EESC-Chapter 20: Environmental Ethics and Economics (values and choices)

Trade-offs

a balancing of factors all of which are not attainable at the same time; a giving up of one thing in return for another.

World view

a person's or group's beliefs about the meaning, purpose, operation, and essence of the world, e.g.-the environment is a hostile force-the landscape is sacred-the landscape has spiritual or cultural significance

Culture

knowledge, beliefs, values, and learned ways of life shared by a group of people.

Vested interest

having strong interests in the outcome of a decision that results in gain or loss for that individual or group, corporation of government.

Traditional or indigenous ecological knowledge

the intimate knowledge of a particular environment possessed and passes along by those who have inhabited an area for many generations.

Prior informed consent

a legal principal in which an activity should not proceed until affect ed people have given consent based on full knowledge and understanding of the potential impacts.

Ethics

the study of good and bad, right and wrong

ethical standards

criteria that help differentiate right from wrong.

Utilitarian principle

something is right when it produces the most benefits for the most people

intrinsic value

inherent right to exist.

Environmental ethics

the application of ethical standards to relationships between human and non-human entities.

Anthropocentrism

only humans have rights. Costs and benefits of decisions are weighed only in respect to the impact on humans.

Biocentrism

ascribes values to actions, entities based on their effects on all living things.

Ecocentrism

whole ecological systems have value.

preservation ethic

holds that we should protect the natural environment in a pristine, unaltered state.

conservation ethic

holds that humans should put natural resources to use but also that we have a responsibility to manage them wisely.

Environmental justice

is based on the principle that all people have the right: To live and work in a clean, healthy environment•To receive protection from the risks and impacts of environmental degradation•To be compensated for having suffered such impacts•To have equitable access to environmental resources

Subsistence economies

people meet most or all their needs directly from nature

capitalist market economy

people meet their needs through buying and selling products and services.

Ecological economics

takes a holistic view of the linkages between environment and economy, applying the principles of ecology and systems science to the study of economics.

Environmental economics

and natural resource accounting are both seated within traditional economics, but pay particular attention to valuing environmental goods and services

Externalities

costs or benefits involving people other than the buyer or seller

external costs

cost borne by someone not involved in a transaction, e.g.human health, the medical cost of respiratory illness; fewer fish due to pollution; the costs of adapting to climate change; pollution from the tail pipe of your car.

Ecological economists

argue that civilizations do not overcome their environmental limitations in the long run-There are limits to the ability of improvements in technology to solve resource scarcity and environmental issues

Environmental economists

argue that economies are unsustainable if population growth is not reduced and resource use is not made more efficient and sustainable-But we can accomplish these changes through our current economic system, e.g.by accounting for external costs

Gross Domestic Product

(GDP) total monetary value of final goods and services produced.

Genuine Progress Indicator (GPI)

differentiates between desirable and undesirable economic activity.