Chapter 3 Environmental History,

1
Chapter 3 Environmental History,

• Unfunded Mandates Federal Laws/ Regulations
  without provisions to address who is going to
  pay for it?
• It may be more of an issue of states resisting
  Federal Micromanagement and not wanting to have
  to raise taxes/cut other programs to pay for
  mandates.
• Sometimes states might be more effective in
  administering programs due to smaller
  bureaucracies.
• The money all comes from the same source.

2
2

• Resources are any elements of the natural
  environment needed by particular organisms for
  subsistence and growth.
• Conservation is the careful sensible management
  of natural resources, so as to insure the future
  availability of said resources. The Wise Use
  Movement is an example of Conservation. Wise Use
• Preservation is the setting aside undis-turbed
  pristine areas. The Wildlands Project is an
  example of Preservation. It seeks to return 50
  of North America to a wild state, with no human
  influence.
• Wildlands Project Revealed

3
3

• Frontier attitude Go West Young Man,
  because of the size of the United States
  landmass, there was little concern about
  depletion, except for local events.
• Upper Midwest logging depleted forests in Minn.,
  Wisc., Michigan. Example is the Chippewa Pine
  in Wisconsin. Logging began in 19th century with
  4 foot diameter trees, by early 20th century, 4
  inch diameter trees were being harvested.
• Reforestation efforts began in 1920s, involving
  logging companies, State of Wisconsin. By early
  1980s, trees were approaching harvest size.

4
4

• In some cases, logging companies Got it, in
  some cases government intervention (arm
  twisting) was necessary to initiate replanting
  and other conservation efforts.
• In mid-1980s, logging companies in British
  Columbia were still not engaging in reforestation
  efforts, because government did not require it
  and no end was in sight.
• Early philosophers, writers, naturalists, etc.,
  to sound the alarm were John James Audubon, Henry
  David Thoreau, George Perkins Marsh (Man and
  Nature).

5
5

• National Forest preserves initially put aside
  by 3 late 19th /early 20th century presidents.
  Gifford Pinchot, first head of the US Forest
  Service, managed forests for the Theodore
  Roosevelt administration.
• Yellowstone (1872) was the first National Park,
  while Yosemite and Sequoia National Parks were
  established in 1890, partially through the
  efforts of John Muir, naturalist and Sierra Club
  founder.
• President Franklin D. Roosevelt used CCC for
  public works in park areas. (p. 44).

6
6
Other 20th century environmentalists include
Aldo Leopold, Wallace Stegner, and Rachel Carson.
Outside the environ-mentalist movement the
mainstream media, Paul Ehrlich receives little
respect due to past dire predictions that did not
come to pass. Paul Ehrlich predictions The
Environmentalist Movement that gained momentum
with Silent Spring was the result of decades of
environment abuse by government, business, and
individuals here and in other countries.
7
7

• Figure 3.6 gives a timeline of selected
  worldwide environmental events.
• In most cases, accidents were followed by
  remediation efforts to prevent future
  occurrences.
• April 22, 1970, first Earth Day corresponds with
  Vladimir Lenins birthday coincidence or ?
• EPA formed in 1970 to address pollution issues.
  National Environmental Policy Act signed,
  including provisions for Environ-mental Impact
  Statements preceding construction projects.

8
8

• Each Environmental Impact Statement must
  include
• Nature of the proposal and why it is needed.
• Environmental impacts, long-term short-term if
  proposal is implemented.
• Alternatives to proposed action that will lessen
  adverse effects.
• Public comments are also sought during the EIS
  proposal period.
• Sometimes lawsuits during the EIS process hinder
  progress.

9
9

• Page 50 lists some of the success stories of
  environmental improvement since 1970.
• Economics and the Environment (text discussion p.
  51 56) covers some of the complex relationships
  between environmental issues and economic issues.
  Additional complexities arise from different
  interpretations (Conservationists vs.
  Preservationists) as to the values of natural
  resources, jobs, severity of pollution.
  Significant differences arise as to plans of
  action, balancing of jobs and environmental
  concerns.

10
10

• Pertinent terms
• Natural Capital resources and processes that
  sustain life on Earth, including minerals,
  forests, soils, groundwater, clean air, wildlife,
  and fisheries.
• Natural Resource Depletion Depreciation of
  non-renewable resources. May be difficult to
  assess because reserves are tied to market
  prices, e.g., there are known oil reservoirs
  that, because of access difficulty, lack of
  pipelines, etc., may not be economically viable
  at present prices, but would be at higher prices.

11
11

• Costs and Benefits of Pollution Control
• In an Ideal world, industrial pollution costs
  would be deducted from GDP (Gross Domestic
  Product) and industrial remediation efforts
  (because pollution of a given resource, e.g.,
  soil or water, lessens its value to other
  potential users) pollution reduction would be
  added to GDP, as cleaner resources are of more
  value. As we are still learning about the
  effects of pollutants and natures ability to
  bounce back, effects and costs of pollution are
  difficult to assess.

12
12

• Continued
• Businesses may not see immediate benefits or
  foresee future benefits of pollution
  reduction/remediation efforts. When a company is
  under stress because of past management
  decisions, market forces, government
  pressure/vendettas, union pressures, etc.,
  pollution reduction efforts may seem financially
  risky.
• Old factories/facilities may be difficult to
  retrofit, NIMBY philosophy, regulations, fear
  of negative cash flow, etc., may prevent
  construction of newer, more efficient, cleaner
  facilities.

13
13

• During the production of goods and services,
  unavoidable pollution waste are called external
  costs, i.e., environ-mental damage that has a
  cost (to someone else) that is not included in
  the market price for the goods or services.
• Full cost pricing would include these costs, but
  as with other aspects of pollution, a dollar
  amount is difficult to assess.
• It is difficult to assess How much pollution is
  acceptable? How much is subject to
  interpretation, which of course is affected by
  biases. Conservation vs. Preservation vs. the
  Middle.

14
14

• Strategies for Pollution Control

Set pollution standards by law or regulation.
Regulate /or tax harmful activities.
Ban the release of toxic chemicals into the
environment.
Require that certain resources be protected from
unsustainable use.
Downside to rigid regulations local conditions
may aggravate or mitigate certain pollution
issues. Excessive enforcement may trigger
bankruptcy, export of industry.
15
15
Downsides to Govt. Regulations

• Hijacking of legislative process by Special
  Interest Groups

Special Interest Groups include Self promoting
politicians, Environmental Zealots, Big Business
Laws/regulations passed enforced by people
unfamiliar with local issues and conditions
Over-regulation and intrusion of outsiders
causes back-lash effect
Inconsistency between govt. agencies
Vaguely-written laws/regulations can be mis-used
by bureaucrats
16
16
Market-based Solutions

• Private ownership encourages stewardship.

Use liability laws and lawsuits to punish
pollution.
Instead of regulations make owners of risky
ventures post bonds or have insurance against
future pollution.
Hazardous chemicals can be branded with dyes
to make back-tracing to source easier.
Encourage private conservation, which based on
voluntary donations, must be more efficient.
Educate developers, land owners, etc. to see
value in eco-preservation.
17
17

• Debates over NW forests Jobs vs. Owls.
• Attempts to reconcile human needs for resources
  the industries that produce those resources with
  natures needs.
• Problems with NW Forest Plan
• Debates over what constitutes a species or
  sub-species how it relates to being endangered.
  There are 3 subspecies of Spotted Owls, Calif.,
  Northern, Mexican.
• Mexican Spotted Owl diet includes rodents, birds,
  lizards, insects, and occasionally bats, perhaps
  not the Specialist species described in the
  book.

18
18

• Law permitting Salvage logging favored by
  powerful timber interests signed into law in
  1995, expired end of 1996.
• Law allows harvest of dead unhealthy trees
  other associated (nearby) trees in national
  forests.
• Pros Cons of Salvage Logging
• US Forest Service road building mainte-nance
  for logging termed subsidies logging produces
  jobs, tax revenues, replanted plots ecosystem
  variants, logging roads useable for firefighting,