Lecture 6Lecture 6Thursday, September 20Thursday, September 20

The EnvironmentThe Environment

The Scope of Environmental Problems:The Scope of Environmental Problems:

Somewhere between crisis & catastropheSomewhere between crisis & catastrophe

forecastactual(to 2007)

Frequency of summer temperature anomalies (how often they deviated from the historical normal of 1951-1980) over the summer months in the northern hemisphere. Source: NASA/ Hansen et al. 2012 http://climatecrocks.com/2012/08/05/hansen-on-the-new-math-of-extreme-events/

JJA

NH

Global temperature and carbon dioxide: anomalies through 2011Global temperature and carbon

dioxide: anomalies through 2011

Base period 1900-99; data from NOAA

The ratio of record daily highs (red) to record daily lows (blue) at about 1,800 weather stations in the 48 contiguous United States from Jan. 1950 to Sept. 2009. Meehl et al. GRL 2009. Update using NOAA data: Climatecommunication.org

U.S. daily temperature extremes

2.3:1 2.7:1 9.0:1

2010 2011 2012

Five explanations for Five explanations for environmental problemsenvironmental problems

I. I. Individual lack of concern for the environment & Individual lack of concern for the environment & free-ridingfree-riding

II.II. Negative externalities of private choices and profit-Negative externalities of private choices and profit-making firmsmaking firms

III.III. Strategies of powerful actorsStrategies of powerful actors

IV.IV. Indirect cultural effects of hyper-capitalism: Indirect cultural effects of hyper-capitalism: consumerism run amokconsumerism run amok

V.V. Free market ideology blocks solutions.Free market ideology blocks solutions.

I.I.Individual lack of concern for the Individual lack of concern for the environment & free-ridingenvironment & free-riding

Your Choice

Recyle Don’t recycle

Everyone else’s choice

Recycle $50

A

$100

B

Don’t Recycle -$50

C

$0

D

Individual annual cost of recycling = $50Individual long-term benefit from recycling = $100

Example of Environmental problem from individual free-riding

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hwYDyRKmxZc&feature=related

1987 TV Public Service Ad Against Pollution

II. Negative externalities of private choices II. Negative externalities of private choices and profit-making firmsand profit-making firms

Inter-generational Inter-generational negative externalitynegative externality::

Displacing costs onto future generationsDisplacing costs onto future generations

0.0%

5.0%

10.0%

15.0%

20.0%

25.0%

United States Europe Japan, SK, Australia, NZ

China Africa Latin America

% of global energy use

% of global population

Energy Use in the USA and elsewhere, 2005

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

USA Europe China Latin America

AfricaJapan, South Korea, Australia,

New Zealand

Millions of metric tons of CO2

per capita per year

NIMBY externalities:NIMBY externalities:

Displacing costs onto the powerlessDisplacing costs onto the powerless

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

Lowest third of risk highest third of risk

White

Nonwhite

Census tracks in California by cancer risk from toxins in the air

BP Oil Spill

• This map shows the location of the landfills, the amount of waste (which includes “oily solids,” waste from the cleanup, and so on) sent there, and the percentage of people living within a 1-mile radius that are People of Color:

% Minority (“people of color”) for each state (as of 2008), just to provide some context:

LA: 38.1MS: 41.3AL: 31.6FL: 39.7

Negative externalities of Negative externalities of profit-maximizing firmsprofit-maximizing firms

CENTRAL PROPOSITION:CENTRAL PROPOSITION:

For capitalist firms pollution is not For capitalist firms pollution is not just an accident: In general, the most just an accident: In general, the most profitable economic strategies will be profitable economic strategies will be the most polluting the most polluting because they because they

successfully displace costs on otherssuccessfully displace costs on others. .

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PrzqFPego4A

Lois Gibbs account of her Love Canal experience

III.III. Strategies of powerful actorsStrategies of powerful actors

Total subsidies for energy from the U.S. government 1950-2006 = over $700 billion

• 50% for oil & natural gas• 13% for coal• 11% for hydroelectric• 9% for nuclear • 6% for wind and solar

Funding for the E.P.A. as a % of the Federal BudgetFunding for the E.P.A. as a % of the Federal Budget

IV. Indirect cultural effects of IV. Indirect cultural effects of

hyper-capitalism: consumerism run amokhyper-capitalism: consumerism run amok

V. Free market ideology blocks solutions.V. Free market ideology blocks solutions.