Economic Systems: The Environment & Ecosystems

1. Now playing: Louis Armstrong “What a wonderful world” Economic Systems: The Environment & Ecosystems

2. Goals: 1. Understand how economics affect the environment. 2. Begin to see the scope of effects of both sides of global development, global trade & economic systems. 3. Recognize that economics systems have structures + processes = patterns. These systems can be evaluated based on the environmental, ecological & social patterns they create. Websites:Chapters 40, 43, 44 & 45 (Alt. Bk. – 27 to 32 not 28) http://www.epa.gov/oar/oaqps/peg_caa/pegcaa11 http://www.nhq.nrcs.usda.gov/land/tools/models.html http://www.gis.iwr.msu.edu/net21/ssurgo/countypicker.html http://water.wr.usgs.gov/pnsp/ http://www.ecosystemvaluation.org/links.htm http://www.epa.gov/oppe/eaed/home4.htm http://www.great-lakes.net/ http://www.paris21.org/betterworld/home.htm http://www.epa.gov/airs/

3. Economic Systems: Analogous to the Environment & Ecosystems? • Do “more growth” economic • systems affect ecological • sustainability? • Does our US economic system • affect local, national & global • ecological sustainability? • If “yes” or “no”, can you defend • your response scientifically, • logically & with statistics?

4. Everything is Connected to Everything else!

5. 4- Economics 3- Society 2- The Ecosystem 1- The Environment Agricultural Sustainability • Definition: “the ability of a farm to continue in time” • It’s at least a presumption or presupposition about the future: • involves at least: • How well are we measuring our economic policy outcomes relative to sustainability?

6. Abiotic Environment Physical laws and structure: earth, soil, water, minerals, atmosphere… Cycles: H20, C, N, etc… Chemical Interactions… metabolism & synthesis degradation & mass action Energy flux: light, +/_ charge e.g. heat (long wave length light) e.g. electrical charges (chemical bonds & enzymes) Biotic Systems Species Populations Communities Agro-Ecosystem Ecozones Hemispheres Bioshpere Earth Solar System Universe Integration Structure + Process = Pattern Ecosystems:Abiotic and Biotic Integration

7. Structure

8. Inputs or raw materialls

9. Processes

10. Technology(Delivery to Consumption) • Facilities • Storage, processing, packaging, marketing • Machinery and equipment • Storage, processing, packaging, marketing • Transportation system • Air, land, water • Information system • Home utensils • Preserving, cooking

11. Transportation How does transportation affect the environment and ecosystems?

12. Storage How does storage of goods affect the environment and ecosystems?

13. Processing How does processing affect the environment and ecosystems?

14. Supermarkets How does marketing & advertisement affect the environment and ecosystems?

15. Packaging How does packaging affect the environment and ecosystems?

17. How does our economic system affect land use, sprawl, the environment and ecosystems?

21. Resources and the environment: • Renewable • Nonrenewable How does our economic system affect the use of reneable & nonrenuable resources?

22. What gets measured gets managed! Integration Structure + Process = Pattern What is the US Economic System? How does our US economic system mesh with 1) Biology, 2) Agriculture, and the 3) Environment?

23. Final Goods (Products to Society) From the Environment OrEnvironmental & Ecological Amenities Energy – Calories (from food chain) – Temperature – Light – Radiation shielding

24. • Matter – Air (gas composition) – Water (humidity, drinking water, bathing water) – Food nutrients (carbohydrates, protein, fats, minerals, vitamins) – Sights, sounds, smells, taste, sensations – Shelter – Clothing – Waste assimilation –Aesthetics

25. Intermediate Goods From the Environment • Photosynthesis and Food chain • • Hydrological cycle (water purification, irrigation) • • Climate system (temperature and humidity • control, air purification) • • Soil formation • • Biogeochemical (material) cycles • • Pollination

26. Economic & environmental Production Functions; Analogous? • Just as the economy transforms matter and energy; the environment does likewise! • Just as production of economic inputs requires capital and inputs; the environment and ecology require investment to assure sustainable production!

27. More Growth Economic Models Is our Economic system Working? What are the assumptions of these systems? • X% growth per year • top countries drag up the lowest countries as • trading partners • economic growth inexhaustible • transition from real consumer • goods and manufacturing to • information or other forms of • non-manufacturing goods… • market will dictate the outcome

30. Built Forest Other land use Lake Land Use Change from 1980-2040Southeast Michigan 1980 2020 2040

31. Built Forest Other land use Lake Land Use Change from 1980-2040Southwest Michigan 1980 2020 2040 What drives land transformation?

32. What drives changes in the number of farms?

33. What drives erosion?

34. Why isn't more land conserved?

35. Why are we degrading our Nation's soils?

36. What drives water use and allocation?

37. What drives land transformation especially the cutting public forests?

38. Why are so many species threatened or endangered?

40. What drives the use of fossil fuels?

41. What causes ozone depletion?

42. Information as a commodity: How do ‘information systems’ affect our economy today? What gets measured gets managed! Integration Structure + Process = Pattern • electronic information • biological information • genetic information • emergent properties of the • economy = publication and use of economic information

43. What gets measured gets managed! Integration Structure + Process = Pattern Is Voting a Duty or a Choice? Far less than 50% of Americans vote! Voters 18 to 30 years old 2% 39% 59% Voters 31 or older 2% 36% 62% Constitutional Duty Choice No answer From The Lansing State Journal October 31

44. What gets measured gets managed! Integration Structure + Process = Pattern What Are the Most Important Issues? Voters 18 to 30 years old 24% 36% 23% 17% Voters 31 or older 23% 39% War on Terrorism 10% 28% Economy Education Other From The Lansing State Journal October 31

45. Video Dirty Business Food Exports to the United States Migrant Media Productions P.O. Box 2048 Freedom, CA 95019 408-728-8949

46. Economic Systems: Analogous to Environment & Ecosystems? • Do “more growth” economic • systems affect ecological • sustainability? • Does our US economic system • affect local, national & global • ecological sustainability? • If “yes” or “no”, can you defend • your response scientifically, • logically & with statistics?

47. Environmental Advocacy Group Perspective Earth day offered little political analysis, no vision of how corporate America has manipulated consumer demand, how corporate interests have gradually shaped our addiction to products containing a wide array of environmentally destructive chemicals, how American companies went from producing one billion pounds of toxic chemicals in 1940 to over 220 billion in 1987. Earth Day failed to educate people about the limited choices consumers really have, and how industry, especially the automotive, petrochemical and paper industries, bear more responsibility than the rest of us. [Or how the US food industry exploits people in the Us and overseas!] -- Gary Cohen in Toxic Times.