Class 21 - Mid-term Review (2) PDF

Mid-term review If you are supposed to have accommodations for this class, you should have received something from the University Testing Center. Please see me if you didn’t get it. For the test… If you do not have a laptop, come see me. Will have paper backup, but… Test will start at 12:02...

Mid-term review If you are supposed to have accommodations for this class, you should have received something from the University Testing Center. Please see me if you didn’t get it. For the test… If you do not have a laptop, come see me. Will have paper backup, but… Test will start at 12:02, so be prompt Test will end at 1pm sharp Sit every other seat No notes… Must stay on the test on your computer… We will show you how to lock your desktop in Brightspace. Do not pick up your phone… mute it. For Monday… 50 questions A few open-ended questions Be brief in open-ended… don’t waste time You will be able to return to previous questions Keep moving through the test Partial credit, where appropriate  Grades released in a week or so. We will go through some of the questions in future class Kinds of questions Multiple choice Matching Multi-select (select all that apply) Short answer True/False Multiple answer Square box = Multiselect Multiple choice You want to chart how CO2 has changed over time. Which is the best chart to use? Round = multiple choice For Monday… Concepts, not details Think about examples that illustrate things Simple research methods and data stuff, but only multiple choice or matching. For example: This …..is an example of what type or research bias? Match data with their types, ordinal, marginal, etc. Review the Powerpoints The point of each slide (Or groups of slides) Phenomenon we are interested in How does it work? How can I identify it? In what situations? Think about how to understand each image Think of examples… how concepts are applied Guest speaker included Martin Larocca included.  Environment Sustainability Equity Economy What are systems? Different elements of a system come together to a greater purpose. What are systems? What are systems? (Elements) Smaller systems come together to form bigger systems What are systems? Smaller systems come together to form bigger systems R Causal loop diagrams R Two more things to remember about systems… Time delay Amount of time between the input of a feedback stimulus and the response to it Tipping point, threshold level Fundamental shift in the behavior of the system  Climate Weather Longer time scales Shorter time scales What keeps us warm… Insolation – Amount of solar radiation falling on a surface Albedo – Greenhouse gases  Fluorinated gases – 3% Major greenhouse gases GWP: depends upon gas 140 to 23,900 Nitrous oxide – 6.2% GWP: 310 Methane – 11.5% GWP: 21 Carbon dioxide – 79.4% GWP: 1 US Greenhouse gas emissions in 2021 Source: US EPA 2021 totals Source EPA 2021 totals Source EPA Three sinks: Ocean Plants Soil / Permafrost Climate change impacts in New York Warming summers feel like the south Market Failures Individual decisions do not lead to socially desirable outcomes Externalities Public goods Imperfect information 21-27  Social cost of carbon Health damage costs Ecosystem damage costs Storm damage costs Other damage costs Why do we put a price on carbon? So we can decide efficiently how to reduce it. If policy cost < social cost of carbon, then pays for itself If policy cost > social cost, then not as efficient. (But might still be needed.) Emissions cap Think about examples Organizing principles of the UN Framework on Climate Change Precautionary Principle “…activities that threaten serious or irreversible damage can be restricted or even prohibited before there is absolute certainty about their effects”. Direct causal link between action and impact no longer needed. Principle of Cost-Effectiveness All policies & measures that deal with climate change must be cost-effective Requested by industrialized nations Principle of Sustainable Development “…a right to, and should, promote sustainable development” Meaning and examples Millennium Development Goals – meet the needs of worlds poorest  The Global Goals: SDGs (Sustainable Development Goals)  Gravitational energy, which is potential energy Motion energy, which is kinetic energy Law of conservation of energy Energy is not created or destroyed It is transformed Forms of Energy Two categories of energy…  Drivetrain Friction convert engine energy to wheel energy Heat Parasitic (ironic!!) pumps, fans, & other equipment to keep engine cool. 22% regenerated by braking and fed back to battery.  Rejected energy is over 2/3 of production Energy not serving its main purpose. EVs Electricity is more efficient energy source Electric cars are cheaper to drive and cheaper to maintain California mandates have traditionally cleaned up cars… may do so again Automakers seem to be pushing electric vehicles regardless EVs are gaining market share… and that increase is accelerating  Most of our energy comes from non-renewable energy sources Source: US Energy Information Administration Some examples of renewable energy  Drop in gas prices Drop in renewable prices Fracking makes it Steady improvements in technology plentiful Nuclear growth costs Construction (technically complex) Waste management Nuclear Coal Gas Solar Wind How does the power get to you… Dumb grid The grid must be in balance. Why electrify everything? Electricity can eventually be zero emission, combustion can not Electricity is more cost effective Cleaner indoor air when not using natural gas Natural gas, while burning is better than coal, leaks are huge. Allow onsite production through renewables Electricity is a more efficient power source for many things. (Storage is always the issue, but we are tackling that…) Three faces of climate injustice Injustice 1 – Inaction means climate disproportionally burdens vulnerable populations Injustice 2 – Uneven distribution of costs of mitigation and adaptation Injustice 3 – Uneven distribution of benefits of mitigation and adaptation  communities should have a say and agency in shaping their energy future hardships households face when meeting expense of energy expenditures basic household needs relative to overall household income lack of access to energy itself Waste hierarchy What does this say about waste management? How does this connect to weak v strong sustainability What is an example of each category? Waste is inefficient Waste is manufactured using resources Waste is disposed of using resources (e.g recycling) Waste is creates other problems using other resources (e.g. climate) Reducing waste reduces use of resources Food waste loss 30% of all food produced 1.3 billion tons per year Waste of resources (land, labor, water, etc.) used in food production Big contributor to climate change (food decay = methane) Lots of people need food World Bank, 2018  Mat Plastic Clay What is leachate? contaminated liquid generated from water percolating through landfill What is extended producer responsibility and why should it help? If the producers of packaging have to pay to dispose of it, then hopefully, we get… Less packaging More recyclable packaging Shifting the burden Costs of waste Resources to make the products Resources to move the waste Resources to bury and Resources to manage the waste to protect ourselves from the waste Resources to burn the waste Resources to close a landfill Resources to treat externalities - health This part of the hierarchy gets very expensive. Think also about… Why we have to manage landfills for health and safety Why we have to manage incinerators for health and safety Research methods included… Deduction v Induction Tell what level of measurement certain data is Tell what level of measurement certain kinds of questions will produce What is the difference between descriptive and causal research questions What is the difference between sample and population? Why do we use samples? Biases in surveys  ` Treatment Outcome + Pedestrian Cell phones Deaths Cause Effect X Y Independent Dependent  Conditions of Causation Conditions of causation Causes must occur before effects:________________ Correlation appears in different contexts:________________ Plausible mechanism:____________________ No other plausible explanations:_____________________ Common causes accounted for in analysis:________________ Two kinds of data…Quantitative versus qualitative Quantitative Numbers – count things, measure things How much, how often, how big Statistical analysis to find relationships or differences Qualitative Does not involve numbers Words, pictures, photos, videos, audio recordings. Field notes, generalities. Levels of Measurement Quantitative Data Has known equal intervals Attributes can be ordered Grouped by attribute  Number of Binghamton residents in each profession 60 Number in each profession All you can do is 50 count nominal data 40 30 When to use which charts 20 10 0 Athletes Dancers Barber Bus Driver Questions…. Is it hotter in neighborhoods with fewer trees? - Density of Temperature trees Independent variable Dependent variable Predictor Outcome What is my unit of analysis? Cannot be a variable It is where or on what we are studying the relationship. Population of interest – who or what you want to learn about US voters College students in Canada Trees in the Nature Preserve Deer in New York State So you Sample Infer from a smaller group what is happening in your population of interest Random sampling is best Convenience sampling, snowball sampling, purposive sampling are common, but they lack generalizability Survey questions… Closed-ended question Provides categories to choose or check. Example: 1. Overall, how satisfied are you with the services provided by XYZ? Very satisfied Somewhat satisfied Somewhat dissatisfied Very dissatisfied Open-ended question Asks respondents to answer in their own words. Example: 2. What suggestions do you have for ways to improve the services provided by XYZ? _______________________________________________________ _________________________  Selection bias Suppose you were doing a survey about recycling. You called someone the phone. “Hello. We’re taking a poll this evening about recycling... Can I get started?” People who recycle are more likely to say “yes” and thus respond to the poll. People who don’t care about recycling will be likely to say ‘no.’  Social desirability bias Tendency of people to deny social undesirable traits and admit to desirable ones. See you on Monday… don’t be late!!!