Environmental Science - Exam 5

Select the description of a public good.

a thing that cannot be profitably produced because it is difficult to exclude nonpaying customers from receiving the benefit

Which answer choice describes the biggest consumer and driver of demand for oil products?

transportation

Which of these energy sources is the fastest growing fossil fuel energy source produced?

natural gas

Which of the following would have the greatest power?

a team of two oxen producing 600 watts each

Increased efficiency leads to lower costs, which leads to new applications for the energy, which increases consumption is a statement of _.

Jevons paradox

Select the statement that correctly characterizes enhanced oil recovery.

Condensed CO2 is pumped underground as a way to force more oil out of wells.

Which of these fossil fuels is mainly formed from the remains of ancient plants that lived millions of years ago?

coal

Hydraulic fracturing uses water and chemicals under high pressure to fracture layers of rock containing oil or natural gas. This relatively new technology increased the accessibility of __ that were historically viewed as not worth the effort to mine.

unconventional reserves

Select the policy response that directly sets a price on carbon emissions in order to encourage energy conservation.

carbon tax

What are conventional oil reserves?

known deposits of oil that can be easily accessed at current market prices

Which statement correctly describes fossil fuels?

Fossil fuels account for more than 80% of global energy usage today.

Which of the choices correctly describes tar sands?

Tar sands are deposits of oil bonded with loose-grained rock.

Productivity describes the amount of inputs needed to attain a certain level of output.

True

Which phrase best describes hydrocarbons?

molecules derived from ancient solar energy-capturing photosynthesis

You really want the newest smartphone model, but you can only afford the model that came out three years ago. You purchase the one you can afford. In this case, the smartphone you can afford is an example of

an inferior good.

In the mountaintop removal process, an entire mountaintop is removed to extract which fossil fuel?

coal

Which energy alternative that produces waste must be stored in temporary cooling pools or steel-and-concrete casks?

nuclear power

Globally, __ supplies the largest share of energy consumption, and most of this is used for transportation.

petroleum

As new energy resources gain traction, global energy use continues to increase.

True

Which is an advantage of running electric vehicles with hydrogen fuel cells instead of rechargeable batteries?

Refueling a hydrogen fuel-cell vehicle is much quicker than recharging vehicle batteries.

One disadvantage of hydropower is

reservoirs cause disruption of ecosystems, displace people, and endanger species

Which action helps to conserve energy?

unplugging home electronics when the devices are not in use

Which of these features is true of both solar and wind power?

intermittent power source that requires a backup energy source

Which statement correctly describes ethanol?

Ethanol is a type of biofuel made of alcohol produced by fermenting plant sugars.

Which technology creates electricity from flowing air?

wind turbine

Which of the following is an example of passive solar?

Home insulation materials slowly collect heat during the day and release it at night.

__ and __ is/are part of formal energy transition plans that determine how businesses, communities, and schools use energy.

Conserving and making better use of energy

Which technology is currently the MOST common for large-scale energy storage?

pumping water uphill to a reservoir when energy is plentiful, then allowing water to run downhill through hydropower turbines to generate electricity when energy is scarce

Which of the following is correct regarding electric vehicles?

Electric vehicles are powered by an electric motor using a magnetic field to generate motion.

Which of the following is an example of a drawback of wind power?

The large, spinning blades of wind turbines kill wildlife, such as birds.

Nuclear reactions harness the power of __, a process where the nuclei of atoms are split to release energy.

fission

Geothermal power includes which of these applications?

Deep wells bring hot water to the surface to turn a steam turbine and generate electricity.

Cogeneration systems

use the wasted thermal energy from electricity production as a source of heating or cooling.

Biosolids require no treatment before they are converted into fertilizer.

False

Waste reduction requires that consumers ask themselves whether or not they really need a new product or can they find ways to get more out of what they have.

True

Which phrase correctly describes the waste stream?

the flow of materials from “upstream” processes, such as extraction, to their disposal

Which phrase correctly describes the category of solid waste?

includes all of the discarded materials in solid, liquid, semisolid or contained gaseous form

How does the design for the recovery process facilitate efficient recycling?

The process establishes guidelines to standardize the manufacture of materials and products.

Which of the phrases characterizes how a sanitary landfill improves on the problems associated with open dumps?

treats liquid and gas releases

What do producer responsibility laws require for manufacturers of products and packaging?

to assume responsibility for collection, recycling, reuse, or disposal

The increased demand for prepared foods in disposable plastic packaging was attributed to a(n)

culture of consumers spending more time working outside the home.

Which term refers to the liquid that forms when rainwater or groundwater mixes with decomposing waste at the dump?

leachate

What was the goal of the Basel Convention?

to restrict movements of hazardous waste from more developed to lesser developed countries

Which air pollutant is produced in open dumps, is explosive, and contributes to climate change?

methane

Select the four biggest components by weight of the U.S. municipal solid waste stream.

paper, food scraps, yard trimmings, and plastics

What happens to waste in the geologic disposal strategy?

Waste is injected or placed in natural formations beneath Earth’s surface.

A life-cycle assessment of a product accounts for the environmental impact from which of these steps?

making, distributing, using, and disposing of the product

A waste-to-energy facility

uses the heat produced by incineration to power a steam turbine that generates electricity.

Select the phrase that describes conspicuous consumption.

purchasing goods to publicly display an identity or image within society

Using recycled glass bottles to produce new bottles is an example of

primary recycling.