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1
As explained in "Climate Changes 2007," the atmospheric changes that alter the energy balance of the climate system are expressed in terms of:
A)greenhouse emissions.
B)radiative forcing.
C)uncertainty ranges.
D)fossil factors.
2
According to "Climate Changes 2007," more than a third of all nitrous-oxide emissions are anthropogenic and are primarily due to:
A)human refuse.
B)plastics.
C)agriculture.
D)transportation.
3
As reported in "Climate Changes 2007," 11 of the 12 years of the period 1995–2006 rank among the 12 warmest years in the instrumental record of global surface temperature since 1850.
A)True
B)False
4
As mentioned in "Global Warming Battlefields," Al Gore was recognized for his efforts to raise awareness about global warming when he shared the 2007 Nobel Peace Prize with:
A)Jimmy Carter.
B)Doctors Without Borders.
C)the IPCC.
D)the Dalai Lama.
5
As related in "Global Warming Battlefields," a growing body of evidence suggests that severe climate changes have tended to increase the risk of resource-related conflict, as was apparent during 1300–1700, a span of time known as the:
A)Years of Polar Expansion.
B)Geothermic Period.
C)Age of Sub-Glaciation.
D)Little Ice Age.
6
As noted in "Global Warming Battlefields," much research has been devoted to the causes of state collapse and the rise of ethnic militias, but no research has identified a clear, consistent set of precipitating factors.
A)True
B)False
7
As disclosed in "China Needs Help with Climate Change," an agreement that both China and the United States have signed, but only China has ratified is the:
A)UN Framework Convention on Climate Change.
B)Pearl River Delta Initiative.
C)Kyoto Protocol.
D)11th Five-Year Plan.
8
As brought out in "China Needs Help with Climate Change," there are major implications for freshwater supply in already water-stressed northern China due to the rapidly receding mountain glaciers on the:
A)Mongolian plain.
B)Bhutan upland.
C)Bohai range.
D)Tibetan plateau.
9
As pointed out in "China Needs Help with Climate Change," in terms of oil and electricity consumption, the United States is only somewhat behind China.
A)True
B)False
10
The proportion of the developing world's population, as cited in "Where Oil and Water Do Mix: Environmental Scarcity and Future Conflict in the Middle East and North Africa," that has no access to clean water is:
A)less than one tenth.
B)about one third.
C)nearly one half.
D)over two thirds.
11
As discussed in "Where Oil and Water Do Mix: Environmental Scarcity and Future Conflict in the Middle East and North Africa," two common patterns of scarcity are:
A)ecological capture and resource marginalization.
B)resource capture and ecological marginalization.
C)structural externalization and economic-induced scarcity.
D)watershed-based shortages and contamination-created limits.
12
As noted in "Where Oil and Water Do Mix: Environmental Scarcity and Future Conflict in the Middle East and North Africa," social pressures created by environmental scarcity may cause state power to crumble.
A)True
B)False
13
As discussed in "A Safe Operating Space for Humanity," during the Anthropocene era, biodiversity loss has:
A)been stabilized.
B)been reversed in several areas.
C)followed traditional rates.
D)accelerated massively.
14
As maintained in "A Safe Operating Space for Humanity," during the Holocene era, environmental change occurred:
A)rarely.
B)abruptly.
C)naturally.
D)as a result of human activity.
15
Overall, as pointed out in "A Safe Operating Space for Humanity," the state of the Earth during the Holocene era was not desirable.
A)True
B)False
16
As noted in "Paying for Climate Change," energy-related research and development remains well below the peak it reached:
A)right after World War II.
B)as part of the 1957–69 Space Race.
C)in the 1970s.
D)during the Clinton Administration.
17
As assessed in "Paying for Climate Change," although the appropriate rate of increase remains an open question, a key challenge for policymakers is to find ways of making credible the expectation of reasonably rising:
A)carbon prices.
B)pollution penalties.
C)domestic-energy taxes.
D)foreign-trade expenditures.
18
As postulated in "Paying for Climate Change," investment decisions made today in risky research and development, or in developing power stations that will last decades, require some view on future fossil fuel prices, including carbon prices.
A)True
B)False
19
As expressed in "High-Tech Trash," future archaeologists will note that at the tail end of the twentieth century, a new, noxious kind of clutter exploded across the landscape—the digital detritus that has come to be called:
A)consumer fallout.
B)the great carbon boot print.
C)e-waste.
D)eco-death.
20
As noted in "High-Tech Trash," one of the EU directives requires manufacturers to set up infrastructure to collect discarded electronics and ensure responsible recycling—a strategy called:
A)scrap-safe.
B)land un-fill
C)planet de-tox.
D)take-back.
21
As claimed in "High-Tech Trash," dropping off old electronic gear with a recycling company or at a municipal collection point does not guarantee that it will be disposed of safely.
A)True
B)False
22
According to "Down with Carbon," about 30 percent of the carbon in the world's soil is locked in the:
A)wetlands of the Southern Hemisphere.
B)peat lands of the Northern Hemisphere.
C)coastlands of the African continent.
D)foothills of the Caucasus and Altai mountain ranges.
23
As quoted in "Down with Carbon," in the late 1980s, oceanographer John Martin boasted, "Give me half a tanker of iron, and I'll give you the:
A)gateway to Armageddon."
B)formula for eternal summer."
C)next ice age."
D)ticket to energy independence."
24
As cited in "Down with Carbon," Harvard geochemist Daniel Schrag warns that the world needs carbon sequestration immediately—there is not a moment to spare.
A)True
B)False
25
According to "Clean, Green, Safe and Smart," the United States needs a national energy policy:
A)focused on enhanced fossil fuels.
B)based on climate-safe alternatives.
C)with nuclear power as the lead element.
D)decades in the future, but not now.
26
As disclosed in "Clean, Green, Safe and Smart," the 2001 energy plan aimed at:
A)heavy investment in renewable-energy sources.
B)sharp reductions in the nation's carbon footprint.
C)extending the life of the nation's existing energy profile.
D)massive government investment in locating new supplies of oil and coal.
27
As maintained in "Clean, Green, Safe and Smart," even under a new energy policy, most energy will be delivered by pipeline, rail, and truck.
A)True
B)False
28
As explained in "Wind Power: Obstacles and Opportunities," the sites richest in wind power are:
A)evenly distributed over the Earth.
B)flat, open subtropical deserts.
C)the Great Plains.
D)lightly forested equatorial areas.
29
As cited in "Wind Power: Obstacles and Opportunities," wind power has the potential to generate:
A)less than 5 billion kilowatts per hour.
B)nearly 11 billion kilowatts per hour.
C)approximately 23 billion kilowatts per hour.
D)more than 47 billion kilowatts per hour.
30
As noted in "Wind Power: Obstacles and Opportunities," opponents of wind power typically have the same motives and concerns as opponents of nuclear power.
A)True
B)False
31
As observed in "A Solar Grand Plan," the energy in sunlight striking the Earth for 40 minutes is equivalent to global energy consumption for:
A)eight hours.
B)two months.
C)one year.
D)half a century.
32
As stated in "A Solar Grand Plan," mapping by the natural gas industry and the Electric Power Research Institute shows that suitable geologic formations exist in 75 percent of the United States for the development of:
A)solar lakes.
B)photovoltaic farms.
C)salt conversion plants.
D)compressed-air storage facilities.
33
As qualified in "A Solar Grand Plan," the authors' model for a solar grand plan is essentially an austerity plan.
A)True
B)False
34
As identified in "Cold Comfort," the chief contribution of Willis Carrier was to:
A)coin the term "air conditioning."
B)convince people that cooling was important.
C)develop commercial applications for air conditioning.
D)introduce the miracle of indoor climate control.
35
As given in "Cold Comfort," manufacturers claimed for air conditioning all of the following benefits except:
A)rejuvenated health.
B)higher IQs.
C)restored energy and ambition.
D)encouragement of productivity.
36
As maintained in "Cold Comfort," human dependence on cooling—economically and culturally—continues to deepen.
A)True
B)False
37
The authors of "A Path to Sustainable Energy by 2030" undertook to determine how 100 percent of the world's energy for all purposes could by supplied by 2030 by using all of the following resources except:
A)nuclear.
B)solar.
C)wind.
D)water.
38
Regarding fossil fuels, the authors of "A Path to Sustainable Energy by 2030" hold that:
A)existing subsidies for exploration and extraction should be continued for 20 years.
B)their taxes should rise and fall in relation to power costs of WWS.
C)they should be taxed to reflect their environmental damages.
D)biofuels can easily substitute for fossil fuels.
39
As pointed out in "A Path to Sustainable Energy by 2030," most geothermal energy sources are at or very close to the Earth's surface.
A)True
B)False
40
As reported in "The Biofuel Future," municipal waste-based ethanol production emits an estimated 60 to 80 percent less greenhouse gas than ethanol production derived from:
A)livestock waste.
B)trees.
C)swamps.
D)corn.
41
As pointed out in "The Biofuel Future," plant cell walls are about 75 percent:
A)sillicic acid.
B)soluble protein.
C)complex sugars.
D)simple sugars.
42
According to "The Biofuel Future," breaking down cellulose with enzymes is usually a separate step from fermentation, but it costs relatively little to do.
A)True
B)False
43
As established in "Forest Invades Tundra . . . and the New Tenants Could Aggravate Global Warming," the newest data on the advance of northern, or boreal, forests come from:
A)the eastern slopes of Siberia's northern Ural Mountains.
B)the northern tip of Ellesmere Island, Canada.
C)receding Icelandic glaciers.
D)Khuiten Peak in western Mongolia.
44
As reported in "Forest Invades Tundra . . . and the New Tenants Could Aggravate Global Warming," conifers now reside where no living tree has grown in some:
A)100 years.
B)1,000 years.
C)5,000 years.
D)40,000 years.
45
As put forth in "Forest Invades Tundra . . . and the New Tenants Could Aggravate Global Warming," for the Arctic, green is the new black.
A)True
B)False
46
As reported in "America's Coral Reefs: Awash with Problems," coral cover has been reduced by 80 percent during the past three decades in a region where many of the reefs are under U.S. jurisdiction, specifically the:
A)North Atlantic.
B)Caribbean.
C)South Pacific.
D)Gulf of Mexico.
47
As cited in "America's Coral Reefs: Awash with Problems," coral reefs are sometimes referred to as:
A)a fragile world beneath the waves.
B)nature's underwater art galleries.
C)the rainforests of the sea.
D)the ecological Edens of the ocean.
48
As mentioned in "America's Coral Reefs: Awash with Problems," the world's third-largest barrier reef is in American Samoa.
A)True
B)False
49
As reported in "Seabird Signals," there are only 20,000 pairs of Cassin's auklets remaining on California's Farollon Islands, and in 2005 and 2006:
A)more than 15,000 of them were too old to breed.
B)prolonged flooding destroyed most of their nests.
C)not one of the birds' eggs hatched.
D)only 25 females laid eggs.
50
As described in "Seabird Signals," the Cassin's auklet is about the size and shape of a:
A)crow.
B)quail.
C)penguin.
D)toucan.
51
As detailed in "Seabird Signals," although the young of some auk species must stay close to the nest until they can fly, puffins and auklets can take their chicks to sea when they are only a few days old.
A)True
B)False
52
According to "Taming the Blue Frontier," amazingly efficient waste recyclers that can extract about 40 percent of dissolved nutrients available during their growing season are:
A)coral.
B)plankton.
C)eels.
D)seaweeds.
53
As observed in "Taming the Blue Frontier," among the species that share a "grisly appetite for salmon waste" are the filter-feeding:
A)manatees.
B)seahorses.
C)mussels.
D)sand sharks.
54
As stated in "Taming the Blue Frontier," many environmentalists fear the spread of present-day aquaculture's myriad ills.
A)True
B)False
55
As given in "What's the Catch?", the fishing industry is important to the world for all of the following reasons except that it:
A)feeds 3 billion people.
B)provides half the animal protein in the diets of 400 million of the world's poorest.
C)maintains the ecological balance in the oceans.
D)is the basis of the livelihoods of 500 million people.
56
As stated in "What's the Catch?", the bycatch rate of Alaska's pollock trawlers is:
A)7 percent.
B)1 percent.
C)24 percent.
D)13 percent.
57
As explained in "What's the Catch?", a salmon excluder is a net with mesh so large that salmon can escape easily.
A)True
B)False
58
The decline in bluefin tuna stocks, as shown in "Tuna's End," is mainly the result of:
A)parasites.
B)climate change.
C)the increase in predator sharks.
D)overfishing.
59
Fisheries biologist Neil Sims, as portrayed in "Tuna's End," is attempting to use fish farming to:
A)start a new industry in Hawaii.
B)produce a high-value, sushi-quality fish.
C)rejuvenate endangered fish species.
D)introduce Atlantic bluefin tuna to the Pacific Ocean.
60
As stated in "Tuna's End," the Atlantic bluefin tuna when prepared as sushi is one of the world's most valuable forms of seafood.
A)True
B)False
61
According to "Tracking U.S. Groundwater: Reserves for the Future?" the single biggest use of groundwater in the United States is for:
A)drinking water in homes.
B)industrial uses.
C)irrigation.
D)recreational facilities.
62
In discussing groundwater systems, the author of "Tracking U.S. Groundwater: Reserves for the Future?" notes that:
A)the development of a groundwater system is safe if the average rate of groundwater withdrawal does not exceed the average annual rate of natural recharge.
B)groundwater flows from areas of recharge to areas of discharge.
C)natural recharge is equivalent to the basin sustainable yield.
D)pumping at less than the recharge rate will not cause water levels and groundwater storage to decline.
63
As pointed out in "Tracking U.S. Groundwater: Reserves for the Future?" Europeans get a smaller percentage of their drinking water from groundwater than do Americans.
A)True
B)False
64
As concluded in "How Much Is Clean Water Worth?" New York City's plan to restore the Catskill watershed required:
A)paying farmers, landowners, and businesses to abide by restrictions designed to protect the watershed.
B)constructing a filtration plant in upstate New York to clean water before it enters the watershed.
C)banning the use of pesticides and herbicides in the rest of the state.
D)enlisting the federal government to evict several homeowners and businesses from the land around the main reservoirs in upstate New York.
65
As discussed in "How Much Is Clean Water Worth?" a 1997 report in Nature estimated the total annual global contribution of ecosystems to be:
A)less than $300 million.
B)$45 billion.
C)$33 trillion.
D)$19 quadrillion.
66
As stated in "How Much Is Clean Water Worth?" the traditional argument for environmental conservation has been either aesthetic or ethical.
A)True
B)False
67
According to "Searching for Sustainability: Forest Policies, Smallholders, and the Trans-Amazon Highway," during the early days of forestry in the Amazon:
A)a large number of tree species were harvested.
B)all logs were harvested by ax.
C)products were largely for domestic consumption.
D)logging had an enormous environmental impact.
68
As noted in "Searching for Sustainability: Forest Policies, Smallholders, and the Trans-Amazon Highway," prior to the transition period, Amazon forests were protected by:
A)extensive government regulations.
B)depressed demand for lumber.
C)local tribesmen.
D)inaccessibility.
69
As reported in "Searching for Sustainability: Forest Policies, Smallholders, and the Trans-Amazon Highway," the Trans-Amazon Highway is a state-of-the-art thoroughfare.
A)True
B)False
70
As defined in "Diet, Energy, and Global Warming," the percentage of fossil fuel input energy that is retrieved as edible energy is called:
A)the fossil-to-food ratio.
B)efficient eating.
C)the food index.
D)energy efficiency.
71
As suggested in "Diet, Energy, and Global Warming," perhaps the most frequently discussed personal energy choice is the:
A)home one lives in.
B)vehicle one drives.
C)food one eats.
D)electronics technology one uses.
72
As asserted in "Diet, Energy, and Global Warming," the link between observed rising atmospheric concentrations of carbon dioxide and other GHGs and observed rising global mean temperature and other climatic changes has been unequivocally determined.
A)True
B)False
73
As noted in "Landfill-on-Sea," in 1979, the manufacture of plastic overtook that of:
A)steel.
B)textiles.
C)food.
D)wood products.
74
As stated in "Landfill-on-Sea," stretching over a vast 10 million square miles, the largest uniform ocean realm on the planet is the:
A)South Pacific Trench.
B)Central Pacific Gyre.
C)North Atlantic Torso.
D)Mid-Atlantic Expanse.
75
According to "Landfill-on-Sea," 90 percent of all marine debris in existence today is plastic.
A)True
B)False
76
As related in "The Truth About Denial," a report by 600 scientists from governments, academia, green groups, and businesses in 40 countries that concluded that warming of the climate is unequivocal has been the target of an aggressive undercutting by a conservative think tank long funded by:
A)ExxonMobil.
B)Wall Street financiers.
C)federal coffers.
D)the United Mine Workers.
77
As mentioned in "The Truth About Denial," the author contends that "greenhouse doubters" hate to be called:
A)problem solvers.
B)realists.
C)optimists.
D)deniers.
78
As noted in "The Truth About Denial," as president, George W. Bush disavowed his campaign pledge to cap carbon dioxide emissions.
A)True
B)False
79
As discussed in "The Myth of the 1970s Global Cooling Scientific Consensus," at the time of the 1965 PSAC report, the topics that dominated public discourse about humanity's impact on the environment included all of the following, except:
A)pesticides.
B)climate change.
C)detergents.
D)urban air pollution.
80
As regarded in "The Myth of the 1970s Global Cooling Scientific Consensus," the seminal analysis on climate change was the work done in the 1960s by:
A)Al Gore.
B)Reid Bryson.
C)J. Murray Mitchell.
D)Charles David Keeling.
81
As stated in "The Myth of the 1970s Global Cooling Scientific Consensus," few modern writers continue to perpetuate the myth of the 1970s global cooling scientific consensus.
A)True
B)False
82
As expressed in "How to Stop Climate Change: The Easy Way," such dire circumstances in the Earth's system as the collapse of the Amazon rainforest, or the release of methane from thawing Siberian permafrost, represent the crossing of:
A)the point of no return.
B)tipping points.
C)environmental limits.
D)into an apocalypse.
83
As brought out in "How to Stop Climate Change: The Easy Way," considering the relative consequences, the author would rather see China building two nuclear reactors weekly than two:
A)plastics factories.
B)military bases.
C)department stores.
D)coal-fired plants.
84
As argued in "How to Stop Climate Change: The Easy Way," when it comes to global warming, many people, subconsciously at least, actually want to be lied to.
A)True
B)False
85
As expressed in "Environmental Justice for All," the "green rights" argument is a powerful cross-cultural message that strives to make sure that the green revolution is not just for those who:
A)can afford a Prius.
B)recycle.
C)have been on the green bandwagon since the 1970s.
D)hug trees.
86
As stated in "Environmental Justice for All," the new watchwords of today's environmental justice movement include all of the following, except "green:
A)justice."
B)esteem."
C)rights."
D)equality."
87
As pointed out in "Environmental Justice for All," the first wave of environmentalism in the United States was conservation, led by Native Americans.
A)True
B)False





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