Fossil Fuels and Renewable Energy
Which of the following are Fossil Fuels? There may be multiple answers.
A) Coal
B) Petroleum
C) Natural Gas
D) Nuclear Energy
A, B and C are all fossil fuels. Nuclear Energy is a non-renewable energy but it is not a fossil fuel.
What is a cost-benefit analysis?
A) A tool people use to compare the costs and benefits of different aspects of a problem.
B) A tool that can only be used for very specific problems.
C) A tool people use to make decisions with no compromises.
A) A cost-benefit analysis is a tool that anyone can use to make a decision to solve almost any problem.
What is sustainable development?
A) Development designed to meet society's current needs regardless of the impact on future generations.
B) Development designed to impact future generations as little as possible regardless of society's current needs.
C) Development designed to meets society's current needs while conserving natural resources for future generations.
C) sustainability considers our current needs as well as the impact on future generations.
What is air quality?
A) The measure of the thickness of the troposphere.
B) The measure of air pollution in the atmosphere.
C) The measure of oxygen in the atmosphere.
B) The measure of air pollution in the atmosphere.
What is Carbon Capture?
A) a process where carbonic acid is removed from the oceans.
B) a process where carbon dioxide gas from burning fossil fuels is collected instead of released into the atmosphere.
C) a process where fossil fuels are treated so that they no longer produce carbon dioxide when they are burned.
B) a process for capturing carbon dioxide before it is released into the atmosphere.
How do fossil fuels impact the environment?
A) They release large amounts of Carbon Dioxide into the atmsophere.
B) They release sulfur, nitrogen and toxic Mercury.
C) The transportation of Crude oil can lead to large scale oil spills which are deadly to wildlife.
D) All of the above
All of the above are ways that using fossil fuels impacts the environment.
When trying to make a decision for an entire community, the Pros (benefits) and Cons (Costs) should all be given the same score.
A) True
B) False
False. Some pros or cons have bigger impacts on the community than others.
What are the three pillars of sustainable development?
A) Economic, Social and Industrial
B) Economic, Industrial and Environmental
C) Economic, Social and Environmental
C) Economic, Social and Environmental
Which of the following can be a natural cause of air pollution?
A) Volcanoes
B) Wildfires
C) Dust Storms
D) all of the above
D) Volcanoes, Wildfires, Dust Storms and even Radon Gas are all natural causes of air pollution.
What are the three main processes for capturing carbon?
A) Post-Combustion, Pre-Combustion and Pure Oxygen
B) Post-Combustion, Pre-Combustion and Pure Nitrogen.
A) Post-Combustion, Pre-Combustion and Pure Oxygen
Which of the following are renewable energy sources?
A) Hydropower
B) Solar Power
D) Wind Power
E) All of the above
All of these are renewable energy sources as well as geothermal power and biomass combustion.
All criteria in a cost-benefit analysis must have a clear benefit or cost.
A) True
B) False
The United Nations developed a set of goals for building more sustainable societies. What are the four guiding principles used to form these goals?
A) Environmental, Personal, Societal and Systemic
B) Environmental, Economic, Societal and Systemic
C) Environmental, Personal, Economic and Systemic
A) Envirnomental, Personal, Societal and Systemic.
How can humans address air quality issues?
A) Clean up pollution sources.
B) Create laws and policies that encourage industries to reduce pollution.
C) Continuously monitor air quality.
D) All of the above
D) all of the above.
How can captured carbon be stored in rocks?
It can be injected into rocks that have oil and gas deposits and then the holes can be capped to keep it in these rocks.
The Hoover Dam is large source of hydroelectric power for Arizona, California and Nevada. How does it impact the environment?
A) building dams can create problems for locations further down stream.
B) A dam failure can cause massive flooding.
C) The turbines used in the dam release CO2 into the environment.
D) Both A and B.
D) building a dam can reduce water flow down stream which can disrupt entire ecosystems and if the dam becomes damaged or fails, can cause massive flooding.
If California chooses to build a new electrical plant powered by coal in your county, are the costs and benefits the same for you as they are for people who live in other parts of the state?
No. The benefits may be similar but the costs are much greater to you because you are much closer to the pollution and it will take land from your community and not theirs.
Some United Nations development goals focus on individuals. How can a goal of a society focus on an individual?
A) It can work to ensure that all people can meet their basic needs to survive.
B) It can work to ensure that specific people can become disproportionately financially successful while others can not meet their basic needs.
A) In a sustainable society it is important that all individuals can meet their basic needs.
How has the EPA impacted air quality?
A) by creating regulations for the oil and gas industries that reduce air pollution.
B) by creating regulations for auto emissions.
C) required that health benefits be considered when creating new regulations
D) all of the above
D) all of the above
However, all of these regulations have been reduced in the last year including the complete removal of the requirement that health benefits be considered when creating new regulations.
Captured carbon dioxide can be injected into the ocean or the ocean crust. What are the concerns with using this method?
If burning biomass releases carbon into the air, why is it considered carbon neutral?
Because the carbon released by burning plant material is offset by the carbon absorbed as new plants grow.
Systemic sustainability goals focus on:
A) building global partnerships to achieve the goals of sustainable development.
B) the responsible consumption and production of goods in a single community.
C) building more sustainable cities in the United States.
A) building global partnerships to achieve these goals because what individual countries do impacts the entire globe.
Why should low-income and minority communities receive priority when addressing air quality issues?
A) these communities can afford to pay for air quality improvment.
B) these communities have the highest populations.
C) these communities generally have the unhealthiest air.
C) Low-income and minority communities genrally have the unhealthiest air.
What is an example of how captured carbon dioxide can be used?
A) it can be used as a refrigerant
B) it can be sued in carbonated beverages
C) to inflate life vests and rafts
D) all of the above
D) all of the above
It can also be used in rubber and plastics and to grow plants in greenhouses.