Deck 13: The Global Commons Index

Question 1

The expectation that global population will level off by the end of the century is most closely associated with

A)the tragedy of the commons.
B)the Club of Rome.
C)the theory of demographic transition.
D)Garret Hardin.

Answer 1

C

Question 2

The Club of Rome argued that the world had to achieve zero population growth at some point within 100 years of its report.

Answer 2

True

Question 3

Garrett Hardin and Thomas Malthus

A)were members of the Club of Rome.
B)opposed the Club of Rome's analysis.
C)worried about overpopulation.
D)predicted that the world would soon exhaust its oil supplies.

Answer 3

C

Question 4

Thomas Malthus predicted that food production would not keep pace with population growth.

Question 5

The tragedy of the commons assumes that individual and collective interests are the same.

Question 6

The theory of peak oil increasing supplies of oil is a problem from climate change.

Question 7

Garrett Hardin

A)argued that the Club of Rome was too pessimistic.
B)believed global warming is a myth.
C)opposed the creation of the international food bank.
D)claimed that Thomas Malthus was an enemy of the working class.

Question 8

Garrett Hardin rejected the idea that world is close to its carrying capacity.

Question 9

According to the Club of Rome,

A)technology will solve most of our resource problems.
B)the supply of food is the world's most pressing concern.
C)population growth must eventually be zero.
D)there is no limit to the world's carrying capacity.

Question 10

The resurgence of concerns about the global commons during the 1950s and 1960s was partially the result of

A)unprecedented rates of global population growth.
B)the warnings of Thomas Malthus.
C)the impact of widespread access to birth control.
D)all of the above.

Question 11

The theory of demographic transition predicts that

A)the population will continue to grow exponentially.
B)wealthier people and societies will have more children.
C)wealthier people and societies will have fewer children.
D)we will soon have more people than food to feed them.

Question 12

Thomas Malthus argued that the productivity of the industrial revolution would make it possible to support a much larger global population.

Question 13

The Club of Rome

A)worried most about food production.
B)was first to suggest the problem of climate change.
C)focused on the problem of infinite resources.
D)focused on the problem of finite resources.

Question 14

The tragedy of the commons

A)suggests the Club of Rome was wrong.
B)illustrates why community resources might be overused.
C)presents an argument against private property.
D)assumes that individual and collective interests usually coincide.

Question 15

Carrying capacity refers to the level of population the world can sustain.

Question 16

Thomas Malthus

A)thought global populations would level off at about 10 billion.
B)criticized the World Food Bank.
C)rejected the analysis of the Club of Rome.
D)argued that food production would not keep pace with population growth.

Question 17

Neotraditionalists are generally skeptical that technology will solve problems of resource depletion and environmental degradation.

Question 18

The theory of peak oil predicts that

A)the discovery of new oil fields will keep pace with rising consumption.
B)demand for oil will soon decline.
C)renewable energy sources will soon replace oil.
D)the production of oil cannot keep pace with rising levels of consumption.

Question 19

Global population growth

A)stopped in the 1950s.
B)is greatest in the developed world.
C)was not considered a problem by the Club of Rome.
D)should level off this century according to the theory of demographic transition.

Question 20

Most who accept the theory of demographic transition expect global population to

A)keep rising indefinitely.
B)level off at under 10 billion.
C)decrease as a result of resource shortages.
D)stay about where it now.

Question 21

Garrett Hardin suggests that problems such as those outlined by the Club of Rome cannot be solved until people and societies relinquish their "freedom to breed." Why does he think such a drastic step is necessary? And why do others think it is not?

Question 22

The ___________________________ is generally seen as a successful attempt with the problems of CFC emission and ozone depletion.

Question 23

Environmental and resource problems are nothing new in human history.Contemporary problems, however, pose some new obstacles that might make them more difficult to solve.Why?

Question 24

Thomas Malthus predicted that the growth in ___________________ would exceed the growth in _______________________.

Question 25

The __________________________ predicts that global oil production will soon decline.

Question 26

The buildup of greenhouse gases is generally considered a significant cause of _______________________.

Question 27

In what critical respects do the expectations/analysis of modernists differ from the neotraditionalists?

Question 28

The __________________ Treaty was/is an attempt to address the problem of emissions and global warming that the United States has failed to ratify.

Question 29

Evidence indicates that wealthy people and societies have higher rates of population growth.

Question 30

The Montreal Protocol of 1987 dealt with environmental problems that were basically national in scope.

Question 31

The Kyoto Protocol represents the first significant international attempt to deal with the problem of _______________________________.

Question 32

There has never been a successful international regime dealing with a global environmental problem.

Question 33

Reducing the use of chloroflourocarbons was possible because of their widespread use and scientific recognition of their hazard to the environment.

Question 34

Why do some view the tragedy of the commons as particularly useful for understanding global resource and environmental problems?

Question 35

______________________ refers to the maximum level of population the earth can support.

Question 36

Compare and contrast the neotraditionalist and modernist views of global population growth, resources depletion, and environmental degradation.