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

2. Environmental History of U.S.
1600
1700
1800
1900
Dominated by the frontier attitude

3. Environmental History of U.S.
1750
1800
1900
John James Audubon
Henry David Thoreau
George Perkins Marsh
Some conservationists were influential in raising environmental concerns later in this period.

4. Environmental History of U.S.
1st National Park: Yellowstone
1850
Yosemite and Sequoia National Parks
1900
1950
General Revision Act
Several presidents, particularly Theodore Roosevelt, used this Act to establish 43 million acres of forest reserves.

5. Environmental History of U.S.
1850
1900
1950
Different worldviews
Theodore Roosevelt - utilitarian
John Muir - preservationist

6. Environmental History of U.S.
Aldo Leopold’s A Sand County Almanac published posthumously
Franklin Roosevelt establishes CCC and SCS
1900
1950
2000

7. Environmental History of U.S.
1900
1950
Rachel Carson published Silent Spring
2000

8. Environmental History of U.S.
1900
Paul Ehrlich published The Population Bomb
Wilderness Act of 1964, spurred on by Wallace Stegner
1950
First Earth Day
2000

9. Environmental History of U.S.

10. U.S. Environmental Legislation
National Environmental Policy Act –
dictates ALL federally proposed actions draft an environmental impact statement.

11. U.S. Environmental Legislation
Addressing New Environmental Problems with Government Policies
Legislation passed, signed by president
Problem identified
US congressperson drafts legislation
Full-cost accounting evaluation
EPA develops regulations
Public comments
Regulations implemented / enforced by states (usually)
OMB reviews / approves funding

12. U.S. Environmental Legislation
Many environmental laws have been passed:
Clean Air Act (1970) (Amended in 1990)
Clean Water Act (1972)
Marine Mammal Protection Act (1972)
Endangered Species Act (1973)
Energy Policy and Conservation Act (1975)
Federal Land Policy and Management Act (1976)
National Forest Management Act (1976)
Toxic Substances Control Act (1976)
Soil and Water Resources Conservation Act (1977)
Medical Waste Tracking Act
Food Quality Protection Act (1996)
Farm Security and Rural Investment Act (2002)

13. U.S. Environmental Legislation
What has been their effect since 1970?
8 National Parks, National Wilderness Preservation System
Substantial soil erosion reduction
Many endangered species fairing better
Emissions of many pollutants reduced

14. Economics and the Environment
Economy
Production
Consumption
Products
Money
Source
Raw Materials
Sinks
Waste

16. Political Action:
Elected officials select a course of action and implement it.
(Either based on scientific evidence, economic or social factors).

17. Reasoning Inductive Reasoning Deductive Reasoning
begins with specific examples and seeks to draw a conclusion (error prone)
Example:
fact - Gold is a metal that is heavier than water
Fact - Iron is metal heavier than water
Fact - Silver is a metal that is heavier than water
Conclusion - All metals are heavier than water.
Deductive Reasoning
operates from generalities to specifics
Example:
General Rule: All birds have wings
A specific example: Robins are birds
Conclusion - All Robins have wings

18. Inductive Reasoning
Discovering general principles by the careful examination of specific cases.

19. Fact: Au is heavier than H2O.
4. Inductive reasoning
Fact: Au is heavier than H2O.
Fact: Fe is a metal that is heavier than H2O.
Fact: Ag is a metal that is heavier than H2O.
Fact: Li has ½ the density of H2O.
We induce that most metals are heavier than water.
Inductive reasoning produces new knowledge but is prone to error.

20. Deductive Reasoning:
Makes relationships among data more apparent by proceeding from the general to the specific.

21. Deductive reasoning
General rule: All birds have wings.
A specific example: Robins are birds.
Conclusion: All robins have wings.
We deduce information directly from information given.
What can we induce from this?

22. General rule: All birds have wings.
A specific example: Robins are birds.
Conclusion: All robins have wings.
We could induce that chickens have wings. We could induce that ostriches have wings.

23. Economics and the Environment
National Income Accounts
Gross Domestic Product (GDP)
Net Domestic Product (NDP)
NDP = GDP - depreciation / capital expenses
BUT, consuming nonrenewable natural resources typically NOT accounted

24. Economics and the Environment
National Income Accounts
Gross Domestic Product (GDP)
Net Domestic Product (NDP)
NDP = GDP - depreciation / capital expenses
In addition, degradation of natural resources by pollution also typically NOT accounted
External costs rarely considered

25. Ecological Risk Assessments:
EPA has guidelines for estimating probable effect of human activities in ecosystems.
Stressors: These are human induced changes that tax the environment.
Cost-Benefit Analysis: the estimated cost is compared to determine how much expense society will incur to derive an environmental benefit.

26. Health effects and risk assessment
the estimation of risks for comparative purposes, helps us set priorities and manage risks
If risk is certain, its probability is 1.
If risk is certain NOT to occur, its probability is 0.
Risk management
the determination of the need to reduce or eliminate a particular risk.
Cost benefit analysis
Ecological risk assessment

27. Health effects of environmental pollutants
Toxicology
study of chemicals with adverse effects on health
Dose - the amount of a toxin that enters the body.
Response - the type and amount of damage caused by exposure to a particular dose.
Lethal-dose 50% (LD50)
the dose that is lethal to 50% of test animals (mg/kg)
the lower the LD50 the more toxic
Effective-dose 50% (ED50)
the dose that causes 50% of a population to exhibit whatever response is under study.
Add figure 2-2 and table 2-2
examples for ED 50- stunted growth, hair loss, reduced enzyme activity
talk about dose-response curves

28. Carcinogens Carcinogens cancer causing substances
See table 2-1 in text.
Page 26
Deaths caused by smoking

29. Ecological Risk Assessment
How one assesses the impact of environmental damage in the environment (water, land, air, flora and fauna) and the interactions of each.

30. Today’s Activity From Chapter 1: Discuss the Lake Washington Case-study using the 5 components of addressing an environmental problem. 1. Scientific assessment (model) 2. Risk Analysis 3. Public Education 4. Political Action 5. Follow through

31. Case - Study - Lake Washington
Damage to the environment can often be reversed. (As in Seattle's Lake Washington)
Problem: Raw sewage inputted into lake - making it nutrient rich and Eutrophic.
Scientific assessment identifies problems and makes suggestions
Risk analysis - environmental, social and political
Public education and
Political action come into play
Follow through of assessment and implication of remediation

32. Lake Washington Case-study

33. Lake Washington Case-study

34. U.S. Environmental Legislation
What has been their effect since 1970?
8 National Parks, National Wilderness Preservation System
Substantial soil erosion reduction
Many endangered species fairing better
Emissions of many pollutants reduced
Increases in fish consumption advisories has increased. Due to Mercury or polychloriated biphenyls??????? Why?????? 34

35. Economics and the Environment
Source are that part of the environment from which materials move
Raw Materials
Sinks are that part of he environment that receives input of materials
Waste
Economy
Production
Consumption
Products
Money
Depends on natural capital to provide sources fro raw materials and sinks for waste products 35

36. Economics
Study of how people use their limited resources to try to satisfy their unlimited wants. Depends on natural capital to provide sources fro raw materials and sinks for waste products 36

37. Economics and the Environment
National Income Accounts: total income of a nation for a given year
Gross Domestic Product (GDP):
Net Domestic Product (NDP)
NDP = GDP - depreciation / capital expenses
BUT, consuming nonrenewable natural resources typically NOT accounted 37

38. National Income Accounting Practices are misleading and incomplete,, they do not incorporate environmental factors
National Income Accounts
Gross Domestic Product (GDP)
Net Domestic Product (NDP)
NDP = GDP - depreciation / capital expenses
Not accounted for: natural resource depletion 2. costs and benefits of pollution control
External costs rarely considered 38

39. An Economists View of Pollution
External cost: when consuming How much pollution is Acceptable 39

40. Economics and the Environment
Marginal cost of pollution 40

41. Economics and the Environment
Marginal cost of pollution abatement 41

42. Economics and the Environment
Cost-Benefit diagram: economists identify the optimum amount of pollution as the amount at which
Marginal costs= marginal cost abatement 42

43. Economics and the Environment
HARMFUL
Marginal cost of pollution EXCEEDS the cost of reducing pollution (abatement)
BENEFICIAL
why? 43

44. Economics and the Environment
Common problems with economic analyses:
1) Reduction in quality of life and natural beauty difficult to assess.
2) Fails to consider unexpected catastrophic environmental damage. 44

45. Economics and the Environment
Economic strategies for pollution control:
Command and control regulations
Catalytic converters
Clean Air Act amend quantitative goal a 60% reduction of nitrogen oxide
2) Incentive-based regulation
Emission charge in Europe (tax), green taxes
marketable waste-discharge permits
Emission reduction credits (ERCs) 45

46. Economics and the Environment
Case-in-Point: Environmental Problems in Central and Eastern Europe 46

47. Economics and the Environment
The Black Triangle is located on the triangular border area between Germany's Southern Saxony; Poland's Lower Silesia and the Czech Republic's Northern Bohemia.

48. Environmental Ethics, Values, and Worldviews
Deep Ecology worldview
Western worldview

49. Environmental Ethics, Values, and Worldviews
List your moral values concerning the stewardship of natural resources.
Where would you place yourself along this spectrum of worldviews?
Deep Ecology
Western