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Explore the concepts of sustainability, economics, and equity, including the impacts of trade agreements, supply and demand dynamics, externalities, wealth indicators, microlending, and policy approaches. Learn how to measure and achieve sustainability, address poverty, and promote environmental stewardship in the era of global development and equity.
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Chapter 20 Sustainability, Economics, and Equity Quote of the chapter: “Leave the world better than you found it, take no more than you need, try not to harm life or the environment, and make amends if you do.” ~Paul Hawken, author of Natural Capitalism
Sustainability, Economics, and Equity • Ciudad Juarez, Mexico • 1994 – US, Canada, and Mexico passed the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAGTA) • Intended to increase trade by reducing tariffs/other taxes and regulations • Negative consequences: • Industrial pollution • Poor working conditions • Discrimination • Questions of social justice • Point of story?
Sustainability • Sustainability – meeting the needs of the present generation without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs • Newer concept • Basic needs include – • Well being – status of being healthy, happy and prosperous
Economics • Economics – examines how humans either as individuals or as companies allocate scarce resources in the production, distribution and consumption of goods and services
Supply, Demand and the Market • Most economies are market economies • Market – occurs whenever people engage in trade • Cost of good is determined by supply and demand
Supply • Supply curve (s) - shows how many units that suppliers of a given product or service are willing to supply • Factors that influence supply –
Demand • Demand curve (D) - shows how much of a good consumers want to buy. • Factors that determine demand - • Slopes downwards because as the price of the good rises, the demand declines
The Law of Supply • Law of supply – when the price of a good rises, the quantity supplied of that good will rise and when the price of a good falls, the quantity of the good supplied will also fall
The Law of Demand • Law of demand – when the price of good rises, the quantity demanded falls and when the price falls, demand rises
Equilibrium • When the price of a good comes to an equilibrium point and the two curves (S and D) intersect on the graph • At this price, suppliers find it worthwhile to supply exactly as many of the product as consumers are willing to buy.
Externalities • Externalities - costs/impact of a good or service on people and the environment not included in the economic price of that good or service • Ex. costs of using common resources such:
Wealth and Productivity • GDP (gross domestic product) - the value of all products and services produced in a year in a given country • Includes 4 types of spending: • Does not reflect externalities such as pollution • GPI (genuine progress indicator) - attempts to address this shortcoming
Microlending • Practice of loaning small amounts of money to people who intend to start a small business in less developed countries
Terminology • Natural capital – resources of the planet • Human capital – • Manufactured capital – all goods and services that humans produce • Market failure – • Environmental economics – examines the costs and benefits of various policies and regulations that seek to regulate or limit air and water pollution and other causes of environmental degradation • Ecological economics – • Valuation – assigning monetary value to intangible benefits and natural capital
Environmental Worldviews Important to policies a nation considers and how it implements them: • Anthropocentric - human-centered • Stewardship • Biocentric - life-centered • Variety of positions • Ecocentric - Earth-centered • Various forms
World Agencies • United Nations (UN) • United Nations Environment Program (UNEP) • The World Bank • The World Health Organization (WHO) • The United Nations Development Program (UNDP)
United States Agencies • The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) • The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) • The Department of Energy (DOE)
Several Approaches to Measuring and Achieving Sustainability • Human development index (HDI) – combines 3 basic measures of human status: • life expectancy • knowledge and education • individual purchasing power • Human poverty index (HPI) – measures 3 things:
Deterrents and Incentives • Strategies used by US to protect environment, promote human safety/welfare and (in some cases) internalize externalities: • Command and control • Incentive based approach • Green tax
Two Major Challenges of our Time: • Reducing poverty • Stewarding the environment (environmental justice)
Millennium Development Goals(Poverty and Inequity) • Eradicate extreme poverty and hunger • Achieve universal primary education • Promote gender equality and empower women • Reduce child mortality • Improve maternal health • Combat HIV/AIDS, malaria, and other diseases • Ensure environmental sustainability • Develop a global partnership for development • 2013 report: http://www.un.org/millenniumgoals/pdf/report-2013/mdg-report-2013-english.pdf
Environmental Justice • Inequitable distribution of pollution and of environmental degradation with their adverse effects on humans and ecosystems • People that are of lower incomes and minorities that have a disproportionate exposure to environmental hazards • Can they not afford to get away? Or • Do industries move here because no one will complain?
Story of Change • https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oIQdYXCKUv0