Exam One Flashcards
What are the Laws of Ecology?
- Nature Knows Best
- Everything is Connected
- Everything Must Go Somewhere
- Everything Costs Something
What is Public Policy?
Public Policy is the laws, regulations, actions, and funding decisions made by government.
What are public policies a sign of?
social norms
What is a Dominant Social Paradigm?
the beliefs and values that influence the feelings about society, government, and individual responsibility
What is the Dominant Social Paradigm of Western society?
- individualism
- Laissez Faire Capitalism that is growth orientated
- separation of nature
How does the DSP vary in time and space?
in the western world we have more individual freedom and the ability to own private property
What is the role of the US government?
to provide public goods that private markets cannot adequately provide
How is sustainability achieved?
- triple bottom line accounting
2. sustainable development
Triple Bottom Accounting
an accounting framework with three parts:
- environment
- society
- economy
Sustainable Development
meeting human development goals while sustaining the ability of natural systems to produce the resources and services that we depend on (economically and socially)
Why are common pool resources difficult to manage?
no one owns them.
Why are cigarettes so expensive?
the large taxes create a pool of resources to pay for the negative effects of tobacco
What does it mean when there is a commodity?
there is a limited supply
What makes commodities a lose lose situation?
they are priced based of supply and demand, which means that the environmental and financial costs increase over time
What makes environmentally friendly technology a win-win situation?
you cut on costs both environmentally and financially over time
what are ethics?
moral principles that govern behavior
What is the I/We lens?
whether you consider how I or WE are affected
What is Present Bias?
suggests that we bias the present and discount the future
What factors into how people answer the question; “Do we owe anything to the future generations?”
- the I/We lens
2. present bias
What was the Colonist Philosophy?
They had a Manifest Destiny, which was the belief that it was part of their destiny to conquer the western WORLD and mend it to our will and standards of society
What are the eras of US Environmental Protection movements?
- Colonist Philosophy
- The Early US Conservation Movement (1860s to 1910s)
- The Reawakening (1940s to 1970s)
- The Ebb and Flow (1980s to Present)
During the Early US Conservation Movement, what two groups of people arise and what did they believe?
- Preservationists (nature is sanctity)
2. Conservationists (nature is property)
Who emerged as the first American environmentalist?
George Perkins Marsh
What did George Perkins Marsh believe?
nations rise and fall based on their use or misuse of natural resources
Who was an original preservationist?
John Muir
Who was an original Conservationist?
Teddy Roosevelt and Gifford Pinchot.
Conservationists believed in the….
management of natural resources
Conservationists believed that natural forests are…
primarily used to fuel the timber industry
The environment is only focused on when…
the economy is good and we are not at war
What era was Aldo Leopold from and what did he believe?
The reawakening. He believed in environmental ethics and that the environment has intrinsic value
What era was William Vogt from and what did he believe?
The Reawakening. He believed in “apocalyptic environmentalism” - that we need to stop doing things that we know are producing bad stuff. for example having kids when we know overpopulation is a problem
William Vogt was the first…
director of Planned Parenthood because he believed overpopulation is an issue
Gaylord Nelson
Created Earth Day, which was the first time there was an environmental agenda at the federal level
Under Richard Nixons presidency…
- The formation of the EPA
- The Clean Air and Water Act
- The National Environmental Act (LIPPA)
Carrying Capacity
population sizes vs. Resources available to support them
More developed countries use ____ of the worlds resources even though they only make up _____ of the population
70% and 17%
Humans have impacted ____ of the Earth
83%
What are Ecosystem Services?
the benefits that we get from other organisms simply due to the way they live their lives
Example of Ecosystem Services
Mangroves prevent flooding and reduce storms
How do we know that we are in the sixth mass extinction?
how many organisms should be here (based on the background population) vs. how many there are
Define Ecological Footprint
the amount of biologically productive land and water needed to supply a population with renewable resources and to recycle its waste
What is the world average ecological footprint?
3.2 hectares per person
The ecological footprint increases per person in…
the western world
In the US, the average ecological footprint is…
7.2 hectares per person
Ecological Debtors vs. Creditors
- debtors use more than 50% of what they have available to them
- creditors use 50% less than what they have available to them
We can measure our impact using the IPAT model which is…
impact = population * affluence * technology
Which part of the country has the highest density of EPA Superfund sites?
Silicon Valley has the highest concentration
What is the superfund program?
A federally funded program where the EPA steps in to address the most toxic spots in the country
What is the Human Population Growth Rate?
1.2%
How many people are their predicted to be in 2050?
10 billion
In 2050, we will need _____ more energy and _____ more water for our agriculture
50% more energy and 100% more water
What is the Rule of 70?
the time that it takes for something to double
Rule of 70 equation
doubling time = 70/annual growth rate
The human population will double in ___ years. Why is this significant?
58 years. This is significant because it took us 300,000 years to get here and will only take 58 to double that
What ratio of people live in poverty?
1/3
how is poverty defined?
living on less than or equal to $2.25 a day
living in poverty reduces an individuals lifespan by…
7-10 years
What ration of people live in extreme poverty?
1/7
How is extreme poverty defined?
living on less than or equal to $1.25 a day
What is the best indicator of live expectancy?
Poverty
The percent of humans in extreme poverty has decreased from ____ to _____ today.
52% to 14%
What are the reasons for exponential population growth?
- better medical care (decline in infant mortality rate and a longer life expectancy)
- agricultural revolution
- industrial revolution
How does urban density affect sustainability?
Easier to deal out resources
What percent of pop growth is happening in less developed countries?
98%
Fertility Rate
the average number of children born to women of child bearing age
The fertility rate has declined from ____ to ____ since the 1950s
5% to 2.5%
Why has the fertility rate declined?
- access to birth control
- transition from agriculture to industrial economies (need less children to do work)
- Economic opportunities for women
To halt population growth, fertility rate would need to become
2.1%
The Demographic Transition Model states that…
as industrialization increases, there is an increase in per capita income, and a decrease in poverty and population growth rate
What is the result of the Demographic Transition Model?
population growth rates decline further than death rates
Why are opportunities for women important?
When female labor force increases, overall education rates increase and fertility rates decrease
Labor force restrictions result in…
limitations to economic growth
What are the types of world views?
- Life centered
- Earth Centered
- Human centered
Define the life centered world view
all species have intrinsic value regardless of their usage value to humans
Define the earth centered world view
planet/ecosystem have intrinsic value regardless of their usage value to humans
Define the human centered world view
planet viewed as a support system for human life and we should manage the earth to our benefit
Under the human centered world view, stewardship states that…
we should help the future generations
Under the human centered world view, planetary management states that…
we should be focused on the needs and wants of current generations
Under planetary management, a free market is the best way to…
manage the planet is through free market economy
The downfall of civilizations throughout history were caused by…
- gridlock
2. when we substitute beliefs for facts
Define Environmental Justice
the belief that every person is entitled to protection from environmental hazard regardless of race, gender, age, national origin, income, social class, or any political factor
Economics
the study of the production, distribution, and consumption of goods and services
Unless price accurately reflects the cost of goods and services…
we cant expect much economic stimulation
Types of economies
- centrally planned economy (communism)
- free market (capitalism)
- mixed economy
centrally planned economy
the gov. determines production and distribution
free market economy
private entities determine production and distribution
mixed economy
some combo of gov and private control
How does public policy affect markets?
Public policy creates the markets that operate within a free-market economy
Example: no price for a baby because society thinks its wrong
What does the market equilibrium represent?
The suppliers price at which the seller is willing to pay
Free market assumes that…
economic growth is unlimited
supply
the amount of a good or service available
demand
the amount of a good/service that people want
price is determined by…
supply and demand and what people are willing to pay
why would price not reflect cost?
- access to information
- extranalities
- subsidies
TWO WAYS TO ESTIMATE VALUE OF ECOSYSTEM SERVICES
- avoidance costs
2. replacement costs
What does the cost benefit analysis do?
monetizes and compares costs and benefits
Marginal Cost vs Marginal Benefit of resource use
Marginal Cost: effect of resource depletion on cost
Marginal Benefit: effect of resource depletion on benefit
Optimum level resource use is…
the Intersection of marginal cost and marginal benefit curves.
It represents point at which costs are minimized and benefits are maximized
Maximum Sustainable Yield
Max amount of a renewable resource that can be consumed without affecting natures ability to replenish that resource
(Ex. amount you can fish before overfishing)
the life cycle assessment reflects…
cost of production, operation, and disposal of goods or services
What are the economic consequences of “full cost pricing” based on Triple Bottom Line accounting?
Affects lower class more
Drives price up (consumer pays instead of society)
“Full cost pricing” based on Triple Bottom Accounting
taking into account economic, environmental, and social costs associated with a good or service and reflecting that cost in the price
regressive tax
tax is imposed in such a manner that the tax rate decreases as the amount subject to taxation increases
pigouvian taxes
Corrective Taxes! Thay are taxes that address externalities of generate revenues to deal with those externalities
Ways to use economic tools to solve environmental problems
- taxation
- profit sharing
- shifting from Perverse to Positive Subsidies
- Market-Based Approaches
Laws vs Regulation
Laws: rules that govern everyone equally
Regulation: agency interpretation of what a law applies to and has to enforce
Majoritarian vs Biased groups
Majoritarian groups: represent that of the general public
Biased groups: represent the interests of private groups
What is the Policy Life Cycle?
- problem recognition
- policy formulation
- policy implementation
- policy adjustment
Holistic principle
problems are connected and need long term solutions that address root causes
triple bottom line principle
environment/society/economy
precautionary principle
when in doubt, reduce risk
reversibility principle
dont do anything that cant be undone
net energy principle
(energy yielded during use)/(energy consumed in production)
polluter pays principle
quantity based pollution fees
Environmental Justice principle
no unequal effects
