Deck 14: Economics Politics Worldviews and the Environment Appendix Units of Measurement

Question 1

According to one definition, sustainable development involves meeting the needs of the present human generation without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their needs. What do you think are the needs referred to in this definition? Compare this definition with the characteristics of environmentally sustainable economic development described in Figure 14-7.

Answer 1

Sustainable development means allowing a country to develop such that the human needs of its population are met, but doing this without sacrificing those same needs of future generations. Basic human needs are defined as clean water to drink, a sanitary sewage system, sufficient, healthy food to eat, a safe, dry place to live, and enough fuel to cook and heat. Outside of these needs are education for everyone, competent medical care, and jobs to provide a living. Several environmentalist and heads of businesses provide suggestions to make a transition to a more sustainable economy. Some of these are:
• Subsidize economic development only if its sustainable
• Fine any economic growth that degrades the environment
• Tax those individuals and business that produce waste or pollute
• Reduce poverty
• Shift to more reuse and recycling
• Increase the energy efficiency of products
• Use more renewable energy sources
• Stop damage to ecosystems
• Slow population growth

Question 2

What are some major environmental worldviews?

Answer 2

A person's environmental worldview defines how he/she believes the world should work and what they feel their role in it is. This worldview, in turn, if affected by a person's environmental ethics which is how he/she views the environment and the correct behavior toward it. There are two types of human-centered worldviews. These are:
• Planetary Management - These people view humans as the singularly dominant species on Earth. It is our job to manage the other species and resources to benefit humans. The other species are merely instruments to be used by us as needed.
• Stewardship - This view also assumes that humans are the dominant species; however, these people believe that we have to be ethical caretakers of the world. They assume that we are intelligent and educated enough to know what needs to be done and technological advanced enough to accomplish it. This worldview believes we should leave the world in at least as good condition as we found it.
The third type of worldview is life-centered:
• Environmental Wisdom - People who hold this worldview believe that humans are simply a part of the greater biosphere. Humans are no more or no less important than any other species. They believe that we should be managing and caring for our own species and trying to do no harm to other species.

Question 3

How can we use economic tools to deal with environmental problems?

Answer 3

Economic tools are a strong motivator. If the price of a consumer good included the cost of the environmental or health problems that were created during the production of the good, people would begin to buy the more sustainable items. Also, if tax breaks and subsidies went to the companies that protected the environment and produced their goods sustainably, their products would be cheaper. Finally, governments should consider taxing individuals and corporations that pollute or generate excessive waste rather than their profits or employees' wages.

Question 4

Describe five ways in which individuals in democracies can help to develop and change environmental policy. What are four ways to provide environmental leadership? Describe the roles of grassroots and mainstream environmental organizations and give an example of each type of organization. Give two examples of successful roles that students have played in improving environmental quality.

Question 5

What is the genuine progress indicator (GPI) and how does it differ from the gross domestic product (GPN) economic indicator? What is full-cost pricing and what are some benefit of using it to determine the market values of goods and services? Give three reasons why it is not widely used.

Question 6

Do you believe that we have an ethical responsibility to leave the earth's natural systems in as good a condition as they are now or better? Explain. List three aspects of your lifestyle that hinder implementing this ideal and three aspects that promote this ideal.

Question 7

Suppose that over the next 20 years the environmental and health costs of goods and services will be internalized until their market prices reflect their total costs. What harmful effects and what beneficial effects might such full-cost pricing have on your lifestyle?

Question 8

How can we live more sustainably?

Question 9

How can reducing poverty help us to deal with environmental problems?

Question 10

Explain the importance of environmental security relative to economic and military security. List two pieces of good news and two pieces of bad news about international efforts to deal with global environmental problems.

Question 11

Describe the benefits of shifting from environmentally unsustainable to more environmentally sustainable government subsidies and tax breaks. Describe the proposal to tax pollution and wastes instead of wages and profits. What is the cap-and-trade approach to implementing environmental regulation? What are some environmental benefits of selling services instead of goods? Give two examples of this approach. Describe Ray Anderson's attempts to develop a more environmentally sustainable carpet business.

Question 12

This chapter summarized several different environmental worldviews. Go through these worldviews and find the beliefs you agree with, and then describe your own environmental worldview. Which of your beliefs were added or modified as a result of taking this course? Compare your answer with those of your classmates.

Question 13

Explain why you agree or disagree with the proposals that various analysts have made for sharply reducing poverty, as discussed on p. 309. Which two of these proposals do you believe are the most important?

Question 14

What is an environmental worldview ? What are environmental ethics? Distinguish among the following environmental worldviews: planetary management, stewardship , and environmental wisdom. List eight goals for a person seeking environmental literacy. List four questions that lie at the heart of environmental literacy. Describe the environmental worldview of Aldo Leopold.

Question 15

How can we make the transition to more environmentally sustainable economies?

Question 16

List the five most important things that you have learned about life on earth that you would want to pass on your grandchildren.

Question 17

What is poverty and how is it related to population growth and environmental degradation? List three ways in which government can help reduce poverty. What are the advantages of making microloans to the poor?

Question 18

What is your understanding of the relationship between owning things and happiness? What is voluntary simplicity? What are out basic needs? List eight ways in which people can live more lightly on the earth. List seven components of an environmental or sustainability revolution.

Question 19

Assume that you are the dictator of a large nation such as Brazil, the United States, or China. Write a five-point outline of your environmental policy. Do you think such a dictatorial policy process would be better for the environment than the democratic policy-making process described in this chapter? Explain.

Question 20

What is environmental policy and how is it made?

Question 21

What is a matter recycling and reuse economy ? Describe a low-throughput ( low-waste ) economy. List six ways to shift to more environmentally sustainable economies.

Question 22

Explain why you agree or disagree with
a. each of the four principles that biologists and some economists have suggested for using public lands in the United States (p. 320) or in the country where you live.
b. each of the five suggestions made by developers and resource extractors for managing and using U.S. public land (p. 320).

Question 23

Should we attempt to maximize economic growth by producing and consuming more and more economic goods and services? Explain. What are the alternatives?

Question 24

How can we improve global environmental security?

Question 25

How are economic systems related to the biosphere?

Question 26

What is a democracy ? Describe two features of democratic governments that hinder their ability to deal with environmental problems. What is environmental policy ? Describe seven principles that decision makers can use in making environmental policy. Explain why developing environmental policy is a difficult and controversial process. What are four major types of public lands in the United States? Describe the controversy over managing these lands. Describe the controversy over logging in U.S. National Forests. Describe efforts to weaken U.S. environmental laws and regulations.

Question 27

Review the Key Questions and Concepts for this chapter on p. 302. What is an economic system? Distinguish among natural capital, human capital (human resources), and manufactured capital (manufactured resources). What is a high-throughput economy? Compare how neoclassical economists and ecological and environmental economists view economic systems. List eight strategies that ecological and environmental economists would use to make the transition to more sustainable eco-economies.

Question 28

Government agencies can help to keep an economy going or to boost certain types of economic development by, for example, building or expanding a major highway through an undeveloped area. Proponents of such development have argued that requiring environmental impact statements as a part of governmental regulation of such projects interferes with efforts to help an economy. Do you agree? is this a problem? Why or why not?