Questions and Answers of Geology

If you were the energy czar of your state or country, where would you invest your budget? Why?
We have discussed a number of different energy sources and energy technologies in this chapter. Each has advantages and disadvantages. If you were an energy policy analyst, how would you compare such
If your local utility company were going to build a new power plant in your community, what kind would you prefer? Why?
The nuclear industry is placing ads in popular magazines and newspapers, claiming that nuclear power is environmentally friendly because it doesn't contribute to the greenhouse effect. How do you
How would you evaluate the debate about net energy loss or gain in biofuels? What questions would you ask the experts on each side of this question? What worldviews or hidden agendas do you think
It clearly will cost a lot of money to switch from fossil fuels to renewables. How would you respond to someone who says that future costs from climate change are no concern of theirs?
What is Desertech, and how will it help Europe meet its energy needs?
How do photovoltaic cells work?
How does energy consumption in the United States compare to that in other countries?
What are tar sands and oil shales? What are the environmental costs of their extraction?
A toxic waste disposal site has been proposed for the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation in South Dakota. Many tribal members oppose this plan, but some favor it because of the jobs and income it will
Should industry officials be held responsible for dumping chemicals that were legal when they did it but are now known to be extremely dangerous? At what point can we argue that they should have
Suppose that your brother or sister has decided to buy a house next to a toxic waste dump because it costs $20,000 less than a comparable house elsewhere. What do you say to him or her?
Explain the basic process of producing methane biogas from organic waste.
What are bioremediation and phytoremediation? What are some advantages to these methods?
What are solid wastes and hazardous wastes? What is the difference between them?
Describe the difference between an open dump, a sanitary landfill, and a modern, secure, hazardous waste disposal site.
Describe some concerns about waste incineration.
List some benefits and drawbacks of recycling wastes. What are the major types of materials recycled from municipal waste, and how are they used?
What is e-waste? How is most of it disposed of, and what are some strategies for improving recycling rates?
What is composting, and how does it fit into solid waste disposal?
What materials are most recycled in the United States?
What are brownfields, and why do cities want to redevelop them?
Some people-especially automakers-claim that Americans will never give up their cars. Do you agree? What might persuade you to change to a car-free lifestyle?
This chapter presents a number of proposals for suburban redesign. Which of them would be appropriate or useful for your community? Try drawing up a plan for the ideal design of your neighborhood.
A city could be considered an ecosystem. Using what you learned in chapters 2 and 3, describe the structure and function of a city in ecological terms.
If you were doing a cost-benefit study, how would you assign a value to the opportunity for good health or the existence of rare and endangered species in faraway places? Is there a danger or cost in
What would be the effect on the developing countries of the world if we were to change to a steady-state economic system? How could we achieve a just distribution of resource benefits while still
When an ecologist warns that we are using up irreplaceable natural resources and an economist rejoins that ingenuity and enterprise will find substitutes for most resources, what underlying premises
Briefly summarize the differences in how neoclassical and ecological economics view natural resources.
How is it that nonrenewable resources can be extended indefinitely, while renewable resources are exhaustible?
In your own words, describe what is shown in figure 15.22.
What's the difference between open access and communal resource management?
Describe the genuine progress index (GPI).
What is the difference between a shantytown and a slum?
Define sprawl.
In what ways are cities ecosystems?
Define smart growth.
Describe a few ways in which Vauban is self-sufficient and sustainable.
What is a policy? How are policies formed?
Define sustainable development and describe some of its principal tenets.
List four important U.S. environmental laws (besides NEPA), and briefly describe what each does.
Why are international environmental conventions and treaties often ineffective? What can make them more successful?
Why is the U.S. Supreme Court case Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission controversial?
List two broad goals of environmental education identified by the National Environmental Education Act.
List five things each of us could do to help preserve our common environment.
Describe some things schools and students have done to promote sustainable living.

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