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Unit 1: Introduction to Environmental Science. Chapter 1: Science and Values (p. 13-18). The Tragedy of the Commons. Established by Garrett Hardin in 1968 States that a common resource will be exploited for personal gain. Preventing The Tragedy of the Commons.
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The Tragedy of the Commons • Established by Garrett Hardin in 1968 • States that a common resource will be exploited for personal gain
Preventing The Tragedy of the Commons • A resource should be managed in such a way that it is continually renewed • This is based on two concepts • Carrying Capacity • Maximum Sustainable Yield
Carrying Capacity and Maximum Sustainable Yield • Carrying Capacity • The number of organisms an environment can support • Maximum Sustainable Yield • The maximum number of organisms that can be removed from a population, and still have that population recover
The Precautionary Principle • In the possibility of serious environmental damage, scientific proof is not required before taking preventive measures • How much evidence is necessary to create action?
Placing Value on the Environment • Ecosystem Services • The environment provides utilitarian, ecological, and recreational services that benefit humans • Moral Justification • Organisms and cultures have equal right to a healthy, unharmed existence
Environmental Economics • Weighs the costs of using and/or polluting resources with the costs of fixing environmental problems
Tangible and Intangible Factors • Tangible Factors • Things you can touch, buy, or sell • Intangible Factors • Cannot be touched but are valuable for different reasons • Intangibles are more difficult to deal with because they are hard to value
Direct and Indirect Costs • Direct Costs • Costs that are associated with acquiring and producing a good or service • Indirect Costs • Also called externalities • Costs that don’t show up in the price of a good or service
Risk-Benefit Analysis • Risk inherent in an action is weighed against the benefit that may result from an action • Perceived risk can be different than actual risk • Acceptable risk may be a very small value
Issues Involved in Environmental Regulation • Free Riders – individuals or organizations who don’t voluntarily adopt environmentally-friendly behaviors or procedures
Issues Involved in Environmental Regulation • Compliance – individuals, corporations, or nations view policies as restrictive, and do not comply
Tools for Regulation • Taxes • Companies that pollute or damage the environment in other ways must pay taxes • Companies that reduce their pollution can earn tax breaks
Tools for Regulation • Quotas or limits • Amounts for pollution emissions or harvests of organisms are set and fines exist for exceeding these limits
Tools for Regulation • Cap-and-Trade • A total quota is set for a resource or emission • Individual harvesters or polluters are allowed a portion of this total quota • Individual harvesters or polluters can trade or sell their allowances
Tools for Regulation • Lawsuits • People or organizations that damage the environment are sued to make reparations
Valuing the Future • How can we know the future usefulness of today’s sacrifices? • What technological advances will have the most benefits? The most costs?
