CCP Sustainable Development & Green Technologies 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Which metric is used in Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) to measure the total greenhouse gas emissions associated with a product across its entire lifespan?
- Carbon footprint (Correct answer)
- Ecological footprint
- Water footprint
- Energy return on investment
Correct answer: Carbon footprint
A carbon footprint, expressed in CO2-equivalent units, is the LCA metric that quantifies total GHG emissions from production through disposal.
Question 2: In green building design, what does the acronym LEED stand for?
- Low Energy Efficient Design
- Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (Correct answer)
- Lifecycle Environmental Engineering Directive
- Low Emission Energy Development
Correct answer: Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design
LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) is the most widely used green building rating system developed by the U.S. Green Building Council.
Question 3: Which of the following best describes the concept of 'circular economy' in sustainable development?
- An economy focused solely on renewable energy production
- A system that eliminates waste by keeping resources in use as long as possible (Correct answer)
- A market system where carbon credits are traded in a circular fashion
- An economic model that prioritizes agricultural production
Correct answer: A system that eliminates waste by keeping resources in use as long as possible
A circular economy is a regenerative system that minimizes waste by keeping materials and products in use through reuse, repair, remanufacturing, and recycling.
Question 4: What is the primary purpose of green hydrogen as a clean energy carrier?
- To replace natural gas in home heating only
- To store and transport energy produced from renewable sources with zero carbon emissions (Correct answer)
- To generate electricity through combustion in gas turbines
- To serve as a feedstock for plastic production
Correct answer: To store and transport energy produced from renewable sources with zero carbon emissions
Green hydrogen, produced via electrolysis powered by renewables, stores and transports clean energy for use in hard-to-decarbonize sectors like heavy industry and shipping.
Question 5: The Brundtland Commission's 1987 definition of sustainable development emphasizes meeting the needs of the present without compromising the ability of which group to meet their own needs?
- Developed nations
- Future generations (Correct answer)
- Corporate stakeholders
- Current global populations
Correct answer: Future generations
The Brundtland definition specifies 'future generations' as the group whose needs must not be compromised by current development.
Question 6: Which technology captures CO2 directly from the atmosphere rather than at point sources like power plants?
- Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS)
- Direct Air Capture (DAC) (Correct answer)
- Bioenergy with Carbon Capture (BECCS)
- Post-combustion capture
Correct answer: Direct Air Capture (DAC)
Direct Air Capture (DAC) uses chemical processes to extract CO2 directly from ambient air, unlike point-source capture technologies.
Question 7: In sustainable agriculture, what is 'regenerative farming' primarily designed to do?
- Maximize crop yields using synthetic fertilizers
- Restore soil health, increase biodiversity, and sequester carbon (Correct answer)
- Eliminate the use of all pesticides immediately
- Convert farmland into renewable energy generation sites
Correct answer: Restore soil health, increase biodiversity, and sequester carbon
Regenerative farming uses practices like cover cropping, no-till, and composting to rebuild soil organic matter, enhance biodiversity, and sequester atmospheric carbon.
CCP Sustainable Development & Green Technologies 2
Which metric is used in Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) to measure the total greenhouse gas emissions associated with a product across its entire lifespan?