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Understanding Environmental Problems: Causes and Solutions

This lecture delves into the spectrum of environmental issues, from crisis to catastrophe, examining factors like individual behavior, corporate negligence, and societal ideologies fueling pollution. It explores key concepts such as negative externalities, powerful actors' influence, and unsustainable cultural practices. Case studies like the BP Oil Spill and Love Canal disaster underscore the urgent need for change. The lecture also highlights government subsidies and the clash between free market ideals and environmental preservation.

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Understanding Environmental Problems: Causes and Solutions

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  1. Lecture 6 Thursday, September 20 The Environment

  2. The Scope of Environmental Problems: Somewhere between crisis & catastrophe

  3. actual (to 2007) forecast

  4. JJA NH Frequency of summer temperature anomalies (how often they deviated from the historical normal of 1951-1980) over the summer months in the northern hemisphere. Source: NASA/ Hansen et al. 2012 http://climatecrocks.com/2012/08/05/hansen-on-the-new-math-of-extreme-events/

  5. Global temperature and carbon dioxide: anomalies through 2011 Base period 1900-99; data from NOAA

  6. U.S. daily temperature extremes 2010 2011 2012 2.3:1 2.7:1 9.0:1 The ratio of record daily highs (red) to record daily lows (blue) at about 1,800 weather stations in the 48 contiguous United States from Jan. 1950 to Sept. 2009. Meehl et al. GRL 2009. Update using NOAA data: Climatecommunication.org

  7. Five explanations for environmental problems I. Individual lack of concern for the environment & free-riding II. Negative externalities of private choices and profit-making firms III. Strategies of powerful actors IV. Indirect cultural effects of hyper-capitalism: consumerism run amok V. Free market ideology blocks solutions.

  8. Individual lack of concern for the environment & free-riding

  9. Example of Environmental problem from individual free-riding Individual annual cost of recycling = $50 Individual long-term benefit from recycling = $100

  10. 1987 TV Public Service Ad Against Pollution http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hwYDyRKmxZc&feature=related

  11. II. Negative externalities of private choices and profit-making firms

  12. Inter-generational negative externality: Displacing costs onto future generations

  13. 25.0% % of global energy use % of global population 20.0% 15.0% 10.0% 5.0% 0.0% Europe United States China Africa Latin America Japan, SK, Australia, NZ Energy Use in the USA and elsewhere, 2005

  14. 70 60 50 40 30 20 10 0 USA Europe China Latin America Africa Japan, South Korea, Australia, New Zealand Millions of metric tons of CO2 per capita per year

  15. NIMBY externalities: Displacing costs onto the powerless

  16. Census tracks in California by cancer risk from toxins in the air 70% White 60% Nonwhite 50% 40% 30% 20% 10% 0% Lowest third of risk highest third of risk

  17. BP Oil Spill

  18. This map shows the location of the landfills, the amount of waste (which includes “oily solids,” waste from the cleanup, and so on) sent there, and the percentage of people living within a 1-mile radius that are People of Color: • % Minority (“people of color”) for each state (as of 2008), just to provide some context: • LA: 38.1 • MS: 41.3 • AL: 31.6 • FL: 39.7

  19. Negative externalities of profit-maximizing firms

  20. CENTRAL PROPOSITION: For capitalist firms pollution is not just an accident: In general, the most profitable economic strategies will be the most polluting because they successfully displace costs on others.

  21. Lois Gibbs account of her Love Canal experience http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PrzqFPego4A

  22. Strategies of powerful actors

  23. Total subsidies for energy from the U.S. government 1950-2006 = over $700 billion • 50% for oil & natural gas • 13% for coal • 11% for hydroelectric • 9% for nuclear • 6% for wind and solar

  24. Funding for the E.P.A. as a % of the Federal Budget

  25. IV. Indirect cultural effects of hyper-capitalism: consumerism run amok

  26. V. Free market ideology blocks solutions.

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