| Question | Answer |
| What are the five principles of safer nanotech? | 1. surface, size, structure (smaller size =higher risk); 2. alternative materials 3. functionalization (keep funciton, remove risk); 4. encapsulation 5. reduce quantity |
| What has the EU done in nanotech safety? | Pushing to include ENMs in EU REACH; plan to introduce labeling of products containing ENMS; Cosmetics directive to require labeling; Germany against nanosilver in consumer products; Eu responsible nano code |
| What is prop 65? | Put into effect the Safe Drinking Water and Toxic Enforcement act. requires labeling of potential toxics, inform consumers about potential exposure to these harmful chemicals |
| How does the EU prevent toxics? | Extended Producer Responsibility: shifts responsibilty upward, provides incentives for producers to create environmentally friendly products; EU REACH targets over 30,000 chemicals in use - requires producers to disclose their chemical use, puts in a database allowing for monitoring for chemicals of concern |
| How many nanometers to a carbon nanotube, DNA, virus, & human hair? | Nanotube: 2, DNA: 2.5, Virus: 100, Hair: 75,000 |
| What are the three basic principles of cleaner production? | Precaution: take precaution even when there is scientific uncertainty. Prevention: prevent enviro impact through product design, consumer demand, pattern of consumption & material basis of economy. Integration: integrate environmental measures across system boundaries |
| Benefits of forests | Carbon sink, CO2/oxygen cycle, aesthetic beauty, travel/tourism, purifies water and air, provides habititat, prevents soil erosion, source of timber & medicinal plants |
| What policies needed for FAO? | Humanitarian aid, building/rebuilding local institutions, investing in infrastructure (water irrigation/roads); ag research; supporting education (especially for women); eradicating the AIDS epidemic |
| Organization to alleviate food insecurity | FAO: UN's Food and Ag Organization |
| What has done to prevent future accidents? | Creation of Center for Offshore Safety; two industry groups have created systems for capping out of control spills so cap time should be much shorter in the future; Minerals Management Service changed to Bureau of Ocean Management, Regulation, and Enforcement (separation of revenue collection and regulation) |
| What were the main factors leading to the BP oil spill? | Lack of regulation and precautionary measures; underestimation of damage done; lack of consistency in gov policy; conflicting interest in enforcing laws, which lead to corruption; well was in very deep water and infrastructure was very complex |
| Does the EPA National Primary Drinking Water Regulation effectively provide Americans with safe drinking water? | No. One study was conducted that found 80% of all US streams to be contaminated with organics - including pharmaceuticals, household chemicals, hormones, and animal pharmaceuticals. |
| What was the problem with Bangladesh's water & how was it solved? | Bangladesh's shallow aquifers were heavily contaminated with arsenic. With funding from the World Bank, research was done using isotope hydrolysis which could locate safe areas to find water. |
| Was the Basel Convention successful? | No - very easy for government to sidestep; the responsibility should lie more with the producer to ensure that dangerous chemicals do not go into the product in the first place |
| What was the Basel Convention? | Basel Convention on the export of hazardous waste: aimed to reduce the production of hazardous waste and ensure that it would be handled in an environmentally sound manner |
| Main routes of exposure to toxic chemicals? | Direct (lead paint, DDT spray); Direct discharge into air or water (flame retardants, hormones, and drugs in groundwater, oil spills, air pollution, incineration); Inadequate landfills (leaching, runoff); Dumping (pg&e in the 60s, dumping into the hudson) |
| What are examples of PBTs? | Heavy metals (Pb, Hg, Cd), chlorinated hydrocarbons (reproductive toxins, suspected carcinogens, dioxins, PCBs, DDT) |
| What are examples of PBTs? | Heavy metals (Pb, Hg, Cd), chlorinated hydrocarbons (reproductive toxins, suspected carcinogens, dioxins, PCBs, DDT) |
| What is PBT? | Persistent, bioaccumulative toxic |
| Define hazard, exposure, and risk in terms of toxicology | Hazard: ability to cause harm; exposure: ability to access hazard, risk: combination of these two - exposure to hazard |
| Why is the Forest Stewardship Council more effective? | Requires auditing, provides detailed ecological indicators, requires mandatory indepedent auditing, sets more stringent guidelines for enviro protection. Provides Chain-of-Custody certification which shows where wood at each level came from - is it sustainable? |
| What are the two forestry schemes and which is more effective? | Forest Stewardship Council (93) and Sustainable Forestry Initiative (94). the FSC is more effective |
| What is the total value of ecosystem services? | 33 trilion |
| What intl convention governs GMOs? | Biosafety Protocol, signed by 130 countires, requires labeling of GMO products, so importing countries can make the choice whether or not they want to import. |
| When were GMOs first commercialized? | First started being planted in 1996, have only grown since then |
| How have these irrigation practices affected the Aral sea? | Sea has been reduced to 15% of its previous volume |
| How many hectares of cotton fields are irrigated by the Aral Sea? | 1.47 million hectares |
| Where is there the highest proportion of undernourished people? | Sub-Saharan Africa and the Democratic Republic of Congo |
| How many people around the world are undernourished? | 925 million |
| Causes of soil erosion | Intensive agricultural practices, deforestation, wildfires, foot traffic, overgrazing, and industrialization |
| How long does it take to form new soil? | 25-500 years |
| How many large fish species are extinct? | 90% of large predatory fish are gone |
| What are the sources of oceanic pollution? | Ag runoff, pollution from ships, and coastal areas/cities |
| What are the negative effects of increasing acidity in the ocean? | Deprives animals of calcium carbonate, which is essential to building their shells. Degradation of the coral reefs (very sensitive to pH change) and has negative impact on my small species like mussels and lobsters. Can also kill fish and plankton. |
| How much has the acidity of our oceans increased? | Surface water acidity has increased 30% and pH is expected to decrease 40% by century's end. |
| How much have the oceans warmed? | .o .1° warming between 1961-2003; o Ice is melting, contributing to the rise of the ocean. By 2013, the Artic could be seasonally ice free. The rising ocean levels lead to a loss of biodiversity – especially polar bears, birds, seals due to loss of habitat. |
| Why are oceans under stress today? | Warming, acidification, pollution, overfishing |
| Is the EPA National Primary Drinking Water Regulation effective in ensuring safe drinking water for all Americans? | EPA has done a good job of identifying contaminants and setting goals to reduce them. Still many problems with our water ~ one study has found that 80% of streams are contaminated with organics (pharmaceticals, hormones..) More than 20% of nations water treatment systems have violated provisions of the Safe Drinking Water act. |
| Are we on track to meet Millennium Development Goal? | UN declared water a human right (big step forward), and in June 2011, major push forward to increase sanitation by working to stop open defecation and increase sanitation -- this will improve health & quality of life (esp for girls and women) |
| What is the Millennium Development Goal related to water? | By 2015, to half the proportion of people without access to clean water and sanitation. |
| What human activities threaten water quality? | Ag runoff, dumping, sewage & waste water, oil leaks, marine dumping |
| How much water do Americans consume each day compared to people in Sub-Saharan Africa? | American daily water usage: 350 liters, Sub-Saharan Africa: 10-20 liters |
| How many people in the world lack access to safe water? | 1.1 billion, 1 out of 6 people |
43 cards - created dec 16, 1:36pm