Chapter 1: Concepts and Checkpoints

Why do we have environmental problems?

-basic causes of environmental problems are population growth, wasteful and unsustainable resource use, poverty, avoidance of full-cost pricing, increasing isolation from nature, and different environmental worldviews -our environmental worldviews play a key role in determining whether we live unsustainably or more sustainably

explain how ethics and sustainability are related? 1.6

living sustainably ensures that future generations will live on a planet that in as good a condition or better than what we have now

what is an environmentally sustainable society?

living sustainably means living on the earth's natural income without depleting or degrading the natural capital that supplies it

explain why chemical (nutrient) cycling is essential for maintaining life on earth

nutrient cycling, driven by the energy of the sun, circulates chemicals needed for life through living organisms and back to the environment

explain why biodiversity is important to ecosystem sustainability

species diversity keeps populations in check and ensures that there are species able to adapt to changing environmental conditions should there be a catastrophic event

discuss the relationship between economics and ecology

economics require natural capital, human capital, and manufactured capital. natural capital is the natural resources and ecosystems services that nature supplies. without preservation and sustainable use of natural capital, the human economy will collapse.

discuss how our economy is related to ecosystem services

ecosystem services provide clean water, clean air, pollination of crops, etc., all critical to providing natural resources needed for our survival and by our economy

the ecological footprints of some countries exceed their biocapacity, while other countries have ecological reserves. discuss why the united states is an ecological debtor country. 1.2

the united states is an ecological debtor nation because it over-consumes and degrades natural resources without it allowing them to regenerate, while importing resources from other countries

what is the role of economics?

-ecological economics and most sustainability experts regard human economic systems as subsystems of the biosphere -we can use resources more sustainably by including the harmful environmental and health costs of producing goods and services un their market prices, by subsidizing environmentally beneficial goods and services, taxing pollution and waste instead of wages and profits, and using environmental indicators

how are our ecological footprints affecting the earth?

-humans dominate the earth with the power to sustain, add to, or degrade the natural capital that supports all life and human economies -as our ecological footprints grow, we deplete and degrade more of the earth's natural capital that sustains us and our economies

what are some key principles of sustainability?

-life on earth has been sustained for billions of years by solar energy, biodiversity, and chemical cycling. -our lives and economies depend on energy from the sun and on natural resources and ecosystem services provided by the earth -we could live more sustainably by following six principles of sustainability

what are the key ideas of this chapter?

-we can ensure a more sustainable future by relying more on energy from the sun and other renewable energy sources, protecting biodiversity through the preservation of natural capital, and avoiding the disruption of the earth's vital chemical cycles -a major goal for achieving a more sustainable future is full-costing pricing; the inclusion of harmful environmental and health costs in the market prices of goods and services -we will benefit ourselves and future generations if we commit ourselves to finding win-win solutions to environmental problems and to leaving the planet's life support system in a condition as good as or better than what we now enjoy

identify the differences between a high-throughput and a low-throughput economy

a high-throughput economy produces valuable goods and services, but at the cost of high energy use and high production of waste and pollution. a low-throughput economy is more sustainable in that it refuses and recycles resources, utilizes renewable energy, is more efficient, and reduces waste and prevents pollution

explain how subsidies can be used to reduce pollution and environmental degradation. 1.4

a subsidy is a tax break or government payment of taxpayer dollars that a company receives that helps them use resources more cheaply in order to create jobs or complete more effectively, and helps increase the company's profits. subsidies can be used as an incentive for companies to produce goods and use resources more sustainably

give an example of each type of resource: inexhaustible (perpetual), renewable, and nonrenewable. under what circumstances might a renewable resource become nonrenewable?

an example of a perpertual resource would be solar energy. an example of a renewable resource would be topsoil, timber, and fish. a nonrenewable resource would be coal, oil, and natural gas. a renewable resource might become nonrenewable when overharvesting occurs and the resource cannot regenerate within a reasonable lifespan.

explain why increasing population growth is an underlying factor for many environmental problems

as population grows, demand for finite resources like water, energy, and food increase. pollution and environmental degradation also increase as more people produce waste and overharvest resources

sustainability can be exercised in the harvesting of many different natural resources. describe how commercial fishing might harvest fish sustainably

fishing until reaching an established quota that allows the fish population to rebound each season is a method of sustainable fishing

define full-costing pricing. explain how this concept is a more realistic way of determining the true cost of manufacturing and using a product

full-cost pricing involves including the harmful environmental and health costs of producing and using goods and services in their market prices. the full-cost pricing model is more realistic because it accounts for the economic, health, and environmental impacts from each step of the product life cycle, and places an actual monetary value on the natural capital that we consume and degrade.

what is the role of government?

governments play a role in dealing with environmental problems by developing environmental policies that establish and enforce environmental laws, regulations, and programs and by providing environmental security

describe the role of humans in the planetary management worldview. explain how this compares to the role of humans in the stewardship and environmental wisdom worldviews. 1.3

in the planetary management worldviews, humans control nature to benefit the human species. in the stewardship worldview, humans manage natural resources for human benefit but also recognize an ethical responsibility to preserve nature. in the environmental wisdom worldview, humans learn how nature sustains itself and use such lessons to achieve environmental sustainability

identify several human or social factors that can enhance sustainability 1.1

the human factors include: economics, ethics, and politics

explain why the collapse of cod fisheries off the coast of newfoundland is an example of the tragedy of the commons. why is living sustainability important to the survival of humans and other organisms?

the tragedy of the commons is the degradation of potentially renewable resources to which people have free and unmanaged access. an example is the depletion of atlantic cod by commercial fishing boats. when technology allowed fishing fleets to overharvest cod populations, it led to the collapse of the fishery and the loss of jobs for people who depended on the fishery for their livelihood. it is important to live sustainably because destroying or degrading a common or shared resource is a serious threat to many of the natural resources and ecosystems services that support all life and human economies

discuss why it is important that the government passes laws and establishes policies and regulations that protect the environment. 1.5

without laws and policies, natural capital resources and ecosystems services would be degraded or destroyed. our economy depends on natural capital and without it, the economy would ultimately collapse.