Deck 24: Politics, Environment, and Sustainability

Question 1

Recent proposals from developers and resource extractors concerning federal land use include all of the following, except

A)Sell public lands to corporations at less than market value.
B)Increase federal funding for administration of regulations.
C)Cut old-growth forests and replace with tree plantations.
D)Open national parks and wilderness areas to oil drilling and mining.
E)Allow private firms to build theme parks and concessions in national parks.

Answer 1

B

Question 2

Development of public policy follows a four-stage policy life cycle.Which of the following is not one of those four stages?

A)recognition
B)simplification
C)formulation
D)implementation
E)control

Answer 2

B

Question 3

In a constitutional democracy, which of the following is not a function of the constitution or its political institutions?

A)provides for free elections
B)guarantees free speech
C)provides for a basis of governmental authority
D)allows for gradual change
E)establishes implementation of policies

Answer 3

E

Question 4

Most environmental lawsuits are

A)administrative suits
B)regulatory suits
C)civil suits
D)statutory suits
E)criminal suits

Question 5

Motor vehicle drivers paying for the full cost of the harmful effects of fossil fuel use is the application of the

A)precautionary principle
B)public access principle
C)human rights principle
D)polluter-pays principle
E)environmental justice principle

Question 6

The public lands with the most restrictions on how they can be used are

A)National forests and grasslands
B)Bureau of Land Management lands
C)National parks
D)National recreation areas
E)National wilderness areas

Question 7

In the United States, the three branches of government serve what important purpose?

A)curbing of rapid and destabilizing change
B)establishment of future priorities
C)oversight of regulations
D)implementation of detailed budgets
E)encouragement of free enterprise

Question 8

For most people, Denis Hayes' best known project was

A)pushing legislation for the Environmental Protection Agency
B)starting the Environmental Defense Fund
C)organization of the first Earth Day
D)cleaning up the Cuyahoga River
E)being elected to the U.S.Senate from Hawaii

Question 9

How much of the population must be involved in order to bring about change?

A)5─10%
B)20─35%
C)45─60%
D)65─75%
E)more than 75%

Question 10

Which of the following is not one of the principles that should govern use of public lands, according to free-market economists and conservationists?

A)They should be used primarily to protect biodiversity.
B)Government subsidies should not be used for extracting resources.
C)Sale of the properties should be at fair market value.
D)American people deserve fair compensation for use of the properties.
E)Those that extract resources are responsible for environmental damage.

Question 11

Many things limit the effectiveness of an environmental lawsuit, including all of the following, except

A)Plaintiffs must have legal standing.
B)The government is always on the side of businesses.
C)Lawsuits are very expensive.
D)Public interest law firms can not recover fees unless Congress has agreed.
E)Proving significant harm is time consuming and expensive.

Question 12

The body of statements defining what is acceptable environmental behavior for individuals and groups, according to the larger community, is

A)common law
B)administrative law
C)statutory law
D)environmental law
E)civil law

Question 13

All of the following are things each of us can do to exercise our environmental leadership, except

A)Lead by example.
B)Work within existing economic and political structures to bring change.
C)Run for local office.
D)Propose and work for better solutions to environmental problems.
E)Hire lobbyists to promote our agenda in Washington.

Question 14

Committing civilization to storing deadly radioactive wastes for up to 240,000 years is a failure of the

A)humility principle
B)reversibility principle
C)precautionary principle
D)prevention principle
E)human rights principle

Question 15

Future reliance on energy technologies such as tar sands, shale oil, and nuclear power, would be a violation of which of the following?

A)reversibility principle
B)net energy principle
C)precautionary principle
D)prevention principle
E)humility principle

Question 16

The government of the United States manages what percentage of the country's land?

A)5%
B)15%
C)25%
D)35%
E)45%

Question 17

Which of the following activities would not be permitted in a National Wildlife Refuge?

A)home construction
B)hunting and fishing
C)military activities
D)farming and grazing
E)logging

Question 18

The story of Diane Wilson reminds us of one very important point, which is...

A)chemical companies may release water pollutants
B)challenging one or more major companies is easier than you expect
C)you really need to be someone important to succeed in challenging polluters
D)in environmental issues, individuals matter
E)correcting an environmental problem doesn't take long

Question 19

Which branch of government is responsible for overseeing the agencies that carry out government policies?

A)judicial
B)executive
C)legislative
D)administrative
E)military

Question 20

A lawsuit filed by a corporation or developer against citizens who publicly criticize a business for an activity is called

A)a frivolous lawsuit
B)a common law suit
C)a criminal suit
D)a regulatory suit
E)a SLAPP

Question 21

Guidelines have been suggested in order to foster cooperation instead of confrontation.Which of the following is not one of those guidelines?

A)Seek government intervention whenever possible.
B)Emphasize preventing environmental problems.
C)Use well-designed and monitored marketplace solutions.
D)Find win-win solutions or tradeoffs.
E)Be honest and objective.

Question 22

Businesses facing environmental regulations often try to have people from the business appointed to high positions in the agencies regulating the business.

Question 23

Countries whose environment has been severely degraded may be characterized by any of the following, except

A)deterioration of vital infrastructure
B)increased immigration
C)allegiance to warlords
D)breakdown of law and order
E)violent internal conflict or civil war

Question 24

Once a law has been passed and funded, the appropriate department or agency must first develop regulations and rules for implementing it.

Question 25

Between 2002 and 2009 the U.S.Congress has expanded the extraction of mineral, timber, and fossil fuel resources from public lands.

Question 26

Oil and gas drilling are allowed in National Parks.

Question 27

How much money would be required, on an annual basis, for the world to meet basic social and health goals and to provide environmental security?

A)$125 billion
B)$240 billion
C)$500 billion
D)$750 billion
E)$1 trillion

Question 28

Applying the Environmental Justice Principle would mean no group of people would bear an unfair share of environmental pollution or degradation.

Question 29

Shifting to more equitable and environmentally sustainable global and national societies will require all of the following except

A)Sustainable forestry
B)Increased water resource use
C)Sustainable energy use
D)Educating the public about the need
E)Slowing projected climate change

Question 30

All of the following are examples of environmental nonprofit, nongovernmental organizations (NGOs), except

A)World Wildlife Fund
B)Natural Resources Defense Council
C)Independent Petroleum Association of America
D)The Nature Conservancy
E)Greenpeace

Question 31

One of the most important lessons that Denis Hayes has learned after decades of environmental work is that democracy works when people are paying attention to the facts!

Question 32

Concerned citizens have persuaded Congress to enact important environmental and resource protection laws, including all of the following, except

A)establishment of fossil fuel import levels
B)standards for pollution levels
C)requirements to screen new substances for safety
D)protection for certain species, resources, and ecosystems
E)requirement for environmental impact statements

Question 33

Free enterprise is always good─government intervention is always bad.

Question 34

Which of the following countries did not adopt Agenda 21, the global agenda for sustainable development in the 21ˢᵗ century?

A)Russia
B)England
C)United States
D)Australia
E)Canada

Question 35

The Natural Resources Defense Council is working to protect the Canadian spirit bear whose places to hibernate are threatened by which of the following?

A)Overfishing
B)Damming of rivers
C)Mineral extraction
D)Nuclear power plants
E)Logging

Question 36

Economist Jeffrey Sachs argues that the situation in which conflict country in Africa is a result of an ecological crisis?

A)Nigeria
B)Egypt
C)Libya
D)Darfur
E)South Africa

Question 37

The opportunity to lobby elected representatives is an important right for everyone in a democracy.

Question 38

Many nations have set aside more land for public use than the United States.

Question 39

The roles played by a government are determined by its policies.

Question 40

By law, the U.S.Forest Service must sell timber for no less than the cost for reforesting the land.

Question 41

Four hundred thousand miles of roads have been cut through national forests at taxpayer expense to facilitate logging.

Question 42

According to Denis Hayes, "Democracy works when ____________________ are paying attention to the ____________________.

Question 43

Most U.S.citizens do not realize that since 2000 efforts to weaken environmental laws and regulations have escalated and been successful.

Question 44

In 2008, Sierra Magazine rated Michigan State University as the nation's greenest college.

Question 45

In 2008 environmental leader Gus Speth argued that global environmental problems are getting worse, but international efforts to solve them are adequate.

Question 46

The exact role played by a government is determined by its ____________________.

Question 47

No well-organized movement has opposed the strong environmental laws passed in the 1970s.

Question 48

Unfortunately, the world does not have the knowledge, technologies, and financial resources to eradicate poverty and protect the earth's natural capital.

Question 49

Environmental lawsuits are easy to win.

Question 50

U.S.environmental laws have been highly effective, especially in controlling pollution.

Question 51

Environmental lawsuits are not difficult to win.

Question 52

After 2 years of pressure, Home Depot agreed to sell only wood products made from certified sustainably grown timber.

Question 53

Polls show that more than 80% of the U.S.public strongly supports environmental laws and regulations and do not want them weakened.

Question 54

The world does not possess the technology, knowledge, or financial resources to end poverty, malnutrition, and illiteracy.

Question 55

The economies of all countries are supported by the earth's natural capital.

Question 56

Since 2007, 458 college and university presidents have signed an agreement to make their schools carbon neutral.

Question 57

Julia Butterfly Hill sat on a platform on a giant redwood tree in California for two years to protest the clear-cutting of ancient trees.

Question 58

Most SLAPPs are not expected to be won.

Question 59

Chief Executive Officers of corporations have learned there is a lot of money to be made providing environmentally friendly goods and services.

Question 60

The 1992 Rio Earth Summit led to agreements that were nonbinding.

Question 61

Recreation, hunting, and fishing in national forests add ten times __________ money to the national economy than does extraction of timber and other resources.

Question 62

One of the most important trends influencing environmental decisions and policies is the growing influence of ____________________.

Question 63

Using government subsidies to pay for inefficient energy alternatives is a violation of the ____________________ principle.

Question 64

____________________is a formal effort, somewhat similar to a trial, to resolve a dispute.

Question 65

____________________ is an important process, in which individuals or groups use public pressure, personal contacts, and political action to persuade legislators to vote in their favor.

Question 66

Protocols for protecting the ____________________ are the most successful examples of the global community working together to solve environmental problems.

Question 67

Many environmental groups on college campuses have made ____________________ of their campuses, gathering data on practices affecting the environment.

Question 68

The legal concept of ____________________ occurs when people use their property in a way that causes annoyance or injury to others.

Question 69

NGOs working together worldwide serve as an emerging citizen-based ____________________.

Question 70

Many experts point out that __________ security, __________ security, and __________ security are interrelated.

Question 71

Common law cases may involve ____________________, in which a party causes damage by knowingly acting in an unlawful or unreasonable manner.

Question 72

Scarcity of resources can be correlated to the spread of civil violence and dysfunction in government, which can cause countries to become ____________________.

Question 73

More than ____________________% of the U.S.public strongly supports environment laws and regulations and does not want them weakened.

Question 74

At a fundamental level, all politics is ____________________.

Question 75

One of our greatest challenges is to place more emphasis on ____________________ thinking.

Question 76

Decisions made by various courts make up a body of law known as ____________________.

Question 77

Adopting a(n) ____________________ is the most important and controversial activity of the executive and legislative branches of government.

Question 78

Environmental security is as important as military and economic security because all ____________________ are supported by the earth's natural capital.

Question 79

Groups that advocate passing laws favorable to their causes and repealing laws unfavorable to their positions are called ____________________.

Question 80

Less than ____________________% of the U.S.public considers the environment to be one of the nation's most pressing problems.