Climate Change
The planet's average surface temperature has risen about how many degrees Fahrenheit since the late 19th century? (Must guess within one degree)
2.12
A/An _________ is a cost or benefit caused by a producer that is not financially incurred or received by that producer.
Externality
What is the name for a tax levied on the carbon emissions required to produce goods and services?
Carbon tax.
What is the name for any measure by a government or corporation or other public or private organization regarding the effects of human activities on the environment, particularly those measures that are designed to prevent or reduce harmful effects of human activities on ecosystems.
Environmental Policy
Top polluting country in the world?
China, with more than 10,065 million tons of CO2 released.
The ocean has absorbed much of the increased heat, with the top 100 meters (about 328 feet) of ocean showing warming of more than __ degrees Fahrenheit since 1969. (Must guess within one degree)
0.6
What kind of externality is climate change?
Negative
Does the United States currently tax industries for the carbon they produce?
No
What is the name of the most comprehensive US Environmental agency?
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
This disaster in 1986 in Ukraine killed 49 people and was estimated to have damaged almost $7 billion of property".
Chernobyl
The Greenland and Antarctic ice sheets have decreased in mass. Data from NASA's Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment show Greenland lost an average of 279 billion tons of ice per year between 1993 and 2019, while Antarctica lost about __ billion tons of ice per year. (Must guess within 50 billion)
148
A government gives money to orchards that plant fruit trees to provide positive externalities to beekeepers. What is the term for this type of money transfer?
A subsidy.
Name two energy sources that could be made more expensive under a carbon tax.
Coal, oil, natural gas and electricity
The earliest sewers were constructed in Mohenjo-daro (Indus, or Harappan, civilization) and in Rome (ancient Roman civilization), which date back to how many years ago? (Must guess within one thousand years)
Between 2700 and 4500 years ago (Answer must be between 1700 and 5500)
This agricultural disaster occurred in Canada and the United States from 1934–1939.
The Dust Bowl
Global sea level rose about __ inches in the last century. The rate in the last two decades, however, is nearly double that of the last century and accelerating slightly every year. (Must guess within 2 inches)
8
Government intervention/policy.
President Biden has pledged to reach net-zero emissions by what year? (Must be exact).
Mr. Biden has pledged to cut U.S. emissions roughly in half by 2030 and reach net-zero emissions by 2050.
Which President signed the National Environmental Policy Act (or NEPA) and created the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)?
President Richard Nixon.
How many million tons of C02 did the United States emit in 2019? (Must guess within one thousand)
5,416 million. (4416-6416 accepted for answer)
Since the beginning of the Industrial Revolution, the acidity of surface ocean waters has increased by about __. (Must guess within 10%)
This kind of tax is on a market transaction that creates a negative externality, or an additional cost, borne by individuals not directly involved in the transaction.
Pigovian/ Pigouvian Tax
Name the first country to implement a carbon tax.
Finland
Natural resources are almost always underpriced because they are often assumed to have infinite availability. This results in what American ecologist Garrett Hardin in 1968 called ________
“the tragedy of the commons.”
What is the top polluting company in the United States?
Exxon Mobil