chapter 3: Environmental History, Politics, and Economics

resources

any part of the natural environment used to promote welfare of people over other species

conservation

sensible and careful management of natural resources

preservation

setting aside undisturbed areas, maintaining them in pristine state, and protecting them from human activities that might alter their 'natural' state

Forest Reserve Act

gives the U.S. president the authority to establish forest reserves on public land

utilitarian conservationist

person who values natural resources because of their usefulness to humans but uses them sensibly and carefully

John Muir

founded the Sierra Club - a national conservation organization that is still active on a range of environmental issues

biocentric preservationaist

a person who believes in protecting nature from human interference because all forms of life deserve respect and consideration

Rachel Carson

wrote about interrelationships among living organisms, including humans, and the natural environment in the book "Silent Spring

environmentalists

people concerned about the environment, was heard in the United States primarily through societies such as the Sierra club and the National Wildlife Federation

National Environmental Policy Act of 1970

well-publicized ecological disasters, such as the oil spill of 1969 off in the coast of santa barbara, california, and overwhelming public support for the earth day movement led to the NEPA of 1970

Key provision of NEPA

requires federal government to consider the environmental impact of a proposed federal action, such as financing highway or dam construction, when making decisions about that action

environmental impact statements

accompany every federal recommendation or proposal for legislation. an EIS is a document that describes the nature and purpose of the proposal, its short- and long-term environmental impacts, and possible alternatives that would create fewer adverse effec

full cost accounting

process of evaluating and presenting to decision makers the relative benefits and costs of various alternatives

natural capital

earth's resources and processes that sustain living organisms, including humans, includes minerals, forests, soils, water, clean air, wildlife, and fisheries

national income accounts

measures of the total income of a nation's goods and services for a given year

external cost

a harmful environmental or social cost that is borne by people not directly involved in selling or buying a product

marginal cost

additional cost associated with one more unit of something

marginal cost of pollution

the added cost of an additional unit of pollution

marginal cost of pollution abatement

the added cost of reducing one unit of a given type of pollution

cost-benefit diagram

diagram that helps policymakers make decisions about costs of a particular action and benefits that would occur if that action were implemented

optimum amount of pollution

amount of pollution that is economically most desirable

command and control regulation

pollution control laws that work by setting limits on levels of pollution

incentive-based regulation

pollution control laws that work by establishing emission targets and providing industries with incentives to reduce emissions

environmental taxes

designed to equal to the externality caused by a polluter

tradeable permit

set an allowable amount of pollution and then let different companies buy and sell the right to release that pollution