Ethics, Environmentalism, Economics and Decision Making

Today's Agenda

  • Wrap-up of Tuesday's lecture
  • Overview of environmental economics
  • Discussion on decision-making regarding environmental policy
  • Reminder of the reading list (Weeks 1-5)

Environmental Ethics Summary

  • Continuum of Attitudes toward Nature:

    • Egocentric: Focus solely on individual perspective.
    • Anthropocentric: Human-centered, measuring costs and benefits only based on human impact.
    • Biocentric: Values based on effects on all living things.
    • Ecocentric: Evaluates actions based on their impact on entire ecological systems.

  • Preservation Ethic:

    • Importance: Protects nature for its own sake, focusing on its pristine state.
    • Influences: Henry David Thoreau's "Walden" (1854) and John Muir (co-founder of Sierra Club).

  • Conservation Ethic:

    • Responsibility of humans to manage natural resources wisely for present and future benefit.
    • Linked to the National Parks movement, again influenced by John Muir (e.g., Yosemite).

  • Reform Ethic:

    • Increased scientific insights into post-war industrial impacts leading to public action.
    • Influencers: Rachel Carson's "Silent Spring" (1962) and growth of environmental organizations (e.g., Greenpeace).

Pollution and Colonialism

  • Max Liboiron's View: Pollution as a violent enactment of colonial relations affecting Indigenous land (Civic Laboratory for Environmental Action Research in Newfoundland).
  • Robin Wall Kimmerer in "Braiding Sweetgrass": Advocates for the reciprocal relationship with nature to awaken ecological consciousness.

Examples of Recent Environmental Actions

  • Movements range from local to global, employing diverse tactics:
    • Climate strikes
    • Anti-pipeline protests (e.g., BC, US)
    • Anti-logging actions (Brazil, Indonesia, Canada)
    • Anti-whaling campaigns
    • Voluntary simplicity
    • Earth Day initiatives
    • Green political parties
    • Green Belt Movement:
    • Grassroots women's initiative in East Africa advocating for biodiversity, soil erosion reduction, and women's rights.
    • Resulted in over 40 million trees planted.

Environmental Activism

  • A high-risk area: 77 Indigenous defenders were murdered in 2023 in Latin America, highlighting the dangers.
  • Example: RCMP policing at Wet'suwet'en blockades against the Coastal GasLink pipeline.

Environmental Economics Basics

  • Relation to Economy:

    • Input from the environment to the economy includes:
    • Ecosystem services: essential for economic activity (e.g., soil formation, pollination, waste treatment).

  • Value of Ecosystem Services:

    • Different values include existence, option, aesthetic, educational, cultural, use, and spiritual values.

  • Natural Capital:

    • Goods/services humans derive from the environment; historically regarded as free.
    • Externality: A cost imposed on a third party not involved in transactions.

Neoclassical Economics and Environmental Implications

  • Core Assumptions:
    • Infinite or substitutable resources
    • Internalized costs (ignoring externalities)
    • Long-term effects are discounted
    • Emphasis on growth as inherently positive
  • Consequences: Increased consumption leads to environmental degradation, and long-term sustainability remains unaddressed by technological fixes.

Alternative Economic Models

  • Steady-State Economy:
    • Represents a balanced system with no growth or shrinkage.
    • Movement from GDP to GPI (Genuine Progress Indicator) for measuring progress.
  • Challenges to Alternatives:
    • Short-term profit decrease and potential cost increases, requiring readiness for financial sacrifice.

Transition in Willingness to Pay

  • As societies progress economically, there is increased willingness to invest in a better environment, both financially and through lifestyle changes.

Decision-Making in Environmental Policy

  • Policy Fundamentals:
    • Definition: A collection of plans and principles that guide decisions to address issues.
    • Environmental Policy: Relates to human-environment interactions, addressing issues like resource regulation and pollution reduction.
  • Stakeholder input is crucial for policy development, including:
    • Public involvement, scientific input, traditional knowledge, and lobbying efforts.

Changes in Social Context Affecting Environmental Policy

  • Influential historical factors:
    • Clear evidence of environmental issues
    • Public visualization of solutions
    • Political readiness and economic confidence.

Levels of Canadian Environmental Policy

  • Influences from:
    • Federal: e.g., Canadian Environmental Protection Act
    • Provincial: Limits on harmful substances and approvals
    • Indigenous governments: Resource management
    • Local: Zoning, noise regulations, and waste management
    • International agreements: e.g., U.N. treaties.

Influences on Canadian Politics

  • US Influence: Trading relationships, shared resources, economic competition.
  • International Organizations: UNEP, World Bank, WTO, climate agreements.
  • Industrial Pressure: Industry often promotes deregulation, undermining scientific consensus.

Approaches to Environmental Policy

  • Methods include:
    • Command-and-control approaches
    • Subsidies and green taxes
    • Permit trading systems
    • Market incentives
    • Voluntary guidelines (e.g., ecolabelling).

Ecolabelling and Skepticism

  • Ecolabelling: Identifies environmentally sustainable products and services.
  • Greenwashing: Misleading marketing claiming environmental benefits.
    • Companies may exaggerate claims versus actual production practices.

Monitoring and Reporting in Environmental Policy

  • State-of-the-environment Reporting (SOER): Tracks environmental changes and assists in assessing progress.
  • Indicators: Measurable values that help assess changes, answering vital questions about the environmental state.

Justin Trudeau’s Environmental Legacy

  • Significant Actions:
    • Established carbon pricing, ratified the Paris Agreement, and revamped environmental assessments.
    • Funded Indigenous conservation and developed a strategy for Canada’s Methane emissions.
  • Marginal Impacts: Laws for environmental protection are in place, addressing broader issues like environmental racism.
  • Promises Unfulfilled: Progress on tree planting, fossil fuel industry regulations, and restoring scientists' media access.

Learning Objectives for Week 3

  • Understanding environmental policy, core institutions, and processes essential for addressing environmental challenges.
  • Discussing international environmental policy institutions and frameworks.
  • Exploring the relationship between science and policy formulation.

Key Concepts for Week 3

  • Policies and Environmental Economics Terms:
    • Environmental Policy, Tragedy of the Commons, Externalities, Willingness-to-Pay Transition, Sustainable Development, Ecolabelling.