Deck 1: Environment, Resources, and Society

Question 1

The world economy has ________ in value in the past 40 years.

A) increased more than eightfold
B) increased more than sixfold
C) doubled
D) decreased by 50 per cent

Answer 1

B

Question 2

Which initiatives did Cape Town NOT plan in order to increase water supply to the city?

A) Restrictions on personal water use
B) Sourcing water from nearby lakes
C) Construction of desalination facilities
D) Drilling for groundwater

Answer 2

B

Question 3

The environment includes the following components: ________.

A) the celestial sphere, hydrosphere, atmosphere, biosphere, and cryosphere
B) the lithosphere, biosphere, hydrosphere, heliosphere, and anthropocentric
C) the atmosphere, lithosphere, hydrosphere, biosphere, and cryosphere
D) the atmosphere, cryosphere, biosphere, anthropocentric, and celestial sphere

Answer 3

C

Question 4

The belief that ecosystem components are defined relative to human interests is ________ view.

A) an ecocentric
B) a resource-based
C) a humanistic
D) an anthropocentric

Question 5

The biocentric view is the same as the ________ view.

A) egocentric
B) ecocentric
C) anthropocentric
D) geocentric

Question 6

The first wave of environmental management mainly focused on ________.

A) highlighting environmental degradation
B) creating solutions to environmental issues
C) remediating environmental degradation and pollution
D) protecting wilderness areas

Question 7

Incorporating the value systems of Indigenous peoples mainly occurred during the ________ of environmental management.

A) first wave
B) second wave
C) third wave
D) fourth wave

Question 8

When a research goal seeks a holistic understanding that transcends disciplinary boundaries, the research approach used is ________.

A) transdisciplinary
B) multidisciplinary
C) interdisciplinary
D) cross-disciplinary

Question 9

To ensure that many disciplinary specialists are included in research from the outset to better understand complex environmental systems, we should strive to use ________ approaches

A) focused disciplinary and cross-disciplinary
B) disciplinary and multidisciplinary
C) cross-disciplinary and trans-boundary
D) interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary

Question 10

Some people suggest that scientists should avoid advocacy of any particular solution ________.

A) for fear that the scientist will be perceived as being biased
B) to ensure the scientists work is relevant for decision-makers
C) because advocacy likely leads to flawed experimental design
D) to generate appropriate definitions of problems for environmental managers

Question 11

The Trans Mountain pipeline seeks to build a pipeline ________.

A) to transport oil from Canada's oil sands through Kitimat, BC
B) to connect the oil sands to refinery plants in the United States
C) to connect offshore oilfields in Newfoundland to the oil sands in Northern Alberta
D) to increase capacity to move petroleum produces from Alberta to Burnaby, BC

Question 12

The Alberta government has combated BC's decision to oppose the Trans Mountain pipeline by NOT doing the following: ________.

A) suspending any discussion for Alberta to purchase electricity
B) banning the import of BC wines
C) discussing the stop of shipment of Alberta petroleum
D) banning the import of Alberta wheat

Question 13

The following provides the best example of a "wicked problem": ________.

A) illegal dumping of toxic chemical waste on a rural property in Waterloo Region
B) developing remedial action plans in Areas of Concern in the Great Lakes
C) the Trans Mountain pipeline
D) isolated instance of corruption in a local environmental government office

Question 14

The following is NOT a strategic aspect of sustainable development: ________.

A) considering the trade-offs between economic, environmental, and social aspects
B) emphasizing transparent and open governance systems
C) developing a vision of future societies
D) developing an inflexible approach to ensure that environmental degradation is remediated

Question 15

The following is one of the key concerns related to implementing the triple bottom line: ________.

A) focuses too much on social aspects to the detriment of economic profit
B) focus is on mainly economic benefits, neglecting environmental and social factors
C) different measurement units between economic, social, and environmental components
D) only non-profits use the concept

Question 16

The Anthropocene is defined as the current epoch ________.

A) beginning in approximately 1800, meaning '"entirely recent"
B) emphasizing the dominant influence of humans on planetary processes compared to the Holocene
C) highlighted by a shift in the boundaries of rock strata compared to the Holocene
D) beginning approximately 12,000 years ago and highlighting the period of human civilization

Question 17

Rapid human population growth began when ________.

A) medical care became wildly available
B) people began to accumulate greater amounts of wealth
C) humans learned how to exploit energy stored in the Earth's crust
D) All of the above

Question 18

According to the United Nations, the global population will reach over ________ billion people by 2100.

A) 11
B) 7
C) 9
D) 12

Question 19

Malthusian theory suggests that population growth ________.

A) provides economic benefits
B) will increase labour supply, thereby contributing to increased food production
C) is exponential, ultimately leading to famine, disease, and war
D) can be sustained through technological developments such as the Green Revolution

Question 20

Population pyramids provide information about ________.

A) death rates
B) birth rates
C) life expectancy
D) All of the above

Question 21

The shape of the population period for a country with low life expectancy and a high birth rate has ________ shape.

A) a pyramidal
B) an upside-down pyramid
C) a columnar
D) a barrel

Question 22

A country with a fertility rate of 2.0 will theoretically have ________.

A) population stability
B) population decline
C) high infant mortality
D) population growth

Question 23

Economic growth and a correlated drop in population growth is called ________.

A) high equilibrium
B) demographic transition
C) medical revolution
D) epidemiological transition

Question 24

________ of the world's population living in North America and Western Europe accounts for ________ of of all private consumption spending.

A) 20 per cent; 75 per cent respectively
B) 12 per cent; 60 per cent respectively
C) 40 per cent; 75 per cent respectively
D) 10 per cent; 50 per cent respectively

Question 25

Each Canadian consumes as much energy as ________ Cambodians do.

A) 60
B) 40
C) 10
D) 110

Question 26

________ is the best indicator of our planetary impact.

A) Energy use
B) Family size
C) Life expectancy
D) All of the above

Question 27

________ has one of the highest rates of energy consumption per capita.

A) Australia
B) Canada
C) United States
D) China

Question 28

GNP stands for ________.

A) General National Payment
B) Great National Pride
C) Green National Product
D) Gross National Product

Question 29

Extreme poverty can be defined as a condition where ________.

A) people live on less than $0.75 per day
B) people live on less than $5.00 per day
C) people live on less than $1.90 per day
D) people live on less than $2.00 per day

Question 30

Globally, ________ of workers live in extreme poverty.

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

Question 31

Planetary carrying capacity is compromised by such pressures as ________.

A) over-population
B) poverty
C) over-consumption and pollution
D) All of the above

Question 32

Canada's population density is ________.

A) 4.0 people per hectare
B) 0.04 people per hectare
C) 0.4 people per hectare
D) 40.0 people per hectare

Question 33

Canadians are among the top per capita producers globally of ________.

A) greenhouse gases
B) industrial and household garbage
C) hazardous waste
D) All of the above

Question 34

In May 2018, the federal government purchased the Trans Mountain pipeline for ________.

A) $4.5 billion
B) $2 billion
C) $36 million
D) $9.2 billion

Question 35

According to Bruce Hooper, what is NOT part of building better environmental decision-making capacity?

A) Training and mentoring
B) Exposure to other management experiences internationally
C) Rewarding individuals for better environmental practices
D) Rewarding good practice with salary incentives

Question 36

The triple bottom line, as developed by Elkington, does NOT include which of the following:

A) People
B) Planet
C) Plants
D) Profit

Question 37

Which of the following is NOT a plan recently announced by various countries to reduce plastic use?

A) Canada will ban harmful single-use plastics by 2021.
B) The EU signed an Ocean Plastics Charter.
C) 180 countries agreed on a strategy intended to significantly reduce plastic in oceans.
D) Single-use plastics were banned in Denmark.

Question 38

In Japan, the life expectancy is ________ whereas in Nigeria it is only ________.

A) 84.2; 54.5
B) 86.4; 40.1
C) 88.9; 52.4
D) 78.3; 48.7

Question 39

People in the world's wealthiest countries use ________ times as much energy per capita than the world's poorest people.

A) 20
B) 25
C) 50
D) 4

Question 40

By 2030, almost ________ people are expected to live in urban areas.

A) 4 billion
B) 7 billion
C) 5 billion
D) 5.5 billion

Question 41

An example of a novel entity is ________.

A) aerosols
B) chlorofluorocarbons
C) biofuel
D) carbon

Question 42

According to Jared Diamond, main reasons why societal collapse occurs includes all of the following EXCEPT: ________.

A) they may not anticipate the problem
B) they may not be advanced enough societies
C) they may perceive the problem as a serious threat, try to solve it, and fail
D) they may anticipate the problem but neglect to address it

Question 43

An example of natural systems would be ________.

A) atmosphere circulation systems
B) the pollination of a flower by a bee
C) the processes in a single living cell
D) All of the above

Question 44

Resilience means ________.

A) the ability of a system to change when needed
B) the ability of a surface to resist puncture
C) the ability of a system to absorb disturbance and still retain its basic function and structure
D) the ability of a system to react to stimulus by forcing the extinction of unwanted entities

Question 45

The first city in Canada to ban distribution of plastic bags was ________.

A) Montreal
B) Victoria
C) Calgary
D) Toronto

Question 46

The Kuznet curve shows ________.

A) the relationship between wealth and health
B) the relationship between environmental degradation and economic growth
C) the relationship between consumption and environmental degradation
D) the relationship between energy consumption and population

Question 47

In resource management, control systems are designed to ________.

A) ensure humans are the main decision regulators compared to nature
B) ensure the flow of energy and matter within ecosystems
C) use feedbacks in nature to regulate the system
D) highlight environmental impacts of human activity

Question 48

According to Malthus, population growth is __________.

A) geomorphic, whereas growth in species is exponential
B) arithmetic, whereas growth in food is exponential
C) exponential, whereas growth in food is arithmetic
D) beneficial, wherease growth in species is detrimental

Question 49

The key to sustainability lies in __________.

A) encouraging non-linear changes
B) maintaining economically valuable species in our forests
C) optimizing isolated components of the system
D) enhancing the resilience of social-ecological systems

Question 50

All of the following are key aspects of natural systems EXCEPT: _________.

A) they range from the microscopic to the giant
B) we do not know all the facts relating to them
C) they are categorizable using simplified models
D) not all of their characteristics are measurable

Question 51

Human activities have become a main driving force behind environmental change.

Question 52

The view, in which ecosystem components are valued for themselves, irrespective of their immediate value for people, is known as an anthropocentric view.

Question 53

Scientists are "value-free."

Question 54

Sustainable development meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.

Question 55

Resilience is the ability of an ecosystem to absorb disturbance without altering its basic structure and functions.

Question 56

Species are becoming extinct at rates greater than those over the last 65 million years.

Question 57

Much of the population growth forecasted for the next four decades will occur in highly developed countries.

Question 58

Canada's population growth is mainly due to a high fertility rate.

Question 59

The demographic transition model suggests a relationship between economic growth and
population.

Question 60

The Kuznet curve suggests that there is an income level that acts as a turning point towards environmental improvement.

Question 61

Every person on Earth has roughly the same environmental impact.

Question 62

The average Canadian and American consume 2.4 times as much energy as the average Western European person.

Question 63

National approaches to dealing with resource and environmental issues in Canada have been difficult to establish due to legislative authority being shared between provincial and federal governments.

Question 64

Cape Town has solved its water crisis.

Question 65

The Trans Mountain pipeline is not a wicked problem, since it has been solved.

Question 66

What are the three waves of environmental management approaches, and what impact did each of these waves have on the types of strategies used to achieve environmental management?

Question 67

Why is it important for scientists to avoid advocacy of any particular solution when they are using science-based management theories?

Question 68

What is sustainable development?

Question 69

How does energy consumption vary across the globe?

Question 70

Briefly describe the different perspectives on the Trans Mountain Pipeline project.

Question 71

What is resilience and what are some of the complications in sustaining it in resource
management?

Question 72

What is sustainable development? Why does it generate both enthusiasm and frustration?

Question 73

How does one create an effective learning environment for enabling effective decision-making in sustainable development, according to Bruce Hooper?