Final(test) Flashcards

Question

A history of oil prices:

Answer 1

- early 19th & 20th century oil prices were driven by booms and busts - In the 1930's, the Texas Railroad Commission was given the authority to essentially act as a body to control the supply and price of petroleum(something it could do because the US was the worlds biggest producer) - In 1970, the TRC lost ability to control prices because USA hit peak oil and could not supply its needs - OPEC then was in a position to control price - The post OPEC oil market has been rocky: embargoes caused global recessions, its not clear that production could keep up with demand in the early 2000s - Saudi Arabia(with about 20% of earths known reserves) is a 'valve' that can be turned on and off to maintain stable oil prices - As the 60 min video on the Saudi oil industry pointed out, it is in their best interest to maintain oil prices at a level that discourages the mass intrusion of alternative energy sources

Answer 2

1) Its too difficult - We have a Carbon-based infrastructure, need to retool for new energies - This is what people said about Edinburgh Scotland's sewer(or lack of sewer) problem two hundred years ago(it will never happen). - Richard Alley(Penn State climate scientist) relays the evening ritual of emptying chamber pots directly onto the streets of the city. People thought it would cost too much( a new infrasture of sewers, water treatment sanitation smart grid). - Cost was really only about 1% of the economy, about the same as some estimate it will take to transform our energy sector today - As professor Socolow and Pacala point out, we can make a huge dent in climate/energy issues with simple/well known methods(the "wedge" approach). The key is because the problem is so big, it will require multiple(in their model 7) wedges to level off our C emissions and shift them in a downward trajectory. (refresh your memory of these wedges)

Answer 3

Its too expensive - What is the cost of transformative system - I broad number, a renewable electrical energy system for much of Europe might be in the 0.5 to 1.0 Trillion dollar range: for comparison, its less than what is reported the USA has spent in post 9/11wars. Also, Saudi Arabia alone may be spending nearly 100 billion on new infrastructure to drill, process, and ship oil. ``` -alternatives are "expensive" because oil/coal is sill cheap. We presently do not pay the full cost of oil: Externalities of (1)global warming (2)Pollution in locales of production(recent law suit in Ecuador, Nigerir,) (3)Disposal of coal ash (4)environmental effects of strip mining. ``` - Many economists argue that a $25 per ton of Carbon tax would make the market amenable to a more rapid transformation to non-C energy: and example is that after the Arab oil embargo of 1973, the USA and other countries spent unprecedented amounts (and made significant gains) in conservation, new technologies, etc. - an "Externality tax" is called, by economists, a "Pigovian tax"(after Arthur Pigou) - Due to cheap oil, government investment in alternative energy has been declining in most countries -While there has been much written about the failures of Stimulus funds devoted to the Green Energy sector, the 60Minutes video points out some important facts: A.Most start-ups are failures, and the energy sector is particularly challenging since its up against a cheap(usually)source(coal,oil) B. some of the well-publicized energy tech failures are being purchased by Chinese investors who are taking a longer financial view that some American Corporations(or public) -Finally(on this topic), one has to recognize that the press and politicians dwell on failures, but(as with Tesla) are sometimes slow to recognize potential success.

Answer 4

Its too inconvenient -The irony of many renewable or non-Carbon projects is that they are met with opposition: the 'not in my backyard' response EXAMPLES A)WIND:Kills birds, obstructs views, lowers property values are 3 key points of opposition(National Academy of Science report acknowledges bird fatalities, but points out that cats cause more problems;LBNL reported a study that property values do not decline B)SOLAR: take space(usually in deserts), opposition over wildlife and vegetation C)NUCLEAR: probably the biggest is that it is dangerous(human & environmentally). Some points about nuclear to consider: -Biggest challenge today is economics: more expensive(so far) than coal -The movie Pandora's promise reveals that background level's of radiation we are exposed to is equivalent to radiation around Chernoble and Fukushima. -Chernoble style reactors not allowed/or commissioned in USA or in Europe -Coal mining and use has been far more dangerous over time than nuclear Scientist and entrepreneurs are designing new generations of reactors.

Answer 5

a need to understand the supply chain • clothing by your American brands are made in an array of countries around the world.

Answer 6

Many brands: outsourced to many countries - production moved offshore to make products cheaper - lower pay, less stringent working conditions - monthly wage in Bangledesh ($38/month minimum wage for many years)17cents per hour - wage isn’t only issue since most apparel is mainly produced in China ($100 per month). - China offers most efficient prod system in world (full package production: spin, weave, dye, finish..) - China: fast, efficient on time. - Largest apparel manufacturer in world: Lian Fung - Largest shoe manufacturer: Pou Chen - Largest electronics manufacter: Fox Con Pressures Downward - fast fashion (increased speed of fashion cycle – rapid production and cyles) - new supply chain organization - changes in factory organization and management (lean manufacturing)- used to take 40 days to make a new shirt, now it can be done in 4 hours - accelerating sourcing pressures and impacts - change in systems for compliance - countries competing on wages, working conditions, environmental standards - - states competing against states to lower wages to get contracts (BMW) , give away environmental regulations to get industry, companies will move on a moments notice - companies searching out lower standards - government with limited capacities - mobile firms outpacing regulation - downward pressure on wages and standards - adverse environmental impacts - no global system of regulation

Answer 7

- poor country - $1044/yr (vs 43,000/yr in USA) - size of Iowa, with 160 million - last 10 years, big garment production boom - second only to China in garments - growth has come at expense to garment workers - building collapse 2005 (64 people died, and many more permanently injured) building went from 4 to 9 stories with no plan - CSR (corporate social responsibility) was inspecting even while this was constructed - Brands provided no compensation to survivors, and nothing changed - 2010 Hamien factory caught fire, improper flammable materials, no fire protection, doors locked (20 died, hundred injured) - 2012 Tazrein fire: multiple CSR inspections caught no problems, - company has 13 factories, 36 million dollars per year – 112 people burned to death - RanaPlaza – April 2013: five story building with 3 floors added. Had been repeated CSR audits as safe….. - Garment workers were told to stay (or else lose wages) stayed after cracks in the building developed. Severe penalites for not on time deliveries drove the policy. No compensation by US brands to any survivor or victim. - The tragedy caused workers to protest - - change in labor laws (allowed workers to join unions) - - increase in minimum wages ($68/month from 38) - - 40% of factories are still not paying new wages - - rents went up for many workers

Answer 8

- e.g. brands drive the system that leads to tragedy | - constantly speeding up and making cheaper

Answer 9

Industry Response: - voluntary code of conduct - external models Response: “business as usual “ after Rana Plaza - The Alliance - - led by Walmart and the Gap – 26 brands - - same inspection procedures - secret reports of findings - repairs: sole responsibility of factory - no requirement to keep orders at factory - ramped up public relations

Answer 10

- 155 brands, 1800 factories, 2M workers - 5 year program, annual fees (up to 1.2M) - independent inspections - public reports - mandatory repairs, brands have to pay - 2 year requirement at inspected factories - worker participation - - inspections, committees, training, right to refuse to unsafe work - legally binding agreement between brands and international unions

Answer 11

- help the Accord reps

Answer 12

- very poor with few resources - government not accustomed to protecting workers - some brand have byers remorse - vulnerable workers without union protection

Answer 13

- good procedures - finances - motivated brands and factories - worker engagements - opportunity to create OHS infrastructure - set a positive example for other countries and industry

Answer 14

- retailers are a huge force in global markets - know about products - consume less - enlighten others - consuming responsibly - ask for compensation to be paid to victims

Answer 15

- transparency - root cause analsys - collaborative problem solving - responsible sourcing - real worker participation - government enforcement

Answer 16

- Earth Day began in 1970, led by Sen. Gaylord Nelson of Wisconsin, and Rep. Pete McClouskey of CA. - A grassroots effort, with hundreds of local celebrations and marches. - A US event due to limited resources to launch it - Scientists spoke out in concern of global warming (J Murray Mitchell) - The largest public demonstration in US history (up to 20,000,000 people) It has been written that the issues and approaches to Earth Day have changed much of the past 44 years. First, in 1970, local air and water pollution were serious local issues. Since then, many of these have been cleared up or greatly reduced. Now, issues tend to be national or international (climate, biodiversity, etc) and – as some writers have pointed out – the environmental movement is now politically based in Washington or centers of government, led by lobbyists or professionals. There is much less of a feeling that local groups can do much, or have a big role to do. Commentators have suggested that this is something that should be reconsidered, to help the Day be more meaningful for local communities.

Answer 17

* nuclear energy (like other renewables) is still not economically competive with cheaper fossil fuel energy – but could be with a C tax * it has been argued that it is economics, not environmental opposition, that still largely limits nuclear expansion * in terms of human injuries or deaths per unit of energy, coal is far more dangerous than nuclear – though it is important to remember nuclear does require considerable safety measures

Answer 18

• decades of scientific research (measuring atm greenhouse gases, measuring past atmospheric conditions and temperatures in ice cores, analyzing weather station data from around the world, monitoring biotic behavior, conducting state of the art computer modeling of the global atmosphere) all show that: 1. we have more greenhouse gases (esp. CO2) in the atm than at any point for at least the past million years (probably many more) 2. temperature and greenhouse gases are closely linked in ice cores 3. global temperatures have spiked since the late 1970’s (the so-called “hockey stick”) 4. models can only replicate temperature changes if both natural and human impacts are both used 5. biotic communities are changing (esp. in the northern latitudes) 6. the poles are especially warming because our global climate systems (remember the “tea pot” from earlier in the semester) are effective at moving the excess heat poleward. 7. All this work has been reviewed and then summarized by hundreds of scientists (IPCC) under the umbrella of the United Nations.

Answer 19

* now releasing their “fifth assessment” – a process that began in 1990, with the first assessment released during the (first) George Bush administration * the fifth assessments emphasizes: - climate changes is happening now - food supply is in trouble - poor will be hardest hit, but all will feel it (with higher costs, shortages, etc) - world will become less politically stable (something the US Military has already been preparing for in a largely non-publicized way) - Wealthy Countries are minimizing their responsibility(World Bank estimated that poor countries would need as much as $100Billion)

Answer 20

* CO2 (along with methane (CH4) and nitrous oxide (N2O)) are able to absorb energy at certain wavelengths that cause their chemical bonds to become excited. * these gases act like an energy “blanket” around the planet, preventing infrared radiation from returning to space. * there is a fine balance on greenhouse gases. For example, the water vapor and CO2 around the planet help keep our global average temperature at ~15C (without it, the planet would be on average -18C) * it is clear from ice cores (which trap ancients atmospheres) that our greenhouse gas concentrations are beyond any natural concentration in nearly a million years.

Answer 21

• Units are Gigatons (Gt) = 10^12 kg C = 10^15g C - 1 gallon of gas = 20 lbs of CO2 - humans add ~ 10 Gt of C to atm each year (9 from fossil fuels and cement; ~1 from land use change (forest clearing, soil tillage))

Answer 22

1. The “geological” cycle that maintains long term planetary climate: (roughly in balance: inputs = losses from atm) a. plate tectonics drives rock subduction, which heats to molten rock and gas that is exuded from volcanoes (CO2) ~ 1 Gt b. the CO2 in the air combines with water to form a weak acid (carbonic acid) which dissolves rock. The products all wind up in the ocean, where the mineral CaCO3 is produced, which sinks to the ocean bottom ~ 1GT 2. The “biotic” loop is due to plants: (roughly in balance: inputs = losses from atm) a. global vegetation takes up 120 Gt per year by photosynthesis b. plants respire back about 60 Gt (for example, at night) c. 60 Gt of plant litter is added to soil d microbes in soil break this down and add 60 Gt back to atm as CO2 3. The human loop (not in balance) a. industry add 9 Gt b. landuse adds 1 Gt - part of this goes in oceans (making them more acidic) (~25%) - part is taken up by more vegetation (~25%) - the rest stays in atm, increasing greenhouse gas concentrations (~50%)

Answer 23

- it's the sun - climate always changes - no consensus - its cooling, not warming - models are unreliable - temperature record is unreliable - it hasn’t warmed since 1998 - ice ages were predicted in 1970’s, not global warming - we are headed into an ice age - Antarctica is gaining ice

Answer 24

• concluded with an essay from Nature Geoscience. Focused on how warming is already impacting indigenous Alaskan communities (there are some great short documentaries on this). The response that “we will just have to stay and adapt”, is appropriate for us as well.

Answer 25

1. What is the best way to view our connection with “nature” (whatever that really is!) 2. How does a nation measure (or mis-measure) its success – and how does the environment enter that calculation? The “Nature as Wild” vs. the “Nature as Us” American debate Since Thoreau in the mid 1800’s, US naturalists, writers, and academics have struggled with the importance of wilderness/nature, and humans. Probably one extreme that is frequently expressed is the suggestion that humans “wreck” nature, and wilderness are those areas without humans. In our essays, this is (provocatively) expressed by Dave Foreman. A more recent trend is the movement to explicitly recognize humans footprint on the planet, and argue that the world will be, what we choose it to be – an idea (again, provocatively) expressed in the essay by Professor Ellis. Proponents of this view argue that hope for the future (rather than gloom) is embedded in the problems and opportunities we have. I will add, that I asked this question of Jared Diamond on stage after his lecture (the lecture will soon be on the CNR web page, but Professor Diamond didn’t want the Q&A taped). Anyway, I asked what New Guinean’s would think of the idea of parks, or the idea of nature as independent of humans. He replied, they would find the notion of areas where humans were not allowed to “be ridiculous” – because nature in their view is for humans.

Answer 26

- the human imprint on the planet is of course growing, but also has a unique history: (1) the great and early areas of ag and domestication (China, south Asia, the Fertile Crescent, Meso-America) were heavily impacted thousands of years ago, (2) the path of Guns, Germs and Steel helped radiates those cultures E and W, (3) the Germs helped wipe out civilizations in places like the Amazon that we have only realized, in the last 20 years, were once densely populated and “domesticated” by humans (and now densely re-forested and inhabited by the human remnants of these earlier civilizations). - Some, like Ellis or Diamond, might argue the Anthropocene began with the domestication of plants and animals, a point where humans began to change the genetic code of other organisms and transform nature (during Q and A the other evening, Jared Diamond, when asked if he is worred about GM crops, said flatly that everything we eat is genetically modied, beginning with the staples that arose through domestication in the mid East.) - The remaining areas on earth of mimimum industrial impacts are now being traversed by roads, which rapidly will cause human influx and change

Answer 27

• 2013/2014 marked the release of the IPCC’s (intergovernmental panel on climate change) fifth assessment of climate change and societal impacts. - IPCC is a group of hundreds of scientists/economists who review the scientific literature and prepare the most recent summary of what we know about climate change. This is a United Nations sponsored activity. - This assessment (and others by the NAS and the Royal Society) clearly state that our present temperature fluctuations can only be explained by the combined influence of natural (sun) and human (greenhouse gases) influences on the climate system.

Answer 28

* simply put, an externality is a cost borne by someone else when you buy something. * economists consider perfect markets to include all costs, but this seldom seems to work * three examples of environmental externalities in the marketplace: 1. Energy: We purchase and use gasoline but emit the exhaust (and CO2) for free into the atmosphere. The costs of this are presently being paid by the 4 million people living north of the Arctic circle (permafrost melting, changes in wildlife availability, changes in food supply for reindeer herders, etc) 2. Clothing (see Dara O’Rourke’s Lecture): retailers and “brands” (the peculiar institution that doesn’t really make anything) seek out countries with loose labor and environment laws to produce cheap products under poor conditions. The people who pay for our cheap clothing are the workers not paid a living wage (slaves), unsafe buildings/conditions (workers pay with their health), and pollution of their air and water (again, their health and natural capital). 3. Electronics: In addition to all in #2, there is the unpaid cost of disposal. As the 60 minutes report shows, workers around the world extract the valuable (but toxic) metals from these products under unsafe conditions. People should not have to chose between no money vs. unhealthy conditions.

Answer 29

• The measure of a nations (USA) economic success by the GNP or GDP is a recent, largely post WWII, development (Simon Kuznets) - the total value of all products and services produced by citizens of a country in a given time period - only 25 years after this development, people like Robert Kennedy were challenging this measure of national success (GNP, he argued, included locks, guns, prisons, ambulances, etc which are indicators of failure, rather than success) – the value of a nation’s production or output should be (he argued) on what defines us, or as the physicist Robert Wilson argued before Congress, it should be what makes our country worth defending. - numerous studies that try to measure happiness, or contentment, suggest that once we have enough GNP to feed, house, electrify, and ride a bike, our happiness changes much less with changes in how much we have. This may be in the $10,000 to 20,000 range - Some studies suggest happiness in the USA has not changed with increasing GDP - We measure the “health” of the economy by continuous growth in GNP – which implies more consumption - There are examples of mature economies that have shifted efforts to quality of life rather than growth.

Answer 30

In summary, maybe a theme that emerges from these questions, and examples from many sources, is that as Bono says, “the future is malleable”, and that change and adaptation are possible. From my view as a scientist, there ARE big environmental challenges for our generations, but there is also a lot of human talent to contend with it.

Answer 31

The “environment” isn’t an abstract concept; it begins with your home, community, and family. These are all at the mercy of the larger global forces at work. If we make the connection between “local vs. global,” the importance of what is at stake emerges. * the brief stories of Joe Roth and Jill Costello focused on two “normal” Berkeley students who in the face of unusual challenge, were still able to identify what was important to them and continue their pursuit in spite of severe obstacles. Beyond being inspiration stories, what they did still reverberates onward: hundreds of thousands of research dollars have been raised in Jill Costello’s name, Roth is remembered each year at the annual Joe Roth Cal Football game – their actions live on in numerous ways. * St Phocas illustrated in another way personal action reverberates through time: as the author Bill Logan suggests, that “if you want to be remembered, you must give yourself away”

Answer 32

Our environmental future will be a world of 9 billion people, with drastically different energy and climate conditions. To change the future, we must first envision it.

Answer 33

There is a gulf between what we know and gaining public and political acceptance. Bono, of U2, has an intuitive grasp of effective discussion: make your point; confirm the values of those with whom you speak; and allow participants from different value systems to engage with you. In the class video, he emphasizes a different point: sometimes you have to make a stand. As he suggests in his address to the University of Penn, jump in the fray once you know what you want. “Pick a fight, get your boots dirty…”

Answer 34

Supposedly, Easter Islanders’ rapid deforestation deprived residents of even the ability to build canoes and exploit their fisheries. From our vantage point, it’s easy to say, “What were they thinking?” Al Gore suggests people will ask one of two questions of US in this century of energy induced climate change: “what were they thinking” or “how did they manage to solve this problem”.

Answer 35

Pausing to consider the iconic images of Earth in space, I played the audio of Apollo 8 astronauts as they first caught site of “Earthrise” over the moon in 1968 during lecture 1. It is a powerful event. In the final lecture, we watched Carl Sagan talk about the “pale blue dot”. Possibly the greatest contribution of our space program was entirely unintentional: revealing our isolation in a universe that offers us nothing as beautiful as the home we already have.

Answer 36

- 91% comes from Fossil Fuels & Cement | - 9%Land Use change and deforestation

Answer 37

- 50% goes to the atmosphere - 26% Land(forest,plants) - 24% Oceans

Answer 38

Hubris-excessive pride or self-confidence Humility-a modest or ow view of one's own importance;humbleness

Answer 39

Human activities have significantly distubed the natural carbon cycle by extracting long-buried fossil fuels and burning them for energy, thus releasing CO2 to to the atmosphere.

Answer 40

Oil companies provide us with gasoline, we buy it and use it, but release(free of charge) the CO2 into the atmosphere, which affects people who don't even burn it

Answer 41

We don't pay the full cost. 1. Huge retailers/brands that may not produce anything but have contracts with manufactures in countries that are poor and weak environmental/labor laws 2. People not paid living wages(we are essentially hiring slaves) 3. Buildings not safe due to cost(we again make people sacrifice their health for our cheap clothes) 4. Pollution and related peripheral damage(other countries are polluted for free!) 5. We do not pay for the cost of disposal

Answer 42

- Externalities revisited - A coda on climate change and energy -What are we striving for as a society and why? asks the question:Who is paying for it? -Shows how our measures of success are both very recent inventions, and flawed

Answer 43

Designed for the Dump! | examples: plastic bags, Coffee Cups,mops, DVD's, Camera's/ even computers

Answer 44

Things that convince us to throw away stuff that is still useful. They do it by changing the way stuff looks. Example iPhone to IPhone 5. Everyone can tell that you have contributed to the arrow lately. Women's heals go from fat to skinny(change every year) EX. Wearing a fat heal in a skinny heal year shows that you haven't contributed to the arrow(consumer) in awhile.

Final(test) Flashcards

(70 cards)