) Warren Christopher.

Question 21

Which of the following does not harm the ozone layer but is a greenhouse gas?

A) Hydroflurocarbon.
B) Carbon tetrachloride.
C) Chlorofluorocarbon.
D) Mercury sulfide

Question 22

What is anthropogenic climate change?

A) Climate change resulting from the Earth's proximity to the sun.
B) Climate change resulting from volcanic activity.
C) Climate change resulting from human activities.
D) None of the above.

Question 23

What international organization hosted the First World Climate Conference in 1979?

A) The World Health Organization.
B) The World Meteorological Organization.
C) The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change.
D) The United Nations Environmental Program.

Question 24

Which of the following U.S. presidential candidates has been an outspoken advocate of environmental causes?

A) Bob Dole.
B) Al Gore.
C) John McCain.
D) Walter Mondale.

Question 25

What U.S. president sponsored a Climate Change Action Plan to limit U.S. carbon emissions to their 1990 levels?

A) George H. W. Bush.
B) Bill Clinton.
C) George W. Bush.
D) Barack Obama.

Question 26

What was the Byrd-Hagel Resolution?

A) A Senate resolution endorsing the goal of limiting U.S. carbon emissions to their 1990 level.
B) A Senate resolution endorsing a ban on sales of refrigerants that cause global warming.
C) A Senate resolution objecting to a ban on sales of refrigerants that cause global warming
D) A Senate resolution objecting to binding carbon emissions reductions that might harm America's economy.

Question 27

Why did President George W. Bush oppose the Kyoto Protocol?

A) It placed an unfair burden on less-developed countries.
B) It did not require developing countries to reduce carbon emissions.
C) It did not call for binding limits on carbon emissions.
D) Russia refused to ratify the protocol.

Question 28

Which of the following presidents described climate change as a threat to U.S. national security?

A) George H. W. Bush.
B) Bill Clinton.
C) George W. Bush.
D) Barack Obama.

Question 29

Who was the first U.S. president to participate personally in multilateral climate change negotiations?

A) George H. W. Bush.
B) Bill Clinton.
C) George W. Bush.
D) Barack Obama.

Question 30

Which of the following countries agreed to cooperate with U.S. to reduce carbon emissions?

A) Russia.
B) Brazil.
C) China.
D) India.

Question 31

Which of the following companies oppose legislation requiring automakers to improve fuel efficiency?

A) FedEx.
B) Walmart.
C) McDonalds.
D) Google.

Question 32

Which of the following produces a decline in biodiversity?

A) Habitat loss.
B) Climate change.
C) Overharvesting.
D) All of the above.

Question 33

Why is biodiversity difficult to manage globally?

A) Countries are unwilling to share the profits of intellectual property like medical patents?
B) Countries no believe that biodiversity is endangered.
C) Countries are concerned that management of biodiversity will reduce agricultural production.
D) Countries do not wish to lose control of their natural resources.

Question 34

Which of the following states do not participate in the Convention on Biological Diversity?

A) Andorra.
B) The Vatican.
C) The United States.
D) All of the above.

Question 35

Which of the following U.S. groups have been the most opposed to the Convention on Biological Diversity?

A) Farmers.
B) Pharmaceutical firms.
C) Oil companies.
D) Airlines.

Question 36

Which of the following companies was not one of the oil companies called the "Seven Sisters"?

A) Occidental Petroleum.
B) British Petroleum,
C) Mobil.
D) Gulf.

Question 37

In what country did the CIA assist in overthrowing a government that sought to nationalize its oil industry?

A) Iraq.
B) Iran.
C) Venezuela.
D) Saudi Arabia.

Question 38

What were the first oil-producing countries that succeeded in nationalizing foreign oil companies?

A) Iran and Iraq.
B) Saudi Arabia and Kuwait.
C) Algeria and Libya.
D) The United Arab Emirates and Morocco.

Question 39

What largely accounted for increasing global oil prices between 2000 and 2011?

A) Instability in the Middle East.
B) A rapid reduction in Saudi Arabian oil production.
C) A Russian refusal to export oil.
D) China's growing economy.

Question 40

What development has most reduced U.S. dependence on imported oil in recent years.

A) Requirements for higher gas mileage for vehicles in the U.S.
B) Hydraulic fracturing.
C) The introduction of hybrid electric and fully electric automobiles.
D) The use of solar and wind power in generating electricity.

Question 41

What is a "collective good"?

Question 42

What are "transboundary externalities"?

Question 43

What is a "cap and trade" system?

Question 44

What U.S. agency has led the effort to reduce American carbon emissions?

Question 45

Why are diverse ecosystems valuable?

Question 46

What is OPEC?

Question 47

What is the Keystone XL?

Question 48

What is a carbon tax?

Question 49

In September 2008, TransCanada filed an application for a cross-border permit to begin work on ____________ to carry heavy crude oil, known as bitumen, from Alberta's tar sands to refineries on the Gulf Coast of Texas.

Question 50

____________ offer benefits that must be shared and made available to everyone if it is enjoyed by anyone.

Question 51

Al Gore's 2006 film ______________ shifted public sentiment back in favor of government efforts to protect the environment.

Question 52

______________ is recalled as the America's "Conservationist President."

Question 53

In the 1980s and 1990s, a _________________ that advocated protecting private property rights and opening the country's remaining natural resources to development emerged.

Question 54

President Reagan signed the 1987 ___________.

Question 55

Transboundary externalities are _________________.

Question 56

By the 1980s, evidence had accumulated that industrial chemicals were harming _____________, and a conference on the issue was convened in 1985 in Vienna, Austria.

Question 57

__________ is the most controversial contemporary global environmental issue.

Question 58

____________ refers to the observed increase in the earth's average temperature.

Question 59

By the time Clinton left office, the ___________ had not entered into force, having failed to meet the threshold of ratification by 55 countries responsible for at least 55 percent of total 1990 emissions.

Question 60

At the 2009 ______________ President Obama became the first U.S. president to participate personally in climate talks.

Question 61

President Obama's 2010 National Security Strategy was the first ________________.

Question 62

In 2014 ___________________ announced new standards that required existing power stations to reduce CO2 emissions by 30 percent below 2005 levels by 2030.

Question 63

The increase in U.S. shale-oil and shale-gas production is the result of ___________.