2. Environmental Laws, Economics, and Ethics Chapter 2:

3. Resources Resources are a part of the natural environment that is used to promote the welfare of people or other species. Examples: H 2 O, air, soil, forests, minerals, & wildlife.

4. Environmentalists People that are concerned with the environment

5. Conservation: the careful management of natural resources. Conservationists feel that we can achieve a balance between progress and sustainability.

6. Preservation Maintaining things as they are…In a “pristine” state. (Preservationists-Believe in nature first, humans second.)

7. Resource use has rarely been conducted in a responsible manner- Frontier Attitude: a desire to conquer and exploit nature as quickly as possible.

8. Frontier Attitude

9. Wolves Among Us

10. Frontier Attitude

11. Henry David Thoreau Walden Pond (Mass.) “To live deliberately”

12. Teddy Roosevelt Set aside millions of acres Created numerous national parks and monuments

14. John Muir Founded the Sierra Club Inspired “TR” Instrumental in the creation of Yosemite and Sequoia National Parks.

15. Environmentalists Franklin Roosevelt (F.D.R): established the Civilian Conservation Corps During the great depression. Employed 175,000 people who planted trees, made trails & roads in national parks, & built dams and other natural facilities..

16. Environmentalists Aldo Leopold: Wildlife biologist and conservationist, who developed the concept of a “land ethic.” Natural areas and wildlife should be managed and conserved.

17. Environmentalists Rachel Carson: Biologist that published Silent Spring, a book that heightened public awareness about the hazards of DDT & other pesticides to wildlife, ecosystems, and humans.

18. Environmentalists Gaylord Nelson: Former Wisconsin senator that organized the first official Earth day (Spring 1970), when approx. 20 million people celebrated environmentalism. By 1990, it is estimated that 200 million globally celebrated environmental awareness. “Think globally, act locally”

19. Following the Santa Barbara Oil Spill of 1969, and the 1970 Earth Day…The EPA was formed.

20. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA): was formed in 1970 in response to Earth day support & the 1969 Santa Barbara Oil Spill. National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) was signed into law. This law requires Environmental Impact Statements (E.I.S’s) for federally funded construction projects.

21. Environmental Impact Statements E.I.S.’s require 1) The nature of the proposal and the reason for it. 2) The environmental impact of the proposal (short and long-term) and adverse effects. 3) Alternatives to the proposed course of action that will lessen the adverse effects. (Mitigate the impact of the project.) Although not all environmental laws are successful, they do help to conserve our resources, and protect our citizens.

22. Environmental legislation has been effective. 11 National Parks Soil erosion reduced 60% Many endangered species are better off. Pb levels in the air have dropped 43% decline in air and water pollution from INDUSTRIAL sources.

23. Unfunded Mandates Are when the federal gov’t requires states to do certain things but won’t pay for them. Unfunded Mandate Review Act of 1995. (Requires the federal government to pay for future programs that it requires states and localities to uphold. (Doesn’t cover clean air & water legislation or other previous laws.)

24. Economics The study of how people use their limited resources to try to satisfy their unlimited wants. There are always consequences associated with our actions. Law of “supply and demand” Many products have External costs associated with them- (When people are harmed from the creation or purchase of a product.)

25. Economics Gross Domestic Product (GDP): estimates of environmental damage should be subtracted from from GDP. Net Domestic Product (NDP): a measure of the net production of the economy after a deduction for used-up capital.

26. Economics

28. How much pollution is acceptable? (Do we want wilderness or a sewer?) Marginal Cost: the additional cost of one more unit of something. (i.e.- The “trade-off” between more products vs. a better environment.) Marginal Cost of Pollution: the added cost, (in terms of damage), incurred by all present and future members of a society, for additional units of pollution.

29. Economics continued…. Marginal Cost of Pollution Abatement: the added cost (for all present and future members of society) of reducing a given type of pollution by one unit. Optimum Amount of Pollution: where the marginal cost of pollution = marginal cost of abatement.

30. Draw the optimum amount of pollution.

31. As pollution rises, the social cost (health & environment) increases.

32. As more & more pollution is eliminated from the environment, the cost of removing each additional unit of pollution increases.

33. Optimum amount of Pollution.

34. Economic Solutions Command and Control Regulation Laws that set limits on pollution levels. Incentive-based Regulation Industry is given incentives to reduce/eliminate pollution. Involves a market-based approach to pollution control.

35. Economics Emission Charge: This is a “green tax” imposed on pollution. This includes environmental costs due to such things as: 2) driving a car 1)cutting down a forest 3) polluting streams

36. Economic Strategies for Pollution Control Waste-discharge Permits: Allow holders to emit a specified amount of a given pollutant. Ex: Sulfur Dioxide SO 2 Emission Reduction Credits (ERC’s): a general category of permits that limit the amount of pollution. The goal is to reach the optimum amount of pollution. So far they have been very effective with SO 2.

37. Save a logger kill an owl. Save an owl ban logging. APES Debate

38. Case in Point: Support for Old Growth

39. Environmental Battles Lost: Salvage Logging 1)1995 Bill that allowed loggers to cut down dead & weakened trees as well as “associated trees” (those in danger of catching a disease or those in the way).

40. Environmental Battles Lost: Salvage Logging 2) Law expired in 1996 but allowed loggers access to “off limits” forests despite the Northwest Forest Plan.

41. Environmental Battles Lost: Salvage Logging 3) Timber companies were exempt from upholding provisions of the Endangered Species Act & the Clean Air Act.

42. Case in Point: Support for Old Growth Cost benefit Analysis show that the financial benefits associated with preserving forests outweigh the cost of preservation in terms of jobs & the price of wood.

43. Ethics, Values, &Worldviews Ethics: the branch of philosophy that deals with human values. (right or wrong) Values are principles that an individual or society considers important or worthwhile. Environmental Ethics: is a field of applied ethics that considers the moral basis of environmental responsibility & how far this responsibility extends.

44. Worldviews: Two Extremes Western Worldview: human centered & utilitarian. (Frontier attitude that exploits nature). Deep Ecology: Based on the work of Arne Naess, Bill Devall, & George Sessions. This view stresses harmony with nature, respect for life, & equal worth among species.

45. Pollution in Central & Eastern Europe Late 1980’s Fall of Soviet Union & Communist Eastern European Countries. Pollution in Communist controlled Europe went unchecked. Production of goods was not for profit but environmental concerns never played a role in decision making.

46. Pollution in Central & Eastern Europe The Future 1)$300 billion to clean up damage in E. Germany alone. 2) Hungary, Poland, & Czech republic are moving toward a market economy ($ available for clean up). 3) Bulgaria, Romania, & Russia are doing less to clean up the environment.

47. Reasons for pollution in Central & Eastern Europe 1)No resource conservation 2) Repressive government had no accountability

48. “How can you buy the land, or sell the sky? This idea is strange to us. If we do not own the freshness of the air & the sparkle of of the water, how can you buy them? This we know- the Earth does not belong to man, man belongs to the earth. All things are connected like the blood which unites one family. Whatever befalls the Earth befalls the sons of the Earth. Man does not weave the web of life, he is merely a strand in it. Whatever he does to the web, he does to himself.” -Chief Sealth (Seattle) 1854Chief Sealth (Seattle) 1854

49. The End!!!