Deck 14: The Global Environment

Question 1

Which of the following is NOT a reason that we avoid changing our personal behaviors to preserve our environment?

A)We seek to "free ride" from others.
B)We know our individual actions will have only a small effect.
C)Our incentives to individually defect are greater than our incentives to cooperate.
D)We believe that the chances of being caught are small enough to risk not changing.
E)We do not wish to pay the costs of such a change.

Answer 1

D

Question 2

Which of the following statements about the ozone layer is FALSE?

A)The ozone layer blocks harmful ultraviolet radiation from reaching Earth's surface.
B)The ozone layer is essential to life on Earth.
C)The ozone layer is harmed by chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs)in the atmosphere.
D)The ozone layer continues to thin,with no improvement in sight.
E)The ozone layer has a "hole" in it over Antarctica.

Answer 2

D

Question 3

Which of the following is an example of a good whose consumption is rival?

A)Public highways.
B)Clean air.
C)National defense.
D)Internet access.
E)Fishing in a lake.

Answer 3

E

Question 4

Limiting environmental control (heating and cooling)of personal houses in order to limit environmental consequences is an example of a:

A)collective action problem.
B)coordination game.
C)cooperation game.
D)strategic interaction.
E)principal-agent problem.

Question 5

The Lima Accord was an international agreement related to what issue?

A)Whaling.
B)Ozone depletion.
C)Climate change.
D)Oil dumping in open waters.
E)Overfishing.

Question 6

What is a common pool resource?

A)A good that is nonexcludable but rival in consumption.
B)A cost or benefit for stakeholders other than the actor undertaking an action.
C)An effect created by the interaction between two states.
D)A good that is nonexcludable and nonrival in consumption.
E)An international agency that monitors compliance with regulations.

Question 7

Which of the following is NOT an example of a negative externality?

A)A multinational corporation produces waste products that contaminate local groundwater and make the regional water undrinkable.
B)The power generation of a local factory produces soot that covers nearby houses.
C)The production of toys by an international corporation produces some waste products that the company pays to have disposed of properly.
D)A newly built airport services hundreds of jets that are loud and disturb nearby residents.
E)A military conducts live-ammunition training exercises,and some of the material from the exercises ends up on other people's private property.

Question 8

All of the following are examples of an externality EXCEPT:

A)bees kept to make honey pollinate plants belonging to a nearby farmer.
B)smoke from a factory imposes cleanup costs on nearby residents.
C)a group purchases a farm on which to grow its own food.
D)a company dumps toxic waste into a river,forcing people downstream to drink polluted water.
E)a school club cleans up a public beach,creating a litter-free and safer swim area for all beachgoers.

Question 9

What is an externality?

A)A good that is nonexcludable but rival in consumption.
B)A cost or benefit for stakeholders other than the actor undertaking an action.
C)An effect created by the interaction between two states.
D)A good that is nonexcludable and nonrival in consumption.
E)An international agency that monitors compliance with regulations.

Question 10

How did the European Emissions Trading Scheme privatize a public good?

A)The system sold off government-owned firms to more efficient private owners.
B)European governments became less involved in the details of pollution reduction,allowing private citizens and firms to determine the appropriate levels of pollution.
C)European governments gave away environmentally friendly technology that had been developed using public funds.
D)The system regulated pollution emissions that occurred in each individual country.
E)The system divided up and distributed a pollution allowance to individual firms that were contaminating clean air.

Question 11

Why is preservation of the environment sometimes like a Prisoner's Dilemma?

A)The world's population is "imprisoned" and cannot escape the effects of environmental degradation and global warming.
B)Transnational advocacy networks can free the world's population from the effects of environmental degradation and global warming.
C)Individuals have no interest in cooperating and would rather "defect" by continuing to pollute,if it suits their needs.
D)Individuals have a shared interest in cooperating but would rather "defect" since their own efforts would have little effect on overall pollution levels.
E)Individuals will always "defect" when asked to cooperate on issues like ozone depletion and global warming.

Question 12

The case of ozone depletion indicates that:

A)progress is sometimes possible,despite the presence of special interests.
B)special interests are rarely successful in blocking environmental regulations.
C)the presence of special interests always win out over the collective interest for a cleaner environment.
D)special interests can successfully mobilize citizens to take on their governments.
E)special interests can subvert Superfund cleanup rules.

Question 13

What makes the Lima Accord different from previous agreements on that topic?

A)NGO's were not allowed to participate in the meeting.
B)Fewer states were present at the signing of the Accord than at previous conferences.
C)The United Nations supported the agreement without reservation.
D)It has an enforcement mechanism that is more powerful than previous agreements.
E)It is the first time that all nations,rich and poor,agreed to take action to combat the issue.

Question 14

Given the relative lack of international environmental cooperation,together with the existence of hundreds of transnational environmental advocacy networks and the success of Al Gore's documentary,An Inconvenient Truth,one could best conclude that:

A)environmentalists prefer talk over action.
B)educating the public is not enough to produce effective solutions.
C)environmental cooperation is hindered by too much information.
D)support for the environment is not as broad-based as believed.
E)forging international agreements is best left to the diplomats.

Question 15

Which of the following is most clearly an example of a public good?

A)The Grand Banks fishery off the East Coast of North America.
B)The availability to use the Danube River for commercial shipping.
C)The ozone layer protecting humans from ultraviolet radiation.
D)The level of pollution from a pulp mill in Uruguay that affects Argentina.
E)Bees from one farmer's property pollinating another farmer's plants.

Question 16

Which of the following products is nonexcludable?

A)National Security.
B)Food.
C)Clothing.
D)Access to a store.
E)The ability to attend a class.

Question 17

Which of the following greenhouse gases is primarily responsible for our current concerns about global warming?

A)Methane.
B)Water vapor.
C)Carbon dioxide.
D)Nitrous oxide.
E)Ozone.

Question 18

How did Europe's Emissions Trading Scheme work?

A)European countries banned trade with firms that polluted in excess of their allowances.
B)European countries traded new antipollution technology to firms in developing countries that committed to reducing carbon emissions.
C)Firms were given allowances for greenhouse gas emissions that they could sell or buy depending on their own efficiency.
D)Firms in Europe established their own regulations to limit carbon emissions.
E)European governments gave tax credits to firms that reduced their carbon emissions.

Question 19

What is a public good?

A)A good that is nonexcludable but rival in consumption.
B)A cost or benefit for stakeholders other than the actor undertaking an action.
C)An effect created by the interaction between two states.
D)A good that is nonexcludable and nonrival in consumption.
E)An international agency that monitors compliance with regulations.

Question 20

Which of the following is an example of free riding with regard to environmental issues?

A)China does not reduce carbon emissions but expects developed countries to reduce theirs.
B)Japan pushes to remove the ban on commercial whaling.
C)Togo does not pay its dues to the International Whaling Commission (IWC).
D)Greenpeace uses its own ships to monitor Norwegian whaling vessels.
E)Europeans take boat trips on the Danube River without having to pay tolls.

Question 21

Which is the region with the best record for protecting the environment?

A)Europe.
B)South Asia.
C)North America.
D)South America.
E)The Middle East.

Question 22

Why has the U.S.auto industry opposed efforts to reduce emissions?

A)The required new technologies would raise the price of cars,and this would reduce manufacturers' profits.
B)They do not believe that auto emissions are harmful.
C)They believe that more reductions in emissions are unnecessary because auto manufacturers in other countries have already reduced emissions enough to prevent global warming.
D)Consumers do not buy low-emission automobiles.
E)They have already reduced emissions as much as possible.

Question 23

How has globalization affected environmental issues?

A)The spread of global media has increased awareness of global warming and has led to the reduction of carbon emissions in developing countries.
B)Poor countries have more access to environmentally friendly technologies because of the spread of the Internet.
C)Transit costs have declined,which has decreased the environmental impact of trade.
D)The increased linkage between countries resulting from globalization makes conflicts over environmental issues more likely.
E)The increased competition resulting from economic globalization makes firms more likely to reduce costs by evading environmental regulations.

Question 24

Why was the problem of acid rain more easily resolved than other issues?

A)The pollution affected relatively few states,making cooperation easier.
B)The pollution affected a large number of states,which led to widespread concern.
C)It was inexpensive to reduce the emission of the pollutants that caused acid rain.
D)The major polluters were developing countries that were easily pressured by more powerful states to reduce pollution levels.
E)Firms were already moving away from using coal-burning plants and toward utilizing cleaner technology.

Question 25

Which of the following statements best describes the United States' approach to global warming?

A)The United States was an early leader in the campaign to reduce global warming.
B)The United States has signed on to major international treaties designed to reduce carbon emissions.
C)The United States has boycotted goods produced in countries that have signed international agreements that it opposes.
D)The United States has shared new environmental technology with developing countries in hopes that these countries will reduce their carbon emissions.
E)The United States has been unwilling to take a significant role in reducing carbon emissions.

Question 26

Why do "greener" industries have less political influence than polluting industries?

A)Polluting industries usually involve many firms,and they can use their superior numbers to pressure the government for support.
B)Since they are usually new industries,there are too few people currently dependent upon their success to rally support for them.
C)Most people do not believe that environmentally friendly technologies actually work.
D)The majority of people do not support environmentally friendly technologies.
E)The majority of politicians are philosophically opposed to supporting environmentally friendly policies.

Question 27

Which of the following is an example of a privileged group with respect to resolving environmental problems?

A)The United States has an advantage with regard to global warming,because it has few low-lying areas.
B)Only a few countries wanted to continue killing whales for commercial purposes.
C)Landowners in the Amazon can also benefit from ecotourism if they preserve the rainforest to reduce global warming.
D)The United States,which produced a large portion of CFCs,pushed for a ban of CFCs.
E)The International Whaling Commission enacted a ban on commercial whaling.

Question 28

Which of the following illustrates the effects of linkage on environmental problems?

A)Greenpeace monitored Japanese whaling vessels while providing information to governments about weather trends.
B)The United States and Canada are each other's largest trading partners,and together they stopped the problem of acid rain.
C)Mexico blames pollution from the United States for birth defects in Tijuana.
D)Southern European and northern African countries share responsibility for pollution levels in the Mediterranean Sea.
E)Australians have experienced rising skin cancer rates because of ozone depletion.

Question 29

What are joint products?

A)An international agency that monitors compliance with regulations.
B)Effects created by the interaction between two states.
C)Goods that are nonexcludable and nonrival in consumption.
D)Goods that are nonexcludable but rival in consumption.
E)When public goods are bundled with private goods.

Question 30

What role did environmental groups play in getting a ban on commercial whaling enacted?

A)They had only a small role,because states were going to support the ban for other reasons.
B)They pushed the United Nations to hold an environmental conference on the issue.
C)They created an international code of conduct for whalers that convinced them to stop hunting whales.
D)They encouraged nonwhaling states to join the International Whaling Commission (IWC)and to vote for the ban.
E)They informed the public in developed countries about the abuses committed by whalers,and this led to a boycott by the United States of goods from whaling countries.

Question 31

Which country or area is the greatest source of new pollutants?

A)The United States.
B)Europe.
C)Japan.
D)Russia.
E)China.

Question 32

What explains the United States' position on reducing carbon emissions?

A)The United States has always had an environmentally friendly foreign policy.
B)Citizens in the United States have pushed their government to support environmentally friendly policies.
C)The United States is not likely to be as significantly affected by global warming as other countries.
D)Firms in the United States have realized they could make more profits by allowing the government to share their technological advances with developed countries.
E)The United States will be significantly affected by global warming and is using its influence so other countries will reduce carbon emissions as much as possible.

Question 33

The Kyoto Protocol attempts to:

A)exclude a nonrival good.
B)overexploit a common resource pool.
C)privatize a public good.
D)end a positive externality.
E)enforce the Montreal Protocol.

Question 34

The depletion of the whale population due to hunting is an example of all of the following phenomena EXCEPT:

A)public goods.
B)rival in consumption.
C)overexploitation.
D)common pool resources.
E)nonexcludability.

Question 35

Which of the following is an example of a joint product?

A)The International Convention for the Prevention of Pollution of the Seas by Oil created standards for reducing oil discharges in the ocean.
B)The Danube River flows through many European countries.
C)Fishing vessels from the United States and Canada can profit from the Grand Banks fishery.
D)Bees from one farm can pollinate plants on another property.
E)Dupont could earn profits from a ban on CFCs that would also reduce ozone depletion.

Question 36

Why is the problem of ozone depletion different from the problem of global warming?

A)Stopping ozone depletion involves easily manipulated developing countries,whereas global warming involves more powerful developed countries.
B)Ozone depletion is not a collective action problem,but stopping global warming is a collective action problem.
C)There are few CFC-producing countries,but nearly all industrialized and industrializing countries emit greenhouse gases.
D)Ozone depletion is a much more serious threat than global warming.
E)The United States has emitted a much smaller percentage of CFCs than of greenhouse gases.

Question 37

Which of the following is NOT a reason that those who would be negatively affected by tighter environmental restrictions so often defeat these policies?

A)The costs of the regulations are direct and immediate for those who would be negatively affected.
B)Consumers would rather not pay more for products made more expensive by environmental regulations.
C)The groups who would be hurt by tighter environmental restrictions usually are small relative to the number that would benefit from the regulations and have a stronger incentive to defeat these policies.
D)The majority of citizens sympathize with the affected industries and pressure governments to avoid environmental regulations.
E)Existing industries have more supporters that they can mobilize compared to industries that are developing more environmentally friendly technologies.

Question 38

How are polluting industries similar to protectionist industries?

A)Both are able to foresee problems far in the future and to act strategically in advance to prevent the government from considering detrimental policies.
B)Both usually support their government's involvement in international agreements.
C)Both are small in number and can get concentrated benefits from government policies,while the costs of those policies are spread across many individuals.
D)Both are large groups that can use their numbers to get favorable government policies passed.
E)Both are large groups that are motivated,because the costs of unfavorable policies will be spread across a large number of members.

Question 39

Why was a ban on commercial whaling enacted?

A)Public protest caused countries to voluntarily ban the hunting of whales.
B)The whale population was declining rapidly,and states were unable to sufficiently reduce their catches.
C)There was no longer a demand for products made from whales.
D)At an environmental conference,the United States brokered an agreement that banned whaling.
E)The U.S.Congress decided to impose import limitations on countries that did not support a ban on commercial whaling.

Question 40

Which of the following is an example of a common pool resource?

A)Restoration of the ozone layer.
B)The Grand Banks fishery off the coast of North America.
C)A beehive that pollinates plants located on other properties.
D)Acid rain created by coal plants in the United States falling in Canada.
E)The International Whaling Commission (IWC).

Question 41

Why are there ethical concerns about pressuring poor countries to industrialize in an environmentally friendly way?

A)Wealthy countries are imposing their own beliefs about the environment on poor countries.
B)Poor countries will not benefit from improving the environment as much as wealthy countries will.
C)Wealthy countries caused the pollution problem while industrializing and are now asking poor countries to not do the same.
D)Poor countries may be offended by the suggestion that they do not value a clean environment.
E)Some of the new environmentally friendly technologies may be more dangerous for workers than older technologies.

Question 42

Why were the European Emissions Trading Scheme credits given to existing companies,rather than auctioned off?

A)It was more efficient to give away the credits than to stage an auction.
B)The Europeans found out that firms could not afford to purchase the credits and pay for the technology to reduce emissions.
C)Consumers successfully lobbied to have the credits given out for free so that firms would not have to raise the prices of their products.
D)Firms successfully lobbied to have the credits given out for free so that they would not have to pay for them.
E)Lawyers raised legal and ethical questions about forcing firms to pay for the right to pollute.

Question 43

Why did the United States refuse to ratify the Kyoto Protocol?

A)The United States did not think the agreement went far enough in reducing greenhouse gases.
B)The United States would have to reduce its carbon emissions while developing countries would not.
C)The United States was boycotting the host country,Japan,because of its whaling practices.
D)The United States preferred an alternative agreement proposed by several European countries.
E)Most other countries also refused to ratify the protocol.

Question 44

Explain how interests and interactions make international environmental cooperation difficult to achieve,even when major actors have a shared interest in preserving the environment.

Question 45

What is an accurate portrayal of the history of environmental conventions against oil dumping by oil tankers?

A)Oil tanker operators clean oil tankers at present by flooding them with ocean water;environmental action has not been successful.
B)Oil tanker operators have independently changed their policy after oil dumping was exposed in the media.
C)After the practice was exposed in the 1960s and 1970s,the international community successfully drafted international law to stop the practice.
D)Efforts only succeeded after several attempts to find the right mechanism to discourage oil tankers from dumping oil in the ocean.
E)Oil dumping was never a problem in the first place,since oil was so valuable;the media oversensationalized the issue.

Question 46

Why is it cheaper and easier to prevent environmental damage in developing countries?

A)Firms in developed countries have already adopted cleaner technologies,but many firms in developing countries are still using older,more polluting technologies.
B)Labor costs are lower in developing countries,which means it is cheaper to hire workers to refurbish firms with new technologies.
C)Labor costs are lower in developing countries,which means firms in developing countries can profit from using workers instead of highly polluting machinery.
D)Wealthy countries can afford to sell new technologies at lower prices in developing countries,because of favorable exchange rates.
E)Developing countries are weak,and the United States and European countries can easily force them into complying with environmental regulations.

Question 47

What is a framework convention?

A)The agenda for a series of meetings about an international problem.
B)Agreements that establish how treaties will be enforced.
C)Agreements that establish general principles to which all states can agree.
D)International meetings that involve the states with the most interest in an issue.
E)International meetings that involve nearly all states.

Question 48

Which of the following statements about dispute resolution mechanisms is FALSE?

A)The Montreal Protocol to the Vienna Convention was the first international environmental agreement to develop a type of dispute resolution mechanism.
B)The Kyoto Protocol has both a facilitative branch and an enforcement branch in its Compliance Committee.
C)The dispute resolution mechanism of the Montreal Protocol was used to push Russia to comply with its emissions obligations.
D)Most international environmental agreements have currently developed dispute resolution mechanisms.
E)The Kyoto Protocol is considered a model for other environmental agreements with regard to dispute resolution.

Question 49

The relationship between development (as measured in per capita income)and environmental protection suggests that the relationship is:

A)linearly decreasing.
B)linearly increasing.
C)a mostly negative relationship that rebounds slightly upward toward higher values.
D)a mostly positive relationship that rebounds slightly downward toward higher values.
E)The data are inconsistent,and there appears to be no relationship.

Question 50

How does China's economic development affect its pollution levels?

A)China already emits more CO2 per capita than the United States.
B)In the future China will emit more greenhouse gases than all developed countries combined.
C)China is expected to comply with the greenhouse gas emissions set by the Kyoto Protocol.
D)Despite its rapid industrialization,China's CO2 emissions have remained the same.
E)Despite its large population and rapid development,China has reduced its greenhouse gas emissions.

Question 51

When is cooperation on international environmental problems most likely to occur?

Question 52

Why has cooperation in restoring the ozone been more successful than efforts to address climate change?

Question 53

Why did the requirement that tankers purchase new discharge equipment reduce oil pollution?

A)The newly required equipment was cheaper than the old equipment,so more tanker companies purchased it.
B)The new equipment made it easier for transnational advocacy networks to monitor tankers at sea.
C)Although the new equipment was more expensive than the previous measures,verification of compliance was easier than before.
D)Many tanker companies could not afford the new equipment and went out of business;fewer tankers resulted in fewer oil discharges.
E)The new requirement sent a message to tanker companies that governments were serious about enforcing discharge limits.

Question 54

Which of the following is an example of a transnational advocacy network acting as a "fire alarm"?

A)Greenpeace distributing to the media video clips about whaling.
B)Greenpeace notifying the IWC of any whaling violations that they witness.
C)Greenpeace hanging banners on the Golden Gate Bridge condemning commercial whaling.
D)Greenpeace organizing whale-watching tours to raise awareness in the public about whaling.
E)Greenpeace positioning themselves between Japanese whaling vessels and the whales they are trying to hunt.

Question 55

The Vienna Convention and the Montreal Protocol are related to which issue?

A)Whaling.
B)Ozone depletion.
C)Climate change.
D)Oil dumping in open waters.
E)Overfishing.

Question 56

Why has the United States refused to ratify the Kyoto Protocol? What does this tell us about the nature and challenges of international bargaining on environmental issues?

Question 57

How are future generations represented in the political bargaining over environmental policies?

A)Politicians thinking about their long-term careers consider how future voters will react to their policies.
B)Parents vote for politicians who will promote the best policies for their children.
C)Diplomats who represent their governments at international conferences are also parents and grandparents who are concerned about their descendants' future.
D)Bureaucratic agencies create contingency plans that include different scenarios about the effects of environmental policies,including future generations.
E)There is no real mechanism for representing the interests of future generations in today's bargaining.

Question 58

International environmental institutions can affect cooperation on environmental issues in all of the following ways EXCEPT international institutions:

A)verify whether states are complying with international environmental standards.
B)reduce decision-making costs for states negotiating agreements about international environmental issues.
C)assist states in resolving disputes that they may have about environmental issues.
D)establish clear standards of behavior for states with which they can be expected to comply.
E)force states to fulfill their treaty obligations through economic sanctions.

Question 59

How has the participation of nongovernmental organizations (NGOs)become institutionalized in the Framework Convention on Climate Change (FCCC)?

A)NGOs can attend meetings unless at least one-third of the member states object.
B)NGOs have become full-fledged members of the FCCC.
C)NGOs have become official monitors of compliance with FCCC standards.
D)NGOs have become the neutral dispute-resolution mechanism for the FCCC.
E)NGOs have become official representatives for poor countries who cannot afford to send diplomats to many international conferences.

Question 60

Why is cooperation to improve the environment sometimes like a Prisoner's Dilemma?

Question 61

How can international institutions help implement international environmental agreements?

Question 62

How can privatizing public goods encourage better protection of the environment? Consider the Emissions Trading Scheme as an example.

Question 63

Explain how transnational advocacy networks help implement international environmental agreements.

Question 64

Why was the adoption of expensive new technologies more effective in limiting oil discharges by tankers as opposed to the cheaper alternatives that failed to change the behavior of tanker operators?

Question 65

What is the Lima Accord? Why is it significant in the history of global environmental agreements? Do you believe it will be effective? Why or why not?

Question 66

What is the conflict between economic development and environmental well-being? Is there a compromise between these competing interests?