1. A recent article predicts that the population of orcas(killer whales) in the ocean will drop by about one half over thenext ten years because the whales have high PCB levels in theirtissues. These highly intelligent mammals are top predators andtheir absence would cause widespread distortions of ocean foodwebs, although the population sizes of edible fish species wouldnot change. Followers of which kind of ethics will find this newsdistressing? [Note that orcas are no longer held in captivity bymarine mammal entertainment facilities (e.g., seaworld).]
- A. Anthropocentric ethics.
- B. The branch of biocentric ethics that concentrates itsefforts only on animals with self-awareness.
- C. The branch of biocentric ethics which posits that all livingthings have equal intrinsic value.
- D. Eco-centric ethics
- E. Three of the above
2. Which of the following companies comes closest to operatingin a sustainable manner, paying the \"true costs\" of its operations,and uses the triple bottom line philosophy?
- A. Pulp and Paper, Inc. owns pine plantations in westernMichigan. Every day, pines are cut down to provide pulp that ismade into paper. Michigan law prohibits bleaching of paper becausethis releases dioxin into the environment. The company immediatelyreplaces each tree it has cut down with a new sapling. It takescare to cause minimum damage to the ecosystem in which the pinesgrow. It puts the highest priority on worker safety and followsEEOC guidelines in hiring and promotions. Its workers are paidwell, have good health insurance, retirement benefits, and otherimportant benefits. Pulp and Paper, Inc. reimburses the state fordamage to roads caused by its trucks. To compensate for the CO2emissions produced by the machines it uses, the company donatestrees to surrounding cities that have agreed to plant the trees inparks and on parkways and and to replace these trees when theydie.
- B. This company mines Helium, fills balloons with the Helium,and sells millions of Helium balloons around the world. Helium isan element and is made in stars; it cannot be made on Earth.Millions of people enjoy their Helium balloons, but the Heliumeventually leaks out of the balloons, rises into the atmosphere,and disappears into space. The company has excellent pay andbenefits. It also devotes considerable funds to exploration of newsources of Helium and, over the years, has found more Helium thanit has used up. It makes the balloon material from recycledplastic.
- C. Coke industries extracts bitumen from tar-like deposits ineastern Alberta, processes the bitumen into an oil substance, andsends this oily substance by pipeline to Houston, TX where it isrefined into various usable products. Coke pays taxes to theCanadian government and pays for the land it uses, but does not payfor contamination of surface waters, death of wildlife, loss ofnatural beauty, or its contribution to climate change with CO2emissions during the mining process and when the petroleum productsare burned by consumers. Its workers have average salaries, but noretirement plan.
- D. WVC, Inc. mines coal in West Virginia by blowing off thetops of mountains and strip mining the newly exposed surfaces. Thecoal company pays for use of the land and provides good pay andhealth care for workers who develop silicosis, suffer copperheadbites, or die in avalanches caused by the explosions. Coal trucksweigh about 90,000 pounds and require special roads with thickroadbeds. The taxpayers living in the state pay for the roads. Thecompany does not pay for aesthetic damage to the West Virginiascenery, contamination of ground water, the damage done by dumpingdebris in stream beds, or CO2 emissions produced during the miningprocess and when the coal is eventually burned.
3.
Below is a list of examples of benefits that ecosystems provideto people. Match each benefit with the correct category ofecosystem services.
| A. Regulating services |
| B. Provisioning services |
| C. Supporting services |
| D. Cultural services |
| selectABCD | 1. Before Europeans came, Michigan had a large area of oldgrowth beech-maple forest near its southern border. Except for asmall area where the loggers ate lunch, the entire beech-mapleforest ecosystem was logged in the 1800’s. Only the loggers’ picnicarea remains as a small remnant (~300 acres) of the greatbeech-maple forest. That remnant is now called Warren Woods. Theancient beech trees in Warren Woods are about 125 feet tall. Thesoil is rich, and the ground is covered with colorful wildflowers.For many years, a sign at the entrance stated, “Welcome to theforest primeval.†People come to experience walking through anancient forest that feels like a cathedral. |
| selectABCD | 2. Since about 3 billion years ago, miniscule aquatic bacteriahave been performing photosynthesis, releasing oxygen as abyproduct. They and their descendants, called chloroplasts, whichlive inside the cells of algae and land plants, produced, andcontinue to produce, nearly all the oxygen in our atmosphere. Theyalso capture carbon from the atmosphere and incorporate it intocarbohydrates, fats, oils, protein, and other types of food. Allthe carbon in all of our foods came to us by way of thesephotosynthetic bacteria and their descendants. |
| selectABCD | 3. The dead remains of leaves, insects, worms, and otherorganisms contain thousands of different kinds of organic(carbon-containing) and inorganic chemicals. Plants are unable touse these chemicals until the dead remains are chemicallytransformed during the decay process. Decay is carried out byvarious types of fungi, bacteria, and other microorganisms. Withoutthe chemical transformations that take place during the decayprocess, living plants would quickly use up all the availablenutrients in the soil and die. Without decay, there would be noplants. Without plants, there would be no animals. |
| selectABCD | 4. Large lakes are fed by incoming streams. When the forest isintact, the streams are deep and the water is cold and clear. Fishand other animals do better in cold water because cold water canhold more oxygen. The presence of the lake also causes a moderationin the air temperature near the lake. |
4.
Both energy and matter move into and out of nearly allecosystems on Earth.
