course material

1. Widespread adoption of sustainable consumption at the global level
Widespread adoption of sustainable consumption at the global level willnot be easy
because:A.sustainable consumption requires the eradication of poverty whichrequires that
poor people increase their consumption of certain essentialresources to improve the quality
of their lives and these resources areno longer available.B.sustainable consumption
requires that the consumption patterns ofpeople in highly developed countries must change
to allow for theeradication of poverty and such changes in the lifestyles of people inhighly
developed countries is a challenge.C.sustainable consumption requires that everyone
embrace voluntarysimplicity on a compulsory basis and while this is supported
bypoliticians, economists are not in support.D.sustainable consumption requires the
excessive reliance on globalresources that will result in a tragedy of the commons What is a
potential shortcoming in achieving environmental justice?A.It is more expensive to clean-up
hazardous waste in low-incomecommunities because of the lack of technical skill in these
communities.B.Residents of low-income and minority communities have less involvementin
the political process and may not even be aware of their exposure toincreased levels of
pollutants.C.Minority communities tend to get more cooperation from governmentagencies
that can help them.D.Too many programs exist to serve the environmental justice needs
oflow-income and minority communities and these are often in competitionwith each other
making it hard to accomplish the goals. A type of sustainable consumption which
recognizes that individualhappiness and quality of life are not necessarily linked to
theaccumulation of material goods but rather that a person’s values andcharacter define
that individual more than how many things he or she ownis known as:A. environmental
ethicsB. sustainable developmentC. environmental justiceD. A deep ecology worldview.E.
Child labor.F. voluntary simplicityG. Sustainable consumption. Why is a risk analysis
usually performed in solving environmentalproblems?A.To solicit public opinion about how
evidence should be interpretedwhen selection a course of action.B.To analyze the potential
effect of an intervention versus doingnothing.C.To monitor the initial assessment and
modeling of the problem.D.To provide public awareness and endorsement. Which of the
following statements associated with poverty is CORRECT?1) Poverty is defined as having a
per person income of less than $2 perday, expressed in U.S. dollars adjusted for purchasing
power.2) The number of people living in poverty has been steadily declining andtoday less
than one billion people live in poverty worldwide.3) Poverty is a condition in which people
are unable to meet their basicneeds for food, clothing, shelter, education, or health.A.1
onlyB.2 onlyC.3 onlyD.Both 1 and 3 apply as descriptions of poverty. Which of the following

2. is NOT TRUE about the nature of natural resourcesand their use by people?A.Slowing down
the rate of population growth as well as reducingresource consumption levels will allow for
more time to developtechnological advances to find alternatives to non-renewableB.Even
renewable resources must be used in a manner that allows for themto replenish or replace
themselves and thus these resources should moreaccurately be considered potentially
renewable and not be overexploited.C.Developing countries are often faced with the
difficult choice betweenexploiting natural resources to provide for their expanding
populationsin the short term (to pay for food or to cover debts) or conserving
thoseresources for future generations.D.Poverty does not impose any pressures on natural
resources as the pooruse barely any resources at all and what they do use is used
verycarefully and wisely for long term survival. tion 8 of 254.0 PointsWhich of the
following is the BEST example of sustainable consumption?A.Constructing a small house on
farmland on the edge of town andcarpooling to work.B.Flying to the Bahamas for a weekend
getaway.C.Preparing a meal at home with food bought at the local farmers
market.D.Purchasing five pairs of shoes at a local minority owned business. How does
science obtain knowledge about the world?A.By an interactive process of experimentation,
which refines hypothesesuntil they are finally proven to be the absolute truth.B.By relying
on scientific authorities and the massive amount ofknowledge already obtained to explain
new data.C.By systematically gathering evidence and discarding potentialexplanations that
do not fit the evidence, and refining those that do fitthe evidence.D.By conducting
experiments designed to support hypotheses as beingcorrect beyond reasonable doubt. All
of the following statements describe environmental science EXCEPT:A.The goal of
environmental science is to try to establish generalprinciples about how the natural world
functions.B.Environmental scientists seek to develop viable solutions toenvironmental
problems that are based as much as possible on scientificknowledge.C.Since environmental
problems are generally complex and scientificunderstanding of them is often less complete,
environmental scientistsare often called on to reach scientific consensus before the data
arecomplete.D.No exceptions, all of the above statements describe
environmentalscience. Which of the following interact to promote sustainable
development? 1 Economically viable decisions2 Socially equitable decisions3
Environmentally sound decisions4 High rate of resources use5 Rapid population growthA.1
and 3B.2 and 4C.1, 2, and 3D.3,4, and 5 What does the phrase “environmental
sustainability” imply?A.The actions of humans directly impact the wellbeing of the
naturalenvironment.B.Future generations will have the resources necessary for quality
oflife.C.A shared global responsibility is necessary for conservationpractices.D.All of the
above are implied by environmental sustainability. If economic decisions are to be
sustainable they will have to considerwhich of the following?A.political
costsB.environmental costsC.societal costsD.environmental and societal costs both must be
considered What is meant by food insecurity?A.The potential decline in agricultural
productivity due to reduced soilfertility as a result of multi-cropping.B.The condition in
which people live with chronic hunger andmalnutrition likely due to poverty.C.The
increased pressures on food production as a result of increases inglobal population.D.The
potential decline in agricultural productivity due to conservationtillage. The use of goods

3. and services that satisfy basic human needs, improve thequality of life but minimize
resource use is referred to as:A.sustainable consumptionB.master planned
communitiesC.environmental justiceD.organic agriculture stion 18 of 254.0 PointsThe deep
ecology world view most closely resembles the:A.Western worldviewB.utilitarian
conservationist attitudeC.frontier attitudeD.biocentric preservationist attitude In order to
estimate human impact on the environment we canA.multiply the number of people times
affluence per person timesresources used and wastes produced (I=P x A x T)B.multiply
resource depletion times number of years divided by number ofpeople (I = R x Y ÷
P)C.multiply birth rate times consumption patterns divided by availableresources (I= B x C
÷ R)D.Divide number of people by resources needed and wastes produced (I = P÷ T) Global
sustainable development depends on eradication of poverty in thedeveloping world. What
is the consequence of this?A.Developing countries will consume at the same levels as
developedcountries today.B.Poor people will need to move to cities increasing urban
airpollution.C.Developing countries will be forced into deforestation in order tomeet their
economic needs.D.Poor people in developing countries need to increase their
consumptionof certain essential resources. A journalist reports on what Garrett Hardin (in
1968) referred to as a“Tragedy of the Commons”? The media story concerns:A.the
technology divide that exists between the social classes ofpoverty and eliteB.the
environmental costs that everyone must pay in the long run due toindividual exploitation of
resources for short-term gains.C.a disaster that happened in the parkD.the environmental
costs that a widespread natural disaster brings toall walks of life In order for a country to
progress from a less developed country (LDC) toa moderately developed country (MDC),
the country would have to:A.increase rate of population growth.B.move from industry to
agricultural economy base.C.raise the per-capita income.D.increase their unskilled labor
force. A state agency has contacted you to do a scientific assessment of kudzuin a nature
preserve in southern Georgia. They are concerned about theeffects of the non-native
invasive vine on a small rare plant that growson the forest floor in the preserve, but which
is found nowhere else inthe state. Kudzu is only growing in the east side of the preserve
becauseit hasn’t yet had time to invade further. In order to assess the effectsof kudzu on the
rare plant, you set up the following experiment: Site 1. On the east side of the park with the
kudzu, you set up ten 1m x1m plots on the forest floor. In each plot you count the number
ofindividuals of the rare plant.Site 2. On the west side of the park without the kudzu, you set
up ten 1mx 1m plots of the forest floor. In each plot you count the number ofindividuals of
the rare plant. Which of the following represents the hypothesis that you are testingwith
this experiment?A.Kudzu will eventually grow on the west side of the park.B.Kudzu will kill
off the trees in the preserve by strangling them.C.Kudzu should be removed from the
preserve because it is killing therare plant.D.Kudzu is negatively affecting populations of the
rare plant in thepreserve. A personal perspective based on a collection of basic values and
beliefsabout how the environment works, that helps us make sense of our placeand purpose
in it, and determine right and wrong behaviors describes:A.Environmental
ethicsB.Environmental worldviewC.Voluntary simplicityD.Deep ecology All of the following
statements regarding the need for environmentaljustice and the challenges in
accomplishing its goals are true EXCEPT:A.Research evidence suggests that minority

4. communities tend to followNIMBY ideals and thus get less cooperation from government
agencies thatcould help them.B.Residents of low-income and minority communities have
less involvementin the political process and may not even be aware of their exposure
toincreased levels of pollutants.C.Many studies indicate that hazardous waste facilities,
sanitarylandfills, and incinerators are more likely to be located in low-incomeand minority
communities.D.Currently, we have little scientific evidence showing to what extent
apolluted environment is responsible for the disproportionate healthproblems of poor and
minority communities.