Problem:
Question 1: Which system of indoor lighting is the most sustainable?
a) Do not use artificial indoor light; use natural light from windows and go to bed when it is dark out.
b) Use durable, high-efficiency LED or compact fluorescent light bulbs powered by electricity from a windmill or solar panel.
c) Use standard (incandescent or fluorescent) light bulbs powered by electricity from a coal-burning power plant.
Question 2: Some coastal areas are more vulnerable to storms and beach erosion because mangrove forests or grass salt marshes have been cleared and removed by humans. This is most clearly an example of
a) resource depletion.
b) pollution.
c) physical disturbance.
d) none of the above; it is not an example of environmental impact.
Question 3: What is biodiversity?
a) Variation within a population's or species' gene pool
b) The variety of life at all levels, including all of the other options
c) The variety of ecosystem types present within a region
Question 4: Acid rain damages forests and freshwater ecosystems. It is generated by sulfur dioxide, nitrous oxides, and other materials that are emitted to the atmosphere by coal-burning power plants, vehicles, and other human activities. This is most clearly an example of...
a) pollution.
b) physical disturbance.
c) none of the above; it is not an example of environmental impact.
d) resource depletion.
Question 5: In southern Florida, pet Burmese pythons have escaped and established a population that now numbers in the thousands. In the Florida Everglades biologists report that mid-sized mammal prey (raccoons, opposum, bobcat, and deer) have declined by over 90% since the python became established. This describes a threat from
a) introduced species.
b) pollution.
c) habitat loss.
d) overharvesting.
Provide the correct answer and justification for your choice.