What are the two aspects of gratitude?
Appreciation and Attribution
Contrast modern-industrial and ecologically grounded worldviews
Modern-Industrial: The Earth has plenty of resources. A linear "take, make, waste" economy can continue indefinitely. Technology will fix our problems. Efficiency increases profits
Ecologically Grounded: Earth's regenerative capacity has limits. Our syste
The Three main questions for Case Studies
Who is most harmed?
Who benefits?
Who has power over who?
Environmental Injustice
when people in poorer communities are more likely to be subjected to negative environmental impacts to their health and well-being
Environmental Racism
the disproportionate impact of environmental hazards on people of color
Environmental Privilege
Unearned environmental advantage to people called "white".
What causes environmental Injustice?
1. Economics
2. Socio-Politics
3. Discrimination
4. Hierarchy
What is Direct Action and why is it such an important part of the Environmental Justice Movement?
Direct action is key because those most affected by injustice are usually not in decision-making positions
What is Environmental Ethics?
The moral relationship of humans to, along with the value and moral status of, the environment and its nonhuman contents
How have western dominant culture environmental ethics, excluded Indigenous worldview and advantaged white people?
We use "it" for a pronoun of non human environment. Which implies values distinction between human/animals and non-human/animals.
Can lead to exploiting nature to benefit white people. Then exploiting people of color to benefit nature
How is environmental justice movement different from the western dominant culture environmental movement?
Environmental Justice Movement is more include and led by people of color. Concerned about fair distribution of environmental benefits and burdens as well as how environmental issues intersect with race and class
What is a moral argument?
Science+Ethics
Explain how to most effectively change peoples' understanding of environmental issues.
Multiple lines of convergent evidence
Alternative theory that's more consistent with evidence must be credible and understandable
How can identifying shared values help in creating environmental change?
Using shared values as bridges to connect people people on the "other" side, to understand them and together look for solutions.
How is global human population size changing?
The population is growing at a lower rate than before
Is Population growth as a percentage of population per year increasing or decreasing?
Decreasing
What is the demographic transition?
The process of change in a society's population from a condition of high crude birth and death rates and low rate of natural increase to a condition of low crude birth and death rates, low rate of natural increase, and a higher total population.
What is a persons ecological footprint?
Area of land needed to provide what a person consumes and absorb their waste.
How does global average footprint compare with the amount of productive land available to each person if it were divided equally?
Productive land available = 1.6 ha(3 football fields) 1 Earth
Global average footprint = 2.7 ha, 1.7 Earths
US average footprint = 8 ha, 5 Earths
How does a persons footprint vary with their affluence?
There is a positive correlation with high affluence and large footprint
Is a large Ecological Footprint needed for human wellbeing?
Kind of, not to the level of the US of Canada but a little more is needed to have a high wellbeing.
What are the assumptions of economics?
1. The purpose of economic activity is to increase individual satisfaction
2. Only benefits or costs to humans have weight
3. Individuals act in self-interest
4. Each individual is the best judge of what is best for themselves
What is cost-benefit analysis and what are the challenges to applying it to environmental issues?
Identify the cost, Measure costs and benefits, Assess if benefits>costs.
It's difficult to identify and measure costs of environmental issues in terms of money. Also it's difficult to determine who makes this decision.
Define and give an example of an externality in an environmental issue
An externality is a market failure, when individual behavior does not lead to rational outcome for the group. An example is climate change
Explain how economic value can be placed on the environment
Using models that show the Ecosystem Services affect our Constituents of Well-Being
Explain what a common resource is
A resource that is accessible to all. Ex. Air, Forest
Explain the Tragedy of the Commons
shared, limited resource becomes depleted due to people acting on self-interest for short-term gain
Explain the conditions promoting the "Tragedy of the Commons
Unrestricted Group Access
High Discount Rates
Varied Interests
High Cost of Communication
High Cost of reaching binding and enforceable agreements
Explain how the Tragedy of the Commons relates to an environmental justice.
Richest 10% of people produce half of total lifestyle consumption emissions
Explain 4 main ways to prevent/solve the Tragedy of the Commons
1. Voluntary Collective Management
2. Internalize the Externalities
3. Top-Down government control of resource
4. Privatization, Central to Capitalism
Explain how Cap and Trade works, and its advantages and disadvantages
Firms are given traceable rights to emit pollutants, if they emit too much, they have to pay other firms to reduce emissions: Carbon trading
Advantages: Efficiency
Disadvantages: How can rights be allocated equally?
Explain what common property is and how it can help avoid a Tragedy of the Commons
Combines voluntary collective management with privatizing.
Resources are shared but exclusive to particular social groups who define rules of use.
Facilitates effective governance.
What is the purpose of incentives and disincentives, and how do they work?
People get rewarded for incentives and punished for disincentives
What is the attitude-behavior gap?
It is a disconnect between what we want to do and what we actually do.
What causes the attitude-behavior gap?
Behavior is driven by collective and personal factors
How do perceptual limits contribute to the attitude-behavior gap, and how can we work with them to promote behavior change?
We are adapted to intermediate situations, Issues that are not immediate and directly sensed do not generate emotion and action
Focus on local, current impacts of diffuse issues like climate change that can seem distant. Use senses to connect emotionally,
Explain the three needs of Self-Determination Theory, and how we can work with them in environmental education and outreach to promote behavior change
Autonomy: Public Transit vs. Private Car. Highlight shared values, not "new" ones.
Relatedness: What is "normal" in our social network
? To change behavior, connect with people trying to make similar changes.
Competence: We don't know how to do things dif