Take the Environmental Problems Quiz on International Concerns

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Questions and Answers

Which type of resource is a cell phone?

Private good

What is an example of a common-pool resource?

Public parking

What is the primary goal of the Paris Agreement (2016)?

Limiting global warming to well below 2 degrees Celsius

What was the role of TANs in the case of South African apartheid?

Shared information with international human rights organizations Signup and view all the answers

What makes it difficult for states to cooperate in addressing environmental issues?

Collective action problems Signup and view all the answers

Which international agreement aimed at addressing environmental concerns was adopted in 1987?

The Montreal Protocol Signup and view all the answers

What is an example of a club good?

Membership clubs Signup and view all the answers

What type of resources lead to depletion due to sheep grazing?

Common-pool resources Signup and view all the answers

What is the main characteristic of public goods?

Non-rival and non-excludable Signup and view all the answers

What can help promote international environmental cooperation by setting standards and enforcing mechanisms?

International institutions like the UNFCCC Signup and view all the answers

What are some of the environmental problems mentioned in the text?

Global warming, deforestation, polluted water Signup and view all the answers

Why are environmental problems likely to worsen?

Due to population growth and per capita consumption level Signup and view all the answers

Which issue has been successfully resolved according to the text?

Ozone depletion Signup and view all the answers

What is the main reason for the difficulty in international cooperation to protect the environment?

Population growth and per capita consumption level Signup and view all the answers

Which factor should ideally equal per capita consumption according to the text?

$\text{Per capita production} = \text{Per capita consumption}$ Signup and view all the answers

Which of the following is identified as a cause of environmental problems worsening?

Deforestation Signup and view all the answers

What are some examples of water-related environmental problems mentioned in the text?

Polluted water, water depletion, threatened biodiversity Signup and view all the answers

What are some examples of land-related environmental problems mentioned in the text?

Deforestation, land degradation, threatened biodiversity Signup and view all the answers

What are some examples of air-related environmental problems mentioned in the text?

Global warming/ ozone depletion Signup and view all the answers

Which treaty provides rights that largely favor Western states?

The International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) Signup and view all the answers

Which agreement provides basic economic, social, and cultural rights and is favored by Communist or newly independent states?

The International Covenant on Economic, Social, and Cultural Rights (ICESCR) Signup and view all the answers

As of December 2023, how many members of the UN have ratified the ICCPR?

173 members Signup and view all the answers

As of December 2023, how many ratifiers does the ICESCR have?

171 ratifiers Signup and view all the answers

Which form of violence is stated to be the deadliest and most frequent in the world today?

Violence by governments against their own citizens Signup and view all the answers

What is a reason why some governments violate human rights?

To preserve their own rule Signup and view all the answers

What does the International Criminal Court (ICC) try individuals for?

Genocide, war crimes, and crimes against humanity Signup and view all the answers

Study Notes

Tragedy of the commons is a situation where individuals, acting independently, deplete a shared resource, leading to its eventual depletion. An example is the depletion of resources due to sheep grazing.
Resources can be classified into different types based on their characteristics:
- Privategoods: Rival and excludable, owned by individuals or organizations, example: cell phones.
- Public goods: Non-rival and non-excludable, available to all, i.e., stable climate and national defense.
- Common-pool resources: Non-rival but rival, limited capacity, i.e., public parking, Saudi Arabian oil fields, tuna.
- Club goods: Non-rival but excludable, access is limited to members, i.e., membership clubs, Ivy League classes.
Many environmental issues are public goods or common-pool resources, leading to collective action problems.
Collective action problems make it difficult for states to cooperate as actors may be tempted to free ride.
Pollution and development create distributional conflicts between developing and developed countries. Historically, rich countries have been the largest emitters of greenhouse gases and have emitted almost 70 percent of cumulative carbon dioxide since 1850.
International institutions, like the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), can help promote international environmental cooperation by setting standards, verifying compliance, and enforcing mechanisms.
The Montreal Protocol (1987), Biological Diversity (1992), Desertification (1992), and Kyoto Protocol (1997) are examples of international agreements addressing environmental concerns.
The Paris Agreement (2016) was adopted with the primary goal of limiting global warming to well below 2 degrees Celsius, with efforts to limit the increase to 1.5 degrees.
Human rights:
- For over 40 years, South Africa was run by a white-dominated apartheid regime.
- TANs (Transnational advocacy networks) and South African opposition groups brought international pressure against the regime, but it wasn't enough to create change domestically.
- TANs shared information with international human rights organizations, which then pressured their domestic governments to intervene.
- States used their influence to punish human rights abuses.
- The apartheid regime fell in 1990, illustrating TANs' success in the area of human rights and the willingness of states to intervene in cases of human rights abuses.
Interfering in cases of human rights abuses can be risky, as it violates the principle of national sovereignty.

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