Ch. 3: Addressing Environmental Problems, Part II

1. Ch. 3: Addressing Environmental Problems, Part II By Jack Goldberg 7°

2. #1 • Briefly outline the history of the conservation and environmental movements in the United States.

3. 18th and 19th Centuries • Many Americans during this time had a frontier attitude to conquer and exploit nature, areas of the Midwest the size of Europe were completely deforested by the 1860s • 1891 the General Revision Act passed giving president authority to establish forest reserves on public land.

4. Early 20th Century • President Theodore Roosevelt used General Revision Act to keep 17.4 million hectares of forest away from loggers, but would later be 6.5 million hectares of 21 designated national forests. • Yellowstone in Idaho, Montana and Wyoming became the 1st national park followed by Yosemite and Sequoia in California.

5. Late 20th Century • Environmentalists from the Sierra Club and National Wildlife Federation began voicing their concerns about the environment • 1970 was a big year marking the 1st national Earth Day, and the formation of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) which signed National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) into law that year.

6. #2 • Describe the environmental contributions of the following people: John James Audubon, Henry David Thoreau, George Perkins Marsh, Theodore Roosevelt, John Muir, Gifford Pinchot, Franklin Roosevelt, Aldo Leopold, Rachel Carson, and Gaylord Nelson.

7. 19th Century Naturalists • John James Audubon – Aroused American interest in nature with his paintings • Henry David Thoreau – Wrote Walden Pond about living in harmony with nature • George Perkins Marsh – Wrote Man and Nature about how humans are agents of environmental change

8. 20th Century Conservationists • Theodore Roosevelt – Used General Revision Act of 1891to create 24 million hectares of national forests • Gifford Pinchot – 1st head of U.S. Forest Service • Franklin Roosevelt – Created Civilian Conservation Corps and Soil Conservation Service • Aldo Leopold – Wrote Game Management and A Sand County Almanac about the need to conserve wilderness areas

9. Other Great Environmentalists • John Muir - Helped Establish Yosemite and Sequoia National Parks and founded the Sierra Club • Rachel Carson - Wrote Silent Spring about the dangers of pesticide use • Gaylord Nelson - Former Wisconsin Senator organized the 1st Earth Day

10. #3 • Explain why the National Environmental Policy Act is the cornerstone of the U.S. environmental law.

11. The National Environmental Policy Act • The National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) was signed into law shortly after the Earth Day movement in 1970. • It requires that the federal government consider the environmental impact of any construction project funded by the federal government.

12. Why the NEPA is Great • NEPA provides the basis for developing detailed environmental impact statements (EISs) to accompany every federal recommendation or proposal for legislation. • Established the Council on Environmental Quality to monitor the required EISs and report directly to the president.

13. More Reasons to Love the NEPA • NEPA oversees federal highway construction, flood and erosion controls, military projects, public works, and federal agencies oversee nearly 1/3 of the land in the United States • This act has influenced environmental legislation in many states and other countries.

14. #4 • Relate why environmental impact statements provide such powerful protection of the environment.

15. Environmental Impact Statements • Help federal officials make informed decisions • EIS must include nature of proposal and why it’s needed, short-term and long-term and any adverse environmental effects, and alternatives to the course of action to lessen adverse effects.

16. More Information About EIS • Courts decreed the documents had to be thoroughly analyzed the environmental consequences of the anticipated projects on the soil, water, and organisms. • EISs must be available to the public.

17. Negative Views of EIS • Some environmentalists say environmental impact statements are incomplete or ignored. • Others claim they’re too involved, take too long to prepare, and are targets of lawsuits.

18. #5 • Sketch a simple diagram showing how economics is related to the environment. (Economics and Environment both love the green!)

19. Marginal Cost of Pollution

20. Marginal Cost of Pollution Abatement

21. Cost-Benefit Diagram

22. #6 • Distinguish among the following terms: marginal cost of pollution, marginal cost of pollution abatement, optimum amount of pollution.

23. Marginal Cost of Pollution • The cost, in environmental damage, of a unit of pollution that is emitted into the environment • As the total amount of pollution increases, the harm done by each additional unit also increases making an upward sloping curve.

24. Marginal Cost of Pollution Abatement • The cost to dispose of a unit of pollution in a nonpolluting way. • Cost increases as the level of pollution decreases causing a downward sloping curve.

25. Optimum Amount of Pollution • The amount of pollution that is economically most desirable. • Determined by plotting the curves of marginal cost of pollution and marginal cost of pollution abatement and finding the point of intersection.

26. #7 • Describe various approaches to pollution control, including command and control legislation, waste-discharge permit policies, emission reduction credits, and taxation.

27. Emission Charge (Taxation) • A government policy that controls pollution by charging the polluter for each unit of emissions, that is, by establishing a tax on pollution. • A popular market-oriented strategy for controlling pollution, especially in Europe.

28. Waste-Discharge Permit Policy • A government policy that controls pollution by issuing permits allowing the holder to pollute a given amount. • Holders are not allowed to produce more emissions than are sanctioned by their permits.

29. Emission Reduction Credits (ERC) • A waste-charge permit that can be bought and sold by companies producing emissions. • Companies have a financial incentive to reduce emissions because they can recover some or all of their cost of pollution abatement by the sale of the ERCs that they no longer need.

30. Emission Reduction Credits (ERC)

31. Command and Control Legislation • Pollution control laws that work by setting pollution settings. • One example of command and control legislation is the Clean Air Act Amendment of 1990. President Bush Sr. signing the amendment

32. #8 • Explain some of the complexities of the highly contentious jobs versus the environment issue in the Pacific Northwest.

33. The Northwestern Conflict • Conflict: Fate of thousands of jobs v.s. fate of old-growth forest and the organisms living in the forests. • To raise the stakes, the northern spotted owl lives in the Northwestern forest which is listed as a threatened species under the Endangered Species Act.

34. $ Economic Side $ • Thousands of jobs will be lost if the northern spotted owl habitat were to be set aside. • Rural Pacific Northwest did not have a diversified economy and the timber industry, which was already declining, was their main source of revenue.

35. Environmental Side • The old-growth forest is unlike the other forests in that it has never been logged because the trees don’t readily grow back, a natural ecosystem unharmed by humans. • Old-growth forests are a natural treasure to be protected and cherished.

36. #9 • Define environmental ethics and discuss distinguishing features of the Western and deep ecology worldviews.

37. Environmental Ethics • A field of applied ethics that considers the moral basis of environmental responsibility and how far the responsibility extends. • Environmental ethics tries to determine how humans should relate to nature.

38. The Western Worldview • This worldview stresses human dominance over nature. • Unrestricted use of natural resources, increased economic growth for an expanding human population, unlimited consumption of goods and services to provide material comforts are factors that make up this worldview.

39. The Deep Ecology Worldview • Based on the works of Norwegian philosopher Arne Naess. • This worldview stresses spirituality with nature and advocates reducing human population growth and replacing technology with simple material needs.

40. Essay Question • Describe the details pertaining to the establishment of the world’s first national parks, including names, locations, and the manner in which they were established.

41. Essay Answer • Yellowstone National Park was the world’s first national park; it was established in 1872 by Congress. Yellowstone is located in Idaho, Montana, and Wyoming, and includes the canyons and falls of the Yellowstone River. Shortly after, in 1890, due largely to the efforts of Mr. John Muir, Yosemite and the Sequoia National Parks were established. They are both located in California. In 1906, Congress passed the Antiquities Act, which authorized the President to put aside sites that had scientific, historic or prehistoric significance. By 1916, the US had 13 National Parks and 20 National Monuments. Today, there are 54 National Parks and 72 National Monuments. I Hate AP Environment

42. Works Cited • Raven, Peter and Linda Berg. Environment third edition. Orlando, Fl: Harcourt, 2001