1. CHAPTER 1.2 The Environment and Society

2. “THE TRAGEDY OF THE COMMONS” When talking about environmental problems it is important to consider human societies and how they act and why. One way to think about society and the environment is to consider how society uses common resources. An example would a park – a common resource no one owns. Another example is the ocean – a common resource for fishing and transporting goods. In 1988 Garrett Hardin published “The Tragedy of the Commons” that discusses the use of common resources.

3. Hardin said the main hardship in solving environmental problems is the conflict between short-term interests of individuals and the long-term welfare of society. He used an example of the commons. Commons were areas of land that belonged to a whole village. Anyone could graze animals in the commons area. For the short term it was best for a single person to put as many animals as possible on the commons. The thought was if I don’t use this resource someone else will.

4. The problem was if too many animals were eating in the commons, the animals would destroy the grass. If that happened no one was able to use the commons because they were destroyed. Commons were eventually cut into fields and owned by individuals. Individual owners did not allow overgrazing of their personal field so their land wouldn’t be destroyed. The point of Hardin’s essay was that someone needs to take responsibility for keeping a resource, if not one is responsible then it will be overused and not available any more.

5. Today our commons are Earth’s natural resources. Hardin felt that people would use the natural resources selfishly and deplete those resources. Societies can solve environmental problems by planning, organizing, looking at scientific evidence, and then figuring out a solution.

6. ECONOMICS AND THE ENVIRONMENT Economics are very important in environmental science. Economics influence how we use resources.

7. SUPPLY AND DEMAND The law of supply and demand states the greater the demand for a limited supply of something, the more that product is worth. An example would be the supply of copper and its price. The demand for copper has increased to a higher amount than the actual supply in the U.S. This has resulted in an increase in the price of copper. Environmental solutions have to look at the relationship between supply and demand.

8. COSTS AND BENEFITS Environmental solutions can have a high price. Many times there needs to be a cost- benefit analysis. A cost-benefit analysis compares the cost of the action with the benefit expected from it. To different individuals there is different cost-benefit analysis to the same problem. Example: A community wants to control air pollution. To an industry the cost may outweigh the benefits, but to the community, the benefits are worth a high price. Taxpayers and consumers usually end up with the cost associated with environmental safeguards.

9. RISK ASSESSMENT A cost to any action is the risk of an undesirable outcome. Cost-benefit analysis includes a risk assessment. To figure out a solution to environmental problems, the public must see risk accurately.

10. DEVELOPED AND DEVELOPING COUNTRIES Different societies will have different environmental problems because of a difference in distribution of wealth and resources. Developed countries have higher average incomes, slower population growth, diverse industrial economies, and stronger social support systems. Developed countries are the United States, Canada, Japan, and the countries of Western Europe.

11. Developing countries have lower average incomes, simple and ag-based economies, and rapid population growth. Developed and developing countries use resources differently and affect the environment differently.

12. POPULATION AND CONSUMPTION Most environmental problems are from 2 root causes: 1. The human population is growing too quickly in some areas for the local environment to support it. 2. Many natural resources are being used, wasted, or polluted by people faster than they can be replaced or cleaned up.

13. LOCAL POPULATION PRESSURES In areas where overpopulation occurs people usually struggle for survival because there may not be enough natural resources for everyone to live healthy, productive lives. Problems that can occur in these areas are malnutrition, starvation, and disease.

14. CONSUMPTION TRENDS In wealthier areas of the world life is much improved and environmental problems are being addressed. The population in these areas have stabilized or growing slowly. But these areas also use more of Earth’s resources than developing countries. Developed countries use about 75% of the world’s resources, but only make up 20% of the world’s population. This means that developed countries produce more waste and pollution per person than developing countries.

15. ECOLOGICAL FOOTPRINTS An ecological footprint shows the productive area of Earth needed to support one person in a particular country. It estimates land used for crops, grazing, forest products, housing, and ocean area used to harvest seafood. A carbon footprint is how much carbon dioxide is released into the atmosphere based on a person’s lifestyle. This would include how much carbon dioxide is given off from vehicles and houses.

16. ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE IN CONTEXT There are many layers to environmental problems and usually not an easy fix. It is important to critically think about what you hear in media about environmental issues. These issues can be sensationalized in the media or used incorrectly in politics. The best way to figure out what is really going on with an environmental issue is to research what information there is about the issue.

17. A SUSTAINABLE WORLD Sustainability is when human needs are met in a way that a human population can survive indefinitely at a standard of living similar to the current one. In other words, we would never run out of the resources being used. We do not currently live in a sustainable world. But we should be working to find a way to live in a sustainable world.