Question 1

By the early 1980s,which statement was TRUE?

Accepted Answer

By the early 1980s, total emissions were lower than they were before the Clean Air Act of 1970, indicating the effectiveness of the legislation in reducing pollution.

Question 2

The Clean Air Act of 1970 and the 1990 amendments can be judged as a success if the:

Accepted Answer

C

Question 3

The Clean Air Act of 1970 was intended to reduce the emissions that cause acid rain by:

Accepted Answer

The Clean Air Act of 1970 primarily focused on setting standards for new sources of pollution, including new coal-fired power plants, to control emissions that contribute to acid rain.

Question 4

The 1997 global meeting on climate change in Kyoto,Japan,addressed:

Accepted Answer

The 1997 global meeting on climate change in Kyoto, Japan addressed both acid rain and global warming. The meeting resulted in the Kyoto Protocol, an agreement between nations to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and combat global warming.

Question 5

Acid rain is caused when _______ are released into the atmosphere.

Accepted Answer

Acid rain is caused when sulfur dioxide (SO2) and nitrogen oxides (NOx) are released into the atmosphere. These gases react with water, oxygen, and other chemicals to form sulfuric acid, nitric acid, and other toxic substances which fall back to earth in the form of acid rain. Carbon monoxide and carbon dioxide are not directly responsible for the formation of acid rain.

Question 6

Which of the following is DIRECTLY caused by acid rain?

Accepted Answer

Acid rain directly causes damage to buildings, monuments, and other structures by reacting with materials like limestone and marble, leading to corrosion and deterioration.

Question 7

The 1990 amendments to the Clean Air Act included a regulation that mandated:

Accepted Answer

The 1990 amendments to the Clean Air Act did mandate significant reductions in sulfur dioxide emissions, but it applied to all plants, even older ones. Option B is incorrect as it only applies to newly constructed plants. Option C is incorrect as it is not a requirement under the 1990 amendments. Option D is incorrect as the 1990 amendments did establish new goals for reducing emissions.

Question 8

Acid rain is an example of a classic:

Accepted Answer

Acid rain is a result of pollutants being produced during the production process and then released into the atmosphere. This creates a negative production externality as the producer does not bear the full cost of their actions, and the negative impact is felt by others through damage to the environment and even human health.

Question 9

When sulfur dioxide is released into the atmosphere,it combines with hydrogen to form sulfuric acid,also known as particulates.The health costs associated with these particulates:

Accepted Answer

The answer of When sulfur dioxide is released into the...

Question 10

Which statement gives an unintended consequence of the 1970 Clean Air Act?

Accepted Answer

The 1970 Clean Air Act imposed stricter regulations on new power plants regarding emissions, which inadvertently encouraged utilities to continue operating older, more polluting plants longer than they might have otherwise, to avoid the costs of compliance associated with new construction.

Question 11

The Clean Air Act of 1970 forced utilities to:

Accepted Answer

The Clean Air Act of 1970 required utilities to either install scrubbers on power plants built after 1970 or switch to low-sulfur coal in order to reduce emissions of sulfur dioxide, nitrogen oxides, and particulate matter. This allowed for the modernization and improvement of power plants without requiring an immediate replacement of older plants.

Question 12

Which of the following can be said about the Obama administration's 2012 regulation related to greenhouse gas emissions?

Accepted Answer

The statement that most natural gas-powered plants easily meet the new carbon standards can be inferred from the text. Option A is incorrect as the regulation applies to all power plants, not just those that run on coal. Option B is also incorrect as the regulation applies to all power plants. Option D is not supported by the given text.

Question 13

The negative externality that could potentially cause the most harm to humans is:

Accepted Answer

The increase in greenhouse effect and resulting changes in the earth's climate have the potential to cause significant harm to humans through extreme weather events, sea level rise, and disruption of ecosystems essential for human survival.

Question 14

The goal of the 1997 Kyoto treaty was to combat global warming by:

Accepted Answer

The Kyoto treaty aimed to cut greenhouse gas emissions below 1990 levels by 2010. It required developed countries to cut their emissions by specific amounts and established a framework for emissions trading. However, not all countries ratified the treaty, and some that did, such as the United States, withdrew from it. Despite these limitations, the treaty represented a significant milestone in the global effort to address climate change.

Question 15

The Obama administration's Clean Power Plan calls for:

Accepted Answer

The Clean Power Plan calls for reductions in carbon dioxide emissions from existing power plants. It does not only target newly constructed power plants or call for the closure of all coal-fired power plants by 2030. The plan also sets different reduction targets for each state based on its unique circumstances, rather than uniform reductions for every state.

Question 16

In their comparison of health outcomes between communities in attainment areas and those in nonattainment areas before and after the Clean Air Act of 1970,Chay and Greenstone (2003)used a:

Accepted Answer

Chay and Greenstone (2003) used a quasi-experiment in their research. This approach is chosen because it allows for the examination of the effects of an intervention (in this case, the Clean Air Act of 1970) in situations where it is not feasible to conduct a randomized controlled trial. They compared health outcomes between communities that were affected by the Act (nonattainment areas) and those that were not (attainment areas) before and after the Act's implementation, which is a hallmark of quasi-experimental design.

Question 17

Chay and Greenstone (2003)estimated the effect of the Clean Air Act of 1970 by comparing the health outcomes of people in attainment areas with those of people in nonattainment areas both before and after the law was passed.What did they find?

Accepted Answer

Chay and Greenstone found that the implementation of the Clean Air Act of 1970, which led to reduced emissions, was associated with a decrease in infant mortality in attainment areas compared to nonattainment areas.

Question 18

The problem addressed by the 1997 Kyoto treaty was getting _________ in 1997; the problem addressed by the Montreal Protocol of 1987 was getting _________ in 1987.

Accepted Answer

The 1997 Kyoto treaty addressed climate change, which was worsening slowly, while the 1987 Montreal Protocol addressed the depletion of the ozone layer, which was worsening quickly.

Question 19

Which of statement is accurate regarding the effect of amendments passed to the Clean Air Act in 1990?

Accepted Answer

The 1990 amendments to the Clean Air Act introduced a cap-and-trade system for sulfur dioxide (SO2) emissions, which is a form of tradable emissions permit system. This system has been widely regarded as successful in reducing emissions at a lower cost than traditional regulatory approaches, demonstrating that tradable emissions permit systems can work well in practice.

Question 20

Which statement gives a reason for opposition to the 1990 amendments to the Clean Air Act?

Accepted Answer

The statement that predicts the loss of up to 4 million jobs provides a reason for opposition to the 1990 amendments to the Clean Air Act.

Quiz 6: Externalities in Action- Environmental and Health Externalities