Sustainability and Business Practice Quiz (11 questions)

All questions and answers

1. How did the WCED define sustainable development in 1987?

Development that meets present needs without compromising future generations’ ability to meet their own needs
Development that increases current prosperity while reserving natural resources for future economic growth
Development that meets present needs by transferring the costs of resource use to future generations
Development that prioritizes environmental protection by limiting present social and economic activity

Development that meets present needs without compromising future generations’ ability to meet their own needs

Explanation

The WCED definition links meeting present needs with preserving future generations’ ability to meet their own needs. Reserving resources specifically for future economic growth is narrower than the definition, which concerns needs across generations.

2. A community limits its resource use to levels that do not threaten ecosystems while conserving natural resources. Which dimension of sustainability is it pursuing?

The triple bottom line, through balancing business financial, social, and environmental goals
Environmental sustainability, through conserving resources and protecting the earth’s capacity to support life
Social sustainability, through improving equity and access to essential services
Economic sustainability, through maintaining productivity and long-term financial viability

Environmental sustainability, through conserving resources and protecting the earth’s capacity to support life

Explanation

Environmental sustainability concerns conserving natural resources and protecting the earth’s capacity to carry life, with human activity kept from threatening environmental systems. The triple bottom line is a business framework balancing financial, social, and environmental goals, rather than the specific environmental dimension described here.

3. What did the United Nations establish in 2015 as a blueprint for a better and more sustainable future for all?

A set of 17 legally binding climate commitments
A set of 12 international development priorities
A set of 17 Sustainable Development Goals
A set of 15 global environmental targets

A set of 17 Sustainable Development Goals

Explanation

The United Nations set out 17 Sustainable Development Goals in 2015 as a blueprint for a better and more sustainable future for all. The goals are not described as legally binding climate commitments.

4. A student is identifying SDGs connected directly to the ecological domain. Which group should the student select?

SDGs 6, 13, 14, and 15, covering water, climate, and life in aquatic and terrestrial environments
SDGs 5, 7, 11, and 16, covering gender, energy, cities, and institutions
SDGs 1, 2, 3, and 4, covering poverty, hunger, health, and education
SDGs 8, 9, 10, and 12, covering work, industry, inequality, and consumption

SDGs 6, 13, 14, and 15, covering water, climate, and life in aquatic and terrestrial environments

Explanation

SDGs 6, 13, 14, and 15 relate directly to the ecological domain, including clean water and sanitation, climate action, and life below water and on land. The group focused on work, industry, inequality, and consumption relates to the economic domain.

5. What does it mean for businesses to use natural resources faster than nature can replenish them?

It shifts environmental impacts from production to product disposal.
It transfers the costs of resource use from businesses to consumers.
It depletes resources and can reduce human quality of life over the longer term.
It increases the supply of resources available for future production.

It depletes resources and can reduce human quality of life over the longer term.

Explanation

When resource use outpaces natural replenishment, resources become depleted or unusable, undermining quality of life over time. Shifting impacts between stages of production does not describe this resource-replenishment imbalance.

6. By approximately how much has average global temperature increased since 1880?

Approximately 2.0 °C
About 0.2 °C
At least 1.1 °C
About 40%

At least 1.1 °C

Explanation

Average global temperature has risen by at least 1.1 °C since 1880, with most of that warming occurring since 1975. The 0.2 °C figure refers roughly to warming per decade during the period of more rapid increase, not the total rise since 1880.

7. What is the purpose of business strategies that support suppliers with sustainable business models and favourable employment practices?

To replace investments in energy efficiency with supplier audits
To shift responsibility for a company’s emissions entirely to its suppliers
To prioritize lower material costs over environmental and social outcomes
To extend sustainability practices through supply chains and improve employment conditions

To extend sustainability practices through supply chains and improve employment conditions

Explanation

Supporting suppliers in these ways helps spread sustainable business practices across the supply chain while promoting favourable employment conditions. Focusing on lower material costs alone does not capture the environmental and social purpose of this approach.

8. In what year was the first global environmental summit focused on reducing plastic waste held in Nairobi, Kenya?

2022
2021
2020
2019

2022

Explanation

The first global environmental summit on reducing plastic waste was held in Nairobi in 2022, with the aim of reaching a global waste-reduction agreement. The 2019 date refers to the European Union’s reported waste-recycling rate, not the summit.

9. How do changing land and sea use and species over-exploitation differ as drivers of biodiversity loss?

Changing land and sea use shifts species’ geographic ranges, while species over-exploitation reduces biodiversity by contaminating air and water.
Changing land and sea use alters or removes habitats, while species over-exploitation directly depletes populations through excessive harvesting.
Changing land and sea use introduces pollutants into ecosystems, while species over-exploitation changes long-term climate patterns.
Changing land and sea use raises the rate of animal harvesting, while species over-exploitation converts natural habitats for agriculture.

Changing land and sea use alters or removes habitats, while species over-exploitation directly depletes populations through excessive harvesting.

Explanation

Changing how land and seas are used can transform habitats, whereas over-exploitation reduces species populations through excessive use or harvesting. Pollution and climate change are separate major drivers, not the defining contrast between these two.

10. Which organization estimated the annual economic benefit of insect pollination to Europe?

The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change
The European Commission
The Convention on Biological Diversity
The World Commission on Environment and Development

The European Commission

Explanation

The European Commission estimated that insect pollination benefited the European economy by £11.82 billion per year. The Convention on Biological Diversity is associated here with defining biodiversity, not estimating pollination’s economic value.

11. Why does the triple bottom line call for businesses to pursue social and environmental goals alongside financial goals?

Because social goals are mainly a way to distribute the costs of environmental protection
Because financial results are reliable indicators of whether society shares resources fairly
Because environmental protection can replace the need to maintain a financially viable business
Because sustainable business performance includes social and environmental outcomes as well as economic ones

Because sustainable business performance includes social and environmental outcomes as well as economic ones

Explanation

The triple bottom line treats social, environmental, and economic goals as integral dimensions of business performance. Treating environmental protection as a replacement for financial viability misstates the framework, which calls for commitment to both.

Study with flashcards

Lock in the answers with 10 flashcards on Sustainability and Business.

How did the WCED define sustainable development in 1987?

Development that meets present needs without compromising future generations’ ability to meet their own needs.

Which three domains are commonly used to describe sustainability, according to Adams (2006)?

Environmental, social, and economic.

How many Sustainable Development Goals did the United Nations set out in 2015?

17 goals.

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