PROF's DOCX · Sample 1 Final
Questions Only
Just the prompts — practice as if you were sitting the exam.
Sample 1 — Final Exam · Questions Only
Final Exam 20th May
Background Prompt
Brazil has set a NDC target for a 53% reduction in GHG emission by 2030 in comparison with 2005 and net zero by 2050. The NDC also aims to improve water, energy, food, social and environmental security, and enhance social benefits to ensure the climate resilience of the population and infrastructure. There are large costs associated with meeting Brazil's NDCs: the most recent estimate places the cost at 1.4 trillion between 2016 and 2030, equivalent to 7% of GDP per year.
Brazil ranked first regionally for corporate green bonds issuances, having raised money for climate and biodiversity projects. On September 5, 2023, the Federal government, in its effort to support sustainable development, launched its Sovereign Sustainable Bond Framework — a reference document that enables the country to issue green, social, and sustainability bonds to finance budgetary programs with positive environmental and/or social impacts.
Based on the news above, answer the following questions.
1. What is "climate change" according to the UN?
a) Hot and rainy seasons b) Average change in physical factors in weather over a period of 2 years c) Average change in global temperature and precipitation due to human economic activity
2. Global warming is caused because:
a) Oxygen can trap heat from escaping the earth b) Carbon dioxide can trap heat from escaping the earth
3. What kind of regulatory design is a Protocol?
a) Self-regulation/Voluntary b) Authoritative
4. What is currently the threshold of temperature rise that is considered tolerable for human and biotic life to be sustained in the long run?
a) 1.5 degree Celsius b) 3.5 degree Celsius c) 4.5 degree Celsius
5. Who is IPCC?
a) A UN agency b) An international organization that compiles scientific data c) A scientific institute that does experiments
6. How often are IPCC climate reports published?
a) Every 4 years b) Every 4 months c) Every 4 weeks
7. Global decarbonization is a goal for all countries for reducing:
a) Local air pollution b) Pace of global warming c) Pace of sea level rise d) Energy insecurity e) All of the above reasons
8. In the news above, to combat climate change, the Brazilian decarbonization plan is an:
a) Adaptation strategy b) Mitigation strategy c) Both
9. The Brazilian decarbonization plan is for meeting the goals of:
a) Montreal Protocol b) Kyoto Protocol c) Rio Protocol
10. Brazil under Paris Agreement is an Annex I country — True or False?
11. Japan under Paris Agreement is an Annex I country — True or False?
12. The CBDR & RC legal principle in international protocols promotes Brazil to take equal responsibility as United Kingdom to decarbonize — True or False?
13. What is the full text for the abbreviation CBDR & RC?
14. The news above talks about Brazil's NDC. What does the abbreviation stand for, name it in full.
15. When is Brazil aiming to achieve their GHG emission reduction targets and by how much?
16. What does the GHG abbreviation stand for, name it in full?
17. Which two examples below are of adaptation?
a) Government invests in research and development of coffee seeds better suited for warmer climate and incentivizes/subsidizes farmers to plant these other varieties of coffee and crops b) Water conservation c) Divesting from fossil fuel
18. Sustainable Bond issuance by Brazil means that the Government:
a) Offered insurance to companies b) Borrowed money from private banks c) Received aid from the World Bank
19. Name the bond that can be issued by Governments like Brazil to finance their country's water conservation programme.
a) Orange Bond b) Blue Bond c) Green Bond d) Social Bond e) Sustainable Bond f) War Bonds g) Sustainability-linked bonds
20. Name the bond that can be issued by Governments like Brazil to finance their country's renewable energy programme.
a) Orange Bond b) Blue Bond c) Green Bond d) Social Bond e) Sustainable Bond f) War Bonds g) Sustainability-linked bonds
21. Transition to net-zero aims for decarbonization of a company or a country by the year:
a) 2030 b) 2050 c) 2080 d) 3000
22. What is the difference between a green bond and a transition bond? (fill in the blanks)
a) ___________ Bond is for GHG emission reduction b) ___________ Bond is for changing business model in the interim period for shifting from a brown to a net zero green company
23. For the Brazilian Government, what could be the benefit of labelling their bonds to borrow money over issuing non-labelled bonds which they usually used for borrowing money in the past? (+1)
a) Cheaper to borrow because of larger pool of green investors who are offering loans b) Reputation of the government improves as it shows the government is managing climate risks c) Both
24. Brazilian also receives international funding through Cap and Trade. Which organization manages the process of cap and trade by issuing a certificate for reducing each ton of carbon?
a) Climate Bonds Initiative b) United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change c) Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change
25. Calculate the Bio Capacity of consumption
Write the formula clearly with an index for each element used. Include the quantity unit.
- Area = 10,000 hectares
- Yield factor = 2.4
- Equivalence factor = 1.5
- Bio capacity = ?
26. Calculate the Ecological Footprint of Consumption
Write the formula clearly with an index for each element used. Include the quantity unit.
- EFi = 1.5
- EFp = 3.5
- EFe = 2.0
- Ecological footprint of consumption = ?
27. Under Ecological Footprint methodology, the value of a handbag will be measured in which unit?
a) Dollar b) Global hectare
28. Under Ecological Footprint methodology, the value of a pair of Nikes made of synthetic rubber is measured by amount of consumption of:
- Grazing land
- Forest sink
- Forest land
- Ocean land
29. If Russia exports natural gas to Brazil, ecological footprint of fossil fuel will be added to Russia or Brazil?
30. When lithium-ion batteries (used for running electric cars) are manufactured, the battery factories release high levels of CO₂ into the atmosphere. This adds to the carbon footprint of a country. Using this information answer the following:
a) Does carbon footprint calculate the amount of land required for carbon absorption, or does it calculate total amount of carbon produced by a nation? b) It is part of what kind of "resource accounting" method? c) If Lithium-ion batteries are manufactured and exported by China to the USA, the carbon footprints would be added to the resource account of which country? d) What kind of "unit" is used for measuring surplus or deficit of resources in a country? Why is that unit used instead of monetary unit? e) What kind of sustainability paradigm is supported by this methodology?
31. What is the following? (Write the full name and its primary function/role)
a) UNFCCC? b) INDC? c) COP 21? d) US Clean Power Plan? e) CBDR & RC? f) What is the difference between Montreal Protocol and Kyoto Protocol?
32. Match the concepts (a–h) to the right statements (i–viii)
Concepts: a. Adaptation to climate change b. Mitigation strategies of climate change c. Contingent Valuation technique d. Hedonic Valuation technique e. Reveal Preference method f. Stated Preference method g. Planned adaptation to climate change h. Autonomous adaptation to climate change
Statements: i. Reduces the pace of climate change by setting physical targets ii. Is a type of Stated Preference method of environmental valuation iii. Is a survey-based valuation of natural resources iv. Reduces the negative impact of climate change on economies v. Leads Bangladesh citizens to dig deep wells to get clean drinking water when their river gets polluted vi. It is assumed in economics that human beings reveal their preferences for willingness to pay for a noise-free environment through their behavior in purchasing goods and services in the market vii. Uses property market as a proxy for valuing natural resources viii. Leads UK Government to invest in the Thames Barrier created on the Thames river in anticipation of sea level rise and to protect London from submerging in future
33. Renewable energy is a mitigation and/or adaptation measure?
34. Brazil is an Annex I party in Kyoto Protocol — True or False?
35.
a) A European company is regulated to limit its carbon emission to 1000 tons per year. But it is allowed to meet that target by buying some certificates from developing nation companies who have already reduced carbon emission in their factories. The European company reduces its own emission by 500 metric tons and buys 500 certificates from an Indian company that has reduced 500 tons of emission in India and has thereby got these UN certificates per ton of carbon reduced. This kind of mechanism to reduce emission is called:
- Cap and Trade
- Clean Development Mechanism
- Offsetting
- All three above are correct
b) The CBDR & RC principle is applicable to the above-mentioned mechanism or not?
c) Can the above-mentioned mechanism achieve sustainable development of all nations in the long run based on ecological economic principles?
d) Is the above-mentioned mechanism part of Kyoto Protocol?
e) Does the US have the above mechanism in place for carbon emission reduction?
36. Open the NASA Weblink: https://science.nasa.gov/climate-change/stories/
Answer the data questions below by checking the NASA site. Answer any 2 from 1 a, b, c:
37.
a) In 2025, summer ice in the Antarctic retreated to ________ square miles. That's __________% below what was typical in the Antarctic prior to 2010.
b) Florida's coastal wetlands alone remove an estimated _______ million metric tons of carbon each year. This is equal to the carbon dioxide that a commercial aircraft would produce after circling the globe more than 26,000 times.
c) While mangroves remove CO₂ from atmosphere, they also produce another gas called _________ which is more potent than CO₂ as a global warming gas.
38. NASA data collection is helping the restoration and preservation of mangroves and wetlands in Florida's Everglades area.
https://science.nasa.gov/earth/nasa-data-supports-everglades-restoration/ Read the page and answer any 5 from 2 a, b, c, d, e, f:
a) What are the categories of 'productive land' used in Ecological Footprint methodology?
b) In Ecological Footprint methodology, Florida's wetlands and mangroves will be part of which kind of 'productive land category'? i. Crop land ii. Forest sink land iii. Grazing grounds
c) A new data product developed by NASA-funded researchers will help monitor from space the changing relationship between coastal wetlands and atmospheric carbon. i) Name the instrument that collects the data from Florida's wetlands ii) Name the 3 elements that are being measured by the instruments
d) Wetland and mangrove restoration is a solution supported by which Environmental Theory Framework? i) Neo-Classical Economics ii) Ecological Economics
e) NASA's gas flux data collection technology will help deliver which kind of climate goals? i) Mitigation ii) Adaptation
f) If wetland and mangroves are created along New York city's river shorelines to prevent flood water from damaging buildings, that will deliver which kind of climate goals? i) Mitigation ii) Adaptation
39. Go to https://data.footprintnetwork.org/#/
Answer any 5 from 3 a, b, c, d, e, f, (but g is mandatory):
a) How much is the US Bio Capacity Surplus (+) or Deficit (−) per person?
b) Show the calculation that leads to the Bio Capacity surplus or deficit per person.
c) What is the formula for calculating Bio Capacity of a country?
d) How much of the US Bio Capacity per person in 2022 is made of crop land and grazing land?
e) What is the formula for calculating the ecological footprint of consumption per person?
f) In 2022 US ecological footprint of consumption was highest for which category of land? a) Carbon sink b) Crop land
g) [MANDATORY] If US wants to reduce its ecological footprint of consumption, tell us one specific policy that would help them to dramatically reduce all the three elements in the EFc formula.
40. Bonds & Finance — Answer any 4 from a, b, c, d
a) What is the difference between bond and equity?
b) Why is equity spending higher than debt financing in new clean energy technologies? Explain your answer.
c) i) What is the difference between Blue Bond and Green Bond? ii) Which one is eligible (or both) can be used for mangrove restoration in Florida? iii) Why is it beneficial to label a bond? Explain your answer.
d) For incentivizing the growth of renewable energy, what kind of subsidies were offered in Europe? Name the financial instrument.
e) For incentivizing the growth of renewable energy, what kind of incentives were offered in the USA specifically for the investors? Name the financial instrument.
41. Technology knowledge — Match the photos to the labels below and answer the questions
i) New clean energy source: name the technology ii) Geoengineering: name the technology iii) Carbon removal: name the technology. Is it weakly sustainable or strongly sustainable technology?
42. One of the pictures shows production of clean energy by splitting water into ________ gas and ________ gas, and then capturing one of the gases to produce energy. The splitting of water is done by using renewable energy and a technology called an electrolyser.
43. Answer any one from a, b:
a) Is renewable energy a mitigation solution or adaptation? Explain your answer. b) Who saves more due to fossil fuel subsidies — the rich or the poor? Explain your answer.
44. Match the 3 concepts with 3 correct examples
Concepts: a) Clean Development Mechanism under Kyoto Protocol b) Emissions Cap under Kyoto Protocol c) Montreal Protocol
Examples: i) BMW automobile company buys offsets from Florida companies that are investing in restoring mangroves in Florida ii) BMW automobile company buys offsets from companies that are investing in restoring mangroves in Bangladesh iii) BMW changes all its air conditioning and refrigeration technologies in its factories to reduce methane iv) BMW automobile company buys offsets and submits it to German government along with reduction of its own GHG emissions by transitioning to renewable energy in their factories