1. Introducing Environmental Science and Sustainability2
Introducing Environmental Science and Sustainability

2. Environmental History of the US
17th and 18th Centuries- Frontier Attitude
Natural Resources seemed inexhaustible
Widespread Environmental Destruction
Establishment of Jamestown, VA
Dominated by Frontier Attitude
1600
1700
1800
1900

3. Environmental History of US
19th century- US naturalists voiced concerns about natural resources
Audubon:
Thoreau:
Marsh:
John James Audobon ( )
Henry David Thoreau ( )
George Perkins Marsh ( )
1750
1800
1850
1900

4. Environmental History of US
General Revision Act 1891
Gave President authority to establish forest reserves
Presidents Harrison, Cleveland, Roosevelt
President Roosevelt
1875 American Forestry Assoc. Formed
1890 Yosemite and Sequoia National Parks Established
1891 General Revision Act
1875
1900
1850

5. Environmental History of US
Utilitarian Conservationist
Biocentric Preservationist

6. Environmental History of US
Antiquities Act (NYT Article)
Allows president to set aside sites of scientific or historical importance (monuments)
American Dust Bowl (1930s droughts)
Basis for Soil Conservation Service
Created by Franklin Roosevelt
1916 National Park Service Created
1935 Creation of Soil Conservation Service
1906 Antiquities Act
1900
1925
1950

7. Ken Burns National Parks Documentary
Watch select pieces

8. US Environmental Legislation
Environmental Protection Agency
Est. 1970
National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA)
Cornerstone of Environmental Law
Requires Environmental Impact Statements (EIS) for any proposed federal action
Ex: highway or dam construction
Requires public comment period

9. Environmental Impact Statement

10. US Environmental Legislation
Numerous laws passed since 1970
They address:
Clean water
Clean air
Energy conservation
Hazardous waste
Pesticides
Federal regulation of pollution

11. Effects of Environmental Legislation
Since 1970
Six air pollutants have dropped by 25% (not CO2)
Since 1990
wet sulfate levels decreased by 33% (acid rain)
As of 2016
91% of US had healthy drinking water (up from 75% in 1993)
Peaked in 2014
48% of municipal waste is combusted for energy composted, or recovered for recycling (26% recycle, 13% combustion)
As of 2014
Human exposure to contaminates under control at 92% of hazardous waste sites. Up from 37% in 2000.

12. Economics and the Environment
Economics- study of how people use limited resources to satisfy unlimited wants
Economics is utilitarian
Goods and services have value that can be converted to currency
Rational Actor Model
Assumes all individuals spend limited resources to maximize individual utilities
Ideal economy
Resources are allocated efficiently

13. Optimum Amount of Pollution
Must identify:
Marginal Cost of Pollution –
Marginal Cost of Abatement -

14. Economic Optimality and Pollution

15. Inefficiencies Arising from Different Marginal Costs

16. Strategies for Pollution Control
Command and Control Solutions
Government agency requires limitations to emissions or pollutants
Discourages development of low-cost alternatives
Incentive based Regulations
Environmental Taxes (green taxes)
Identify and replicate societal cost of pollution
If taxes are set at correct level private marginal cost of pollution = social cost of pollution
Tradable Permits
Rely on identifying optimal level of pollution

17. The Corrective Effect of Green Taxes

18. Critiques of Environmental Economics
Difficult to assess true costs of environmental pollution and abatement
Utilitarian economics may not be appropriate
Dynamic changes and time are not considered

19. National Income Accounts
Estimates of National Economic Performance (used in setting policy and politics)
Gross Domestic Product (GDP)
Net Domestic Product (NDP)
Environment may be overexploited to yield a higher GDP in developing countries
EPI (Environmental Performance Index)
Assesses a country’s commitment to environmental and resource management

20. U.S. Ranking in EPI In 2010: 61 out of 163 Currently: 26 out of 180
Score: 84.82
3.84% change in 10 years.
Finland, Iceland, Sweden are top 3

21. Environmental Justice
The right of every citizen regardless of age, race and gender, social class or other factor, to adequate protection from environmental hazards
Generally, members of low income and minority communities:
Face more environmental threats and have fewer environmental amenities
Have less voice in planning

22. Environmental Justice
Challenge of environmental justice
To find equitable solutions that respect all groups of people
National level
1994- Clinton required all federal agencies to ensure their policies do not discriminate against poor or minority communities (reinvestment by Obama DOL)
International level
1989- Basal Convention (ban on exporting waste)

23. Environmental Ethics
Field of ethics that considers the moral basis of environmental responsibility
Western Worldview
Deep Ecology Worldview

24. Case Study- Spotted Owl For HW, read online article and be prepared to discuss in class
Article: “The spotted owl’s new nemesis”
New-Nemesis.html

25. Spotted Owl Timeline:
In small groups, use the easel paper to make a timeline of what has happened to the NSO in the 1980’s/1990’s, 2009 and 2011.
And also answer and discuss the questions on the following slide.

26. Spotted Owl Controversy
What are the new impacts to the NSO populations?
Are these new impacts a result of human actions?
Is this decline just “a part of natural selection”? Argue why or why not?
What were the first impacts to NSO populations?
How did environmentalist use the law?
What were the economic consequences of the “solution”?