E2- Intro to HE | Enviro risk(2/26) -waste (4/2)

Fill in the blank and define:

• The tendency of people to evaluate the hazardousness of a situation or decision based on __, __, or human nature

• Usually __ or _ risk

Perception of risk 

• The tendency of people to evaluate the hazardousness of a situation or decision based on biases, culture, or human nature

• Usually underestimates or overestimates risk

This is based on hazard characteristic and what are they?

• perception bias

• Choice(who decides who is exposed)

• control (can the risk be controlled by ourselves or smone we trust?

• observability (can the risk or the effect be seen or measured)

• Latency (is there a delay btwn cause and effect)

• Potential for catastrophe (how many ppl are affected in incident)

What is more acceptable and less acceptable when it comes to estimation/acceptabilty of risk?

• more acceptable (under estimate): voluntary, controlled, trussted source controlled, observable, immediate effects, common, fairly distributed, ethical, well understood by science, not associated w/ a memorable event

• Less acceptable (over estimate): involuntary, uncontrollable, not trusted source controlled, unobservable, delayed effects, rare, catastrophic, unfairly distributed, unethical, associated with memorable event (love canal, chernobyl), not well understood by science

How does risk perception influence our behavior?

Determines how ___, based on our __ and acceptability or unacceptability of risk (Give example)

Determines how we can make choices, based on our estimation and acceptability or unacceptability of risk

• farmers make risk averse decisions based on uncertainty of weather

Problem: leads to __ of environmental threats and poorer environment management decisions 

• Problem - leads to misunderstanding (over-estimation or under-estimation ) of environmental threats and poorer enviro. Mangaement decisions 

Who does/makes risk assessment?

Made by health and enviromental agencies such as EPE CDC

Why quantitative risk assessments may not be enough?

• perceptions of acceptabilty of risk involve personal and sociatel judgements

  • Bias

• Problematic to measure risk quantitatively, individual/societal values may not be considered; science can’t choose what society shld value

• Cultural, political, factors bias

Uncertainity + perception =?

Fear

What is the population continuum- __ moderate, __ tech/marxist

Neo mathusian moderate, high tech/marxist

Limits vs comiocopians vs

• Limits to population growth, current known reserves, limits to resources are near, finite amounts or resources

• comuncopians: population growth is good, limits are far away, technology will discover more resources,

What is mathusianism?

Mathus primary concerns was as the pop. Grows, it would outspace available resources

What is social dimension

Causes, vulnerability, prepardness, response and reconstruction

What is hazard?

An object, condition or process that threatens inedividuals and society in terms of production (making a living) and reproductions (beiing a live)

Arthro__: Not all hazards are “natural” because many hazardous things are caused by __ (arthropogenic)

Arthropogenic: Not all hazards are “natural” because many hazardous things are caused by humans (arthropogenic)

__: the degree to which the outcomes of a decision or situation are __

Uncertainty: the degree to which the outcomes of a decision or situation are unknown

Uncertainty can come from __

New hazards

Role of __: to respond and communicate effectively to the public, policy makers must understand the and impacts of _ threats as well as the scientific ones

Role of policymakers: to responds and communicate effectively to the public, policy makers must understand the social and emotional impacts of environmental threats as well as the scientific ones

Avoid _: public officials have difficulty understanding _ risks and public _ of risk, therefore they work with _

Avoid technophobia: public officials have difficulty understanding perceived risks and public fear of risk, therefore they work with psychologists

role of _ : identify the focus of peoples _ and mediate conflict resolution

role of psychologists : identify the focus of peoples perceptions and mediate conflict resolution

World population: by 2025: _ by2050: _ Before world population. Levels off: _

By 2025: 8B by 2050: 9B before world population levels off: 10-11B

__catastrophe: human population _ and the food production not being _

Malthusian catastrophe:human population exceeds and the food production not being enough

Neo-malthusians maintain that _is the facotr that has the _ impact on the environment, but that the effects of the factor are mediated by -

Neo-malthusians maintain that population is the facotr that has the greatest impact on the environment, but that the effects of population are mediated by differences in lifestyles

The I=PAT equation

I: impact on the enviroment

P: population

A: affluence

T: technology

Neo malthusian think population is _ problem? High Tech/Marxist think population is - problem?

Neo malthusian think population is the problem?

• imacts food, resources

High Tech/Marxist think population is a false problem?

• spurs us to discover new inventions and tech to solve problems

Standard of living is:

• The necessities, comforts and luxuries enjoyed or aspired to by an individual or group

US consumes _ our fair share of worlds resources based on population

5x

If all of the developing world caught up to the US consumption rate, it would increase the world consumption ratE by

11 fold, as if pop increased to 72B

Why do we over consume

• Cultural reasons: attudes, beliefs, values

• Materialistic, capitalistic, affluent

The wealthier the country, the _ its ppl consume

More

First world average consumption rate of rwsources and production of waste is _ higher than devleoping world

32x

Consumption of resources:

Production of wastes:

Consumption of resources: oil and metals

Production of wastes: plastics and greenhouse gases

In U.S.: consumption _, SOL _, happiness _

High, high, lower

In western europe: consumption _, SOL _, happiness _

Lower, higher, higher

What is

• perceived obsolescence:

• Planned obsolescence:

• Perceived obsolescence: convinces us we need newer, bigger, better products and to throw away what's still good

• Planned obsolescence: intentionally designing a product with limited useful life so we purchase it again

• Difference lies in _, not reality

Perception

Eco-angst:

Eco-angst: the moment we discover some piece of unpleasant ecological info abt a product we bought causing us a moment of despair abt the plants condition and our place in it 

What is greenwashing

purposely advertising one virtue about a products ecological benefit and conveniently leaving out the many negative environmental impacts caused by the product

Contrast effect-

eye opening data that comes about at the moment we’re comparing two brands

What is life cycle assessment

An analysis tool designed to identify and evaluate the cumulative eviro. Impacts of a product during its lifetime, LCA uses “cradle to grave” or cradle to cradle approach

LCA identifies and measures:

• inputs: raw material, energy, water

• Outputs: atmospheric emission, water pollution, solid wastes

• Externalities: hidden costs of production and consumption

3 limitations of LCA

• gathering data and availability of data can be problematic

• Wldnt determine whuch product is best or which to buy

• Good for making comparisons between products, not decisions

Benefits of LCA

• idetifies and considers externalities in assessment

• Help compare products

• Enviromental trade-offs and transfer of impacts

• Combining data and analyses

Linear fashion model

Buying, wearing and quickly sicarding clothes

Fast fashion is

Providing clothes quickly and cheaply to consumers thru shorter fashion cycles

Captialism

An economic and political system in which a countrys trade and industry are controlled by private owners for profit, rather than by state

Enviromental regulation: global vs feral vs state/local level

Global: agreements can be made btwn member nations, but those agreements cannot be enforced by a global body

Federal: EPA and others develop and enforves regulation that implement enviromental laws enacted by the US congress. These are a minimum to whuch every state must adhere

State/local: agencies enforce regulations and implement laws enacted by state legistature

Clean air act increase…

Life expectancy

Clean air act established

EPA - misstion to protect enviro. And human health and welfare nationwide

Number of americans receiving water that met health standards went up from 79 to

92 percent

Purpose of endangered species act and co administered by

• to conserve imperiled species and the habitats

• Co adminstered by fish and wildlife service and the national oceanic and atmospheric administration

What is command and control and who oppose it and who supports it

• regulatory system for pollution control based on govn’t telling industry how much pollution to reduce and how to reduce it

• - economists oppose, enviromentalists support

“Free-Market Environmentalism” aka “New Resource Economics”

Use the inventiveness of _ to solve _ problems

“Free-Market Environmentalism” aka “New Resource Economics”

Use the inventiveness of capitalism to solve environmental problems

Economists alternative allow olutions that use market mechanisms to _ desired

behavior and disincentivize _ behavior

Solutions that use market mechanisms to incentivize desired

behavior and disincentivize undesirable behavior

Pollution credits is

Sells pollution rights to the highest bidder, and the market will sort it out

(Cap and Trade)

Incentive/disincentive:

Incentive/disincentive:

innovative, clean industries profit from their cleanliness

while dirtier, polluting industries are penalized

Acid Rain Program is the first?

Acid Rain Program – first national cap and trade program in the US

to reduce SO2 (sulfur dioxide) and NOx (nitrogen oxides)emissions

from fossil-fuel burning plants

Container Deposit Laws (Bottle bills) what is it and effectiveness and who supports it

Laws that require a minimal deposit to be paid on cans or bottles that can be recycled.

The deposit can be refunded if the can or bottle is returned.

Container deposit laws encourage recycling and minimize waste in landfills.

Bottle bills have proven to be one of the most effective methods of diverting

trash from landfills, however only a handful of states have theM

• enviromentalist supports

What is subsidies and who rejects it

Subsidies - financial grants extended by the government to

private institutions or other public entities, in order to stimulate economic

activity or promote activities that are in the public good

Farm subsidies, water subsidies, timber subsidies

Environmentalists argue: Prices are too low with subsidies, no incentive to

conserve

• environmentalist rejects

What are pollution taxes/green taxes

Taxes or charges on environmental pollutants or on goods whose use

produces such pollutants -creates funding to finance environmental projects

Taxes on pollution provide clear incentives to polluters to reduce emissions

and seek out cleaner and sustainable alternatives.

Ex: plastic bags

Cost benefit analysis and what must it include

An analysis tool used by economists to aid decision-making in the public sector

• A systematic method of identifying the goods and bads of any

project, program, or policy

• Puts a dollar value on development projects

• Weighs the COSTS (Cons, Bads) and BENEFITS (Pros, Goods)

of environmental issues through economic analysis

• must include boundaries, time horizon, discount rates

Why are externalities considered market failures?

Why are externalities considered market failures?

Market incapable of setting price on values

Water scarcity

• The demand for water exceeds the supply- the pop. incr. But the supply of unable water is fixed

• Experts predict that by 2025, ¾ of ppl on earth will experience water scarcity

There is a rise in consumption of

Bottled water

As of 2015, globally what % of the population. Lacks access to safe drinking water

29%

Bottled water and risk analysis

• Risk assessment:

• bottled water is not safer or healthier than tap water

After great depressiona dn ww2, the plastic industry increased by

300%

what percent of plastic industry the ocean comes from us

80%

5 oceanic gyres

• north and south atlantic

• North ans south pacific

• Indian ocean

Plastic killed over _ sea birds a year

1 million

Plastic killed over _ marine mammals and sea turtles a year

100,000

Whats the avg age for nuclear plants? How many are there? How many reactorws do each hv?

-37 yrs

-56

-3-4