Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Week 4 HEAT
Week 6 Waterworld
1. Why does increasing CO2 concentrations in the atmosphere increase global temperature?
a. Carbon dioxide absorbs outgoing infrared radiation and increases the earth’s temperature.
b. Carbon dioxide increases the intensity of the sun’s radiation.
c. Carbon dioxide does not have any impact.
d. None of the above.
4. Why do CO2 levels increase in the winter and decrease in the summer?
a. Because the earth is further away from the sun in the winter, so temperature and CO2 decrease.
b. Because plants grow in the summer and draw in CO2, and their leafs fall in the fall and decompose, increasing CO2.
c. The oceans absorb more CO2 in the summer than in the winter.
d. None of the above.
6. What does ice core data show about global CO2 levels and temperature?
a. That temperature and CO2 levels are unrelated.
b. That as CO2 concentrations increase, temperatures go up.
c. That as CO2 concentrations increase, temperatures go down.
d. None of the above.
7. How could the melting of the icecap on Greenland impact the Gulf Stream?
a. It would accelerate its flow.
b. It would decrease its flow.
c. It would have no impact.
d. It would reduce its salinity, and have adverse impacts on the fish.
9. What will the impact on sea level be if the Greenland and/or the Antarctic icecaps melt?
a. No impact, the ice is just part of the ocean.
b. Sea levels would rise, but only by inches
c. Sea levels would rise significantly
d. None of the above.
1. How much temperature change due to global warming is possible over the 21st century
a. 1 - 2 degrees
b. 7 - 12 degrees
c. 1 - 6 degrees
d. 5 – 10 degrees
3. What are the impacts in the United States at one degree of warming?
a. Expansion of western deserts and loss of fertile crop areas in the west and midwest
b. Massive flooding of low lying areas due to sea level rise
c. Rising levels of the Great Lakes
d. All of the above.
7. How many people died in Europe in the heat wave that occurred in 2003?
a. 100
b. 1,000
c. 30,000
d. Over one million
8. If the temperature on the Earth increases 3 degrees, what is the projected impact on the Amazon rainforest?
a. Rapid expansion due to increased heat.
b. Transformation from a rainforest to a savannah.
c. Increased rate of growth due to CO2 fertilization effect.
d. Shifting of boundaries further up the Andes mountains.
10. At 5 – 6 degrees of global warming, what are some of the projected effects?
a. Large scale extinction of ocean species.
b. Vast expansion of desert areas.
c. Large scale disruption of human societies.
d. Flooding of major coastal areas.
e. All of the above.
Week 3 Capitalism and Sustainability
1. According to Gustave Speth, what has been the trend in environmental quality over the last 40 years?
a. The quality of the natural environment has steadily increased
b. The quality of the natural environment has stabilized, and its continued degradation has stopped
c. The quality of the natural environment has declined slowly
d. The quality of the natural environment has declined at an increasing rate
5. What was the basic model of the environmental movement’s initial efforts?
a. Work within the system to advocate and lobby for change.
b. To force massive change through disruptive protests.
c. To build alternative communities
d. None of the above.
6. What does Speth conclude about the effectiveness of the environmental movement’s strategy?
a. The efforts of the environmental movement have effectively protected the natural environment
b. The efforts of the environmental movement have marginally protected the natural environment
c. The efforts of the environmental movement have failed to protect the natural environment
d. None of the above
7. What actions does Speth advocate to reform the economic system to be less environmentally harmful?
a. Have prices that actually reflect environmental and social costs.
b. Examine and reform the nature of the modern corporation, and shift its focus away from stockholder primacy.
c. a&b
d. None of the above
10. Based on this assessment, what does Speth advocate regarding the environmental movement’s strategy?
a. Work with groups that are attempting to address inequality and democracy.
b. Working within the system has failed, so we need to work outside of the system.
c. Build a citizen’s movement for social change.
d. Broadening of the environmental agenda.
e. All of the above.
Week 4 HEAT
6. What did the Bush administration do regarding the California effort to increase car mileage standards?
a. Supported and approved the new standards
b. Expanded the standards to apply nationwide.
c. Denied California the waiver from the Clean Air Act, and thus killed implementation of the mileage standard.
d. None of the above.
7. In what area are the large energy companies, such as BP, Exxon-Mobil, or Shell, making most of their capital investments?
a. Renewable energy
b. Evenly between fossil fuels and renewable energy.
c. Virtually all to fossil fuels
d. Nuclear power plants.
8. What is the CO2 footprint of oil from the Canadian tar sands?
a. The same as regular crude oil
b. Much less than regular crude oil
c. Two to three times larger than regular crude oil.
d. None of the above.
9. What was the difference between Obama and McCain on offshore drilling during the 2008 election campaign?
a. Obama was opposed to it, and McCain was for it.
b. Both opposed it.
c. Both supported it.
d. McCain was against it, and Obama was for it.
2. How much energy does the average individual on the Earth use each year?
a. 1,000 watts
b. 2,200 watts
c. 5,000 watts
d. 18,000 watts
6.. How much power can we obtain from fossil fuels and stay below 450 ppm of CO2?
a. 10 terrawatts
b. 2-3 terrawatts
c. 15-18 terrawatts
d. 95 terrawatts
7. How much energy do we need to get from renewable energy to stay below 450 ppm of CO2?
a. 3 terrawatts
b. 11.5 terrawatts
c. 15-18 terrawatts
d. 95 terrawatts
8. What is the land needed for the generation of the needed renewable energy?
a. 50 square miles
b. An area about as big as the state of Rhode Island
c. An area about as big as the state of Texas
d. An area about as big as the continent of Australia
10. According to Griffith, what is one thing we can do to reduce CO2 emissions immediately?
a. Reduce the speed limits on roads
b. Insulate our houses
c. Build wind turbines
d. Build nuclear power plants
Week 6 Waterworld
3. What does Dr. Atiq Rahman maintain that we should call climate change?
a. Global Warming
b. Irreversible Catastrophic Climate Destabilization
c. A hoax
d. None of the above
6. What will happen to the land area of Bangladesh if sea level rises 1 meter?
a. Nothing.
b. Only a small percentage of land will go underwater.
c. About 5% of the land area will go underwater.
d. About 20% of the land will go underwater.
10. What does Dr. Rahman predict about the future of climate change?
a. That the impacts will be limited to Bangladesh.
b. That Bangladesh is just the first, but the developed world will also be adversely impacted.
c. The impacts of climate change are not serious.
d. None of the above.
Week 7 Earth: The Sequel
2. What events are creating a “perfect storm” propelling the shift to new energy sources?
a. A deepening economic recession
b. Increasing threat of global climate change
c. Dangerous dependence on foreign oil
d. All of the above.
3. According to Fred Krupp, what is the core action needed to limit carbon emissions?
a. Setting a legal limit on U.S. carbon emissions.
b. Massive investments in energy research and development.
c. Restricting individual consumption levels.
d. All of the above.
4. What power source does the Alaska resort in Chena AK run on?
a. Solar power
b. Geothermal
c. Coal
d. Oil
8. What are the primary challenges to the widespread adoption of wind energy?
a. Transmission of electrical power to users
b. Intermittent nature of energy
c. Bird deaths caused by rotors
d. a&b
10. What are possible solutions to reducing carbon emissions in transportation discussed in the movie?
a. Driving less
b. Biofuels
c. Electrical cars
d. Mass Transit
e. b & c
f. All of the above
Week 8 Facing Up to Climate Change
1. What does the term “black ops” refer to when discussing the climate denial campaign?
a. Break-in of climate scientists offices
b. Hacking of climate science center files
c. Harassment of individual climate scientists
d. All of the above
4. What does the latest climate research show about the projected levels and impacts of climate change?
a. They have been exaggerated by the climate scientists
b. Politicians have exaggerated the impacts for their own political gain
c. That the levels and impacts are worse than has been commonly reported
d. That the projections of the IPCC in 2007 are highly accurate
5. What is Hamilton’s basic conclusion about our ability to control future temperature increases due to climate change?
a. We can easily stay below 2 degrees using existing technology.
b. We can stay below 2 degrees if we act quickly.
c. It is impossible for us to stay below 2 degrees and we are committed to an increase of at least 4 degrees.
d. Global warming is a myth and we do not have to worry about future temperature increases.
7. What are the major types of individual responses to our situation regarding climate change as portrayed by the current science?
a. Denial of climate change
b. Maladaptive strategies
c. Adaptive Strategies
d. a&b
e. All of the above
8. How does cognitive dissonance play out in individual responses to climate change?
a. Outright denial of scientific facts
b. Casual denial – restriction of exposure to climate science
c. a&b
d. None of the above
9. What are some maladaptive strategies that individuals use to deal with climate change?
a. Distance self from climate change by seeing it occurring in distant locations or in the future
b. Divert concern by engaging in symbolic behavior
c. Claim not to be concerned about the issue
d. Engage in wishful thinking about our ability to deal with climate change
e. All of the above
10. According to Hamilton, what are some adaptive strategies that respond to the reality of climate change?
a. Express and discuss emotions brought about by our current situation
b. Engage in problem solving regarding specific climate change issues
c. Development of a new value orientation that corresponds to our situation
d. All of the above.
Week 9 The American Denial of Global Warming
1. When did the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change unequivocally conclude that global warming was occurring?
a. 1950
b. 1995
c. 2003
d. 2009
2. In what decade was the basic physics of the greenhouse effect understood?
a. 1880s
b. 1990s
c. 1960s
d. 1930s
3. Who were Suess and Revelle, and what did they predict about CO2 and its impact on the atmosphere?
a. They were politicians, and they predicted the controversy that could result from the debate over global warming.
b. They were two scientists who first predicted the effects of global warming in 1957.
c. They were industrialists who advocated renewable energy.
d. They were oil company representatives who stated that global warming was a myth.
4. By which President, and in what year was global warming first noted in a report to Congress?
a. Harry Truman in 1950
b. Lyndon Johnson in 1965
c. Jimmy Carter in 1979
d. George Bush in 2003
6. What was the 1992 UN Framework Convention on Climate Change, and what did it require?
a. This is an informal agreement among scientists to study global warming.
b. This is an international treaty signed by the U.S. to address climate change by reducing CO2 emissions.
c. This is a treaty to have continued discussions about the science of global warming.
d. This is a corporate statement on global warming and the need to address it.
7. What is the George C. Marshall Institute and what is it significance related to global warming politics?
a. A Washington DC based think tank that serves as the center of climate change denial media efforts.
b. A non-profit organization that is dedicated to the ideals embodied in the Marshall Plan.
c. An institute that conducts research on climate change.
d. An academic institute that conducts classes on climate change.
9. What does Dr. Oreskes maintain is the one major underlying reason for the climate change skeptics denial of global warming?
a. They are paid by industry to maintain this position
b. They are ideologically opposed to government intervention in the economy to protect the environment
c. They have a long history of opposing government health and environmental regulations
d. All of the above
5. According to Bill McKibben, How do we start making a transition toward dealing with climate change?
a. Put a price on carbon emissions and fossil fuels.
b. Impose carbon rationing.
c. Massive investments in technology research and development
d. Ensure all houses are fully insulated.
c.
7. What is the maximum safe concentration of CO2 in the atmosphere (i.e. yields a stable climate)?
a. 350 PPM
b. 450 PPM
c. 550 PPM
d. There is no “safe” level of CO2 in the atmosphere.
9. What is the issue McKibben has with 117 nations endorsing his CO2 emissions reduction goal?
a. They won’t do anything about it.
b. They are the wrong nations, - they have no power to make any real impact
c. They are all rich, and don’t have to worry about climate change.
d. They all emit very little carbon.