ENR 2500 Test With Complete Solution
Do we need a single definition of "sustainability"? What are the arguments for and
against? - ANSWER No, there is not a single definition of "sustainability."
What are some of the key questions we should ask ourselves when discussing what
sustainability means? - ANSWER Kates: What is to be sustained, what is to be
developed? Indicators - what is being measured, goals (time scale), values, practices
Tainter: Of what? For whom? For how long? At what cost? Who gets to decide?
What are the two laws of thermodynamics and what do they have to do with
sustainability - ANSWER 1st law- Energy can neither be created nor destroyed
2nd law-As energy is transferred or transformed, more and more of it is wasted.
How does energy flow through an ecosystem? Where does it start and what happens to
energy as it moves through the system - ANSWER Primary producers (plants), primary
consumers/ secondary producers (herbivores/detritus feeders), secondary consumers
(predators that eat herbivores), tertiary consumers (predators that eat carnivores).
Energy is "lost" as it moves through the system aka second law of thermodynamics.
definitions and differences between consumption and consumerism - ANSWER
Consumption:use of goods and services by households
Consumerism: a cultural pattern that leads people to find meaning, contentment, and
acceptance primarily through the consumption of goods and services.
The second law of thermodynamics is important when it comes to sustainability because
it means that: - ANSWER organisms require a supply of energy to maintain metabolic
processes
Circle the three responses that represent the main components used to define and
measure biodiversity: - ANSWER Genetics/ species/ ecosystem
The "capabilities approach" refers to a perspective on development that emphasizes -
ANSWER -the freedom to lead the kind of lives that people have reason to value
-poverty can constrain people's access to resources that can improve quality of life
which of the following can contribute to reducing population growth rates
a) access to natural resources
b) women's education
c) economic development
, d) all of the above
E) B and C - ANSWER E) women's education and economic development
The field of economics is anthropocentric because - ANSWER Economists focus on
maximizing human utility
A "community" is typically defined by each of the following elements except:
a) the total number of people that live in an area
b) a geographic location or place
c) the organizations that provide regular interaction
d) social interactions on matters of common interest - ANSWER The total number of
people that live in an area
One reason why most of us will not invest enough in protecting ecosystems in order to
eliminate global concerns about loss of biodiversity is that
a) The private benefits to most of us of protecting ecosystems are usually much higher
than the private costs.
b) There is already enough protection, so there is no need to do any more
c) If I invest in ecosystem protection, I experience costs, but I get relatively few benefits
because they are spread out amongst a lot of people.
d) None of the above - ANSWER C)
Communities are thought to be most likely to avoid the tragedy of the commons if they
can manage natural resources under what type of property rights regime: - ANSWER
common property
Among other things, one important limitation of ecosystem services approaches that we
discussed in class is:
a) Leakage
b) No one in the world wants to buy ecosystem services
c) Practically no one wants to sell ecosystem services
d) There are no limitations. - ANSWER Leakage
How does energy flow through an ecosystem? Where does it start and what happens to
energy as it moves through the system? - ANSWER Primary producers (plants), primary
consumers/ secondary producers (herbivores/detritus feeders), secondary consumers
(predators that eat herbivores), tertiary consumers (predators that eat carnivores).
Energy is "lost" as it moves through the system aka second law of thermodynamics.
Do we need a single definition of "sustainability"? What are the arguments for and
against? - ANSWER No, there is not a single definition of "sustainability."
What are some of the key questions we should ask ourselves when discussing what
sustainability means? - ANSWER Kates: What is to be sustained, what is to be
developed? Indicators - what is being measured, goals (time scale), values, practices
Tainter: Of what? For whom? For how long? At what cost? Who gets to decide?
What are the two laws of thermodynamics and what do they have to do with
sustainability - ANSWER 1st law- Energy can neither be created nor destroyed
2nd law-As energy is transferred or transformed, more and more of it is wasted.
How does energy flow through an ecosystem? Where does it start and what happens to
energy as it moves through the system - ANSWER Primary producers (plants), primary
consumers/ secondary producers (herbivores/detritus feeders), secondary consumers
(predators that eat herbivores), tertiary consumers (predators that eat carnivores).
Energy is "lost" as it moves through the system aka second law of thermodynamics.
definitions and differences between consumption and consumerism - ANSWER
Consumption:use of goods and services by households
Consumerism: a cultural pattern that leads people to find meaning, contentment, and
acceptance primarily through the consumption of goods and services.
The second law of thermodynamics is important when it comes to sustainability because
it means that: - ANSWER organisms require a supply of energy to maintain metabolic
processes
Circle the three responses that represent the main components used to define and
measure biodiversity: - ANSWER Genetics/ species/ ecosystem
The "capabilities approach" refers to a perspective on development that emphasizes -
ANSWER -the freedom to lead the kind of lives that people have reason to value
-poverty can constrain people's access to resources that can improve quality of life
which of the following can contribute to reducing population growth rates
a) access to natural resources
b) women's education
c) economic development
, d) all of the above
E) B and C - ANSWER E) women's education and economic development
The field of economics is anthropocentric because - ANSWER Economists focus on
maximizing human utility
A "community" is typically defined by each of the following elements except:
a) the total number of people that live in an area
b) a geographic location or place
c) the organizations that provide regular interaction
d) social interactions on matters of common interest - ANSWER The total number of
people that live in an area
One reason why most of us will not invest enough in protecting ecosystems in order to
eliminate global concerns about loss of biodiversity is that
a) The private benefits to most of us of protecting ecosystems are usually much higher
than the private costs.
b) There is already enough protection, so there is no need to do any more
c) If I invest in ecosystem protection, I experience costs, but I get relatively few benefits
because they are spread out amongst a lot of people.
d) None of the above - ANSWER C)
Communities are thought to be most likely to avoid the tragedy of the commons if they
can manage natural resources under what type of property rights regime: - ANSWER
common property
Among other things, one important limitation of ecosystem services approaches that we
discussed in class is:
a) Leakage
b) No one in the world wants to buy ecosystem services
c) Practically no one wants to sell ecosystem services
d) There are no limitations. - ANSWER Leakage
How does energy flow through an ecosystem? Where does it start and what happens to
energy as it moves through the system? - ANSWER Primary producers (plants), primary
consumers/ secondary producers (herbivores/detritus feeders), secondary consumers
(predators that eat herbivores), tertiary consumers (predators that eat carnivores).
Energy is "lost" as it moves through the system aka second law of thermodynamics.
