outline 1.2

Chapter 1, section 2, outline       How human societies act play a role in how we will create/solve environmental problems.   "The Tragedy of the Commons" – essay by Garrett Hardin Said difficult to solve environmental problems because trying to balance the short term interests of individuals with long term interests of society Greed "If I do not use it someone else will" Common can be any shared resource – lake, atmosphere, field, earth with a common resource a few can spoil resource for all so everyone must respect the common. Hardin argued that the short term interests of a few would mess up the common If we divided it up into individual parcels so that everyone had their own supply of the resource then they could not mess up all of the resource for everyone and they would feel/see the affect of their actions. Earths natural resources are our modern commons but it is often impossible to divide them into individual portions so we have to educate or otherwise change peoples behavior and use of resources.   Economics and the Environment Economic forces influence how we use resources Law of supply and Demand – the greater the demand for something of limited supply the more it is worth. (If more people want it, it will cost more) If supply goes up without demand the cost will drop Cost-benefit analysis – balances the cost of an action against the projected benefits Depends on who is doing the analysis – short term monetary interests of company versus long term interests of society and the environment Risk assessment – part of cost-benefit analysis, this tries to figure the chance that something bad will happen.   Developed and Developing countries – Developed countries – higher incomes, slower population growth, diverse industrial economies, and stronger social support networks US, Japan, European, Canada Developing countries – lower incomes, simple and agricultural based economies, rapid population growth Most African, Asian, and S. American countries   Population and Consumption Most Environmental problems traced to two main causes 1.      population rowing to fast for resources available 2.      people using up, wasting , polluting resources faster than they can be renewed, replaced, or cleaned up. Local population pressures Consumption trends – people in developed countries (20%) use many more resources (75%) Ecological footprint – the productive area of earth needed to support one person in a particular country a way of measuring the amount of resources a person uses amount of resources needed to support a person   Environmental Science in context Solving problems are complex, involving individuals rights as well as societies Arguments are often emotional and information can be misleading                          Need to listen to many viewpoints and investigate the source of the information   Sustainability – condition in which human needs can be met in a way that the human population can survive forever We are not currently living sustainably but it should be a goal of our societies