Environmental Laws, Economics, and Ethics

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Environmental Laws, Economics, and Ethics
Chapter 2
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Environmental History of U.S.
1800
1700
1900
1600
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Environmental History of U.S.

• What is the Frontier Attitude?
• A desire to conquer and exploit nature as quickly
  as possible
• At this rate, an area the size of Europe could be
  deforested in 40yrs!

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Environmental History of U.S.
1800
1900
1750
Some conservationists were influential in raising
environmental concerns later in this period.
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George Perkins Marsh

• Influenced Theodore Roosevelt and Gifford Pinchot
  (first head of the U.S. Forest Service).
• Utilitarian Conservation
• They values natural resources because of their
  usefulness for practical purposes but uses them
  sensibly

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Environmental History of U.S.
1900
1950
1850
Several presidents, particularly Theodore
Roosevelt, used this Act to establish 43 million
acres of forest reserves.
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Environmental History of U.S.
1900
1950
1850
Different worldviews
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Worldviews

• Utilitarian Conservationist
• A person who values natural resources because of
  there usefulness for practical purposes but uses
  them sensibly
• Biocentric Preservationist
• A person who believes in protecting nature
  because all forms of life deserve respect and
  consideration

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Environmental History of U.S.
1950
2000
1900
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Environmental History of U.S.
1950
2000
1900
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Silent Springs

• Heightened public awareness and concern about the
  dangers of uncontrolled uses of DDT and other
  pesticides.
• Led to restrictions on use of certain pesticides.

Rachel Carson
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Environmental History of U.S.
1950
2000
1900
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Environmental History of U.S.
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U.S. Environmental Legislation

• National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA)
• Stated that federal government must consider the
  environmental impact of a proposed federal action.

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U.S. Environmental Legislation

• National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA)
• dictates ALL federally proposed actions draft
  an environmental impact statement (EIS).
• Council on Environmental Quality
• Established by the NEPA to monitor the required
  EIS and report directly to the president

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EISs Were they effective?

• Complains were made that
• They were sometimes incomplete or are ignored
  when decisions are made.
• Delay important projects because they were too
  involved and took too long to prepare

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U.S. Environmental Legislation

• Addressing New Environmental Problems with
  Government Policies

Problem identified
Regulations implemented / enforced by states
(usually)
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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)

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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

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Economics and the Environment

• Economics
• The study of how people use their limited
  resources to try to satisfy their unlimited
  wants.
• - An economist view the world as one large market
  place where resources are allocated for various
  uses and where goods and services are consumed
  and paid for.

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Economics and the Environment
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Economics and the Environment

• National Income Accounts
• The total income of a nation for a given year
• Gross Domestic Product (GDP)
• Net Domestic Product (NDP)
• NDP GDP - depreciation / capital expenses

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Economics and the Environment

• National Income Accounts
• Gross Domestic Product (GDP)
• Net Domestic Product (NDP)
• NDP GDP - depreciation / capital expenses

External costs rarely considered
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Economics and the Environment

• Marginal cost of pollution

The additional cost associated with one more unit
of pollution
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Economics and the Environment

• Marginal cost of pollution abatement

The added cost for all present and future members
of society of an additional unit of pollution
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Economics and the Environment

• Cost-Benefit Analysis

Used by economist to identify the point at which
the marginal cost of pollution equals the
marginal cost of abatement (intersection)
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Economics and the Environment

• Cost-Benefit Analysis

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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.
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Economics and the Environment

• Economic strategies for pollution control

• Command and control regulations
• Pollution-control laws that work by setting
  limits on levels of pollution

2) Incentive-based regulation Pollution-control
laws that work by establishing emission targets
and providing industries with incentives to
reduce emissions
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Economics and the Environment

• Case-in-Point Environmental Problems in Central
  and Eastern Europe

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Environmental Ethics, Values, and Worldviews

• Ethics
• Branch of philosophy that is derived through the
  logical application of human values
• Values
• The principles that an individual or society
  considers important or worthwhile
• Worldview
• Commonly shared perspectives based on a
  collection of our basic values that help us to
  make sense of the world, understand our place and
  purpose in it and determine right and wrong
  behavior.

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Environmental Ethics, Values, and Worldviews

• Environmental worldview
• Helps us make sense of how the environment works,
  and right and wrong environmental behavior
• Western worldview
• An understanding of our place in the world based
  on human superiority and dominance over nature,
  the unrestricted use of natural resources and
  economic growth to manage an expanding industrial
  base
• Deep ecological worldview
• An understanding of our place in the world based
  on harmony with nature, a spiritual respect for
  life, and the belief that human and all other
  species have equal worth

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Environmental Ethics, Values, and Worldviews

• Environmental Ethics
• List your moral values concerning the
  stewardship of natural resources.
• Where would you place yourself along this
  spectrum of worldviews?