AP ENVIROMENTAL SCIENCE unit 1

Tipping Points

A rapid, irreversible change from old state of being

to a new state

Anthropogenic

(Human-Generated) Causes

(Human-Generated) Causes ex:

Wasteful resource use, Poor Environmental Accounting

The Tragedy of the Commons

Applies to common property

̈ Short-term benefit outweighs long-term

consequences

Leads to overexploitation of shared resources

The Tragedy of the Commons ex:

goldfish

Groundwater in CA

Central Valley

How can we solve the tragedy of the commons?

Protect natural capital...

Natural resources/ services

...by using resources no faster than their sustainable

yield

Wasteful Resource Use

Occurs in both developed and developing countries

UN classifies countries as economically developed or

developing based on GDP

GDP (Gross Domestic Product)

Annual value of all goods AND services produced within a

country

Developed countries GDP

High per capita GDP, high levels of affluence, lower levels of

poverty

Developing countries GDP

Low per capita GDP, lower levels of affluence, higher levels of

poverty

Environmental Racism

̈ Low income communities/ countries tend to be

most impacted by environmental problems

¤ Communities of color

̈ Intentional targeting of pollution in poor/minority

communities

Poor Environmental Accounting

Prices Do Not Include the Value

of Nature

Market price is determined by:

the supply of a product

The consumer demand for a product

Price does not include

environmental damage

¤ Leads to “market failure”

Incorrect price that doesn’t include

the hidden/ external costs

(externalities)

Prices Do Not Include the Value of Nature

Subsidies can compound the problem

Subsidies

payments by the government to a company or

person ex: Providing land at cheap prices for mining, Cheap electricity/ water prices

How can we factor the cost of nature into prices?

Natural Capital Project

¤ Full-cost pricing

¤ Subsidy shifting

¤ Green taxes

Government regulation can correct a market

failure

Laws & Regulations

n Reduce pollution/ depletion of natural capital

n Protect people from fraud/ harm