Deck 6: Environmental Law and Justice: Responsibility and Survival

Question 1

What is environmental justice? What started the movement in the United States?

Answer 1

Environmental justice is a global movement that refers to the ethical issues at the intersection of race/class discrimination and environmental harm or reform. People who have been marginalized by discrimination or poverty are typically affected more severely than the rest of the population.
The movement in the United States can be traced to a North Carolina controversy in which an African American neighborhood became a dumping site for thousands of tons of toxic soil. People living there believed their community had been selected because it was mostly African American and poor. Protests began and eventually charges of "environmental racism" were made. The site was not decontaminated until 2004.

Question 2

The power of eminent domain requires the government to provide just compensation to a property owner when taking private property for public purposes. Discuss your thoughts on whether the following should be considered "public purposes."
a. The government taking private property to transfer to a private company for development of a strip mall.
b. The government taking private property to build a highway.
c. The government taking private property to expand an airport.

Answer 2

NOT ANSWER

Question 3

A "green tax" uses government taxing power to benefit the environment.

Answer 3

TRUE

Question 4

The Fifth Amendment to the Constitution explicitly protects private property owners' economic interests. Explain how this amendment affects owners of private property.

Question 5

According to John Locke, the purpose of government is to institute restraints to protect property rights.

Question 6

The Kyoto Protocol is an international treaty to reduce greenhouse admissions, signed by over 200 countries including the United States.

Question 7

Under the ___________ plan, the EPA auctions a set number of sulfur dioxide emission allowances annually, with each allowance permitting one ton of emissions.

A) allocation of resources
B) tradeable permit
C) green capitalism
D) shareholder activism

Question 8

According to Carmen G. Gonzalez, people go hungry because:

A) there is not enough food available
B) people are too poor to grow food
C) Both a. and b.
D) Neither a. nor b.

Question 9

According to Alice Kaswan, environmental justice has had:

A) an extreme impact on environmental law
B) a significant impact on environmental law
C) a modest impact on environmental law
D) no impact on environmental law

Question 10

When environmentalists recognized that politicians were not going to pass stricter legislation and regulations, they changed their tactics to force change. According to the Layzer article in the chapter, these new tactics included:
I) Portray the science of global warming as uncertain and debatable
II) Focus on the financial costs of regulation
III) Provide Senators and Representatives with financial incentives to vote against regulation
IV) Portray the environmentalists as extremists and a vocal minority.

A) I and II
B) II and III
C) III and IV
D) II, III and IV.

Question 11

Explain how the tradeable permit plan works.

Question 12

Discuss the obligations of human beings to Mother Earth according to the universal declaration of rights of Mother Earth.

Question 13

Which piece of legislation was passed first?

A) The Clean Water Act
B) The Resource Conservation and Recovery Act
C) The Clean Air Act
D) The Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act

Question 14

The power of the U.S. Government to take property from a private individual and use it for public purposes is:

A) Due Process
B) Equal Protection
C) Eminent Domain
D) Suffrage

Question 15

Explain the Crisis of Agrobiodiversity as explained by Carmen G. Gonzalez.

Question 16

According to MIT professor Layzer, the lobbyists for the energy corporations have used which of the following tactics to avoid stricter regulation?
I) Portray the science of global warming as uncertain and debatable
II) Focus on the financial costs of regulation
III) Provide Senators and Representatives with financial incentives to vote against regulation
IV) Portray the environmentalists as extremists and a vocal minority.

A) I and II
B) I, II and III
C) I and III
D) I, II and IV