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