Basic issues in environmental science

EVPP 111 Lecture

Exam #1 Study Guide - Spring 2003

COMPLETE

Basic issues in environmental science

What are some characteristics of the approach developed ~40 years ago to dealing with environmental issues?
What were some of the precipitating events in the early 1960s that lead to the environment becoming a popular issue?
Contrast "environmentalist" and "anti-environmentalist"
What are some characteristics of the current (or emerging) approach to dealing with environmental issues?
What are the five unifying themes that help connect the complex and multifaceted issues of the environment?
How has public opinion toward the environment changed over the past ~40 years and what impact has this change had on the current approach to dealing with environmental issues?
How has scientific understanding of the environment changed over the past ~40 years and what impact has this change had on the current approach to dealing with environmental issues?
How have the legislative frameworks for environmental management changed over the past ~40 years and what impact has this change had on the current approach to dealing with environmental issues?
Why is the rapidly increasing human population considered by many to be the issues that underlies all environmental problems?
What is the approximate current world human population?
What is "carrying capacity"?
What is "sustainability"?
What is meant by the "global perspective" aspect of environmental issues?
What are the negative environmental impacts attributed to the increasing shift to urban life (by humans)?

Addressing environmental issues

What is the scientific method?
What are the basic steps of the scientific method?
What are scientific conclusions based upon?
What is the difference between scientific theories, principles and laws?
What do we mean when we say that some areas of human endeavor are "non-scientific"?
What is meant by "scientific uncertainty"?
What is risk?
What is risk assessment?
What are the 4 general steps of risk assessment?
What is the common 'Dilemma" of risk assessment?
What is conservation?
What are natural resources?
Who were some of the key figures and organizations prominent in the conservation movement in the US from the early 1800s to the mid-1900s?
When was the Environmental Protection Agency formed?
What is economics?
What is an external cost in a free market?
Why are pollution and environmental degradation considered "external costs"?
What are environmental ethics?
Compare and contrast the Western environmental worldview to the deep ecology environmental worldview
What are the 5 general components of addressing an environmental problem?
What does scientific assessment of an environmental problem consist of?
What is risk analysis?
What does the public education component of addressing and environmental problem entail?

Human population issues

What is the total fertility rate?
What factors affect the total fertility rate?
How is total fertility rate affected by culture and cultural traditions?
How is the total fertility rate affected by the social and economic status of women?
What effect does marriage age have on total fertility rate?
What effect does the availability of educational opportunities to women have on total fertility rate?
What effect does the availability of family planning services have on total fertility rate?
What are the effects of human overpopulation on nonrenewable resources?
What are the effects of human population on renewable resources?
What is "people overpopulation"?
What is "consumption overpopulation"?
In the simple model of human impacts on the environment that was presented, what are the three factors most important in determining environment impact?
How does the geographical distribution of people affect the impact of population growth?
What is the "demographic transition"?
What are the four stages of the demographic transition?
What are the characteristics of the pre-industrial stage of the demographic transition?
What are the characteristics of the transitional stage of the demographic transition?
What are the characteristics of the industrial stage of the demographic transition?
What are the characteristics of the post-industrial stage of the demographic transition?

Energy - patterns of consumption

What "fuel" represented early civilization's first use of energy in a form other than food?
What were some of the issues associated with the increased use of wood as an energy source?
Which source of energy replaced wood when wood supplies declined in Europe and North America?
What are fossil fuels?
How, in general, are fossil fuels formed?
Which fossil fuel was the first to be extensively used, starting around the beginning of the industrial revolution?
What was the Industrial Revolution? When did it begin? Where did it begin?
How did per capita energy consumption change with the advent of the Industrial Revolution?
What is the link between economic growth and the availability of inexpensive energy?
What role did the automobile play in economic growth and energy consumption?
What is the relationship between gross domestic product and energy consumption?
How does the amount of energy used in industrialized countries compare to that in less developed countries?
How does the way energy is used in industrialized nations compare to the way its used in less developed nations?
How does the industrial use of energy in industrialized nations compare to that in less developed nations?
How does the transportation use of energy in industrialized nations compare to that in less developed nations?
How does the residential and commercial use of energy in industrialized nations compare to that in less developed nations?
How did world energy consumption change between 1985 and 1999?
What the world's three major sources of energy?

Energy - fossil fuels - coal

What is meant by the term "nonrenewable resources"?
What are some examples of nonrenewable resources?
What is meant by the term "renewable resources"?
What are some examples of renewable resources?
What is the difference between a "resource" and a "reserve"?
What is the difference between a "known" reserve and an "unknown" reserve?
What are the 3 types of fossil fuels?
How, when and where was coal formed?
What are the characteristics of coal exposed to higher heat and pressure during formation?
What are the characteristics of coal exposed to lower heat and pressure during formation?
What are the three most common grades of coal?
What are the characteristics, uses and deposit location of lignite?
What are the characteristics, uses and deposit location of bituminous coal ?
What are the characteristics, uses and deposit location of anthracite?
What is the general distribution of known world coal reserves?
At current and projected use rates, approximately how long will the known world coal reserves last?
How abundant is coal relative to the other fossil fuels?
What is the general distribution of known US coal reserves?
At current and projected use rates, approximately how long will the known US coal reserves last?
What are the two main methods of coal extraction?
What are the characteristics of surface coal mines and mining? When are they used? What are their advantages and disadvantages?
What are the characteristics of subsurface coal mines and mining? When are they used? What are their advantages and disadvantages?
Approximately what percentages of world and US energy is provided by coal?
What are the main uses of coal?
What is the trend in coal use?
What is the predicted future trend in coal use and why?
What impurities does coal contain that can be released when it is burned?
What are the environmental impacts that result from the use of coal?
What are the human health impacts associated with coal?
What are the land disturbance issues associated with the use of coal?
What is acid mine drainage?
What is acid deposition?
What are the air pollution issues associated with the use of coal?
What greenhouse gases are associated with the use of coal?
What are some of the methods being used to make coal a cleaner fuel?
What are desulfurization systems?
What is fluidized bed combustion?
What are synfuels?

Energy - fossil fuels - oil and natural gas

What is oil composed of?
How is oil formed?
What is natural gas composed of?
How is natural gas formed?
What is a "source rock"?
What is a "reservoir rock"?
What is "liquefied petroleum gas"?
What types of products are the various compounds of petroleum separated into during the refining process and on what physical property is this separation based?
What are petrochemicals and what are some examples of them?
What is a "trap"?
What is a "cap rock"?
Why are a trap and cap rock necessary in the formation of oil and gas deposits?
What are the characteristics of a of rock that makes a good cap rock?
In what form does trapped oil usually exist?
Generally, how are oil reserves distributed around the world?
What percentage of the world's oil reserves are located in the US?
Which region of the world contains the majority of the world's oil reserves?
At current and projected use rates, approximately how long will the known world oil reserves last?
How abundant is oil relative to the other fossil fuels?
What is the general distribution of known US oil reserves?
At current and projected use rates, approximately how long will the known US oil reserves last?
What are the two methods by which production wells in an oil field recover oil?
How did the percent of the world's energy needs that are met by oil change during the 20^th century?
Approximately what percent of oil can be recovered by primary production methods?
Approximately, what percent of oil can be recovered by enhanced recovery methods?
What types of environmental problems can be caused by the combustion of oil?
Approximately how much carbon dioxide is released for every gallon of gasoline burned in an automobile?
What is acid deposition and how does the combustion of oil contribute to it?
What types of environmental problems can be caused by the production and transport and oil?
What is conventional natural gas?
What in unconventional natural gas?
Generally, how are natural gas reserves distributed around the world?
What percentage of the world's natural gas reserves are located in the US?
At current and projected use rates, approximately how long will the known world natural gas reserves last?
How abundant is natural gas relative to the other fossil fuels?
What is the general distribution of known US natural gas reserves?
At current and projected use rates, approximately how long will the known US natural gas reserves last?
What is natural gas used for?
Approximately what percent of the world's energy needs are met by natural gas?
How did the percent of the world's energy needs that are met by natural gas change during the 20^th century?
What is cogeneration?
What is liquefied petroleum gas?
What is liquefied natural gas?
What environmental problems are associated with the use of natural as?
How do the emissions that result from the combustion of natural gas compare to those resulting from the combustion of coal or oil?
What environmental problems are associated with the extraction and transport of natural gas?

Energy - nuclear energy

WILL BE COVERED AFTER EXAM #1 AND WILL BE INCLUDED ON EXAM #2