ENV101 final pt. 2

Kuznets Curve

A formula showing that inequality increases during the early stages of capitalist development, then declines, and eventually stabilizes at a relatively low level; advanced by the economist Simon Kuznets. Know how to draw it

Define the term hazard and give three examples of hazards from your daily life.

Hazard - a thing, condition, or process that threatens individuals or society in terms of production or reproduction --> examples: choking, falling, breaking something, etc.

How is climate change and CO2 emissions an example of the tragedy of the commons? Can institutions come to the rescue?

They both affect common property. Everyone gets impacted by climate change and CO2 emissions, not just select people.

Define externalities and provide an example.

They can be a good or bad (positive or negative). An example of a positive externality is pollution of honey bees. An example of a negative externality is a plant causing air pollution while in production.

Preservation

- humans shouldn't exploit nature -> protect nature for its own sake.

Conservation

- natural resources should be used but used sustainably and efficiently

Describe two critiques (issues) with managing the commons using institutions.

1. Not all users have equal access or responsibilities - impossible for some to own property, make decisions, or negotiate rules or sanctions. 2. Lack of trust/value of authority may lead to indiscriminate use- you don't follow the rules because you don't agree with them.

Describe two biases that lead to an underestimation of risk and provide an example.

1. Voluntary - chosen even with knowing the possible risks --> ex: snowboarding 2. Latent effect - delayed risk --> ex: vaping

Describe two biases that lead to an overestimation of risk and provide an example

1. involuntary - gets chosen for you --> ex: asbestos 2. not controllable - happens whether you want it to or not/with out you knowing it will --> ex: earthquakes.

Draw and explain the Keeling Curve.

Accumulation of CO2 in the atmosphere Know how to draw

Aldo Leopold's land ethic

Aldo's: - ethic and ecology - ecology ~ interactions between organisms and their environment - moral extensionism ~ expand human ethics to non-human entities - humans are part of nature and are dependent on a functioning ecosystem - animals/plants as species and not individuals *Aldo also says to appreciate and value nature -> use carefully -> while Peter says don't use at all.

Describe how the Clean Air Act fits within the perspective of markets and commodities.

Because the act manages pollutants and helps regulate how much toxins we have enter earth's ozone layer.

How does a cap-and-trade system for carbon emissions differ from the traditional regulatory approach?

Cap and trade system for carbon emissions sets a limit for CO2 emissions. The traditional regulatory approach didn't make it very clear on how industries could reduce emissions.

Compare and contrast the Safe Drinking Water Act and the Clean Water Act.

Clean water act uses point source and protection of navigable water by having permits and licenses. Safe drinking water act sets standards to protect underground sources --> more focused on infrastructure and regulating through testing.

Name and describe a key requirement for successful commons management using institutions.

Commons need to have clearly defined boundaries unless there is a specified community benefit --> also needs to be proportional, collective choices, monitoring, conflict resolution, and autonomy.

While Malthus blamed the poor for pending crises, contemporary thinkers like Ehrlich place equal blame on the very wealthy. Why is this the case?

Ehrlich places equal blame on the poor and wealthy because using the IPAT equation, wealthy people have a bigger affluence compared to the poor. Therefore, equal blame is reasonable because they both impact the environment.

Describe the concept environmental justice and how it fits in with the risks and hazards framework.

Equitable distribution of environmental goods and bads between people, no matter race, ethnicity, or gender.

What is ethics? How does it apply to the environment?

Ethics are what is right and wrong --> applies to the environment because of what the right ways are to act towards the environment (non-human world)

Describe green consumerism and explain one potential downside to using this system as a solution.

Consumer based, people vote with their wallet. Requires standards on labels which prevents producers from labeling their product "green" when there is no changes in practices. A downside could be increases in product prices (downside for consumers) and production could be more expensive. Also lower quality of products.

How do cornucopians view population? Provide an example. How does a cornucopian perspective differ from a neo-Malthusian perspective?

Cornucopians view population as a resource. This perspective differs from a Neo-Malthusian perspective because Neo-Malthusian perspective is that populations could outgrow the food supply as it keeps growing.

Describe Coase Theorem. What assumptions does it require?

Externalities are most efficiently controlled through contracts and bargaining. -> Assumptions would would be property rights are exclusive/no transactional costs for bargaining.

Describe John Locke's view of property and environmental ethics.

John Locke had a utilitarian view - nature only has value if it is useful -> freedom to acquire and posses property.

Peter Singer's animal liberation.

Peter's: - ethical consideration of animals, not equal treatment

Summarize the "dominion thesis". Is it an "ethical theory"? Explain.

Humans should control nature how they see fit -> this is not an "ethical theory" because it is meaning humans are superior to nature and doesn't need to be protected or used with grace.

Define the three types of water scarcity, and explain how it relates to bottled water as an object of concern.

Hydrological scarcity - lack of water due to climatological and hydrological factors -> often mitigated with affluence and technology -> can use bottled water or use expensive processes such as desalination -> bottled water is the go to option. Techno-economic scarcity - lack of water due to lack of infrastructure (pipes) or treatment -> water bottle market to emerge Perceptual scarcity - water is perceived to be scarce or hazardous even where there is widespread availability of potable water -> water bottle is safer

How are forest and deforestation a collective action problem?

In order to make areas for agriculture (and other resources) we have to clear out trees. Essentially, to reach a solution you must work together with institutions to create solutions.

How is the "free-rider" problem so potentially vexing to the challenge of mitigating climate change?

It shows. lot of countries won't play a role in the methods to mitigate climate change.

Describe the dominion thesis. How do people use this to justify their environmental impact?

It suggests that humans should control nature and use it how they see fit (humans are superior to nature)

Describe how the Wilderness Act fits within the perspective of the social construction of nature.

It was put in place to establish a preservation system.

Describe how the Endangered Species Act fits within the perspective of environmental ethics.

It was put in place to protect animals that are at risk of extinction or have a rapidly decreasing population. Fits into environmental ethics because it's protecting nature.

Describe how the Clean Water Act fits within the perspective of risks and hazards.

Kind of like the safe water drinking act, the clean water act was put in place to help with the pollutants that get into water.

Draw the Kuznets Curve and describe how it relates to population and scarcity (don't forget to label your axes).

Kuznet's curve relates to population and scarcity because it shows environment impact to GPD (gross domestic product)

How do Malthusians view population? Provide an example. How does a Malthusian perspective differ from a Neo-Malthusian perspective?

Malthusians view population as everything -> an example being the Irish potato famine. This view differs from Neo-Malthusian because they think that a larger population could cause disaster (larger population is not a good thing)

Describe the market response model

Means when supply goes up the demand goes down and vise versa.

How has modern society dramatically altered the carbon cycle? Be as specific as you can.

Modern society has dramatically altered the carbon cycle due to fossil fuel combustion. There is a lot more carbon being emitted into the atmosphere now.

Describe Cap and Trade and explain one potential downside to this system.

Overall limit is set on environmental hazards and is up to the factories to obtain enough credits to meet their needs to sell to others. A downside could be overproduction of pollutants. Could also increase prices of oil, coal, and natural gas.

Considering the I=PAT model, which component (P,A,or T) would you expect to be the driving factor for environmental impact for the United States? Why?

Population would be the driving factor for environmental impact in the US because overpopulation has huge effect on the environment.

Describe and/or draw the prisoner's dilemma. How does it relate to environmental issues?

Relates to environmental issues because people often act in their own self interest even though they would be better served working together. Know how to draw

Draw the demographic transition and describe how it relates to population and scarcity (don't forget to label your axes).

Relates to population and scarcity because it shows how population increases with the amount of resource use overtime Know how to draw

Define risk and uncertainty. How are they related?

Risk - probability that a decision related to a hazard will have a negative consequence. Uncertainty - the degree to which something is unknown.

Describe and provide an example of institutions.

Rules and norms governing collective action. System of recognized constraints on individual behavior leading to orderly and constrained use of natural resources. Ex: school, government, charity, corporations, etc

How does an ecocentric viewpoint see the wolf?

Sees wolves as valued for what they are, not how or if they benefit people.

Explain the IPAT model through the lens of a Cornucopian.

The IPAT model is an equation, I = P x A x T I - impact P - population A - affluence T - technology it shows what total impact P, A, and T have on the environment.

Compare and contrast the Wilderness Act and the Endangered Species Act.

The wilderness act focuses on preserving nature and the enlarged species act focuses on protecting enlarged animals within nature.

Describe how the Clean Air Act fits within the perspective of risks and hazards.

The clean air act fits within the perspectives of risks and hazards because the act was put in place to help with air pollution --> put a cap and trade

Explain the commodification of bottled water, and include concepts of overproduction and privatization.

The commodity of a water bottle is it has economic value, sold for a profit. When there is an overproduction of water bottles the value decreases. privatization comes into play because depending on where the water for the bottles comes from, it may not be public land/not a shared resource (common property)

Describe how the National Environmental Policy Act fits within the perspective of risks and hazards.

The national Environmental Policy act was put in place to make sure the environment gets considered when planning/making decisions.

What is stewardship? How is it different from the dominion thesis?

The responsibility to care for and protect the environment (humans are superior to nature) -> different from dominion thesis because dominion thesis says humans should control nature and use it as they feel, not protect it.

Describe how the Safe Drinking Water Act fits within the perspective of risks and hazards.

The safe drinking water act fits within the perspective of risks and hazards because the act was put in place to protect drinking water from the possible risks/hazards --> an example being chemicals used to filter the water.

If a country's population structure appears to look like an inverted pyramid/triangle, describe what might happen to the population in the future.

This means that the population is likely/will decrease in the future.

Describe one of the 'gaps' that occur between nature and the economy.

Those in households of lower income or people of color may be more deprived of nature -> non-market values.

How can we use the Coase Theorem to manage environmental bads? Include a specific examplein your answer.

To manage environmental bans because since coase theorem uses contracts and bargaining to control externalities, it can be used for environmental bads (being an externality).

How can water be both a common property and a commodity? Explain.

Water can be a common property because everyone uses/needs water, so water resources are generally shared amongst the public. But it is also a commodity because the water resources could be on private land, which means not everyone gets a say on what happens to it.

What is the tragedy of the commons and how can it be avoided?

When dealing with common property, there is no incentive to restrict individual use, so immediate self-interest leads to future long-term degradation -> To void it - privatization, regulation-government control (permits).