Copyright © 2006 Pearson Education, Inc., publishing as Benjamin Cummings PowerPoint ® Slides prepared by Jay Withgott and Heidi Marcum Copyright © 2008 Pearson Education, Inc., publishing as Benjamin Cummings Part 1: Foundations of Environmental Science Copyright © 2008 Pearson Education, Inc., publishing as Benjamin Cummings Environmental Ethics and Economics: Values and Choices

Copyright © 2008 Pearson Education, Inc., publishing as Benjamin Cummings This lecture will help you understand: Culture and worldviews Environmental ethics Classical and neoclassical economics Economic growth, economic health, and sustainability Environmental and ecological economics

Copyright © 2008 Pearson Education, Inc., publishing as Benjamin Cummings Uranium deposits in Australia often occur on sacred Aboriginal land -The Mirrar oppose the mine for cultural, religious, ethical, health, and economic reasons The mine will not be developed unless the Mirrar agree Central Case: The Mirrar Clan Confronts the Jabiluka Uranium Mine

Copyright © 2008 Pearson Education, Inc., publishing as Benjamin Cummings Ethics and economics Both disciplines deal with what we value Our values affect our environmental decisions and actions

Copyright © 2008 Pearson Education, Inc., publishing as Benjamin Cummings Science Notebook Reflection Imagine you have your own family. You have a wife and kids, home etc. In other words you have entered the “real world”. How would ethics and economics influence your families decision making?

Copyright © 2008 Pearson Education, Inc., publishing as Benjamin Cummings Culture and worldview Our relationship with the environment depends on assessments of costs and benefits Culture and worldview also affects this relationship -Culture = knowledge, beliefs, values, and learned ways of life shared by a group of people -Worldview = a person’s or group’s beliefs about the meaning, purpose, operation, and essence of the world Culture and worldview affect our perception of the environment and environmental problems

Copyright © 2008 Pearson Education, Inc., publishing as Benjamin Cummings Different worldviews result in different perceptions Aborigines saw the negative environmental impacts of the Jabiluka mine Others saw jobs, income, and energy from the mine Worldviews differ among people

Copyright © 2008 Pearson Education, Inc., publishing as Benjamin Cummings Many factors shape worldviews Religions Communities Political ideology Economics Individual interests -Vested interest = an individual with strong interests in the outcome of a decision that results in gain or loss for that individual

Copyright © 2008 Pearson Education, Inc., publishing as Benjamin Cummings Ethics Ethics = the study of good and bad, right and wrong -Relativists = ethics varies with social context -Universalists = right and wrong remains the same across cultures and situations Ethical standards = criteria that help differentiate right from wrong -Classical standard = virtue -The golden rule

Copyright © 2008 Pearson Education, Inc., publishing as Benjamin Cummings Mid-Class Question Compare world view and culture Compare relativists and universalist.

Copyright © 2008 Pearson Education, Inc., publishing as Benjamin Cummings We have expanded our ethical consideration To include animals, communities, nature

Copyright © 2008 Pearson Education, Inc., publishing as Benjamin Cummings Expanding ethical concern -Anthropocentrism = only humans have rights -Biocentrism = certain living things also have value -Ecocentrism = whole ecological systems have value -Holistic perspective, stresses preserving connections

Copyright © 2008 Pearson Education, Inc., publishing as Benjamin Cummings Western ethical expansion

Copyright © 2008 Pearson Education, Inc., publishing as Benjamin Cummings Science Notebook Reflection What point of view would you take with your current knowledge? Ecocentric, Anthropocentric Why?

Copyright © 2008 Pearson Education, Inc., publishing as Benjamin Cummings The preservation ethic- pristine, unaltered state Unspoiled nature should be protected for its own inherent value John Muir ( ) (right, with President Roosevelt at Yosemite National Park) had an ecocentric viewpoint

Copyright © 2008 Pearson Education, Inc., publishing as Benjamin Cummings The conservation ethic Use natural resources wisely for the greatest good for the most people Gifford Pinchot ( ) had an anthropocentric viewpoint

Copyright © 2008 Pearson Education, Inc., publishing as Benjamin Cummings The land ethic Healthy ecological systems depend on protecting all parts Aldo Leopold ( ), believed the land ethic changes the role of people from conquerors of the land to citizens of it

Copyright © 2008 Pearson Education, Inc., publishing as Benjamin Cummings Environmental Justice Environmental justice = the fair and equitable treatment of all people regarding environmental issues Wealthy nations dump hazardous waste in poorer nations with uninformed residents

Copyright © 2008 Pearson Education, Inc., publishing as Benjamin Cummings Environmental justice (EJ) The poor and minorities are exposed to more pollution, hazards, and environmental degradation 75% of toxic waste landfills in the southeastern U.S. are in communities with higher racial minorities

Copyright © 2008 Pearson Education, Inc., publishing as Benjamin Cummings Environmental justice and Native Americans From 1948 to the 1960s, Navajo miners were not warned of radiation risks, nor provided protection by the industry or the U.S. government

Copyright © 2008 Pearson Education, Inc., publishing as Benjamin Cummings Hetch Hetchy Dam and the Bhopol Disaster Hetch Hetch Dam Bhopol Disaster Pick an essay

Copyright © 2008 Pearson Education, Inc., publishing as Benjamin Cummings Economics Friction occurs between people’s ethical and economic impulses Is there a trade-off between economics and the environment? Economics studies how people use resources to provide goods and services in the face of demand Most environmental and economic problems are linked Root “oikos” gave rise to both ecology and economics

Copyright © 2008 Pearson Education, Inc., publishing as Benjamin Cummings Types of modern economies Economy = a social system that converts resources into Goods: manufactured materials that are bought, and Services: work done for others as a form of business Subsistence economy = people get their daily needs directly from nature; they do not purchase or trade Capitalist market economy = buyers and sellers interact to determine prices and production of goods and services Centrally planned economy = the government determines how to allocate resources Mixed economy = governments intervene to some extent

Copyright © 2008 Pearson Education, Inc., publishing as Benjamin Cummings Mid-Class Question What type of economy is the United States? Pick one of the other economies and explain why it is not the type of economy in the United States

Copyright © 2008 Pearson Education, Inc., publishing as Benjamin Cummings Government intervenes in a market economy Even in capitalist market economies, governments intervene to: Eliminate unfair advantages Provide social services Provide safety nets Manage the commons Mitigate pollution

Copyright © 2008 Pearson Education, Inc., publishing as Benjamin Cummings Conventional view of economics Conventional economics focuses on production and consumption Ignores the environment The environment is an external “factor of production”

Copyright © 2008 Pearson Education, Inc., publishing as Benjamin Cummings Environmental view of economics Human economies exist within, and depend on, the environment Without natural resources, there would be no economies

Copyright © 2008 Pearson Education, Inc., publishing as Benjamin Cummings Marginal benefit and cost curves Cost-benefit analysis = the costs of a proposed action are compared to the benefits that result from the action If benefits > costs: pursue the action Not all costs and benefits can be identified Marginal benefit and cost curves determine an “optimal” level of resource use or pollution mitigation

Copyright © 2008 Pearson Education, Inc., publishing as Benjamin Cummings Ecolabeling addresses market failures The market can be used to counter market failure -Create markets in permits -Ecolabeling = tells consumers which brands use sustainable processes -A powerful incentive for businesses to switch to better processes -“Dolphin safe” tuna -Socially responsible investing in sustainable companies

Copyright © 2008 Pearson Education, Inc., publishing as Benjamin Cummings Corporations are responding to concerns Industries, businesses, and corporations can make money by “greening” their operations -Local sustainably oriented businesses are being started -Large corporations are riding the “green wave” of consumer preference for sustainable products -Nike, Gap Be careful of greenwashing, where consumers are misled into thinking companies are acting sustainably

Copyright © 2008 Pearson Education, Inc., publishing as Benjamin Cummings Conclusion Recent developments have brought economic approaches to bear on environmental protection and conservation Environmental ethics has expanded people’s ethical considerations

Copyright © 2008 Pearson Education, Inc., publishing as Benjamin Cummings QUESTION: Review An ecocentric worldview would consider the impact of an action on… ? a) Humans only b) Animals only c) Plants only d) All living things e) All nonliving things

Copyright © 2008 Pearson Education, Inc., publishing as Benjamin Cummings QUESTION: Review Which ethic holds that healthy ecosystems depend on the protection of all their parts? a)Preservation ethic b)Land ethic c)Conservation ethic d)Deep ecology e)Biocentrism

Copyright © 2008 Pearson Education, Inc., publishing as Benjamin Cummings QUESTION: Viewpoints Think of an issue in your community that could pit environmentalists against economic development. What do you think should prevail: environmental protection or economic development? a) Economic growth; we need the jobs b) Environmental protection; we need the environment c)Both; a compromise must be reached d)Whatever costs the taxpayers the least

Copyright © 2008 Pearson Education, Inc., publishing as Benjamin Cummings QUESTION: Viewpoints What entities do you include in your domain of ethical concern? a)Humans only b)Humans and pets c)Humans, pets, and other animals d)Humans, pets, other animals, and nature