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CIE Homework 274 Spring 2012
Due January 31
1. In this problem, we investigate which of Jared Diamonds four factors contributing to
collapse of a civilization are also major factors influencing a specific environmental disaster.
We modify these factors slightly as follows:
Factor 1. A group may not anticipate a problem before it happens.
Factor 2. Once the problem occurs, the group may fail to perceive it, or perhaps perceive it
only after a long time has elapsed.
Factor 3. Once the group perceives the problem, it may not attempt to find a solution, or
perhaps attempt to find a solution only after a long time has elapsed.
Factor 4. Once the group attempts to find a solution, the efforts may be unsuccessful, e.g.,
because the effort needed is too great.
Consider the Exxon Valdez oil spill in Prince William Sound, Alaska. Read the following
account of the oil spill, and then determine which of the four factors played a major role in
this disaster. List each factor by number, and answer Yes or No for each one. Note that the
group referred to by Diamond can be considered as the decision makers and workers
carrying out the requests of the decision makers throughout the time history of this incident.
The Exxon Valdez left the Alaskan oil terminal the evening of March 23, 1989. The tanker
was forced go outside the normal shipping lane due to icebergs. The captain, who was later
found to have alcohol in his blood even hours after the accident, turned control of the vessel
over to two individuals, both of whom may have been fatigued due to excessive workload.
One of these individuals turned the controls over to another individual, and the remaining
two failed to pilot the ship past a dangerous point outside the shipping lane. The tanker ran
into Bligh Reef shortly after midnight on March 24, spilling 11 million gallons of crude oil
into Prince William Sound (Exxon Valdez Oil Spill Trustee Council, 2011). The response to
the spill suggests that whatever procedures were in place to contain and manage oil spills
were inadequate, as the responses to the accident were delayed and fraught with difficulty.
The U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (1992) wrote: The response to
the Exxon Valdez involved more personnel and equipment over a longer time period than did
any other spill in U.S. history. Logistical problems in providing fuel, meals, berthing,
response equipment, waste management, and other resources were one of the largest
challenges to response management. At the height of the response, more than 11,000
personnel, 1,400 vessels, and 85 aircraft were involved in the cleanup. Furthermore,
significant ecological damage was apparent more than a decade after the spill (Peterson et
al., 2003), and more recent studies have shown that problems continue (DellAmour, 2009).
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References:
DellAmour, Christine, Exxon Valdez anniversary: 20 years later, oil remains, National
Geographic News, May 23, 2009.
Exxon Valdez Oil Spill Trustee Committee, Anchorage, Alaska. Accessed at
http://www.evostc.state.ak.us/facts/qanda.cfm, January 24, 2011.
Peterson, Charles H., Stanley D. Rice, Jeffrey W. Short, Daniel Esler, James L. Bodkin,
Brenda E. Ballachey, and David B. Irons, Long term ecosystem response to the Exxon
Valdez oil spill, Science, Vol. 302, pages 2082-2086, 2003.
U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Oil Spill Histories, 1967-1991:
Summaries of Significant U.S. and International Spills, Report HMRAD 92-11, NOAA
Materials and Assessment Division, Seattle, WA, 1992, page 80. Accessed at
http://response.restoration.noaa.gov/book_shelf/26_spilldb.pdf, September 5, 2010.
2. Consider the material and energy flow diagram for the earth shown in Figure 1. A modified
version is shown below with all flows numbered. Identify which arrow corresponds to each
of the statements below.
a. N2 is taken directly from the air and incorporated into a growing plant, a process
known as nitrogen fixing which can be accomplished only by legumes.
b. Throughout history, volcanic eruptions have occasionally spewed molten lava onto
human habitations, destroying homes and sometimes entire villages.
c. The land surface in coastal areas becomes hot during the day, increasing the
temperature of ocean water at the shore.
d. As a river flows through the desert, a significant fraction of the water evaporates in
the hot sun.
e. As a glacier slowly flows down a mountain, it picks up rocks and bits of soil.
f. Large chunks of glaciers sometimes fall into the oceans, causing icebergs.
g. A heavy snowfall increases the thickness of a glacier.
h. The wind can cause soil to become airborne in arid regions.
i. A forest next to a glacier can change the amount of energy flowing to the glacier due
to shadowing.
j. Rising sea levels may force the evacuation of some island communities.
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3. Table 1 lists categories of what is to be sustained, with three categories under Nature,
three under Life Support, and three under Community. Note that Life Support and
Community refer only to benefits to humankind, and Nature refers to benefits to nonhuman components of the biosphere.
Consider the following items to be sustained and the category implied by each:
Ex. A. The process by which decaying plant matter provides nutrients to soil in agricultural
areas.
Reference to agricultural areas implies benefits to humankind, in this case Life Support
Systems. Since this item is a process, the only category under Life Support that would
apply is Ecosystem Services.
Ex. B. Rich topsoil composed of decaying plant matter in agricultural areas.
This is also under Life Support, but now we have a Resource rather than an ecosystem
service.
Ex. C. Any region with adequate soil and suitable weather where our food can be grown.
This is also Life Support, but now we are referring to the Environment. Note that if we
listed a specific region, such as Polk County, Iowa, where there is adequate soil and
suitable weather for growing our food, this would refer to Places.
Using these three examples as a guide along with Table 1, determine the category implied by
each description below, assuming these are all items to be sustained. If the description does
not mention humankind or an activity which is specifically human (e.g., agriculture), assume
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the item is in one of the three Nature categories. Each category in this part of Table 1 may
be used only once. The answer to the first description is given for you.
a. The third planet from the sun. Answer: Earth
b. The wide variety of animals in a northern hardwood forest.
c. Pollination of our agricultural crops by bees.
d. The unique habitat of the deep ocean with its plants and animals.
e. The Maoris, the indigenous people of New Zealand.
f. The unique traditions of the Bedouin Community.
g. Schools of fish off the coast of Japan that can feed thousands of people.
h. The dark, moist air within the forest canopy where edible mushrooms can grow.
i. Lapland, where peoples lifestyles must account for continual sunlight in summer
and darkness in winter.
4. Table 1 also lists categories of what is to be developed, with five categories under
People, three under Economy, and four under Society. Determine the one category
most applicable to each of the following statements. Each category in this part of Table 1
may be used only once.
a. A new method is developed to mine copper ore more efficiently.
b. Money from tax receipts is distributed equally all to members of the community.
c. Commerce is improved so people in areas far from population centers can have access
to more products.
d.
Neighbors get together and build a playground for their children.
e. A dysfunctional government is replaced by with a stable democracy.
f. A group of midwives travels to remote locations to assist with potentially lifethreatening childbirths in homes far from hospitals.
g. A university claims that the standards for admission will be applied equally to all
applicants.
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h. The boundaries of the Arctic are drawn to include portions of several countries and
indigenous peoples with unique lifestyles.
i. Residents of an area achieve significant financial benefit after oil is discovered there.
j. More teachers are hired in the public schools
k. Live-saving medications are dispensed to the elderly.
l. A company with a good reputation continues to serve the community for many years.
5. TNS Principle 4 asks us to reduce conditions that undermine peoples ability to meet their basic
needs. As one way of reducing these conditions, some developing countries have received payment
for accepting toxic industrial waste from wealthier countries. Does this solve the problem referred
to in Principle 4? If so, describe how the problem is solved. If not, describe what is wrong with this
solution. Your answer should be computer generated and less than 100 words.
6. From the Hannover Principles, determine which principle is best reflected by each statement
below. Each principle can be used only once. List only the number of the principle.
__ a. An inventor who creates a new construction material prefers to keep the discovery private until
he can sell the material for maximum profit, but his friends convince him to move forward with
patenting the material and publishing papers about the discovery without delay.
__ b. A new office building is planned at the seacoast. Rather than constructing it from wood which
will require frequent painting and repair due to the seaspray, the contractor decides to construct it of
high quality stone which is more resistant to the spray and will last a longer time.
_ c. Residents of a housing development are careful not to disturb wildlife in a nearby woodland,
believing that they should be able to live peacefully with the animals inhabiting the woods.
__ d. Many individuals argued against rebuilding the levees intended to protect New Orleans after
they were destroyed by Hurricane Katrina.
__ e. Some companies are designing buildings that can be deconstructed into their component parts
and reused at the end of their useful life, rather than designing buildings to be torn down and hauled
to landfills.
__ f. A woodworking company in the U.S. used to make furniture out of rare woods from rainforests
in South America. Recently, it has switched to using only domestic wood so its furniture blends in
better with the American landscape and also so it can avoid damaging the fragile rainforest
environment.
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__ g. The mayor of a small town that permitted construction of housing on the site of a former
wetland admits this was a poor decision. Acknowledging the rights of animals to have habitat, he
purchases property nearby and provides funds for a constructed wetland.
__ h. An urban designer proposes a long-term plan to rebuild parts of a city such that the homes,
stores, factories, and other urban elements appear to complement natural surroundings instead of
dominating over the surroundings. The designer states that such a design will result in
neighborhoods which are more aesthetically pleasing.
__ i. Because glass efficiently transmits short-wave radiation but is relatively opaque to longer
wavelengths such as IR, a well-designed building in a cold climate should not need an external
source of heat.
7. From the Twelve Principles of Green Engineering of Anastas and Zimmerman, determine which
principle is best reflected by each statement below. Each principle can be used only once. List only
the number of the principle.
___ a. A homebuilder specializes in residences made with components that can be reused in other
construction projects when the home has to be taken down.
__ b. A passive device positioned just above the surface of a river can remove floating debris as the
river flows by.
__ c. Conventional lead solder has now been replaced by lead-free solder in many electrical
components.
__ d. Some publishers use a print-on-demand system to produce books only after they are
ordered.
__ e. A newly designed bicycle has most of its parts made from aluminum.
___ f. A fuel cell car can be powered by solar and wind energy rather than fossil fuel.
__ g. A household cleaner is formulated to have a reasonable shelf life when stored at home, but its
chemical constituents eventually degrade to a harmless substance after a longer period of time.
___ h. A home improvement company sells instructions on building a patio using local sandstone.
__ i. A conventional automobile engine produces carbon monoxide which then has to be removed
from the exhaust gases before reaching the tailpipe, while a redesigned engine produces very little
carbon monoxide in the first place.
__ j. An automobile company allows the buyer to specify the volume of the fuel tank, the power of
the engine, whether an air conditioner is needed, and other parameters depending on where and how
the vehicle is to be used.
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__ k. Some libraries have begun purchasing books in electronic form and allowing users to
download them from the internet, which is an improvement over traditional libraries which
purchase hard copies of books and require users to visit the library to check them out.
__ l. Stainless steel contains 8-14% nickel. Many companies choose to recycle the entire stainless
steel mixture for manufacturing other stainless steel products, rather than separate out the nickel for
use in different alloys of nickel-containing products.
8. Consider the resiliency of the urban Sumerian society with that of the agrarian Egyptian society.
Which society was more resilient? Consider the availability of food, the availability of water, and
the availability of energy in your statement. Your answer should be computer generated and less
than 200 words.
9. Give one example of each of the following in civilizations prior to 1000 BCE:
a) Design for disassembly
b) Re-use
c) Recycling
d) Material substitution
10. Consider the environmental concerns of ancient Rome. Answer the following questions briefly
using a few words or phrases.
a) What resource was used in huge amounts for many purposes around the Roman Empire, and
what type of environmental damage occurred as a result of overuse of this resource?
b) Aside from collecting anything that would burn to use for heating and cooking, give two
examples of specific materials that were reused or recycled in ancient Rome.
c) Give one example of design for energy conservation in ancient Rome.
11. The prosperity that began in the Renaissance and continued through the Industrial Revolution
gave humankind the ability of travel to distant parts of the world. This permitted conquests and
colonization of newfound lands in North and South America as well as in Asia and Oceana,
resulting in much greater use of resources. Briefly describe three types of major environmental
damage in the newfound lands caused by these conquests. Your answer should be computer
generated and less than 100 words.
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