1. Background
The environmental problems that the world has been suffering from in the last 100 years, has make professionals from different disciplines ask themselves how to solve them. In particular, in the economics field it has push for the creation of two different subdisciplines: environmental economics and ecological economics.
Environmental economics is a sub-discipline under the traditional economics field that emphases on present environmental issues. This sub-discipline emerged in the 1950s and 1960’s after the recognition that the environment have to be included in the market system while the economy core remained the same (Pearce et al., 1993). It takes raw environmental materials as income (i.e.: harvest wheat and sell it) without accounting any ecological limitations (Sullivan, 2012). As a direct economics sub-discipline environmental economics is focuses on trying to create an equilibrium between the needs that people have for products and services while maintaining the necessity of protecting natural resources and the environment.
Environmental problems have wide social, cultural, and political implications outside those ones found in standard economic theories. Environmental economists take these complex and inter-related problems into account when creating economic policies with a focus in not just basic supply and demand, but in profit-maximization.
Ecological economics emerged in the 1980’s and recognize that the environment is the one that supports the economy Figure 1 (Costanza et al., 1997). Under them, raw environmental materials are viewed as capital depletion within ecosystem (i.e.: once that wheat has been harvested, it cannot be harvested again and its services are lost) and identified that the envi...
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...ea outline in the models.
- Necessity of other areas information.
- Irregularity in spatial interactions.
Spatial econometrics has been already used for more than 30 years, increasing year after year its applications (both in the amount and type of problems applied to) at a rapid rate been employed in nearly all economics fields (agricultural, development, environmental, etc.).This expansion on its uses has pass the just economics analyses frontiers allowing its uses by politicians for the implementation and creation of new policies and regulations related (but not limited) to: Cities Zoning, Land Uses, Transportation, environmental health, etc.
Along with its increment in use, this kind of analyses is perfect for the new GIS technologies, allowing the natural resources managers, or any other spatial-dependence job, the easy implementation of this kind of analysis.
The reason because environmental issues were not take in consideration before, in the economic field, was due to the absence of their costs from the calculation of GNI. However, it has to be consider that future growth and in general, quality of life are strongly related to environment. Therefore, environment’s long term implications has to be taken in consideration in the economy.
Whether an organization is domestic or international they have social responsibilities to the communities they operate within and to the shielding of the world. Caterpillar, Inc. is one such company that puts social responsibility at the top of their priorities. They have an abundance of engineers and technologists working on solutions to improve on sustainability. According to the 2012 Sustainability Report (2012), “at Caterpillar, we always ask ourselves, ‘What do our customers need? What does the world need?’ World Resources Institute (WRI) asks those same questions about the communities it serves, and truly delivers some amazing results” (p. 19).
...y, J & Common, M 2003, Natural Resource and Environmental Economics, 3rd Edition, Addison-Wesley. Chapter 2, The origins of the sustainability problem.
Silva, Julie A. and Robin M. Leichenko. Economic Geography. Vol. 80, No. 3 (Jul., 2004), pp. 261-
Rudel, K. Thomas, J. Timmons Roberts and JoAnn Carmin. 2011. “Political Economy of the Environment.” Annual Review of Sociology 37: 221-238.
There were an abundance of spatial differences in terms of ethnic, convivial and occupational status, while there were low occurrences of the functional differences in land use patterns. The concentric model postulated a spatial disunion of place of work and place of residence, which was not generalized until the twentieth century.
Zsidisin GA, Siferd SP. 2001. Environmental purchasing: a framework for theory development. European Journal of Purchasing and Supply Management 7(1): 61–73.
Jeff Butcher and Rachel Hill pointed out the impacts of businesses on environments, by stating “The more of a product that is consumed or produced, the more of an externality that results” (Butcher, Jeff, & Hill, Rachel, 2006). Obviously, we can see that one product produced will bring benefit to consumer, sellers, and manufacturers. Meanwhile, one produced and consumed will cause negative externalities for environment. There is one fact we cannot deny that the more social life develops, the more externalities will be produced to the society. Daily living garbage, industrial wastes, carbon dioxide from factories are most outstanding examples to describe negative externalities to environment (Butcher, Jeff, & Hill, Rachel, 2006). In “The tragedy of the Commons”, Hardin showed us causes of negative externalities. He proved that people assume a...
In traditional opinions, environmental protection and economic growth are mutually contradictory. Economic growth is a high environmental cost, and protecting the environment will limit the economic growth. The reason of contradiction stems from the inappropriate understandings among development, economic growth and environmental protection. In fact, economic growth could have a harmonious relationship with environmental protection.
A human induced global ecological crisis is occurring, threatening the stability of this earth and its inhabitants. The best path to address environmental issues both effectively and morally is a dilemma that raises concerns over which political values are needed to stop the deterioration of the natural environment. Climate change; depletion of resources; overpopulation; rising sea levels; pollution; extinction of species is just to mention a few of the damages that are occurring. The variety of environmental issues and who and how they affect people and other species is varied, however the nature of environmental issues has the potential to cause great devastation. The ecological crisis we face has been caused through anthropocentric behavior that is advantageous to humans, but whether or not anthropocentric attitudes can solve environmental issues effectively is up for debate. Ecologism in theory claims that in order for the ecological crisis to be dealt with absolutely, value and equality has to be placed in the natural world as well as for humans. This is contrasting to many of the dominant principles people in the contemporary world hold, which are more suited to the standards of environmentalism and less radical approaches to conserving the earth. I will argue in this essay that whilst ecologism could most effectively tackle environmental problems, the moral code of ecologism has practical and ethical defects that threaten the values and progress of anthropocentricism and liberal democracy.
* Daily, Gretchen C., ed. Nature’s Services: Societal Dependence on Natural Ecosystems. Washington, D.C.: Island Press, 1997.
Economic valuation is an important component of environmental policy, although it is difficult to affix a cost on the environment and ecosystem services, it is a measurement that is relevant to most in society humans. Therefore, economic tools may be useful in reinforcing the importance of maintaining biodiversity and preserving fragile ecosystems.
These differing emphases naturally point to fundamentally different solutions: slow population growth in less-developed nations or change destructive consumption and production patterns in the more-developed nations. This debate, however, assumes a one-step answer to the complex problems created by population pressures on the environment. Both population size and consumption influence environmental change and are among the many factors that need to be combined into credible policy debates.... ... middle of paper ... ...
The environment today is not in a good condition, Climate change is evident, and oceans are getting polluted. Rainforrest's are decreasing in size due to deforestation and illegal logging. Animals are getting extinct due to the destruction of their habitats. Natural resources are being consumed at very large amounts, and get wasted. There are different ways these problems can be addressed, one option is environmental management. Environmental management focuses on conservation of natural resources, protection of habitats, and impact of humans on the environment. Conservation of natural resources is the smart use of the world's resources by humans, through this waste production is limited, and there will be less garbage in the world. By conserving
Environmental philosophers are able to open up a range of different ideas behind our environmental crisis. They do this by not only looking at physical marks left by humans on the earth but also at the very humans themselves. Theories don’t only explain complex dynamics and structures but give us an opportunity to reflect upon our own behaviors and decisions in relation to the environment.