Deck 1: What on Earth Are We Doing

Question 1

The current primary sources of energy in the United States, in order from greatest to least, are:

A)oil, natural gas, coal, nuclear, and renewables (e.g., wind, solar)
B)nuclear, renewables, oil, natural gas, and coal.
C)oil, nuclear, natural gas, renewables, and coal.
D)renewables, oil, natural gas, coal, and nuclear.

Answer 1

oil, natural gas, coal, nuclear, and renewables (e.g., wind, solar)

Question 2

Which of the following is true about the common practice of purifying water by adding chlorine to it?

A)This treatment process ensures the removal of all pesticide residues from drinking water.
B)This treatment creates chemicals in drinking water that may cause cancer and birth defects.
C)In the U.S., this process is only used for recreational water (e.g., swimming pools), not for drinking water.
D)The addition of chlorine to drinking water has health benefits such as strengthening bones and tooth enamel.

Answer 2

This treatment creates chemicals in drinking water that may cause cancer and birth defects.

Question 3

Three of the following accurately describe industrial agricultural practices. Which one does not?

A)Industrial agriculture is dependent on fossil fuels.
B)Industrial agriculture uses 70% of the world's supply of freshwater.
C)Industrial agriculture produces healthier food than was produced by pre-industrial agriculture.
D)Industrial agriculture requires the use of chemical fertilizers and pesticides.

Answer 3

Industrial agriculture produces healthier food than was produced by pre-industrial agriculture.

Question 4

Which of the following is true about the world's topsoil supply?

A)We now have more topsoil than at any point in recorded history.
B)Once topsoil is lost, it can only be replenished by the breakdown of more organic matter.
C)Modern industrial agricultural practices protect against the loss of topsoil.
D)All of the above are true.

Question 5

Which of the following poses a threat to healthy topsoil?

A)Letting crop remnants and weeds decay into the topsoil.
B)Farmers putting manure on the topsoil.
C)Monocultural plantings.
D)Mixing compost into the topsoil.

Question 6

Given that we all have to eat, how can people reduce their food footprint?

A)Eat locally grown food.
B)Eat food that is in season.
C)Eat food that was minimally processed.
D)All of the above are ways people can reduce their food footprint.

Question 7

What are CAFOs?

A)Current Agricultural Farming Operations
B)Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations
C)Chemical Agriculture Fertilizing Operations
D)Compost Application Fertilizing Operations

Question 8

Which of the following is false about industrial meat production?

A)Worldwide, industrial meat production is on the decline.
B)Animals on industrial farms are fed unnatural diets (primarily corn) to fatten them up.
C)Industrial farmers must use chemicals and antibiotics just to keep the animals alive.
D)Industrial livestock farming produces more greenhouse gases than transportation.

Question 9

Which of the following is false about the clearing of rainforests for the purpose of meat production?

A)When rainforest is cleared, the nutritious soil left behind ensures that the pasture will be productive for several decades.
B)Tropical deforestation for ranching is reducing the planet's ability to absorb excess CO2 emissions.
C)About 80% of the Brazilian Amazon rainforest has been cleared for cattle ranching.
D)Ranchers in South America routinely clear areas of rainforest to create cheap pastureland.

Question 10

Carbon sequestration refers to

A)the removal and storage of atmospheric CO2.
B)the implementation of governmental regulations on carbon emissions.
C)a reduction in the production of greenhouse gases.
D)the natural process that causes global warming.

Question 11

Meat consumption is expected to

A)decline worldwide in the next few decades.
B)stay fairly steady worldwide in the next few decades.
C)increase most dramatically in China and India in the next few decades.
D)increase only in the industrialized West in the next few decades.

Question 12

Should people worry about what goes down their drains?

A)Yes, because much of what gets washed down the drain ultimately ends up in the drinking water supply.
B)Yes, because much of what gets washed down the drain ends up in rivers, lakes, and streams.
C)No, because water treatment removes all contaminants.
D)Yes, because of both A and B.

Question 13

Increasing demand on freshwater supplies in the southwestern U.S. is coming from

A)industrial agriculture
B)industries other than agriculture
C)homeowners
D)All of the above are placing increasing demand on water supplies.

Question 14

Which of the following is false regarding the world's supply of freshwater?

A)Because water is a renewable resource, it is unlikely for there to be a significant freshwater shortage.
B)In the U.S., there is currently more groundwater being withdrawn than replenished, causing falling aquifer levels and unprecedented droughts.
C)When rain runs off pavement and dessicated croplands, it carries pollutants (such as pesticides and motor oil) into bodies of freshwater.
D)When their levels drop, coastal aquifers become susceptible to saltwater contamination.

Question 15

Although it is home to less than 5% of the world's population, the U.S. consumes more than _____% of the world's supply of oil.

A)10
B)15
C)20
D)30

Question 16

Which of the following is not included in estimates of energy waste in the U.S.?

A)efficiency of car engines
B)efficiency of heating systems
C)efficiency of lighting systems
D)efficiency of human behaviors related to energy use

Question 17

According to the latest estimates, about 61% of the energy consumed in the U.S. is actually wasted. This figure is most likely

A)an overestimate
B)an underestimate
C)accurate only for people living in cities
D)accurate for everyone

Question 18

Which of the following is true about the waste created by nuclear power plants?

A)It is radioactive for thousands of years.
B)Only prolonged direct exposure to nuclear waste poses a health hazard to humans and other animals.
C)Experts have developed safe permanent storage techniques for containing the waste.
D)Experts have developed safe techniques for effectively cleaning up spilled nuclear waste.

Question 19

Which of the following is false about accidents at nuclear power plants?

A)There have been more than 30 serious incidents and accidents in the last 50 years.
B)Some of the most serious accidents have been from unforeseen causes.
C)Accidents have been caused by both human error and natural disasters.
D)The International Atomic Energy Authority keeps a record of every accident that occurs.

Question 20

The majority of the world's electricity is generated by _______.

A)fossil fuel incinerators
B)hydroelectric dams
C)wind turbines
D)nuclear reactors

Question 21

What happens when a coal impoundment pond fails (i.e., has a spill)?

A)The toxic slurry surges into nearby waterways.
B)The drinking water of nearby wild animals is threatened, but the drinking water of nearby humans is safe.
C)We don't know, because so far none have failed.
D)It creates an unsightly mess on the landscape, but the spill is not dangerous to humans or other animals.

Question 22

Burning fossil fuels produces polluting by-products, including

A)Oxygen
B)Carbon Dioxide
C)Dihydrogen Monoxide
D)Hydrogen Peroxide

Question 23

Which of the following is false about the greenhouse effect?

A)The greenhouse effect keeps the Earth's surface temperature warm enough to support life.
B)Burning fossil fuels has created an unprecedented increase in the atmospheric gases responsible for the greenhouse effect.
C)If humans stopped burning fossil fuels, there would be no greenhouse effect.
D)Planetary warming patterns over the last few decades can be explained in terms of the greenhouse effect.

Question 24

Which of the following is false regarding ""global warming""?

A)The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) has documented a rise in average global temperature, especially in recent decades.
B)The term ""climate change"" is more descriptive than ""global warming"" because it captures the fact that we are witnessing more extreme weather events in general.
C)Consequences of global warming include decreases in arctic ice and snow cover, leading to rising sea levels.
D)There is significant disagreement among scientists about whether humans are responsible for the warming trend of the last half-century.

Question 25

How many food additives are used in the United States?

A)Fewer than 200
B)About 1000
C)About 2000
D)At least 5000

Question 26

Which of the following is false about chemical food additives in the U.S.?

A)The Food and Drug Administration requires testing of chemical food additives
B)Food additives are in nearly everything available in a typical grocery store.
C)Chemicals are added to enhance flavor, preserve texture, and increase shelf-life of foods.
D)Even many items that do not look ""processed"" contain food additives.

Question 27

Survey data suggest that _________ of Americans believe global warming is happening.

Question 28

The phrase "environmental problems" is misleading in that_____________.

Question 29

Which of the following is false about recycling of "e-waste"?

Question 30

When individuals are tempted to overuse a shared resource, they are in a ____________ dilemma.

Question 31

How is the term ""environmental problems"" misleading?

Question 32

How is the discipline of psychology relevant to environmental sustainability?

Question 33

What is the ""ecological footprint""?

Question 34

What is the difference between biological carrying capacity and cultural carrying capacity?

Question 35

Describe how population relates to environmental sustainability.

Question 36

What does it mean to say behavior is ""unsustainable""?

Question 37

Which of the following common practices are ultimately unsustainable?

A)reliance on finite energy sources, such as oil, natural gas, and coal
B)agriculture that depletes topsoil and water
C)creation of waste that cannot be reabsorbed into natural cycles
D)All of these common practices are unsustainable.

Question 38

What makes a behavior sustainable?

A)A behavior is sustainable if it involves recycling.
B)A behavior is sustainable if an individual has enough money to keep doing it.
C)A behavior is sustainable if it can be maintained indefinitely.
D)A behavior is sustainable if it prevents extinction of other species.

Question 39

When manufacturers intentionally design products to have a limited lifespan, this is called __________________.

A)perceived obsolescence
B)conspicuous corruption
C)voluntary complexity
D)planned obsolescence

Question 40

About how much of the edible food supply is wasted worldwide?

A)0.03
B)0.13
C)0.23
D)0.3

Question 41

In high income regions of the world, about _________ % of meat is wasted.

A)0.07
B)0.27
C)0.47
D)0.67

Question 42

The United States produces about _____ of the global total of solid waste.

A)0.05
B)0.1
C)0.2
D)0.3

Question 43

Much of the solid waste that people throw away goes to landfills. Which of the following is true about landfills?

A)In the U.S., they are the third largest source of human-caused methane emissions.
B)When precipitation percolates through the contents of a landfill, it creates a liquid mixture that carries contaminants to bodies of water.
C)One way landfills are an ecological threat is that they claim acreage that might otherwise serve as wildlife habitat.
D)All of these statements are true about landfills.

Question 44

Are solid waste incinerators an ecologically safe alternative to landfills?

A)No, because most solid waste cannot be incinerated.
B)No, because when waste is incinerated, hazardous chemical compounds are formed and released into the air.
C)Yes, because burning waste reduces it to harmless ash which will then naturally biodegrade.
D)Yes, because incinerators don't occupy much acreage and don't need to constantly expand to accommodate waste.

Question 45

Which of the following is not an example of household hazardous waste?

A)household cleaners
B)batteries
C)compact flourescent lightbulbs
D)spoiled, moldy, or rotten food

Question 46

Much of the solid waste generated today is plastic. Which of the following is false about plastic.

A)All plastics can be recycled.
B)Over time, plastic degrades into smaller particles, but it never completely reintegrates into nature.
C)Floating plastic waste is accumulating into large garbage patches in the oceans.
D)Some personal care products (e.g., facial scrubs) contain plastics that accumulate in bodies of freshwater after they are rinsed down the drain.

Question 47

Which of the following is false about recycling of ""e-waste""?

A)Recycling lessens the environmental impact from toxic metal components being buried or burned.
B)Recycling reduces the demand for energy to mine and manufacture virgin materials.
C)Currently, about half of the computers, televisions, and cell phones discarded in the U.S. are recycled.
D)Much of the e-waste collected for recycling is exported to developing countries to be disassembled by impoverished workers under unregulated conditions.

Question 48

How has the rate of material consumption in the industrialized world changed during the past century?

A)It has increased dramatically.
B)It has increased a little bit.
C)It has remained steady.
D)It has decreased dramatically.

Question 49

To what does the term conspicuous consumption refer?

A)the display of gluttony evident at ""all-you-can-eat"" buffet restaurants
B)the display of power and prestige through accumulation of luxury items
C)the display of high profile brand logos on shopping bags
D)the display of disdain for energy conservation exhibited by drivers of gas-guzzling vehicles

Question 50

Pick one current energy source that is environmentally unsustainable and explain why.

Question 51

Survey data in the U.S. suggest that most people who are worried about global warming are making significant lifestyle changes to combat it.

Question 52

Coal impoundment ponds (where coal is washed after it is mined) contain dangerous heavy metals such as mercury and lead.

Question 53

Global warming is caused by the hole in the ozone layer of the Earth's atmosphere.

Question 54

The greenhouse effect is a naturally occurring phenomenon.

Question 55

During the past decade and a half, the southwestern United States has been experiencing the worst drought in recorded history.

Question 56

Serious worldwide water shortages are a real possibility within the next decade.

Question 57

At least one billion people in the world do not have regular access to safe drinking water.

Question 58

California has experienced such severe drought in recent years that the governor has declared a statewide emergency.

Question 59

If the world's groundwater sources become contaminated, bottled water will be a safe alternative.

Question 60

The majority of freshwater consumed in the U.S. is used for crops and livestock.

Question 61

Monoculture plantings are more resistant to pests and unfavorable weather than diverse plantings are.

Question 62

Fossil fuels are a renewable resource.

Question 63

Most of the world's electricity is currently generated by burning fossil fuels.

Question 64

Some people consider nuclear energy to be a ""clean"" source.

Question 65

Slowly developing harmful conditions, such as climate change, trigger alarm and panic in most people.

Question 66

The first scientific calculations of global warming due to human emissions of carbon dioxide were published in the late 1800s.

Question 67

In the past, some human populations have crashed because they exceeded the carrying capacity of their habitat.

Question 68

Population is an ecological problem only in the developing world.

Question 69

As a group, people living in the United States have the largest ecological footprint in the world.

Question 70

The bulk of the energy that individuals in industialized countries consume is essential invisible to them.

Question 71

The primary energy source in the U.S. is petroleum (oil)

Question 72

More than half of the energy consumed in the U.S. is wasted.

Question 73

These days, nearly half of the electricity in the U.S. is generated by renewable sources, such as wind and solar.

Question 74

Per capita, people in the U.S. use more than 90 times the amount of gasoline as people living in India.

Question 75

Half of the topisoil in the world has been lost in the last century and a half.

Question 76

Some experts estimate that at current rates of loss without replacement, the world has about 60 years of topsoil left.

Question 77

The rapid deterioration of the natural systems on which life depends can be attributed to people's ecologically incompatible _______________.

A)beliefs
B)values
C)actions
D)All of the above are true.

Question 78

To label a problem ""anthropogenic"" is to suggest it is ________________.

A)caused by humans
B)specific only to humans
C)irrelevant to humans
D)about humans rather than nature

Question 79

Which of these is a term coined in the 1870s to describe the entire global ecosystem and all of its inhabitants?

A)Gaia
B)Spaceship Earth
C)Biosphere
D)Mother Nature

Question 80

In which year did 1,670 prestigious scientists sign a "World Scientists' Warning to Humanity," urging public attention to the "human activities which inflict harsh and often irreversible damage on the environment and on critical resources"?

A)1992
B)2000
C)2002
D)2012