Environmental Policy and Law Flashcards
6 cards from real Environmental Science practice questions. Tap to flip, then mark Knew It or Still Learning — missed cards come back until you master them.
Read the first 6 Environmental Policy and Law flashcards as text
The U.S. National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) requires federal agencies to:
Answer: Prepare an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for major federal actions significantly affecting the environment
NEPA (1970) mandates Environmental Impact Statements for significant federal actions, ensuring environmental consequences are analyzed before decisions are made.
The precautionary principle in environmental policy states that:
Answer: When an action risks serious harm, precautionary measures should be taken even if full scientific certainty is lacking
The precautionary principle shifts the burden of proof: protective action should be taken in the face of scientific uncertainty when potential harm is serious or irreversible.
Command-and-control environmental regulation differs from market-based instruments in that:
Answer: Command-and-control sets specific standards or bans; market-based instruments use prices or permits to achieve goals
Command-and-control regulation specifies what technology to use or sets emission limits; market-based tools like carbon taxes or cap-and-trade use economic incentives.
The Kyoto Protocol differed from the Paris Agreement primarily in that:
Answer: Kyoto covered only developed (Annex I) countries with binding targets; Paris requires all nations to submit nationally determined contributions
Kyoto (1997) set legally binding emission reduction targets for developed nations only; Paris (2015) includes all parties but uses nationally determined contributions (NDCs) that are not legally binding targets.
The U.S. Clean Water Act regulates water pollution primarily through:
Answer: A permit system (NPDES) controlling discharges from point sources to navigable waters
The Clean Water Act's National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) requires permits specifying allowable discharge levels for point sources (pipes, outfalls).
Environmental justice is concerned primarily with:
Answer: The fair distribution of environmental benefits and burdens across all social groups and communities
Environmental justice addresses the disproportionate exposure of low-income and minority communities to pollution and environmental hazards, and unequal access to environmental benefits.