Climate Change Exam Questions Ch8

CHAPTER EIGHT

Climate Change

Multiple Choice Questions

1. The Earth’s average surface temperature has remained within half a degree of ________ for the last 1,000 years.
   1. 4 degrees Celsius
   2. 10 degrees Celsius
   3. 18 degrees Celsius
   4. 14 degrees Celsius
2. The world’s average temperature was ________ warmer at the end of the twentieth century than at its beginning.
   1. 0.05
   2. 2.0
   3. 1.5
   4. 0.6
3. The difference between global temperatures now and at the peak of the last ice age is ________.
   1. 50 degrees Celsius
   2. 5 degrees Celsius
   3. 0.5 degrees Celsius
   4. 1 degree Celsius
4. Temperature, precipitation, winds, pressure, and humidity combine to make ________.
   1. climate adaptation
   2. global warming
   3. climate change
   4. weather
5. The composite of the variety of day-to-day weather conditions is ________.
   1. climate
   2. weather
   3. average weather
   4. mean weather
6. An increase in average global temperature can NOT cause ________.
   1. some areas to warm quickly
   2. some areas to cool dramatically
   3. some areas to warm slowly
   4. All of the above
7. Differences in heat and pressure between the poles and the tropics ________.
   1. result in food shortages at high latitudes
   2. fuel the global air circulation system
   3. are a result of a changing climate
   4. cause sea ice to advance from the poles towards the equator
8. The long-term temperature balance on Earth is consistent with ________.
   1. the first law of thermodynamics
   2. the enhanced greenhouse effect
   3. entropy
   4. the second law of thermodynamics
9. El Niño is ________.
   1. a change in ocean currents
   2. a change in local weather conditions
   3. a change in air currents
   4. a change in precipitation
10. When volcanoes eject particles into the atmosphere, it leads to the Earth’s ________.
    1. degradation
    2. warming
    3. stasis
    4. cooling
11. ________ is NOT a greenhouse gas.
    1. Carbon dioxide
    2. Nitrous oxide
    3. Methane
    4. Sulphur oxide
12. Carbon dioxide and methane are now at higher concentrations than any time within the last ________.
    1. 10 million years
    2. 10,000 years
    3. 370,000 years
    4. 4 million years
13. Impacts of global warming do NOT include ________.
    1. permafrost warming
    2. retreat of glaciers
    3. sea levels falling
    4. reduced snow cover
14. Scientists reconstruct historical climates by examining ________.
    1. Soil and core samples
    2. coral reef
    3. the blooming dates of cherry trees in Japan
    4. All of the above
15. Climate models generally consider ________.
    1. incoming and outgoing energy
    2. the effects of Earth’s surface on climate
    3. horizontal and vertical movement of energy across the planet
    4. All of the above
16. Climate models should consider the implications of __________ in order to predict future climates.
17. population growth
18. the laws of thermodynamics
19. latitude and longitude
20. radiation, dynamics, surface processes, chemistry and resolution
21. The most extensively used types of models in understanding the dynamics of the climate system are ___________.
22. Earth-System Models
23. Earth-System Models of Intermediate Complexity
24. Atmosphere-Ocean General Circulation Models
25. Regional Climate Models
26. The computational limitations of climate modeling generally focus on ________.
    1. latitude and longitude
    2. lack of baseline data
    3. model resolution, complexity and number of simulations
    4. poor precipitation predictive capacity
27. Despite various mitigation policies, annual GHG emissions went up _______ annually between 2000 and 2010, , in contrast to an annual average increase of _______between 1970 and 2000.
28. 123 per cent; 2.2 per cent
29. 2.2 per cent; 1.3 per cent
30. 1.3 per cent; 1.2 per cent
31. 147 per cent; 123 per cent
32. As global temperature increases, ________.
    1. hoary marmots may thrive with an increase in their preferred open meadow habitat
    2. polar bears may lose the habitat created for them in Wapusk National Park in Manitoba
    3. forests may shift up to 700 km northward
    4. All of the above
33. The 2018 IPCC report, points out that 14.5 per cent of global GHG emissions are from ______.
    1. volcanic activity
    2. livestock
    3. deforestation
    4. urbanization
34. Drawbacks of global warming for agriculture include risks that ________.
    1. there may be increased pressure on water resources
    2. plants may be more vulnerable to drought
    3. plants may be more vulnerable to heat stress
    4. All of the above
35. In Canada, precipitation has increased the most in _______
36. the Southern Prairies
37. the Northern regions
38. Vancouver Island, British Columbia
39. the Maritimes
40. In the Arctic, __________ is thicker and tends to be more resilient to atmospheric and ocean temperature changes.
41. first-year ice
42. second-year ice
43. multi-year sea ice
44. snow cover
45. In particular, _________ is less vulnerable and has a greater scope for adaptation to climate change than other fisheries.
46. indoor fish farming
47. capture fisheries
48. subsistence fisheries
49. aquaculture
50. If atmospheric CO₂ doubled, ________ would NOT occur inside Canadian vegetation boundaries.
    1. a decrease in the area covered by tundra
    2. an increase in the area covered by boreal forests
    3. an increase in semi-arid land
    4. an increase in temperate forests
51. If water levels drop due to climate change, there could be ________.
    1. an increase in mortality of spawning salmon
    2. damaged gravel beds due to flash floods from increased rainstorms
    3. reduced conditions for warm-water species
    4. Both a and b
52. The reduction in ice cover in Arctic latitudes will result in ________.
    1. increased stability of adjacent land
    2. increased ice in Arctic shipping routes
    3. rising sea levels
    4. reduced risk of landslides
53. In the Rockies, glaciers less than 100 metres thick could disappear by ________.
    1. 2050
    2. 2030
    3. 2040
    4. 2020
54. Degradation of permafrost would cause ________.
    1. lower load capacity for winter roads
    2. reduced stability of frozen winter roads
    3. shorter season for winter roads
    4. All of the above
55. Something that is not happening as global temperatures increase, is that ________.
    1. snow cover is increasing
    2. sea levels are rising
    3. shoreline wave action is increasing
    4. sea water is expanding
56. Incidence of infectious diseases may increase as a result of ________.
    1. warmer temperatures
    2. earlier springs
    3. more rainfall
    4. All of the above
57. Climate change adaptation options can NOT be categorized best as _______.
58. structural/physical
59. reactive/anticipatory
60. social
61. institutional
62. The adaptation response “no-regrets” is categorized by_________.
63. policies or actions taken to avoid unacceptably high losses as a result of climate events
64. actions that take advantage of a changing climate to yield net benefits
65. actions that provide benefits regardless of impacts incurred from climate change
66. measures that have relatively low costs and yield high benefits
67. Most Canadians’ understanding of global climate change is ________.
    1. fair
    2. poor
    3. good
    4. excellent
68. Tactics used by climate change deniers include ________.
    1. suggesting that no clear cause–effect relationship exists
    2. assembling surveys of researchers critical of climate change science
    3. “Astroturf campaigns”
    4. All of the above
69. Specifically, in 1989, the World Meteorological Organization and the United Nations Environment Programme established the ___________.
70. Kyoto Protocol
71. Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change
72. Rio Earth Summit
73. United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change

1. At Kyoto, Canada pledged to reduce greenhouse gas emissions to ________ below 1990 levels by 2012.
   1. 20 per cent
   2. 6 per cent
   3. 94 per cent
   4. None of the above
2. The American “voluntary approach” to greenhouse gas emissions will ________.
   1. result in an increase in greenhouse gas emissions
   2. result in a reduction of greenhouse gas emissions
   3. foster support and goodwill for the Bush administration among environmentalists
   4. Both a and c
3. Greenhouse gas intensity refers to ________.
   1. the amount of greenhouse gas emissions per person in a specific area or country
   2. the cumulative amount of greenhouse gas emissions, reflecting historical industrialization
   3. the ratio of greenhouse gas emissions to economic output
   4. an absolute reduction in greenhouse gas emissions
4. In 2002, with only 4 to 5 per cent of the world’s population, the US accounted for about _____ of the global emissions of GHGs.
5. 45 per cent
6. 5 per cent
7. 10 per cent
8. 25 per cent
9. Canada ratified the Kyoto Protocol in ________.
   1. 2002
   2. 1990
   3. 1997
   4. 2010
10. The Canadian plan for implementing the Kyoto Protocol does NOT include ________.
    1. a commitment to alternative energy development
    2. subsidies to install energy-efficient windows
    3. taxing private vehicles such as sports utility vehicles
    4. requiring major industrial emitters to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions
11. At the Bali conference, Canada stated they would not accept any binding targets unless ________.
    1. the base year of 1990 was changed to 2002
    2. the US also agreed
    3. they were applied to all developing countries
    4. All of the above
12. The 2007 Climate Change Conference in Bali ________.
    1. resulted in agreement to meet again
    2. was intended to create a new framework to replace Kyoto’s and its expiry in 2012
    3. had a mixed outcome
    4. All of the above
13. Signing of an emissions reduction agreement in 2014 by the United States and China ________.
    1. stabilized the emission reduction targets for the United States
    2. was the first time China had agreed to a schedule to reduce emissions
    3. confirmed that Canada, India, and Brazil work in concert with the US
    4. China would continue increasing GHG emissions for 10 more years
14. The 2014 Lima Accord outlined that ________.
    1. nations’ plans may include information on choice of base year, annual targets, and timeframes
    2. every nation is required to submit details on domestic policies to reduce fossil fuel emissions
    3. every nation should reduce greenhouse gas emissions
    4. All of the above
15. If CO₂ emissions continue at present levels, warming by ________ degrees Celsius is likely by the end of the twenty-first century.
    1. 1 to 7
    2. 2 to 6
    3. 1 to 4
    4. 0.5 to 3
16. The process of planting shrubs and trees to reduce the amount of CO₂ in the atmosphere is called ________.
    1. de-urbanization
    2. carbon sequestration
    3. carbon loading
    4. carbon trading
17. ________ is an example of climate engineering.
    1. Energy management such as employing alternative energy solutions
    2. Soil management such as reducing erosion
    3. Solar radiation management such as cloud seeding
    4. Forest management such as reducing deforestation

True or False Questions

Global warming means that everywhere on earth will warm uniformly.

Long-term temperature changes result from changes in the amount of energy received or absorbed.

Since 1980, most of the world’s glaciers have lost more mass than they have gained.

Since the middle of the nineteenth century, the rate of sea level increase has been greater than the mean rate over the preceding two millennia.

As a result of climate change, Canada’s boreal forests could shift up to 700 km to the north.

Climate induced changes on the west coast of British Columbia includes decreased cloud cover and less rain in winter.

The global climate system is complex, mainly due to the many linkages and feedback mechanisms in the atmospheric system.

The US ratified the Kyoto Protocol.

The Kyoto Protocol commitments are legally binding on nations under international law.

Particularly on carbon pricing, all provinces agree with the Pan-Canadian Framework on Clean Growth and Climate Change.

Canada has received numerous “Fossil of the Day” awards due to attempts to undermine climate change discussions

Carbon tax and cap-and-trade systems are the same.

Mitigation involves reducing greenhouse gas emissions to limit future temperature change.

Carbon-emitting fuels are taxed in British Columbia.

Climate change is an example of the tragedy of the commons.

Short Answer Questions

1. How do weather and climate differ?
2. The terms “climate change” and “global warming” are often used interchangeably. Differentiate between these two terms.
3. Outline the scientific evidence related to climate change.
4. What are the implications of melting glaciers in Alberta?
5. In order to measure climate change, it is necessary for scientists to understand what the earth’s climate was like before accurate measuring devices existed. Explain several different methods that scientists have used to reconstruct historical climates.
6. What are the scientific explanations for climate change provided by the IPCC? What are the projections for emissions and carbon dioxide concentrations in the future?
7. Explain the impacts of climate change that are evident in Canada’s arctic ecosystems.
8. What are some of the challenges of effectively communicating information on climate change to the public?
9. What has been the position of the Canadian federal government at international climate change conferences?
10. How can you help to reduce Canada’s greenhouse gas emissions?