Chap 8 - Regulatory trends and policies

Question 1

mechanism for incentivizing sustainable practices.

Answer 1

tax credit

Question 2

Financial incentives are provided both by states and private institutions

Answer 2

green grants

Question 3

taxes on activities deemed harmful to human health but that are
nevertheless attractive to people—for example, alcohol and cigarettes.

Answer 3

sin taxes

Question 4

This tax is levied on companies that pollute or incur excessive social costs through their business
practices.

Answer 4

Pigouvian tax (Arthur Pigou)

Question 5

common resources are shared by all and owned by none. The atmosphere, for example, is not owned by a specific individual, organization, or government; nor are the ocean currents, clean air, or the pollination provided by honeybees The problem is that private entities have incentives to use or take from the commons
in ways that promote private gain while causing decline of the commons

Answer 5

Tragedy of the commons

Question 6

Someone who discloses information believed to be evidence of wrongdoing that threatens “public health and safety, financial integrity, human rights, the environment and the rule of law.” Protections for these people are designed to shield them from retaliation and encourage reporting of misconduct of those in power.

Answer 6

Whistleblower

Question 7

Enacted in 2002 by the US Congress, this act is intended to protect investors from fraudulent accounting practices by public corporations. Initially viewed abroad as a barrier to trade, other countries have since enacted similar laws, such as the 8th Company Law Directive of the EU.

Answer 7

Sarbanes-Oxley (SOX
Act)

Question 8

This describes the ownership of a company by a broad cross-section of employees—from rank-and-file to management—offered through a formal plan by the company.

Answer 8

Employee Ownership

Question 9

include outright bans on activities as well as approaches that require incremental
movement toward new standards. An example of the latter is “portfolio standards,” which require products to
contain a minimum percentage of a more sustainable input

Answer 9

Restrictive regulations

Question 10

:reduction of longstanding fossil fuels subsidies can level the playing field for renewables, such as solar, wind, and wave technologies, as well as innovative algae and biofuels. These tax
and subsidy reductions reward desired behavior over the status quo.

Answer 10

Subsidy reduction

Question 11

successfully used, in the U.S. to reduce the lead content in gasoline and eliminate
the use of CFC refrigerants. The Kyoto Protocol established an international emission trading market for greenhouse gases, which are often referred to as “cap-and-trade” schemes

Answer 11

tradable permit

Question 12

states assess a fee or tax on the amount of pollution generated by the actors. Also referred to as a “feebate: bottle deposits provide an example of this mechanism.

Answer 12

Pollution charges

Question 13

An emissions trading scheme, whereby lower emitters sell permits to excessive emitters so they can stay within their regulatory emissions cap

Answer 13

cap and trade system

Question 14

In the carbon offset market, this test answers the question: Are the GHG reductions a direct result of the project being sold? If, all else being equal, the project reduces GHG levels, then the project passes this test.

Answer 14

additionality

Question 15

This principle holds that where there is a potential threat of serious or irreversible damage, a lack of certainty should not be used to justify postponing cost-effective action.

Principle 15 of Earth Summit

Answer 15

Precautionary Principle

Question 16

Enacted in 2003, this EU directive is targeted at reducing electronic waste by promoting its recycling through take-back programs. Closely linked with the EU’s Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment Directive (WEEE), the law requires the replacement of heavy metals and certain flame retardants with safer alternatives. Since its passage other countries and jurisdictions have passed similar legislation.

Answer 16

Restriction of Hazardous Substances (RoHS) Directive

Question 17

This EU regulation is designed to protect human and environmental health from chemical exposure. The legislation also contains provisions relating to the use of animals in research.

Answer 17

Regulation on
Registration,
Evaluation,
Authorization
& Restriction of
Chemicals (REACH)

Question 18

These directives place significant end-of-life responsibility on manufacturers, in managing the post-consumer treatment and disposal of their products. Requirements may be financial and/or physical in nature.

Answer 18

Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR)

Question 19

Sometimes used synonymously with Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR), this environmental management strategy assigns responsibility for minimizing the environmental impact of a product. Such responsibility may lie with the designer, producer, vendor, or user—whoever has the greatest ability to affect its impact throughout its life cycle. Most often responsibility lies with the producer.

Answer 19

Product stewardship

Question 20

This refers to discarded electronic devices—any device with a circuit board—that find their way into the landfill. The presence of both precious metals and hazardous materials makes recycling these devices at once lucrative and dangerous. Responsible recovery preserves resources while protecting human and ecosystem health.

Answer 20

e-waste

Question 21

This EU Directive provides rules for improving the energy efficiency and environmental performance of energy-using products (EuP) and energy-related products (ErP).

Answer 21

Ecodesign directive

Question 22

IUCN

Answer 22

International Union for Conservation of Nature

Question 23

Internationally recognized as the most comprehensive catalogue of taxonomic, conservation status, and distribution information on plants, fungi and animals. Listings of “Critically Endangered,” “Endangered,” and “Vulnerable” indicate which species face a higher risk of global extinction.

Answer 23

IUCN Red List of Threatened Species

Question 24

Passed by Congress in 1973, this act made the US one of the first countries to afford legal protections to a full range of living things, including birds, insects, fish, reptiles, mammals, crustaceans, flowers, grasses, and trees.

Answer 24

Endangered Species Act (ESA)

Question 25

any positive benefit provided by an ecosystem. Four major categories of these were identified by the Millennium Ecosystem Assessment (MA): Provisioning (e.g. food, water); Regulating (e.g. pollination, carbon sequestration); Cultural (e.g. recreation, inspiration); Supporting (e.g. photo-synthesis, carbon cycle).

Answer 25

ecosystem services

Question 26

A systematic process of continuous improvement where policies and practices are improved and adapted based on learning from previous outcomes.

Answer 26

Adaptive management or Adaptive Resource Management (ARM)

Question 27

This convention was an outcome of the 1992 WCED summit in Rio de Janeiro and entered into force in 1993. It has three key objectives–to conserve biological diversity, support the sustainable use of biological diversity’s components, and promote the equitable sharing of benefits that arise from using genetic resources.

Answer 27

UN Convention on Biological Diversity

Question 28

Refers to the trade in non-military goods, the income from which is used to fund wars and helps to perpetuate human rights abuses. Used in the context of central Africa, tin, tungsten, and tantalum (the 3Ts) plus gold comprise these goods.

Answer 28

Conflict minerals

Question 29

This term describes any organism (plant, animal, microorganism, etc.) with an altered genetic code. The genetic engineering process produces transgenic species with the combined traits of donor organisms.

Answer 29

Genetically modified Organism (GMO)

Question 30

These contain nanoparticles—particles measuring less than 100 nanometers in at least one direction. (One nanometer = One billionth of a meter.)

Answer 30

Nanomaterials