Envi Sci Exam 2 – Flashcards

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Most of the world population growth in the near future will be in
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developing countries
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which of the following is a uniquely human trait?
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ability to regulate our reproduction
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From 1900 to 2000, the human population on Earth
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tripled
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Which of the following human traits are typical of K-strategists?
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parental care of long duration
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Unlike most species, human population ecology must also include consideration of the
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interactions of the global human population
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About 30,000 years ago, humans survived most like which of the following organisms?
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roaming groups of omnivorous chimps
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The Neolithic Revolution is most clearly seen in human culture today in our use of
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modern agriculture to raise food crops
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Which problem today is primarily the result of the Industrial Revolution?
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extensive air and water pollution
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The ability to feed the growing world population was addressed by the
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green revolution
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Which of the following represents the correct sequence of revolutions as they occurred?
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neolithic, industrial, medical, green, enviironmental
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The epidemiologic transition is largely a result of the
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medical revolution
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The five main revolutions of human history have all resulted in
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an increase in human carrying capacity
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Which of the following are current limiting factors for future human population growth?
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pollution and land for agriculture
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In a significant 2004 paper reviewing 69 papers on world human population and carrying capacity, the authors estimated that the sustainable carrying capacity of humans is about
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7.7 billion
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China's one-child policy was adopted because
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it was clear the nation could not live within the limit of its resources if the population continued to grow.
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Using the IPAT formula, which of the following would most likely reduce the environmental impact of a society?
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greater use of birth control by most members of a society
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The amount of land and ocean needed to provide the resources for one person and absorb his/her wastes defines the
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environmental footprint
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The best predictions of US population growth consider
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immigration, total fertility rate, and age of first reproduction
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If a country experiences 6 births, 4 deaths, and 1 new immigrant every minute of a year, how will its population change in one year?
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the population will increase by about 1.5 million people
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Projections of future world population do not typically include
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migration
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In one year, a population of 10,000 people experiences a birth rate of 220 and a death rate of 170 people. The annual percent increase is
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0.5% and assumes no migration.
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Thailand has experienced a dramatic drop in fertility rate, increased per capita income and an increase in life expectancy between 1960 and 2005. These are all signs that Thailand
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has undergone demographic transition
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Countries caught in the poverty-population trap have experienced
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the benefits of modern medicine but not the benefits of economic development
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In general, fertility rates
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decrease as per capita income increases
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The Millennium Development Goals focus on
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ending extreme poverty and hunger all over the world
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Which of the following activities would be consistent with the Millennium Development Goals?
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provide meals and mosquito nets for every child under the age of five
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The recent Cairo and Stockholm population conferences in 1994 and 2014 found widespread agreement that the greatest way to help developing countries was to
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limit their population growth through improving women's health and education.
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Social modernization involves many aspects that revolve around
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the education and enfranchisement of women
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Compared to a person in a developed country, a person in a developing country is about eight times more likely to die from
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communicable diseases.
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You are a newly appointed advisor in a government project to help move a developing country forward economically. With limited financial resources and staffing, which of the following would be your highest priority?
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help the government promote family planning throughout the country
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Small-scale businesses in Bangladesh have done well because of the Grameen bank lending
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small amounts of money to women
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The Dust Bowl in the United States in the 1930s was caused primarily by
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lack of any soil conservation practices, continuous cropping, coupled with natural drought.
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Within soil, a natural cycle of
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decomposers break down detritus to release nutrients used by producers.
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Which one of the following soil horizons is least likely to interact directly with living organisms?
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c horizon
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Which of the following can best be classified as "soil constraints"?
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Poor drainage, salinity, and high levels of aluminum
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Which of the following farming practices would be expected to produce the least nutrient leaching and thus contribute most to soil sustainability?
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No plowing, drip irrigation, and the use of organic fertilizers
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Children learning the process of good home gardening decide to help as best they can. Every day they walk along rows of bean plants, carefully inspecting each plant for insect and removing any that they find. However, the bean plants do not grow well and few beans form. Their parents notice the beans, inspect the plants and soil, and tell the children that walking around the plants every day has hurt the plants by
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compacting the soil, decreasing aeration and infiltration.
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In the healthy environment of a sustainable soil,
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the humus-forming processes of topsoil is renewed by the addition of detritus and humus
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The greatest cause of topsoil loss around the world is
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erosion
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Planting rows of trees or shrubs around the periphery of a plowed field are long established farming practices that
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decrease wind erosion and increase soil moisture
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The farm machinery that opens a furrow through the soil and mulch of dead weeds, drops seeds and fertilizer and then closes the furrow is engaged in the erosion-reducing technique of
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no-till planting
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Up until about 12,000 years ago, human populations were primarily limited by
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the availability of food
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The Industrial Revolution has led to an increased reliance on fossil fuels to
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power farm machinery and to produce fertilizers and pesticides.
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Although the Green Revolution has greatly reduced world hunger and malnutrition, it has
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required high levels of increasingly expensive fertilizer and pesticides
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Cattle production in the United States and other developed nations involves CAFOs that
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produce 14% of the greenhouse gas methane, which causes global warming
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Transgenic plants are generally different from traditional hybrid plants produced hundreds of years ago, because transgenic plants may
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contain genes from animals or bacteria
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Globally, an imbalance in grain productivity requires some countries to import grain from places where production exceeds consumption. Which of the following would benefit the most from the use of biotechnology or other techniques to increase grain production in their region?
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africa
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In sub-Saharan Africa and Asia, the major nutritional problems relate to
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malnutrition and undernourishment, especially in children
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Chlorinated hydrocarbon pesticides, like DDT, are synthetic versions of
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non-biodegradable, persistent molecules
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The highest amounts of pesticides or their breakdown products would be found within a cougar in its
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body fat
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Developing a new form of ecological pest control, researchers engineer crops to produce the pheromones of the pest. The crops now produce the pest pheromone, overwhelming the fields and causing the male pests to fail to find a mate. This new form of ecological pest control combines
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genetic and natural chemical control
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Which of the following about Bt crops is true?
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They are GM plants that incorporate the gene for producing a potent bacterially produced insecticide.
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For most of human history, and in developing countries today, the major source of energy has been
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muscle power
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Although considerable variation exists around the world, globally the percent of fossil fuels that are used for the primary energy supply is more tha
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80%
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People living in cities from the late 1850s through at least the 1930s often
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suffered respiratory diseases
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Fossil fuels are considered non-renewable sources of energy because
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their formation is so slow
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The Hubbert peak accurately predicted
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maximum U.S. oil production about 1970.
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In the southern Appalachian Mountains, hundreds of miles of streams and freshwater systems are destroyed in the process of
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mountaintop removal mining to remove coal.
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CHP conserves energy in industrial buildings by
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using the waste heat generated to warm buildings
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Compared to the generation of electricity using coal, nuclear power
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generates no sulfur dioxide or carbon dioxide emissions.
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Over the past 30 years in the United States, nuclear power production
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has remained steady at around 100 reactors
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In general, the global reliance on nuclear power to generate electricity
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has gradually increased at about 3% a year for the last decade
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The number of reactants and products varies in fission and fusion reactions.
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Fission begins with one reactant and yields two atomic products and a release of energy.
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If the radiation you received from your x-ray does pose a health risk, how can this radiation cause the greatest harm?
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Your DNA in cells that were radiated may be damaged.
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At present, the total number of long-term, commercial, below-ground nuclear waste depository sites in use in the United States is
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zero
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One of the major problems associated with long-term, high-level nuclear waste storage is
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selecting an environment that will remain stable for more than 10,000 years.
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Which of the following is a clear advantage in the use of nuclear power instead of fossil fuels? Nuclear power
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contributes less to global climate change.
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As sun shines on its leaves, a bean plant uses the light in photosynthesis to make beans. This entire process represents, in this sequence, the
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collection, conversion, and storage of energy.
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In the winter in Wisconsin, a person going to work at 8 AM parks her car so that it is in bright sunlight in the afternoon. When she gets in her car about 5 PM, the inside is warm because of
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passive solar heating
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Current photovoltaic technology uses sunlight to generate electricity
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in just one step
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Which one of the following does not represent indirect solar energy?
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nuclear fission
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Although hydroelectric dams generate electricity without producing greenhouse gases, they
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eliminate farmland and wildlife habitats in the regions that are flooded
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If ethanol production in the United States more than doubles between 2015 and 2022, it will need to rely on
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second-generation biofuel using enzymes that convert cellulose to fermentable sugar.
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Using hydrogen to run a car is most like using electricity stored in a battery.
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true
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In our natural environment,
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hydrogen is most abundant combined with oxygen.
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A hydrogen-oxygen fuel cell uses
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hydrogen and oxygen and generates electricity and water.
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EROI refers to the ratio of energy returned to energy invested in that energy source. When the number is large,
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the energy from that source is easy to get and cheap.
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Energy policies that promote the use of renewable-energy resources
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and efficiency will automatically reduce the generation of greenhouse gases
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In 2015, Germany has had major investments in renewable energy, and Germany has set a goal to eventually supply 80% of the nation's power through renewable energy. Which of these is the best conclusion to draw about Germany?
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Germany has transformed its energy policies and economic infrastructure to accommodate development of renewable energy.
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In 2013, 10 percent of the energy used in the United States was renewable energy. Of that renewable energy, 17.9 percent was from wind. Therefore, in 2013, how much of the total energy used in the United States was from wind?
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about 2%
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Every winter morning when the sun is shining bright, a man pulls back the drapes on a large south-facing window. Here in Montana, he knows that he can help heat his home this way using
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passive solar heating
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The fastest-growing energy technology in the world is illustrated by
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solar collecting panels on rooftops
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