Environmental Law: Key Concepts and Regulations
Environmental Law Questions and Answers
Section 1: General Principles
Question 1
V?
- Currently, environmental factors are considered an opportunity for firms to obtain a strategic market position.
- Non-adherence to an environmental management system based on ISO standards involves legal liability.
- The failure to comply with environmental law involves only loss of image and competitiveness for the company.
- Environmental legislation related to waste, soil, water, air, noise, and biodiversity is preventive, corrective, and repressive.
Answer: A) 1 and 4
Question 2
False? Directive 2003/4/EC on public access to environmental information…
- Guarantees the right of access to environmental information held by public authorities.
- Ensures that environmental information is automatically disseminated and available to the public.
- Claims that environmental information is accessible only to the most polluting entities.
- Has not been transposed into state law.
Answer: B) 3 and 4
Question 3
The characteristics of sustainable development are, among others:
- Balance between economic activity and the environment.
- Using resources efficiently.
- Promotion of regional self-sufficiency.
- Promote recycling and reuse.
Answer: A) All
Question 4
True:
- Regulations and Decisions of the European Union need to be transposed by member states.
- European Union Directives need to be transposed by member states, while Regulations and Decisions are directly applicable.
- Decisions of the European Union are only mandatory for precise and specific targets, like regulations.
- Directives indicate the means used to achieve the results set within the framework.
Answer: C) 2
Question 5
True: Information about environmental legislation…
- Can be found in the Official State Bulletin (BOE).
- Can be found in the Official Journals of the Autonomous Communities, such as Castilla-La Mancha.
- If it is local, is included in bylaws.
- Can be found on websites specializing in legislation to facilitate access to it.
Answer: D) All
Section 2: Specific Regulations
Question 6
The law on prevention and integrated pollution control (IPPC):
- Imposes the obligation to coordinate environmental clearances when several administrations are involved.
- Focuses on corrective environmental legislation.
- Applies to plans and programs.
- Aims to reduce pollution by sectors, i.e., making separate treatments for the control of emissions to air, water, or soil.
Answer: A) 1
Question 7
Indicate environmental law issues considered within preventive law:
- Environmental Impact Assessment
- Nature and Biodiversity Heritage
- Atmosphere
- Civil Protection
Answer: A) 1 and 2
Question 8
False:
- Best Available Technology (BAT) is the most effective in achieving a high general level of environmental protection, even if its development is at a prototype or laboratory scale.
- BAT must be applied to obtain an Environmental Authorization.
- Strategic Environmental Assessment applies to plans and programs related to the environment.
- Strategic Environmental Assessment arises because the Environmental Impact Assessment has shown some shortcomings, as in the case of decision-making in the earlier phases of a project to avoid adverse environmental impacts.
Answer: D) 1
Question 9
The network “Natura 2000” was created to protect biodiversity in the European Union and is comprised of:
- Sites of Community Importance (SCI) and Special Protection Areas for Birds (SPA).
- Only Special Areas of Conservation (SAC).
- SCI, SPA, and SAC.
- Parks, nature reserves, marine protected areas, protected landscapes, and more.
Answer: C) 3
Question 10
The emission sources of pollutants:
- Relate to emission levels that are equal to the levels of intake.
- Can be fixed, mobile, and mixed.
- Produce secondary pollutants, such as acids that cause acid rain.
- Relate to surface water pollution.
Answer: B) 2
Question 11
False:
- Water management includes utilities (water concession) and discharges.
- The agency responsible for a watershed is the competent administration of the Autonomous Community where the waters flow into the sea.
- Discharges can only be done through the drainage system, never directly.
- Water uptake is regulated by an order (Order ARM/1312/2009) establishing systems for, inter alia, the effective control of the volumes of water used for water harvesting in the Public Water Domain (DPH).
Answer: C) 2 and 3
Question 12
False:
- Civil protection, in terms of environmental legislation, relates to the control of risks inherent in major accidents involving ionizing radiation only.
- There is legislation to prevent major accidents involving dangerous substances.
- Environmental law related to civil protection is preventive in nature.
- As with environmental legislation related to Environmental Impact Assessment, the legislation related to civil protection has a corrective nature.
Answer: B) 1, 3, and 4
Question 13
True:
- Ionizing radiation and the damage caused by it can be measured using the magnitudes of activity, dose, and dose equivalent.
- The equivalent dose is the absorbed dose for the individual, considering the damage or biological effect produced, and the unit of measurement is the Becquerel (Bq).
- The equivalent dose is the absorbed dose for the individual, considering the damage or biological effect produced, and the unit of measurement is the Gray (Gy).
- The equivalent dose is the absorbed dose for the individual, considering the damage or biological effect produced, and is defined as the absorbed dose multiplied by a quality factor that depends on the type of radiation.
Answer: C) 1 and 4
Question 14
True:
- The electromagnetic spectrum can be divided into two regions according to the energy associated with the electromagnetic wave: the ionizing radiation region and the non-ionizing radiation region.
- Within ionizing electromagnetic waves are the following types: …
- Corpuscular radiation, like ionizing electromagnetic radiation, is characterized by its ability for ionization and penetration.
Answer: B) 1 and 3
Question 15
False:
- There are two types of risks of exposure to ionizing radiation: external radiation and radioactive contamination.
- Radioactive contamination occurs when a person is exposed without being in contact with the radiation source.
- The equivalent dose is measured in Sievert (Sv) and is the magnitude used to determine the threshold dose, above which more or less immediate damage appears.
- Non-ionizing radiation includes, among others, ultraviolet, visible, infrared, microwaves, and electromagnetic fields.
Answer: D) 2