1. Economics, Politics, Worldviews and the Environment
Chapter 14

2. Economic Resources Capital Natural resources Human resources
Physical resources

3. Neoclassical vs. Ecological Economists
Differing views of natural resources
Differing views on economic growth
“Eco-economy”
indicators of economic and environmental health
full-cost pricing
swap subsidies
green taxes
stricter pollution laws
tradable permits
reduce poverty

4. Monitoring Environmental Progress
Gross domestic product (GDP)
Per capita GDP
Genuine progress indicator (GPI)
GPI = GDP + non-economic goods and services – harmful costs

5. Harmful External Costs and Full-Cost Pricing
Internal costs (direct)
External costs (indirect)
Full-cost pricing

6. Improving Environmental Quality and Shifting to Full-Cost Pricing
Government subsidies and tax breaks
Green taxes
Environmental tax reform
Innovation-friendly regulations
Tradable pollution and resource-use rights
Market forces

7. Reducing Poverty to Improve Environmental Quality and Human Well-Being
Premature death and health problems
Environmental impact of poverty
Role of the World Bank
Poor help themselves

8. Developing, Influencing, and Implementing Environmental Policy
Humility Principle
Reversibility Principle
Precautionary Principle
Prevention Principle
Polluter Pays Principle
Integrative Principle
Public Participation Principle
Human Rights Principle
Environmental Justice Principle

9. Opponents of Environmental Groups and their Claims
Threatened by environmental regulations
Threats to private property rights and jobs
Local and state governments resent unfunded federal regulations
Businesses and individuals resent complex and expensive federal regulations
View environmental regulations as unnecessary, ineffective and too costly

11. Global Environmental Policy
Military security, economic security
Environmental security
International organizations and meetings
International agreements
Effects of GATT and the WTO

12. What Can You Do? Influencing Environmental Policy
Become informed on issues
Run for office (especially at local level)
Make your views known at public hearings
Make your views known to elected representatives
Contribute money and time to candidates for office
Vote
Form or join nongovernment organizations (NGOs) seeking change
Support reform of election campaign financing

13. Environmental Worldviews in Industrial Societies
Self-centered
Anthropocentric
Biocentric
Ecocentric
Biosphere- or earth-centered

14. Environmental Worldviews in Industrial Societies

15. Planetary Management Worldview
As the planet’s most important species, we are in charge of the earth.
Because of our ingenuity and technology we will not run out of resources.
The potential for economic growth is essentially unlimited.
Our success depends on how well we manage the earth’s life-support systems mostly for our benefit

16. Stewardship Worldview
We are the planet’s most important species but we have an ethical responsibility to care for the rest of nature.
We will probably not run out of resources, but they should not be wasted.
We should encourage environmentally beneficial forms of economic growth and discourage environmentally harmful forms.
Our success depends on how well we manage the earth’s life-support systems for our benefit and for the rest of nature

17. Environmental Wisdom Worldview
Nature exists for all species and we are not in charge of the earth.
Resources are limited, should not be wasted, and are not all for us.
We should encourage earth-sustaining forms of economic growth and discourage earth degrading forms.
Our success depends on learning how the earth sustains itself and integrating such lessons from nature into the ways we think and act.