Philosophy Final Exam

Sustainable Aviation Fuels

a low-carbon jet fuel made from renewable/waste-derived sources, that significantly reduce greenhouse gas emissions compared to traditional jet fuel, with up to 80% lifecycle savings, & can be used in existing aircraft engines without modification

Paris Accord

an international treaty adopted in 2015 to combat climate change by keeping global warming below 2 degrees Celsius (initially 1.5 degrees Celsius) by cutting greenhouse gas emissions down, & with developed nations supporting developing ones financially

UNFCCC

the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change is an international treaty for global climate change action established in 1992

Integrative Negotiation

a “win-win” situation where nations, businesses, & non-profit organizations work together to come up with a solution that benefits all parties’ interests (economy, environment, & society)

COP30

the 30th Conference of the Parties was the major UN climate summit held in Brazil this year which brought world leaders, scientists, & activitsts together to find ways to better implement the Paris Agreement

CT-HRSG

Combustion Turbine-Heat Recovery Steam Generator that captures hot exhaust from a gas turbine to produce steam, generates extra electricity or provides process heat, which boosts efficiency and reduces fuel use

Conservation

aims to protect ecosystems from climate change through mitigation (protecting & restoring forests & oceans to maximize its ability to absorb & store CO2) & adaptation (designing strategies to help ecosystems survive anticipated future climate risks)

Off-Shore Wind

a renewable energy source using large wind turbines installed in large bodies of water (usually oceans) to capture wind power and convert it into electricity

Geothermal

heat from within the Earth that is renewable & constantly replenished, used for electricity generation or direct heating/cooling of buildings using systems that tap into underground heat reservoirs, steam, or hot water

Penn State’s Solar Farm

a project in Franklin County, that provides 25% of the university’s electricity needs through over 150,000 panels across 3 sites

Carbon Capture & Storage/Reuse

traps CO2 from industrial sources or the air, preventing its release, then either reusing it to make fuels, chemical, or building materials, or storing it deep underground in geological formations for permanent isolation, which helps decarbonize heavy industry & achieve net-zero goals

What 3 things go into an iron furnace and what 2 things come out?

Iron Ore, Charcoal, & Limestone —> Iron & Slag

What is the chemical equation for photosynthesis & cellular respiration?

• 6CO2 + 6H2O + light energy —> C6H12O6 + 6O2

• C6H12O6 + 6O2 —> 6CO2 + 6H2O + energy

What is 99.9% of our atmosphere comprised of?

A. Oxygen, Argon, & Carbon Dioxide

B. Nitrogen, Oxygen, & Carbon Dioxide

C. Nitrogen, Argon, & Oxygen

D. Nitrogen, Argon, & Carbon Dioxide

C.

What does the simplified chemical formula: 6CO2 + 6H20 + energy —> C6H12O6 + 6O2 describe?

A. Respiration

B. Photosynthesis

C. Gas Burning

D. Oil Burning

B.

Over the past 400,000 years, carbon dioxide levels have fluctuated between what?

A. 0.2-0.3%

B.0.1-0.2%

C. 0.02-0.03%

D. 0.01-0.02%

D.

What is most of ancient carbon dioxide locked up in?

A. Oil

B. Gas

C. Coal

D. Limestone

D.

The Paleocene-Eocene Thermal Maximum (PETM) occurred when?

A. 55 MYA

B. 550 MYA

C. 5.5 BYA

D. 55 BYA

A.

What does ice core data include information about?

A. Past Levels of CO2

B. Past Temperatures

C. Past Volcanic Activity

D. All of the Above

E. None of the Above

D.

An actual greenhouse heats by trapping both radiation and convection; in contrast greenhouse gases do what?

A. Trap Radiation & Conduction

B. Trap Convection & Conduction

C. Only Trap Convection

D. Only Trap Radiation

D.

Important positive feedback effects of rising temperatures include what?

A. Increased Water Vapor

B. Decreased Ice Albedo

C. Neither A Nor B

D. Both A & B

D.

Over the next 200 years, changes in Earth’s orbit, in solar output, and in volcanic activity will do what?

A. Are More Likely to Affect Future Warming than Anthropogenic CO2

B. Are Less Likely to Affect Future Warming than Anthropogenic CO2

C. Are Increasing CO2 at a Rate Greater than Burning Fossil Fuels

D. Are Decreasing CO2

B.

The National Academy of Sciences and the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change are both what?

A. Only Interested in Evidence That Supports Climate Change

B. Under Pressure to Produce Politically Acceptable Reports

C. Paid Political Organizations

D. Dependent on Scientists who Volunteer Their Time

D.

According to today’s reading, the president of Penn State was under pressure to what?

A. Fire Richard Alley for Misleading the Scientific Communit

B. Give Richard Alley the “Outstanding Scientific Achievement” Award

C. Reduce Penn State’s Carbon Footprint

D. Reduce His Own Carbon Footprint

C.

Why is the Paleocene-Eocene Thermal Maximum (PETM) important?

A. it shows the earth can recover from an ice age

B. it shows the earth can recover from a large meteorite strike

C. it is the last time CO2 levels were below 1800 ppm

D. it is the last time CO2 levels were above 1800 ppm

D.

The disappearance of Arctic sea ice is a concern because it may cause what?

A. increased warming of the arctic ocean

B. 1-2 feet of sea level rise

C. increased acidification of the arctic ocean

D. a sudden release of carbon dioxide

A.

The simplified chemical equation for ocean acidification is what?

A. C6H12O6 + 6O2 ------>  6CO2 + 6 H2O + energy

B. 6CO2 + 6 H2O + energy ------>  C6H12O6 + 6O2

C. CO2 + H2O <------> H2CO3 <------>  H+ + HCO3

D. H2CO3 + CaCO3 → Ca(HCO3)2

C.

Ocean acidification and climate change are what?

A. are both caused by rising carbon dioxide

B. both cause carbon dioxide to rise

C. are both caused by temperature rise

D. both cause a rise in temperature

A.

Ocean acidification is a concern because it may cause what?

A. sea levels to rise

B. shellfish shortages

C. erosion of beaches

D. all of the above

E. none of the above

B.

Which of the following is NOT a climate feedback mechanism?

A. water vapor

B. ice albedo

C. cloud cover

D. volcanoes

D.

Orbital cycles are important because they do what?

A. show how the earth can recover from an ice age

B. show how the earth can recover from a large meteorite strike

C. cause CO2 levels to go below 1800 ppm

D. cause CO2 levels to rise above 1800 ppm

A.

Rock weathering is called a natural thermostat because it does what?

A. sequesters more carbon as temperatures fall

B. sequesters more carbon as temperatures rise

C. absorbs more heat as carbon dioxide falls

D. absorbs more heat as carbon dioxide rises

B.

The simplified chemical equation for rock weathering is what?

A. C6H12O6 + 6O2 ------>  6CO2 + 6 H2O + energy

B. 6CO2 + 6 H2O + energy ------>  C6H12O6 + 6O2

C. CO2 + H2O <------> H2CO3 <------>  H+ + HCO3

D. H2CO3 + CaCO3 → Ca(HCO3)2

D.

When economist William Nordhaus says we should act on climate change now, this is because what?

A. damages from climate change are already significant

B. we have a duty to keep the earth the way it is

C. it will be cheaper in the long run to act now

D. it is the moral thing to do

C.

Richard Alley argues that geo-engineering could do what?

A. reduce our carbon footprint beyond 50% under 2005 levels

B. save us from having to reduce our carbon footprint at all

C. be part of an ethical response, but needs more research

D. can never be part of an ethical response

C.

When it comes to reducing our carbon footprint, “wedges” are what?

A. ways to imagine alternative responses

B. ways to prevent nuclear energy from consideration

C. ways to prevent full discussion of alternative responses

D. ways to imagine increasing costs of alternative energy

A.

Penn State’s cogeneration turbine is an example of adaptive resilience, because it does what?

A. uses alternative energy

B. does not depend on the grid for electricity production

C. uses the grid for electricity production

D. produces no emissions

B.

Penn State’s cogeneration turbine is an example of mitigation, because it does what?

A. uses electricity

B. produces electricity

C. is a more efficient use of fossil fuel

D. uses no fossil fuel

C.

Food, water, and shelter are examples of what?

A. needs

B. expectations

C. virtues

D. values

A.

Selfishness, greed, and racism are examples of what?

A. needs

B. expectations

C. virtues

D. values

D.

When it comes to ethical thinking, emotions do what?

A. are not to be trusted

B. help to point to our values

C. are a good substitute for reason

D. are appropriate only for aesthetic value

B.

Considering the results of any action and reckoning the best outcomes for all is typical of the ethics of what?

A. persons

B. happiness

C. virtue

D. relationships

B.

Climate Justice activists like Dr. Greg Jenkins see climate change as a racial issue, why?

A. The fossil fuel economy has historically benefited white, wealthy nations

B. Black, Indigenous, and People of Color in developed countries are more likely to suffer the effects of climate change

C. Black, Indigenous, and People of Color in less developed countries are more likely to suffer the effects of climate change

D. all of the above

E. none of the above

D.

When Sridhar Anandakrishnan points out that those who produced the least CO2 are poised to suffer the most and we have a duty to alleviate suffering, he is invoking the ethics of what?

A. persons

B. happiness

C. virtue

D. relationships

A.

If Sridhar Anandakrishnan had argued that we should have compassion toward those who are poised to suffer the most, because empathy is an important character trait, he would be invoking the ethics of what?

A. persons

B. happiness

C. virtue

D. relationships

C.

If Sridhar Anandakrishnan had argued those who produce the most CO2 have increased wealth for a few but increased suffering for more, he would be invoking the ethics of what?

A. persons

B. happiness

C. virtue

D. relationships

B.

Regarding the desert, Edward Abbey recommends that you do what?

A. bring friends

B. drive an RV

C. don’t go

D. avoid snakes

C.

According to Aldo Leopold’s land ethic, the human being should be seen as a what?

A. conqueror

B. citizen

C. ghost

D. jaguar

B.

According to Gary Helsel, Penn State engineers would not do what?

A. reduce our carbon footprint beyond 50% under 2005 levels ever

B. reduce our carbon footprint beyond 50% under 2005 levels before 2050

C. reduce our carbon footprint without reducing the size of campus

D. reduce our carbon footprint without government regulation

B.

Penn State’s Heat Recovery Steam generator does what?

A. produces electricity

B. heats our buildings

C. cools our buildings

D. produces heat

B.

Penn State’s cogeneration turbine does what?

A. produces electricity and heat

B. only produces heat

C. is fired by coal

D. produces no emissions

A.

According to the articles we read on Monday, New Jersey’s wind farm is what?

A. is fully operational

B. is fully supported by the White House

C. is almost complete

D. is opposed by the White House

C.

The Richard Alley chapter we read for Monday focused on what?

A. wind farms in Africa

B. solar farms in China

C. sewage treatment in Scotland

D. whale hunting in Nantucket

C.

What was Richard Alley’s point?

A. we have taken on expensive public works projects before

B. we keep making bad decisions

C. other countries are moving ahead in responding to climate change

D. other countries are behind in responding to climate change

A.

Penn State’s solar farm in Franklin country produces 70 MW of electricity, enough to do what?

A. cover 5% of electricity usage at UP

B. cover 25% of electricity usage at UP

C. cover 5% of electricity usage at UP and commonwealth campuses

D. cover 25% of electricity usage at UP and commonwealth campuses

D.

Conservation is the best way to reduce carbon footprints, because it does what?

A. Saves money

B. promotes efficiency

C. produces immediate effects

D. all of the above

E. none of the above

D.

Intermittency in solar and wind energy means that what?

A. Solar and wind can eventually provide all our energy needs

B. Solar and wind can replace natural gas now

C. Solar and wind must be supplemented by other energy sources

D. Solar and wind are unreliable and should be avoided

C.

The US Senate ratified the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change when?

A. 1992, under the first Bush administration

B. 1999, under the Clinton administration

C. 2010, under the Obama administration

D. the US Senate never ratified an international treaty on climate change

A.

Which is true of climate models?

A. observed temperatures are outside of what the models projected

B. scientific models can now precisely project sea level rise for 2100

C. there is a range of uncertainty in projections of future temperatures

D. models are adjusted with “tricks” to make them match observed trends

C.

We know the carbon dioxide in the atmosphere is human caused because of what?

A. we can’t account for the rise in carbon dioxide without taking human activity into account

B. human and natural sources of carbon dioxide have a different isotopic mixture

C. the oceans are serving as a carbon sink despite warming

D. all of the above

E. none of the above

D.