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Question : (^) (TCO 1) Climatologists continue to debate global warming. Which of the following is NOT an argument against the global warming hypothesis? Student Answer: Climate variations are normal, cyclical processes. The sun may be putting out more radiation then in the measurable past. Sunspot activity demonstrates cyclical patterns of activity. Average temperatures worldwide have actually been dropping slightly. Instructor Explanation: Chapter 1, page 7. Points Received: 5 of 5 Comments: Question 2. Question : (^) (TCO 2) The Conservation Reserve Program was funded in the United States to conserve which of the following precious resources? Student Answer: Water Soil Petroleum Recyclable plastics Instructor Explanation: Chapter 1, page 15. Points Received: 5 of 5 Comments: Question 3. Question : (^) (TCO 3) Environmental goods and environmental bads are: Student Answer: on the whole, evenly distributed among the peoples of the
earth. disproportionately distributed so that the middle-class must foot the bill. unevenly distributed so that those with the least power get the most pollution.
distributed in a way that those who gain the most benefit also
experience the most cost.
Instructor Explanation: Chapter 1, pages 19-21. Points Received: 5 of 5 Comments: Question 4. Question : (^) (TCO 4) According to the economist Fred Hirsch, a "positional good" is a good or commodity: Student Answer: that places you in a high status position relative to those who don't possess it. that is desirable because of short supply or limited access. that is desirable because it has a high price tag. All of the above Instructor Explanation: Chapter 2, page 42. Points Received: 5 of 5 Comments: Question 5. Question : (^) (TCO 5) Although we know that money can't buy happiness, research in Britain and the United States suggests that: Student Answer: unskilled and partly skilled workers at the bottom of the pay scale are happier than other workers. skilled manual workers from lower middle pay scale are happier than better-paid, nonmanual professional workers.
Points Received: 5 of 5 Comments: Question 8. Question : (^) (TCO 7) What percentage of the world's current population growth is taking place in poor countries? Student Answer: Only about 10%, because infant mortality rates are so high in these countries About 25% due mostly to immigration patterns from poor countries to rich countries About half, nearly 50% Over 90% Instructor Explanation: Chapter 4, page 91. Points Received: 5 of 5 Comments: Question 9. Question : (^) (TCO 3) What percentage of the world's original forests remain? Student Answer: 100% 68% 50% 0% Instructor Explanation: Chapter 1, Pages 15- 16 Points Received: 5 of 5 Comments: Question 10. Question : (^) (TCO 5) The story of the National City Line (NCL) demonstrates:
Student Answer: the obvious superiority of buses to electric streetcars. the limitations of streetcars for inter-urban transportation. a reasonable corporate strategy to develop a market. the role played by powerful lobbies to ensure the continuous flow of hidden subsidies. Instructor Explanation: Chapter 3, Pages 79- 80 Points Received: 5 of 5 Comments:
- Question : (^) (TCO 1) What environmental threats and issues does environmental sociology and environmental sociologists try to solve? List some. Which are short-term and long-term issues? Pick one of these threats and or issues and describe how you would try to solve it as an environmental sociologist. Student Answer: Environmental sociologists study and try to understand how our society sees enviornmental problems. For example, some of these problems would be climate change, global warming, pollution, deforestation, species going extinct due to our impact, and spills of toxic waste. I would personally try to stop deforestation. There is no reason to clear as many forests as we do. It impacts everything from animals to our air! Yet for some reason very few people seem to be concerned. In order to stop deforestation I would go the government and social media route. Write a bill that states each company is only allowed to cut down a certain amount of trees every year from certain places, UNLESS they grow them on private land themselves. Instructor Explanation: &#-107;Climate change &#-107;Global warming &#-107;Acid rain &#-107;Depletion of the ozone layer &#-107;Soil, air, and water pollution &#-107;Smog &#-107;Soil and land erosion &#-107;Nuclear and toxic waste and spills &#-107;Deforestation &#-107;Species extinction due to human influence and impact Points Received: 25 of 30 Comments: Good answer! Just not enough detail for full credit.
aspects of capitalism. How does this relate to free markets? Student Answer: Consumption is the way we use the materials from our environment for our own gain and benefit. Consumption is destroying our world in more ways than one. We mine coal, cut down trees, pollute the soil with our horrible habits just to make money. Unfortunately, with this money making focus, the price of food has skyrocketed and become less available to those in less developed countries who have little to no money. It's even happening in the United states. Drive into any city and you'll see skinny homeless people holding signs up asking for food. We're so concerned with making money, that stores will let food rot and throw it out rather than donate it just for a chance that someone might buy it if they put it at a discounted rate. Instructor Explanation: Consumption is basically how humans and our society use these materials. Some people eat these materials in the form of food. Of course, the over consumption of food often causes obesity issues which is currently a major global epidemic. The overconsumption and abuse of any material is obviously not good for our society and global environment. How can we prevent this global overconsumption? Each year global consumption rates increase at expediential and alarming rates. This is largely due to more and more countries becoming more industrialized as well as the global population gradually increasing. How much is too much and do you think we will ever run out of certain materials? Food? Resources? Then what? We must also ask what makes people consume all of these materials. Large scale marketing and global Capitalism causes people to want all of these material goods. Supply and demand largely control consumption and global consumption rates. Many people often desire what they can't get. For example, when Wii first came out, everyone wanted one but Nintendo could not produce them fast enough. Another example would be the Tickle me Elmo Dolls and The Cabbage Patch Kids. Most industrial nations today base their overall economies and success on Capitalism and the creation, marketing, trading/selling, and consuming of material goods. The next question we must ask is how can we continue to have a positive and successful global economy through Capitalism, but at the same time not stress and strain the Earth's physical environment? Points Received: 26 of 30 Comments: Good answer! Just not enough detail for full credit. Question 4. Question : (^) (TCO 6) Describe the economics and politics of implementing green technology in our society. Why are we so slow to move toward this type of green technology and away from
petroleum? Compare and contrast which forms of green technology might realistically be built in the next 10 years. Which ones do you think need to wait until a future to be built, and why? Student Answer: I think the reason we're so slow to implement, research, and develop green technology is a very simple one. Money. I'll give some examples. It's cheaper for me to pay for electricity and gas (at the moment, since clean energy takes years to save money) than it is to have my roof covered in solar panels. The installation cost alone is more than a month of my bill for electricity and gas, so it's something most people aren't able to consider. I believe this is done for a reason. Big companies don't want to lose their profits in things like the coal industry, so they sell their products cheaper than the green technology ones to make it look more appealing to consumers. Let's put it this way... If you had ONLY $50, would you buy 50 microwave meals from Wal-mart or would you spend the $50 on 10 healthy meals? Logically, 99% of people would chose the microwave meals simply because you get more for your dollar. Instructor Explanation: Petroleum (oil, natural gas, and coal) companies are some of the richest companies in the world. Companies like BP, Shell, Exxon Mobile, and many companies in the Middle East are examples. They use a lot of their economic and political power along with advertising and marketing to make sure that the world sticks with their product. Some believe that the War in Iraq was all about oil and not the people. Why does our society continue to give into these oil companies? Why doesn't our society resist these companies and move toward more green technologies? How can we motivate our society to do this? Many people are against non-green technologies but no movement is ever really strong enough to make any headway to changing or transitioning into more green technologies. Some economists worry that changing from non-green technologies to more green technologies might stump or block global economic growth. But, the current state of our global economy does create worldwide economic inequality which only adds to our overconsumption of goods and resulting materialism. Would going to a more green technology economy limit overconsumption and materialism? How will changing from a carbon based global economy to a more green economy impact Capitalism? Can we use technology and more specifically, green technology to create social change? Technology should always be thought of and used as a tool, a tool that no one should ever abuse. Technology can be viewed just like information. Those who control technology, controls the world. What are some of the negative aspects of technology, more specifically, when we allow technology to control us? One example of this concept can be seen in the automobile. Almost everyone has one. It is very beneficial for transportation, but when abused can become a weapon in killing other humans and
and others to either decrease or even go extinct. Incidents like these usually occur in geographically isolated regions like islands. Australia is a good example of this as well as many of the islands on in the Pacific Rim. For example, a few species of mice and rats have been introduced to Australia which only caused their populations to explode and eat up crops and spread disease. Another example in the USA would be the introduction of the possum as well as many other species that people bring over for pets which escape. There are stories of crocodiles living in the NYC Subways! Points Received: 24 of 30 Comments: Good answer! Just not enough detail for full credit.
