As with last test, be warned that the stuff in the book on the issues mentioned here may not be comprehensive, and it is even possible that I won't accept a definition right out of the glossary if it is missing some key element. For the exam, your notes are very important.
Risk Assessment How would economists think of "optimal risk"? How do some of the environmental risks that we regulate compare to other "daily" risks? What are the arguments for and against "rational" risk management (i.e. attempting to equalize regulatory costs).
Economics. GDP vs environmental accounting (think GPI), and why is it an issue that income does not correlate well with Subjective Well-Being (roughly translated as "happiness"). Economic effects of environmental public policy (what are costs, what are the impacts on the economy). SO2 case and lessons for regulation. Benefit-cost analysis. Externalities. Relationship between economic development, globalization, and environmental protection. Discount rate. What are the plusses and minuses of command-and-control vs cap-and-trade systems? What might be political reasons why some are more successful than others? Notice that a lot of this material can be found in Chapter 23, which I accidentally did not assign at the correct time. You should be able to understand everything from the lectures, but if you find yourself with questions, you might want to flip through that chapter just a bit to see if it helps.
Chemistry/Smog. In what way is the atmosphere like a fire? Effects of tropospheric ozone on human health, plants. Why is ozone difficult to cut? Secondary pollutants. Nonlinearities in ozone production. NOx and VOCs (what are they, what do they do, how are they produced). How cities and the countryside differ in optimal regulation strategies for smog.
Stratospheric Ozone. What does stratospheric ozone do, and how does it differ from tropospheric ozone (and how is it the same)? What is the "ozone hole" (is it a big hole? If not, what are some of its properties?) How does ozone protect against UV light? Why are CFCs able to reach the stratosphere, and how do they cause ozone destruction? What role do volcanoes play? Why were we able to regulate ozone? What is the Montreal Protocol? Has it been effective?
GMOs. What are they? Why do we use them, and what potential problems can they address? What are some of the effects of GMOs currently (here I'm looking for economic effects, effects on pesticide usage, and so on)? Why do some people think they should be regulated or banned? You should be able to answer the question: "Should the US ban GMOs?" in a thoughtful way that highlights the main ideas on both sides of the issue.
Steady-State Economy. Why do some people think that growth itself is problematic? What might be some of the problems associated with limiting growth? Can growth continue forever? Note that this last is a more complex question than it would first appear, and cannot be answered with a simple "yes" or "no". It depends on whether growth necessarily entails growth in throughput or simply growth in quality.
Ch. 6: Cairo Conference. What influences reproductive rates?
Ch. 11: (You should read this chapter more carefully than most, since we didn't do it justice in class, but it is important). Value of major systems, consumptive vs. productive use, Maximum Sustainable Yield, Tragedy of the Commons, pressures on forests and oceans.
Ch. 20: Understand ozone section (20.5).
Ch. 21: Major air pollutants, major sources of primary pollutants, acid deposition.