CAP Environmental Law & Regulations 5

Question 1

Under the EU Taxonomy Regulation, an economic activity qualifies as environmentally sustainable only if it meets what conditions?

Accepted Answer

It substantially contributes to at least one environmental objective, does no significant harm to others, and meets minimum social safeguards

Answer

The EU Taxonomy requires activities to: (1) substantially contribute to at least one of six environmental objectives, (2) do no significant harm (DNSH) to the others, and (3) comply with minimum social safeguards.

Question 2

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's mandatory GHG reporting rule (40 CFR Part 98) requires annual reporting from facilities that emit above what threshold?

Accepted Answer

25,000 metric tons CO₂e per year

Answer

EPA's GHGRP requires facilities emitting ≥25,000 metric tons CO₂e per year to report annual GHG emissions, covering about 85–90% of U.S. GHG emissions.

Question 3

Which legal principle allows regulators to require a precautionary approach to potentially harmful activities even when scientific certainty about harm is lacking?

Accepted Answer

Precautionary Principle

Answer

The Precautionary Principle holds that where there are threats of serious or irreversible damage, lack of full scientific certainty shall not be used as a reason for postponing cost-effective measures.

Question 4

Under Article 6 of the Paris Agreement, cooperative approaches between countries that involve internationally transferred mitigation outcomes (ITMOs) must apply 'corresponding adjustments' to prevent what problem?

Accepted Answer

Double counting of emission reductions

Answer

Corresponding adjustments ensure that when a country sells mitigation outcomes, it adds those emissions back to its own accounting, preventing the same reduction from counting in two national inventories.

Question 5

The Clean Air Act's Title IV Acid Rain Program was an early U.S. example of which market-based environmental policy instrument?

Accepted Answer

Cap-and-trade system

Answer

Title IV established a nationwide cap-and-trade system for SO₂ emissions from power plants, a pioneering market-based approach that significantly reduced acid rain.

(CAP) Certified Carbon Auditing Professional Practice Test

(CAP) Certified Carbon Auditing Professional Practice Test

CAP Environmental Law & Regulations 5