Environmental Pollution Study Guide

Review Questions Exam #1
NRES 210 – Spring 2014

How old is the planet earth? Based on best available data, approximately how long have humans, as we know them been present on the planet? Compare and contrast hunting-gathering, agricultural and industrial societies in terms of lifestyle, population size, energy requirements, resource utilization, environmental impact, etc.
Did all of these societal types exploit their environment? Explain your answer. Explain the IPAT model. How does each variable contribute to environmental impact? What do we mean by environmental impact (provide examples)? How might the components of the model differ when comparing more developed countries with lesser-developed countries? Your textbook suggests an additional variable should be added to the IPAT model. What is it and why do the authors feel it is an important inclusion? Explain the basic premise of the tragedy of the commons. Provide examples of how it can be resolved. (May want to revisit the YouTube videos played in class). Provide a definition of sustainability. What are the commonalities (common components) found in most definitions of sustainability? What is the current world population? U.S. population? Define and/or explain the following terms related to human population: crude birth rate, crude death rate, replacement level fertility, total fertility rate, life expectancy, infant mortality rate, immigration, emigration, rate of natural increase. Be familiar with trends associated with these different measures. Are they going up or down? Compare developed countries with developing countries. How does the U.S. compare with other wealthy nations in terms of life expectancy? What factors might explain the differences we see. Be able to calculate the annual rate of natural population change and doubling time (you will not need to use a calculator). Make sure you understand the concept of exponential growth. How does it compare with arithmetic growth? Identify factorss that have been shown to affect birth rates, fertility rates, and death rates in human populations. Explain the nature of their impacts (increase or decrease?). What are population pyramids/age structure diagrams? Be able to interpret them. What information do they provide us with in terms of assisting in the prediction of future population growth? Why can populations continue to grow even after they have reached replacement level fertility? What is meant by zero population growth; what conditions must be met for this to occur? Discuss projections for the future in terms of population? How do they differ; what assumptions are altered for the different scenarios? What is the “most likely” scenario for the years 2050 and
2100 based on the current U.N. projections? Globally, what demographic trends can we expect to see as we move towards 2050 and beyond to 2100? For example, where will growth take place, what country will have the largest population, what will happen to life expectancy, etc.? Define/discuss the concepts of logistic growth, environmental resistance and carrying capacity as they pertain to human population growth. Can we apply the concept of carrying capacity to human populations? Explain your answer. How does human population density vary globally? Which areas of the world have the lowest population densities? Highest? Discuss the possible effects and the pros and cons associated with reducing birth rates or fertility. Why are lower birth rates of concern in some countries? Who was Thomas Malthus? What did he contribute to the discussion of population growth? Review the three TedTalks we watched in class. Note the questions provided in the lecture
PowerPoint pertaining to each TedTalk. Be able to summarize the major points of each. (Hans
Rosling 2012S, Hans Rosling 2010S, Mechai Viravaidya – 2010X). What are their “take-home” messages; what examples/data are used to support the major points the presenters make in their talks? Read the section in your textbook on fertility decline in Bangladesh. How did this country go about reducing their population growth? Read and become familiar with the central case study presented at the beginning of Chapter 6 –
China’s One Child Policy. Why and how was the policy implemented? What were the results? Explain the concept of the demographic transition. What are the four states of the traditional model? Read the section in your textbook that discusses this model. Explain and provide/recognize examples of the major types of hazards we face – chemical, physical, biological, and cultural. Differentiate between risk assessment and risk management. Describe the four-step process associated with risk assessment. Which federal agencies are involved in risk management in the U.S.? What is meant by the statement “Everything is poisonous yet nothing is poisonous.”? Differentiate between acute versus chronic exposure to toxins. Read and be familiar with the case study on BPA that is included in your text.
What were the results/findings of the epidemiological study conducted in an effort to explain the
Fallon cancer cluster? Be able to define/explain the following terms: carcinogen, mutagen, teratogen, neurotoxin, endocrine disrupter, allergen, additivity, antagonism, synergism, bioaccumulation, body burden, biomagnification, LD-50, NOAEL Be able to compare toxicity based on LD-50 data. List and explain factors that can impact and result in differences in the toxicity of a substance from one individual to another. What is a dose-response curve? What data is displayed/included? Differentiate between epidemiology and toxicology. How are each used to try and assess issues pertaining to human health and the environment? What assumptions are we making when we utilize animals and high doses to test the toxicity of substances to humans? Define risk. What is the precautionary principle? Identify and explain factors that can influence our risk perception/perceived risk. Why is distorted risk perception problematic?