Sociology Midterm Reading Quiz

Environment and Society, Markets and Commodities: Green Consumption

"market-based solutions to environmental problems also tend to stress the power of consumer demand for changing environmental conditions" aka allow people to "vote with their money" and support sustainable products, incentivising companies to become greener. Some "greenwashing" occurs, in which products are presented as being green w/o actually having a reduced footprint. "Green certification" through a third party, but a third party- even the gov of malaysia- isn't always in it for the right reasons.

Environment and Society: Wolves Stakeholders

Based on someone's interests they have diff reasons to view wolves positively/negatively, Wolves can't be managed by a specific institution, stakeholders must collaborate. beginning in 1970 w/passage of NEPA (Natural Environmental Policy Act) allowed for public input and participation in process. At the start of wolf reintroduction it was gov only, in 1998 Minnesota gave stakeholders power to develop consensual management plan. originally gov interfered and it wasn't implemented as written but public outcry helped rectify the situation. the process of working together with stakeholders is important because it opens lines of communication to easily resolve future issues, also creates better long-term chance of wolf success

Montgomery King of Fish Ch7, Western Salmon Rush

Business initially boomed along the Columbia river until there were too many fisheries and not enough fish. Salmon H's: harvest, hydropower (dams), habitat, hatcheries. Habitat was degraded by timber industry, agriculture, urban development. R.D. Hume first salmon hatchery in Oregon. Also wrote a pamphlet about damages to the salmon population Hydraulic mining destroyed many streams and rivers, eventually flooding the Capitol and damaging farmland, leading to ban on hydraulic mining. Though legislation was created, enforcement was incredibly lax. Logging and hydraulic mining pushed sediment, natural nooks for salmon destroyed. Voting public eventually had fish traps banned Marine fishing exploded, and international (particularly Japanese) fleets expanded. -replace the tangle of salmon fisheries laws w/ a single state law *- impose closed seasons based on run timing -prohibit taking of salmon in spawning streams or near their mouths *-build and fund the operation of hatcheries -require screening of irrigation and drainage ditches to prevent fish from entering them -appoint and support county fish and game wardens to enforce regulations. European settlers saw such an abundance of fish they used them for fertilizer/hog feed. The invention of canning technology led to "rampant overfishing" of West Coast salmon. Business initially boomed along the Columbia river until there were too many fisheries and not enough fish. Salmon H's: harvest, hydropower (dams), habitat, hatcheries. Habitat was degraded by timber industry, agriculture, urban development. R.D. Hume was the youngest brother of a salmon fishery brothers, realized the damages to the fish population. Established the first salmon hatchery in Oregon. Also wrote a pamphlet about damages to the salmon population, causes include dams w/o fish ladders, river pollution, and damage to spawning grounds by loggers. Hydraulic mining destroyed many streams and rivers, eventually flooding the Capitol and damaging farmland, leading to ban on hydraulic mining. Overfishing "nature does not provide against such greed" led to calls for protective legislation. Recommended actions: -replace the tangle of salmon fisheries laws w/ a single state law *- impose closed seasons based on run timing -prohibit taking of salmon in spawning streams or near their mouths *-build and fund the operation of hatcheries -require screening of irrigation and drainage ditches to prevent fish from entering them -appoint and support county fish and game wardens to enforce regulations. Though legislation was created, enforcement was incredibly lax. By the start of WWII the salmon runs were in critical danger- parallels the fishing decline of salmon in British Columbia Puget Sound circa 1900. It was hard to legislate all over the west coast. Marine fishing exploded, and international (particularly Japanese) fleets expanded. The Japanese tried to swoop in on Alaskan salmon and the US was NOT having it- but there were no laws to regulate fishing in international waters. "Fierce competition unrestrained by adequate laws." "Federal regulation is a necessary counterbalance." Logging and hydraulic mining pushed sediment, natural nooks for salmon destroyed. Voting public eventually had fish traps banned.

Speth- looking into the abyss

Carter era 80s, surface level change. IPCC planet is at its highest in the 12k year habitable period known as the Holocene, we approach a "tipping point." C02e must be stopped before 450 ppm 1) energy efficient gains, 2) renewable energy development wind and solar, 3) energy efficiency gains in buildings/residences 4) use of low-carbon fuels 5) sequestration of co2 6) reducing other greenhouse emissions 7) enhanced soil/forest management, research removing co2 directly from atmosphere. Most of world's emissions come from 1st world or developing nations (India/China) but climate change will impact 3rd world nations the most. 8 important global-scale environmental problems: Losing the forests, losing the land, losing freshwater, losing marine fisheries, toxic pollutants, losing biodiversity, overfertilizing w/nitrogen, climate disruption as well as acid deposition and ozone layer depletion all are interconnected. we must word so that our global ecological footprint doesn't exceed the biocapacity of the earth, 'solutionist' thinking led to ideas: Fortress World: the rich isolate themselves, create an authoritarian gov., class divides increase, the world turns dark/dystopian, poor prob don't survive Market world: optimistic about positive advancement capabilities incentivized by the Free Market. Most prominent in current society Policy Reform World: reforming policy through law + society nationally and internationally. Economic growth possible if properly regulated. Scientist-approved. New Sustainability World: abandon material consumption and revert to entirely sustainable living. "carrying capacity" limits consumption of resources, growth/market not privatized. Social Greens World: redistribute resources/power, place focus on local community. Doubts ability of current gov system to protect from climate change

Mann, "America Found and Lost"

Columbian exchange totally changed since Jamestown Jamestown bad location, 3/4 settlers died, disease and bad water Powhatan empire maintained unfenced fields, dogs, controlled burns Pocahontas- growing of tobacco, bad for soil Ecological imperialism disease and competition for food led to NA die-out, forests thickened The nature of America today has been irrevocably changed since the Jamestown era, by people are flora/fauna inadvertently brought over or not. Post-1492, the Columbian exchange totally changed who, and what, was where. But the settlers of that era actually landed in a poppin' native settlement known as Tsenaconoco. The natives had many unfenced fields for agriculture and had no domestic animals except dogs, they also regularly maintained the nearby forest through controlled burns. The Jamestown settlement was in a bad swamp location. Bad water killed most, 3/4 settlers died. The Powhatan empire was eventually felled by "ecological imperialism," meaning that the colonists destroyed so much of the land/resources that the natives relied on that they couldn't survive. Pocahontas, Powhatan's daughter, was well-liked by the English and they kidnapped her to get her father to relinquish the English guns that the tribe had. He refused and she ended up marrying John Rolfe and living in Jamestown, which allowed enough peace that the settlers grew tobacco, which depleted the nutrients in large swaths of soil. conceptually the English "ownership" complete w/fences for fields but not for cattle pushed the natives away. packs of loose pigs competed with the NAs for food, especially one type of root that they dug up when food was scarce. Importing British honeybees helped spread crops massively. Powhatan, late in his life, finally realized that the settlement wouldn't just die out. The first thanksgiving was actually caused by people who brought over malaria, establishing it by 1630, probably weakening native populations. Without native controlled burns, forests became denser "wilderness."

lecture 10/02

Deforestation: mountain pine beetle usually dies in cold winter, but now beetles are killing high-altitude whitebark pine en masse. Loss of biodiversity: 1 in 8 birds, 1 in 4 mammals, 1 in 4 conifers are in danger of extinction. Over-fertilizing with nitrogen, water goes into gulf. Higher algae growth, algae decomposition removea oxygen from water, fish suffocate, crete a 'dead zone'.

BRULLE- US ENVIRONMENTAL MOVEMENTS

Discursive frames: WMCPHEDEJUHFSARAG chronological, discourse analysis/framing, resource mobilization. Reform Environmentalism, Preservation, and Conservation are by far the three most prominent movements. US environmental movement made up of groups w/ different beliefs, aka "discursive frames" which are cultural POVs that guide an organization's actions. Wildlife Management: begun mid 19th century, focuses on "reducing demand and increasing the supply"- focuses on sustainable hunting through wilderness preserves. "Aka wildlife conservation for human recreation. Conservation: start of 20th century, advocate for gov. to limit use of certain resources so that they aren't totally depleted, ensure stable economy- "realize the greatest good for the greatest number of people over the longest period of time." Preservation: "nature in form of wilderness, untouched by human activity, has intrinsic value." "continued existence of wilderness and wildlife is critical to the spiritual well-being of humanity." Reform Environmentalism- largely inspired by Rachel Carson's "Silent Spring" on the impact of industrialization on people's lives. Current dominant discourse. Started as a post-civil war sanitary movement, developed further after publicized pollution incidents. "Oriented around a concern that links human health and survival to environmental concerns." Humans are part of nature as a whole, we must take ecologically ethical actions. Deep Ecology: more radical than environmentalism, "a belief in the intrinsic value of all nature that will ground a respectful way of living, in and with the natural, nonhuman world." Humans aren't superior over other beings, we must make changes to reduce impact and preserve nature. Environmental Justice: concerned w/ "unequal burden of pollution that was placed on poor and minority communities." Environmental problems= "creations of human social order." Objective is "changing the social order in some manner to solve environmental problems." Environmental Health: focused on "the relationship between environmental pollution and human health." Goals include "to reduce the use of toxic materials and to ensure a safe and clean environment for all peoples" including reforming industrial development. Ecofeminism: "links the development of a patriarchal society and the domination of women by men to the domination of nature by humanity." Ecologic mistreatment is derived from "the treatment of nature as an object to be possessed and dominated, instead of a partner to be cooperated with." Believes we have to first fix androcentric society, then environment. Ecospiritualism: attributes environmental causes to Western biblical traditions- aka dominion thesis is cause of anthropocentic thought- "we needed to develop a new religious viewpoint that would accommodate humans living in harmony with nature," cause rise of new religious thinking in which nature has spiritual value and must be preserved, impacted US religious communities. Animal Rights: "humanity has no right to infringe on those rights of other animals" domestic and wild animals have rights to evolve and live independently of humans. Antiglobalization/Greens: "global abuses- such as ecological destruction, poverty, war, and oppression- are linked to global capitalism" and policies which lead to marginalization, these institutions must be reformed to make effective environmental change. 3 ways of thinking about social movements: chronological, discourse analysis/framing, resource mobilization. Reform Environmentalism, Preservation, and Conservation are by far the three most prominent movements.

successful commons

Elinor Ostrum: Russian state-owned grazing collectives run down while traditional Mongolian herders kept topsoil healthy; Bolivian herding in highlands failed w/ gov interference. Same w/ Nepali irrigation and Bali traditional Subak immigration. Political economy: interaction of gov and market closely entwined

Hot Ch 3, My Daughter's Earth

Harsher heat waves, not everyone has AC Category 4/5 hurricanes will increase Deaths from contaminated water, pests expand Record drought in NA, Brazil, Mediterranean, Australia More intense bursts of rain less food, more fires coral reefs bleaching 2 degrees isn't dafe; gov and scientists fight adaption/mitigation must decline to 350ppm, possible geoengineeing Climate change: harsher heat waves, particularly inland, will increase in frequency/severity. Poor people/ hard labor workers who can't afford A/C will be especially hard hit. More power outages w use of A/C. Frequency of storms like hurricanes may decrease, but Category 4/5 hurricanes will increase. "Extreme weather could affect 375 million people a year by 2015." The poor will be most vulnerable to these storms. Besides deaths from contaminated water resulting from floods (malnutrition, malaria, diarrhea), ticks/pests will expand their ranges and spread diseases. Asthma patients will increase with more allergens in the air. "Record drought will become the norm across the western third of North America... suburban sprawl, population growth, rampant waste, and rising [water] consumption rates confront static or declining supplies." Same for Mediterranean basin, Australia, Brazil, southern Africa. Global warming will increase flooding and droughts. Rain will fall in more intense bursts, followed by larger periods where there is no rain at all. higher temps will cause fallen rain to evaporate quickly, so soil will dry more quickly. Flooding may cause dams to fail. Melting snowpack/glaciers means less water resources will be available during summer. Less food, more fires: temp rise will ruin some crops, reduce water availability, and possibly cause a blow-away of valuable growing soil, all while foliage burns and wildfires increase. Think Arab Spring: if we have to buy more food from world market, prices will increase... leading to riots. Coral reefs are bleaching and dying. The oceans are acidifying, meaning shellfish can't grow thick enough shells. Extinction of animal and plant species will set off a chain reaction. Adaption is a source of contention between rich and poor govs. Some countries refuse to accept climate change. Tensions between championing mitigation and adaption lead to fights for funding. 2 degrees C isn't necessarily a safe increase. "Humanity has two options for containing temperature rise. The first option is to make sharp, continuing cuts in global emissions starting now... global emissions must peak by 2015 and then fall until an 80% reduction by 2050." Invest in higher energy efficiency, less methane. "a second option is to remove greenhouse gases that are already in the atmosphere or find ways to nullify their effects...during the preindustrial era, the amount of co2 in the atmosphere averaged 280ppm. After 250 years of industrialization, the level has risen to 390 ppm... level must decline to 350 ppm or lower if we are to avoid catastrophic climate change." Extracting Co2 that's already in the atmosphere utilizing photosynthesis and storing carbon in vegetation and soils. Geoengineering (eg deploying mirrors in space to deflect some of the sun's rays away from earth) is dangerous bc we don't understand all possible repercussions.

Environment and Society Ch 13: Tuna

In the 1960s fishery tech increased, and demand for toro skyrocketed Purse seine nets capture young tuna for farming before sale, but tuna caught this way don't count as part of legal catch quotas Local/artisanal fishers are most impacted, can't cut over fishing losses and move like big corps. Aquaculture amounts of waste/use of pesticides and antibiotics harm overall ocean ecosystem. Yellowfin tuna fisheries in the ETP were changed by new, more durable nets. in 1972 US passed the Marine Mammal Protection Act (MMPA). In the late 1980s the Earth Island Institute (EII) organized a consumer boycott of canned tuna. Maximum sustainable yields can lead to races to fish the fastest. Geo-political spats over access to "exclusive economic zones" (EEZs) can lead to unintentional protection. Post-fordism and TNCs In 1997 the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) green consumption "Noble animals" Films like 2006's Blood Diamonds, which showed the diamond war's effects in Africa, led to desire for "cruelty-free" products. 1988 film by biologist Sam LaBudde showed extent of dolphins being killed for tuna, causing outrage. Because tuna have a worldwide range, conservation efforts must be widespread. Bluefin tuna: can be huge, originally considered "horse mackerel" and sold as pet food. In the 1960s fishery tech increased, and demand for toro skyrocketed, leading to worldwide fisheries joining the Japanese. "Purse seine" nets capture young tuna for farming before sale, but tuna caught this way don't count as part of legal catch quotas, further endangering the tuna population. Local/artisanal fishers are most impacted, can't cut over fishing losses and move like big corps. Yellowfin tuna fisheries in the ETP were changed by new, more durable nets. ETP yellowfin often swim below schools of dolphins, which are easier to spot than tuna, meaning lots of dolphins were drowned in tuna nets. Even though aquaculture is growing, sometime huge amounts of waste/use of pesticides and antibiotics harm overall ocean ecosystem. Shrimp farming leads to mangrove deforestation. Switching to offshore farming may alleviate some of this but it's not perfect. Tuna are valuable, widespread availability masks decline of wild pop. "Green consumption" is a possible solution: in 1972 US passed the Marine Mammal Protection Act (MMPA) which was later amended, but high dolphin bycatch persisted. In the late 1980s the Earth Island Institute (EII) organized a consumer boycott of canned tuna, which eventually worked, leading top 3 tuna canneries to only buy dolphin-safe tuna. US gov also banned non-dolphin-safe imports. Some Latin American countries file free trade lawsuits, none panned out. But how can consumers track/understand green certifications? ETP tuna fishery: second contradiction of capitalism: tendency for capitalism to eventually undermine the environmental conditions for its own perpetuation/degradation of resource, worker conditions. Conditions of production: material or environmental conditions required for a specific economy to function- tuna couldn't survive consumer boycott. Relations of production- social relationships associated with, and necessary for, a specific economy- could have led to different outcomes of situation Maximum sustainable yields can lead to races to fish the fastest. Geo-political spats over access to "exclusive economic zones" (EEZs) can lead to unintentional protection. Fordism- high wages, mass prod, and mass consumption, often on a national level. Post-Fordism, power shifted from state to transnational corporations (TNCs), which took over the tuna industry in the 1980s. Because tuna production was decentralized, regulation became harder. In 1997 the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) was established as part of green consumption. Small fisheries, or those from poorer countries are easily locked out from these systems for lack of capital/connections. "Noble animals" like dolphins are more easily preserved. There is a social construction of dolphins' dignity being valued more than tuna.

Environment and Society, Environmental Ethics

Lynn White Dominion Thesis vs. stewardship John Locke, value of external nature vs personal propetry Pinchot US Forest Service, vs. Muir for Hetch Hetchy- conservationist Aldo Leopold "Land Ethic" humans are also dependent on/ a part of nature: "A thing is right when it tends to preserve the integrity, stability. and beauty of the biotic community. it is wrong when it tends otherwise." "animal liberation" and "moral extentionism"- peter singer Ness- deep ecology fear of eco-authoritarian and "scientism" Conservation: conserve for consumer Preservation: protect nature from people. Are factory farms unethical? treatment of animals vs affordability of meat. Lynn White, 1968 introduced the Dominion Thesis: "there are neither places nor creatures- anywhere on earth- that should not be 'subdued' by humans... an ethical imperative. It is the right thing to do." Some actually say that the Bible calls for human stewardship of nature. Most modern western civilizations use anthropocentric ethics. John Locker's 1890 Second Treatise on Government: "government should function only as is necessary to protect the "natural" freedoms of individual citizens." An individual's property includes the physical body and products of physical labor: "an individual has turned external nature into personal property. They have, moreover, done the right thing. Using nature... transformation of external nature (which has little or no value)." Utilitarian, aka "value" of nature is derived from its use to human purposes. However, Locke says that humans shouldn't take more land than we can farm. Pinchot was the first US Forest Service Chief, utilitarian and champion of conservation. Henry David Thoreau's American Transcendentalism led to a rise in preservationists. Pinchot vs. Muir debated damming Hetch Hetchy: "a place not dedicated to human progress." The ESA prohibits gov and private citizens from taking any actions to harm endangered species. In 1949 Aldo Leopold wrote "The Land Ethic" which was widely read and publicized ecology study. Called for people to create an "ethic dealing with man's relation to land and to the animals and plants which grow upon it. Land... is still property." Humans should realize that we also depend on the environment and give up some individual excesses to preserve the longevity of the greater natural community. "A thing is right when it tends to preserve the integrity, stability. and beauty of the biotic community. it is wrong when it tends otherwise." Land ethic is the key ecocentric environmental ethic. Moral extensionism- extending our sphere of consideration beyond the human realm. The 1970s gave rise to "animal liberation" movements aiming to free all animals from use by humans whether for food, medical testing, entertainment. etc. Argument that we've broadened the horizon of rights to marginalized peoples, why draw the line at animals? According to Peter Singer all sentient beings warrant equal consideration if not equal treatment (preserve more intelligent animals). Philosopher Ness presents shallow ecology (doesn't ask deep questions about causes of ecological problems and their roots in human societies) and deep ecology, which considers these. Nature has intrinsic value, but politics become divided w/ "eco-authoritarian" critique and fear of "scientism," meaning raising science up to the level of ultimate authority. "Fundamental ideological changes are truly needed if people are to cure their planetary ills." Conservation: conserve for consumer Preservation: protect nature from people. Permafrost contains organic matter, as Arctic melts it releases carbon.

Environment and society Ch 2: population and scarcity

Mathus' "moral code of self-restraint" let go of poor, women, "less civilized" I= PxAxT (total Impact, Population, Affluence, Technology) (ex: affluence Phoenix) "Neo-Malthusians" argue that population is the greatest cause of environmental degradation Environmental Kuznets curve- degradation then regulation, affluence, and economic transition to forest transition Carrying capacity- but not everyone's ecological footprint is the same. China's 1-child policy: good to have a slowing demand for natural resources, In SK/Japan birth rates fell naturally with less consequences. Demographic transition model (DTM) Kerala vs. Indira Singh's policies ex. of people in Phoenix: large amounts of people, limited water. 2 cars per home. 225 gallons of water/day/person- affluence can affect climate. Thomas Malthus wrote in 1798 that pop. grows exponentially, resources can't increase at same rate. Advocates "a moral code of self-restraint" in which famine, starvation, death should be allowed bc of the laws of scarcity- he argued that the poor, esp. women and "less civilized" people like those from Southern Europe are predestined to poverty, so they should be left to die. Each additional person strains the earth, can be calculated by I= PxAxT (total Impact, Population, Affluence, Technology) where affluence is "measured as either 1) the level of consumption of the population of 2) the per capita gross domestic product." tech makes said product. "Neo-Malthusians" argue that population is the greatest cause of environmental degradation, but critics like Barry Commoner say tech has a far greater impact. Environmental Kuznets curve- as development occurs, degradation increases only until a certain threshold, at which point regulation, affluence, and economic transition lead to a forest transition back to thick forest cover. Carrying capacity- theoretical limit of population that a system can sustain- but not everyone's ecological footprint is the same. How can we regulate so other countries can continue to develop? What obligations do the wealthy have to the earth? China's 1-child policy: good to have a slowing demand for natural resources, but pref for boys has led to a massive gender skew. plus elderly will have less people to care for them. In SK/Japan birth rates fell naturally with less consequences. Pop growth rate has been falling over the last few decades- does pop growth drive environmental degradation, or do socio-environmental conditions drive population growth? Advancements lead to lower death rate, but in late 19th early 20th birth rates also fell, possibly bc of less demand for family farm labor and high cost of education- modeled by the demographic transition model (DTM). Ex: Kerala in India: high levels of women's education and literacy, high rural healthcare correspond to low fertility rates- "where women's rights are observed and protected, population growth ends." Availability of condoms and reproductive health care, autonomy for women. In 1975 Indira Gandhi forced sterilization of vulnerable poor population, didn't work to slow India's population growth. Often the poor are targeted when they have the least culpability. Some environmental groups are using the market to buy up land for preservation.

Environment and Society, Social Constructions of Nature

Nature preserve in Borneo where people have lived for thousands of years- now under ecotourism it's been isolated and converted back to "wilderness". Wilderness is a social construction- NAs had changed it before colonialism environmental knowledge vs. environmental power supposed desertification of the Sahara, to the benefit of the colonizers. The creation of "wilderness" has oft led to atrocities against Indigineous peoples Nature preserve in Borneo where people have lived for thousands of years- now under ecotourism it's been isolated and converted back to "wilderness". Wilderness as we know it is a social construction. In colonial days America was considered wild/tamed bc of compounding reasons; Although native populations had impacted and altered much of the land, Europeans considered the land unowned and saw it as their duty to do smth with it: "a belief that matched European assumptions about the backwardness of native peoples... this social construct helped to establish and justify European rule and rendered the native peoples of the Americas invisible and mute." "There is a difference between environmental knowledge-which claims and ideas about the state of the environment are known to be true- and environmental power- what groups and interests control the environment and its resources." -signifying practices (how a story is told) lead to the creation of discourse (biased). When the social context fades they remain true. Environmental discourse is often "reinforced by important social institutions," ex: European assumptions about what land should be like led to discussions about the supposed desertification of the Sahara, to the benefit of the colonizers. "Wilderness- as pure nature, landscapes untouched by humans- is a construct most specific to western european-based, modern cultures." The creation of "wilderness" has oft led to atrocities against Indigineous peoples

environmental legislation

Wilderness Act 1964 Wild and Scenic Rivers Act 1968 National Environmental Policy Act 1969 The Clean Air Act 1972 The Clean Water Act 1972 Pesticide Control Act 1972 Endangered Species Act 1973 Resource Conservation and Recovery Act 1976 Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act

Robbins, Environment and Society: Wolves

Yellowstone wolves wiped out 1920s, reintro 1995 gov wolf bounties 1973 ESA, reconciliation ecology ecocentrism, anthropocentrism "rewilding" Wolves in Yellowstone wiped out in 1920s. Reintroduced in 1995, did so well that now there's 1,000+, hunting permitted. One of the main reasons wolves have clashed w/humans is that they eat ungulates. Wolves are critically endangered in some places but still retain much of historic territory. Ecological changes may start in low trophic layers. By 1958 wolves were nearly exterminated from US/Mexico because of promoted hunting/wolf bounties. Wolves moved west w/expansion, as gov subsidized killing of thousands of buffalo, wolves turned to preying on livestock, making them targets for farmers. 1973 the Endangered Species Act (ESA) and CITIES help protect wolves "the relationships between humans and wild animals are complicated and change over time." Wolves are a owerful cultural symbol. "Reconciliation ecology"- farmers/ranchers want to coexist with wolves- where can they fit in society? Ecocentrism- an environmental ethical stance that argues that ecological concerns should, over and above human priorities, be central to decisions about right and wrong action. Anthropocentrism (necessary to some degree in creating environmental policy)- an ethical standpoint that views humans as the central factor in considerations of right and wrong action in and toward nature Rise in "rewilding"- basically restoring ecosystems to conditions pre-human intervention- a contrast to old anti-wolf sentiment where their hunting practices were portrayed as vicious compared to "gentlemanly" human hunters (human culture of hunting as masculine). Who are we saving the wilderness for? Recreation for white middle-class men?

Environment and Society Ch 4, Institutions and "The Commons"

carbon is everyone's problem, carbon-reduced not competitive in market Costs are borne collectively; benefits accrue to individuals. There is no super-government to enforce laws and regulations worldwide 1) increased privatization or 2) tyranny, which of course is susceptible to corruption. Lobster fisheries in Maine, irrigation in South India, tree tenure in East Africa are successful "commons" that follow neither, group ownership Boundaries, Proportionality, Collective choice, Monitoring, Sanctions, Conflict Resolution, Autonomy Not every member of a commons has equal power why are carbon emissions so hard to control? carbon doesn't stay put, once released it's immediately a problem for all countries. also, "carbon-reduced" products require more work and innovation, so they're usually more expensive and therefore not as competitive in the market. Costs are borne collectively; benefits accrue to individuals. There is no super-government to enforce laws and regulations worldwide, individual countries must collaborate. Tragedy of the commons- some will inevitably choose to "defect," therefore burdening rest of humanity. Conscience and goodwill are therefore useless in the face of compelling, internal, adaptive, evolutionary logic. We mist choose either coercion: 1) increased privatization or 2) tyranny, which of course is susceptible to corruption. Lobster fisheries in Maine, irrigation in South India, tree tenure in East Africa are successful "commons" that follow neither, rather "some form of institutions, understood here as systems of recognized constraints on individual behavior, including formal laws, but also unofficial rules or even strong social norms that guide people's expectations of one another's behaviors." Difference between these and commons is that they're under group ownership- but there must be an underlying logic which allows for cooperation, Boundaries- should be clearly defined for resource and user group Proportionality- costs accrued in managing should be in line with benefits Collective choice- specific rules for managing resource are made and/or can be modified by the group using the resource Monitoring- of people's behaviors/status of resource is necessary Sanctions- organized in graduated tiers. Must be imposed on violators. System should encourage voluntary compliance. low punishments for first offenders. Coercion= last resort. Conflict Resolution- social mechanisms must be developed to resolve complaints Autonomy- system must be allowed some degree of autonomy by higher or non-local authorities. The Montreal Protocol (1987) was a joint successful effort to ban use of CFCs, which caused dangerous holes in ozone layer due to slow breakdown of chlorine, Irrigation: private fields, but managed collectively to ensure mutual success. Wildlife commons- common property design and regulation to prevent over-hunting. Overall limits set by officials, but rules are overviewed by hunting collective. Global climate: possibilities for collective action exist, but hard to monitor who is doing what and sanctions are hard to impose. Not every member of a commons has equal power (like patriarchal/patrilineal ownership). In village India, elite men have most power, can't shouldn't govern everyone else's resources, their rules prob won't be respected. Strong and diverse leadership is necessary, but parties may not trust one another and "imposed group rules determined from common property management may suit the interests of only a small proportion of commons users." Can collective action only occur in small groups? Nobel Prize winner Elinor Ostrum showed that common-pool resources can be managed.

lecture 10/16- environmental decade

environmental legislation boomed post-WWII. 1969 oil spill in Santa Barba ra, polluted river in Ohio burns- led to protests and Earth Day 1970. Prez Nixon supported political regulation of the environment, bipartisan support for environment. "Environment Decade" legislation, anti-Vietnam movements. Nature conservancy: beat the market system by buying land and saving it.

Hardin: Tragedy of the Commons

invisible hand cattle allegory philosophy applies to farming, fishing, even national parks welfare society double-binding (guilty if you don't conform, stupid if you do) when we encourage individuals to change. Responsibility tragedy is averted by privatization, what do we do about air/pollution? Aimed to address "no technical solution" problems including the "population problem" which Hardin says does not have a simple solution through innovation. If the world is finite and so are resources, and the population grows exponentially, population growth must eventually reach zero. (Adam Smith) says that man is guided by an "invisible hand" which will eventually result in the greatest good, if this is true, "decisions reached individually will, in fact, be the best decisions for an entire society." If not, "we need to reexamine our individual freedoms to see which ones are defensible." Opposite the invisible hand is "the tragedy of the commons" in which herdsmen keep cattle in a common pasture. An individual herdsman gains a positive utility of nearly +1 by adding another cow to his herd, since he benefits from its sale. "The negative component is a function of the additional overgrazing created by one or more animal. Since, however, the effects of overgrazing are shared by all the herdsmen, the negative utility for ant particular decision-making herdsman is only a fraction of -1." So the herdsman continues adding cattle, but, so does every other individual herdsman, therefore entirely depleting the pasture's resources. "Freedom in a commons brings ruin to all." this philosophy applies to farming, fishing, even national parks, requiring an imposition on who can do what/go where lest we assure our mutual, complicit destruction. Pollution is furthered by the concept of private property and our rights to "foul our own nests." In a society with diminishing resources and staunch laws this is increasingly deteriorating. The welfare state of society exacerbates an inflating population, but the solution is to deny the sovereignty of the family unit and oppose the UN. We risk double-binding (guilty if you don't conform, stupid if you do) when we encourage individuals to change. Responsibility is not quid pro quo. Mutual coercion is a somewhat effective solution to avoid the commons, but as population increases more spheres that operate as "commons" must be closed, which some people oppose bc it infringes on freedoms. But "freedom is the recognition of necessity" and we need to prioritize. tragedy is averted by privatization, what do we do about air/pollution?

King of Fish Ch.4

native settlements strategically placed for good fishing, as salmon populations fluctuated natives did likewise. NAs only took less than half of each yea's salmon population, today we harvest more than 90% tribal fishing rights, etc. disease caused NA pop to fall to 1/6 Wash gov. Stevens conceled salmon decline, negotiated treAties for national railraod that left continued right to fish public was bad to NAs. state supreme court Boldt ruled that they got 1/2 the salmon taken from their territories

Hot Chap. 2: Three Feet of Water

sea levels will continue to rise even if co2 stops immediately adaption vs mitigation Bangladesh wetlands example islands and coasts are threatened, roads also must be protected research causes of melting Greenland ice sheet Sea levels will continue to rise even if co2 stops immediately because warming oceans=water expanding, ice caps melting. "The IPCC projects that even if global emissions had been capped in the year 2000, the temperature rise already locked into the system would cause glaciers to shrink and polar ice to keep melting for hundreds of years and oceans to keep expanding for thousands." Mitigation- actions that reduce the greenhouse gas emissions that cause global warming in the first place, aka front-end protection to tackle the larger problem and prevent worsening Adaption- actions intended to reduce one's vulnerability to the impacts of climate change. aka back-end. helping diminish what's already been caused Rising sea levels are a multi-pronged threat: for example, in Bangladesh the wetland soil and water are saltier, which means less fresh water, less productive crops. Mangroves are dying, which means less habitat for animals and less protection from inclement weather. Islands and coasts like California and NY are threatened. We could build seawalls, but roads would also need to be protected, higher chance of storms, etc. The threat can be reduced by researching causes of sheet ice melting and taking action to stop the melting of the Greenland ice sheet.

Hot Ch 6: Do You know what it means to miss new orleans?

we can't save everyone- retreat with compensation considered antidemocratic Army Corps/private benefactors/oil and gas magnates profit over public safety failure of gov. to properly prepare supplies/FEMA/evacuate in Florida it's too expensive to bring up building codes suggested 3-layer hurricane protection government programs keep insuring and refunding citizens who build stupidly In the early 1900s, Dutch learned from NO how to build flood pumps. By Katrina they show "shoddy design and disrepair in the local levee system and the secretive, disorganized decision-making process that governed it." "Society must recognize that there will be losers in such situations, and the losers must be fairly compensated." Most people wait until after disasters to implement safeguards, but frequency of Category 4/5 hurricanes is increasing. So why was the US shockingly unprepared for Katrina when we have money? "social context matters more than technological prowess. The Dutch have been relatively good at preparing for climate change largely because of their long history of consensus-based water management and their shared belief in social planning." In the US it's hard- people don't want to recognize climate change and therefore damage the oil/gas industry. there's continued pressure for development: "that everyone, no matter where they live, has a right to the same level of protection. That it's almost antidemocratic not to protect everyone." Rich countries are more vulnerable to climate change than they think. We're prepped for a 1-in-100 years level, should be 1-in-20. In case of Katrina, Army Corps of Engineers and local construction companies "put bureaucratic habit and private profit above public safety." aka poorly designed and shoddily built levees. Municipal flood boards didn't properly inspect. Fed/state gov destroyed coastal wetlands and cypress swamps for commercial interests, which had weakened incoming storm surges. Proper evacuation procedures were underdeveloped or not ordered, FEMA unprepared. but NO is worth protecting: it supplies 1/4 of american petroleum, 1/3 of nation's seafood. "Elevation had nothing to do with who got flooded and who didn't. Flooding was a function of where levees held and where they didn't." A lot of the fault is in bad design/construction by the army corps: Most gov aid after katrina went to affluent/white neighborhoods. Poor and nonwhite communities received outside aid. 3-layered hurricane protection suggested by van Heerden: "inner layer of hardened levees or flood walls in front of major population centers." Middle layer: "as large an expanse of swamp or wetlands as possible to absorb and weaken incoming storm surges." Outer layer: "barrier islands out in the ocean proper, which also absorb and weaken storm surges." Army Corps shouldn't have levee monopoly, instead use design competition. Also if Mississippi and other rivers run free in places, they can disperse silt and raise land elevation. This plan would protect about 85% of the pop (not southern coastal communities) and cost about 15 billion, compared to the 200 billion spent after Katrina. "We have to be honest with people- we can't save everyone." Social context of retreat-with-compensation is hard to sell in US, "especially in the conservative South, where individualism is treasured, private property rights are sacred, and government is despised except when it is subsidizing oil and gas production." Army Corps comes in over budget, wrecks ecosystems, doesn't deliver- take orders from congress. They could have improved by moving levees inland, but congress wouldn't allow this as it would leave some outside of the ring of protection. state officials tried to intervene for wetland restoration but were left out of the congress/corps plan. Lessons from katrina "can't be applied because the politics of the situation haven't changed, and it's politics that drive this.. people down here look at long-term planning as communism." Reluctance to endanger oil/gas industry. Now Corps is planning dike through Gulf of Mexico and giant levees on top of sinking land: "It's madness, but it's madness that makes big money for contractors and real estate developers and spares local officials from making hard land-use decisions." In parts of Florida they got satellite phones, moved emergency operation centers to higher ground, had local/state dialogues. But even w/ an evac plan for the disabled, many people don't evacuate. False evac warnings and loss of business money have led to distrust.v Florida buildings should have Category 3 protections, but not all are up to code. it would be too expensive to make current codes tougher, because housing prices must be kept low. Hurricanes in 2004 and 2005 led to increased prices and reduced insurance coverage. To prevent people giving up their insurance,. gov started Citizens Property Insurance, which uses taxpayer dollars to insure citizens. Fed. gov should establish a fund "for cities and other high-value places threatened by climate change." We need to rethink types of development allowed in coastal areas, also develop low-income housing that is sustainable and resilient. Fed flood insurance program allows people to continually rebuild in places they shouldn't so lesson is unlearned.