Chapter 2 Flashcards
Describe the first two centuries of United State environmental history.
-a time of widespread environmental destruction. During the 1700s and early 1800s most Americans had a desire to conquer and exploit nature as quickly as possible. During the 19th century naturalists became more conserved about conserving resources. The earliest conservation legislation revolved around protecting land, forests, parks, and monuments.
What did George Perkins Marsh do?
wrote about humans as agents of global environmental change
What did theodore roosevelt do?
appointed Gifford pinchot as the first head of the US Forest service.
What did Gifford Pinchot do?
- first head of the US forest service
- Pinchot supported expanding the nations forest reserves and managing forests scientifically
What did John Muir do?
influenced the creation of the yosemite and sequoia national parks
What did aldo leopold write and what about?
Aldo Leopold wrote Sand County Almanac about humanity’s relationship with nature
What did Wallace Stegner do?
helped create support for the passage of the wilderness act of 1964
What did rachel carson do?
published silent spring alerting the public to the dangers of uncontrolled pesticide use
What is a utilitarian conservationist?
a person who values natural resources because of their usefulness for practical purposes but uses them sensibly and carefully
What is a biocentric conservationist?
a person who believes in protecting nature because all forms of life deserve respect and conservation
What is the national environmental policy act? (NEPA)
-passed in 1970 and stated that the federal government must consider the environmental impact of a proposed federal action such as financing a highway or constructing a dam
What did NEPA establish?
NEPA established the council on Environmental quality to monitor required environmental impact statements and report directly to the president
What did NEPA initiate?
By requiring EIS that are open to public scrutiny NEPA initiated serious environmental protection in the US. NEPA allows citizen suits in which private citizens take violators whether they are private industries or government owned facilities to court for non-compliance
What does regulatory reform include?
- a number of changes that might eliminate some of the least cost effective regulations
- industry groups expect that dropping some of the most expensive regulations would save them considerable amounts of money
What do industry groups favor?
Regulatory reform
What do environmental advocates think about regulatory reform?
They are concerned that some of the regulations may be regulations that protect already at risk populations which is an environmental issue
What is the marginal cost of pollution?
the added cost for all present and future members of society of an additional uno of pollution
What is the marginal cost of abatement?
The added cost for all present and future members of society of reducing one unit of a given type of pollution
What do economists think about pollution abatement?
Economists think that the use of resources for pollution abatement should increase only until the cost of abatement equals the cost of pollution damage.
What is the optimum amount of pollution?
the amount of pollution that is economically efficient
What are efficient solutions?
those where there is the greatest total social benefit. Solutions that are inefficient will spend more on abatement totals than the pollution costs or will spend less on abatement than pollution reductions are worth.
What are command and control regulations?
pollution control laws that require specific technologies
What are incentive base regulations?
pollution control laws that work by establishing emission targets and providing industries with incentives to reduce emissions
What is cost effective analysis?
an economic tool use to estimate costs associated with achieving some goal such as saving a life
What are national income accounts?
a measure of the total income of a nations goods and services for a given year
What is an external cost?
a harmful environmental or social cost that is borne by people not directly involved in buying and selling a product
What does national income accounting not include estimates of?
-external costs such as depletion of natural capital and the environmental cost of economic activities
What is environmental ethics?
a field of applied ethics that considers the moral basis of environmental responsibility and the appropriate extent of this responsibility
What is an environmental worldview?
A worldview that helps us make sense of how the environment works, our place in the environment and right and wrong environmental behaviors
What is the western worldview?
an understanding of our place in the world based on human superiority and dominance over nature, unrestricted use of natural resources, and increased economic growth to manage an expanding industrial base
What is a deep ecological worldview?
an understanding of our place in the world based on harmony with nature, a spiritual respect for life and the belief that humans and other species have an equal worth
Laws that protect water quality
Clean Water Act
Safe Drinking Water Act
Ocean Dumping Ban Act
Laws that protect air quality
Clean Air Act
Montreal Protocol
Kyoto Protocol
Paris Climate Agreement
Laws that protect biodiversity
Endangered Species Act Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Flora & Fauna (CITES) Marine Mammals Protection Act National Invasive Species Act
Laws that control hazardous waste
Resource Conservation and Recovery Act
Nuclear Waste Policy Act
Toxic Substances Control Act
Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation and Liability Act (CERCLA)
Other Key Environmental Laws
Food Quality Protection Act
National Environmental Policy Act
Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act
Pollution Prevention Act
Clean Water Act
1977, 1981, 1987
Maintain the chemical, physical, & biological integrity of US waters
Originally looked at point sources (sewage plants, industry)
Now looks at nonpoint sources (runoff, construction, farms)
Safe Drinking Water Act
1974, 1984, 1996
Set maximum contaminant levels for pollutants in drinking water that may have adverse effects on human health
Ocean Dumping Ban Act
1988
Prohibits the dumping of sewage sludge & industrial waste into the ocean
Requires payment of special fees for dumping & enforces penalties
Clean Air Act
1963, 1965, 1970, 1977, 1990
Regulations & standards for businesses, vehicles, & other sources that release harmful gases into the atmosphere
Montreal Protocol
1987
Phase-out of ozone depleting substances
Kyoto Protocol
2005
Created to reduce greenhouse gases & prevent anthropogenic climate change
Countries promise to reduce their CO2 & other greenhouse gas emissions
US was the only country not to adopt the protocol
Paris Climate Agreement
2016
“brings all nations into a common cause to undertakeambitious efforts to combat climate change and adapt to its effects, with enhanced support to assist developing countries to do so”
Goal of keeping global temperature rise this century <2 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels
Endangered Species Act
1973, 1982, 1985, 1988
Protects the ecosystem on which endangered plants & animals reside
Classifies species as endangered or threatened
Illegal to capture, transport, or sell - poaching
CITES
Convention on International Trade in
Endangered Species of Wild Flora & Fauna
1975
Aims to ensure that international trade of plants & wild animals doesn’t threaten their survival
Marine Mammals Protection Act
1972
Prevent species population stock from declining to the point where they cease to be essential elements of the ecosystem
Protects dolphins, whales, sea lions, walruses, manatees, sea otters, polar bears, seals, dugongs
National Invasive Species Act
1996
Prevents the introduction and spread of aquatic nuisance species into US waters through ballast water
Authorized funding for research on aquatic nuisance species prevention and control
Created a ballast water management program to demonstrate technologies and practices (Coast Guard)
Resource Conservation & Recovery Act (RCRA)
1976, 1989
Manages solid & hazardous waste disposal
Involves protection, conservation of energy & resources (recycling & recovery), reduction of wastes & clean up
Provides “cradle to grave” control of hazardous wastes
Nuclear Waste Policy Act
1982
Created a timetable and procedure for establishing a permanent, underground repository for high-level radioactive waste
Yucca Mountain, Nevada
Toxic Substances Control Act
TOSCA
1976
EPA has the ability to track 75,000 industrial chemicals that are produced by or imported into the US
Requires testing of any chemical that poses a potential human health hazard
EPA can ban any toxic substance
CERCLA
Comprehensive Environmental Response,
Compensation, & Liability Act
1980, 1986, 1990
Established prohibitions and requirements concerning closed and abandoned hazardous waste sites – Superfund sites
Provided for liability of persons responsible for releases of hazardous waste at these sites
Established a trust fund to provide for cleanup when no responsible party could be identified
Food Quality Protection Act
1996
EPA regulates the use of pesticides to prevent unreasonable bad effects on human health
EPA establishes tolerances for pesticides residues in foods
Incentives for farmers to incorporate effective crop maintenance
National Environmental Policy Act
NEPA
1969
Requires evaluation of the environmental impact of an activity proposed by a federal agency.
An environmental impact statement (EIS) must be developed for every major federal project likely to have an important effect on environmental quality.
Surface Mining Control & Reclamation Act
SMCRA 1977 Regulates the effects of coal mining Regulates & inspects mining sites Enforces land restrictions
Pollution Prevention Act
1990
Focuses on the reduction of pollutants at their point of origin
Goal to increase the adoption of cost-effective source reduction measures
