Intro to Human Ecology

Question 1

What was Malthus concern with regard to population? How did he suggest that this problem would “ correct” itself?

Answer 1

AN exponentially growing population will self-correct through war, famine, and disease

Question 2

In what ways is neo-Malthusian thinking problematic?

Answer 2

increased female infanticide and sex selective abortion

Question 3

Cornucopian’s debating about? Describe the main points of each argument

Answer 3

The doomsdayers ignored the capacity of human innovation in general and the free market in particular to adapt to scarcity.

Question 4

How is the global population trending ?

Answer 4

more than three times larger thean it was in the mid-twentieth century

Question 5

What are the 3 perspectives on the Population Continuum:

Answer 5

Malthus theory, Marx’s Theory and Theory of demographic transition!

Question 6

what is the precautionary principle and which debate view subscribers to it?

Answer 6

the precautionary principle is an attempt to give the nottion of precaution understood as a from of addressing risk - leagal status

Question 7

What is Standard of Living ( SOL)? why isi it important to the deabte? how are SOL and poulation interrelated?

Answer 7

is the necessities, comforst, luxuries enjoyed or aspired to be by an individual or Group. It is important to the debate because everbody uses a different amount f goods, some more than others which may be contributing to the decrease in resources. Malthusians believe the standard of living will increase as the population as the population increases.

Question 8

Explain what the authors mean when they say that “most hazards fall between natural and anthropogenic.

Answer 8

Not all hazards are natural because many hazardous things are caused by humans ( anthropogenic)

Question 9

What are some factors that contribute to how people perceive risk? How can these factors lead people to perceive risks irrationally?

Answer 9

Individuals values beliefs, and attitudes as well as the wider social or cultural values or dispositions

Question 10

Give some examples of the ways in which characteristics of the hazard influence people’s perceptions of risk and their acceptability?

Answer 10

Familar vs Unfamilar technology, Personal control vs. Lack of control over a situation, Voluntary vs Involuntary exposer, Dreaded vs Not- dreaded outcomes Direct vv Indirect benefits, Fair vs Unfair exposure.

Question 11

For the residents of Love Canal, what was the environmental hazard they were concerned about? What were they asking for and from whom?

Answer 11

Concerned about the human health becausese of chemicals, children were born with skin rashes (environmental to human health) Inner ring: got relocated right away Outer ring: wanted to be relocated. They asked for help to the federal and state government.Not fixing hazard, but rather fixing their own proximity to it.

Question 12

Considering that we live in the age of terrorism, do you think an event like this could have happened today with no repercussions? In other words, could ordinary citizens like Lois Gibbs and the Homeowners Association have taken EPA officials hostage and not been arrested?

Answer 12

Adversely impact on enjoyment of human rights by the families of victims and society.

Question 13

Why was the chain link fence that was erected to separate the homes considered a political symbol?

Answer 13

the chain-link fence surrounding Lafayette Sqaure and the White House is now seen as a bulletin board of art and artifacts

Question 14

What role did uncertainty play in the case of Love Canal?

Answer 14

The drums leaked and contaminated soil and groundwater.

Question 15

The Love Canal Homeowners Association, starting as a small, grassroots protest, ended as a benchmark case that gained national attention and led to what well-known 1980 law regarding the identification and clean-up of hazardous waste sites in the U.S.?

Answer 15

Congress established the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation and Liability Act (CERCLA) in 1980

Question 16

Which of the 7 disciplines of Human Ecology is most closely associated with advertising and consumerism?

Answer 16

associated with Human Ecology all examine human-environment relationships.

Question 17

What is “greenwashing” a product?

Answer 17

involves making an unsubstantiated claim to deceive consumers into believing that a company’s products are environmentally friendly or have a greater positive environmental impact than they actually do

Question 18

How do perceptions influence our consumption habits?

Answer 18

consumers rely on perceptions to make purchasing decisions.

Question 19

Life Cycle Analysis is carried out by the recent discipline called Industrial Ecology. How does this analysis relate to consumerism?

Answer 19

The managerial approach of IE involves analyzing the interaction between industry and the environment, through the use of tools such as life cycle analysis

Question 20

What is your reaction to the film’s portrayal of Americans as being a culture of consumers, or perhaps more accurately, a culture of over-consumers? Do you agree or disagree withthis and why?

Answer 20

while the film’s portrayal of Americans as a culture of over-consumers may be accurate in some ways, it is important to recognize that this is a complex issue that is not unique to the United States. By acknowledging the problems of consumerism and taking steps towards more sustainable consumption habits, individuals and societies can work towards a more equitable and environmentally responsible future.

Question 21

How did this pattern of consumption come about and do you think it is justified given our cultural values as Americans?

Answer 21

The values associated with domestic spending upheld traditional American concerns with pragmatism and morality,

Question 22

Has this film made you think about your own consumption habits? Think about what kind of consumer you are and the impact you feel you are having on the environment and thepopulation as a result.

Answer 22

But in many ways, consumption is still a secondary step. First, you must be a fan. In a 2013 panel discussion

Question 23

Explain the concept of “externalized costs” as it applies to the “stuff” that is produced for our consumption. (If you remember, this concept was introduced when Annie went to Radio Shack and found a radio to purchase for only $4.99.)

Answer 23

a way were business take major part of products costs were the full price is not being pay off for the products.

Question 24

What is “fast fashion” and the “linear fashion model”

Answer 24

providing clothes cheaply and quickly to consumers through shorter fashion cycles.

Question 25

Our fast fashion consumption habits have a far-reaching effect on other parts of the world. Give an example

Answer 25

habitat degradation, proliferation of chemicals and microplastics in waterways, and the increasing impact of climate change from anthropogenic greenhouse gas

Question 26

What is Life Cycle Assessment (LCA)?

Answer 26

is defined as the systematic analysis of the potential environmental impacts of products or services during their entire life.

Question 27

Explain the “cradle to grave” and “cradle to cradle” approach used in LCA. In what way are they different?

Answer 27

The term cradle to grave applies to a product if its lifetime is limited to one application or use, ending in a landfill. The term cradle to cradle applies to a product if a new use can be applied to it after the end of its first useful life, diverting it from a landfill.

Question 28

What are externalities and how are they connected to LCA?

Answer 28

Monetary valuation is strictly related to the concept of externalities in welfare economics

Question 29

What is “Command and Control” regulation?

Answer 29

Regulatory system for pollution control based on government telling industry  how much pollution to reduce and how to reduce it. Strategy of regulation -identify and control discharges of pollutants through a system of permitting, compliance monitoring, and enforcement. There is an ideological divide between environmentalists and economists regarding pollution control and industry.

Question 30

Economists favor “free-market environmentalists” as an alternate approach to pollution regulation. How does a free-market approach work?

Answer 30

Uses the inventiveness of capitalism to solve environmental problems. Solutions that use market mechanism to incentivise desire behavior and distensive undesirable behavior. 

Question 31

What is the main argument environmentalists are making against the use of free-market environmentalism in favor of strict environmental regulation?

Answer 31

Environmentalists argue that market solutions have limitations and should be used in combination with strict regulation.

Question 32

Why are externalities examples of markets failures ?

Answer 32

Are hidden costs of economic action that aren’t reflected in the price og goods or services. Because the market is incapable of setting price on values

Question 33

Explain how a pollution tax operates ?

Answer 33

The government taxes each ton of pollution that a source emits, without setting any limits on the amount of pollution made.

Question 34

What are the pros and cons of a pollution tax?

Answer 34

Pros: It creates an incentive for companies to reduce their pollution, especially for businesses that can easily do so.  Cons: Large/highly profitable companies may be able to essentially ignore these taxes because they can afford to spend larger amounts of money. Also, if the tax is set too low, it could have little effect; if set too high, it could impose excessive costs on businesses. 

Question 35

Explain how cap and trade operates. What are the pros and cons?

Answer 35

In cap and trade, a “cap” is set on how much pollution is acceptable for a company to produce. Companies can decide on what to do from there, choosing to go under the cap, meeting the cap, or exceeding the cap and buying the excess reductions from the companies who fall under the limit.  Pros: Resulted in a 50% improvement in sulfur dioxide emissions at a much cheaper price than simply setting a strict regulation, and generally shows notably positive impacts. Sale of excess reductions can be rewarding for eco-friendly businesses as well.  Cons: There is a concern that it could work too well, and not profit the economy enough. 

Question 36

What assumption about human behavior is underlying the idea of a carbon tax?

Answer 36

A possible assumption made regarding the idea of a carbon tax is that all companies will be honest with their carbon emission numbers, as carbon emissions could be difficult to trace back to a specific company. Another possible assumption would be that all companies would be motivated by the carbon tax to cut emissions, even though some may find it cheaper to simply pay the tax instead of investing in eco-friendly processes. 

Question 37

Explain how water is distributed throughout the planet?

Answer 37

Only about 3% of Earth’s water is freshwater, the majority of which is found in glaciers and ice caps, making it inaccessible for human use.  About 30% of Earth’s freshwater is found as groundwater, 68.7% in glaciers, and about 0.3% in rivers and lakes. The leftover percentage is atmospheric water vapor.

Question 38

Explain why the commodification and privatization of water is unsustainable?

Answer 38

If access to clean water becomes dependent on one’s ability to pay for it, lower income areas could struggle to be able to afford basic water needs like for drinking and bathing.  Privatization often includes profit motives, and with how necessary water is for life, water companies may be able to charge consumers significantly more for the same water bills that we already pay in hour homes, as well as bottled water.  The commodification and profitability of water could incentivize irresponsible water extraction practices, such as excessive draining of groundwater, lakes, rivers, and even extraction of water via glaciers.

Question 39

Is bottled water safer than tap water as a drinking water choice? Why or why not?

Answer 39

Bottled water is not any safer than tap water as they are both essentially the same products. While bottled water companies often market their products as healthier and purer than tap water, there is skepticism about the source of some bottled water brands. Some brands are just repackaged tap water sold at a high premium. Misleading labeling practices also lead consumers to believe that the water they are buying is purer than it actually is. In the film, it highlights that many consumers may not be aware of the true source of the bottled water they purchase. 

Question 40

Explain the connections between population, natural resources, and bottled water.

Answer 40

The relationship between population, natural resources, and bottled water is very interconnected. The production of bottled water relies on extracting and processing natural resources, contributing to higher pollutions of air, water, and soil. Additionally, contaminated groundwater affects not only the availability of safe drinking water but also public health. As shown in the film, communities living in proximity to industrial facilities suffered the risks of producing bottled water. One way industries evade accountability is due to the slow and long-term nature of environmental pollution.

Question 41

Explain how drinking bottled water can lead to a tragedy of the commons.

Answer 41

Drinking bottled water can lead to a tragedy of the commons as the overexploitation of groundwater by corporations like Nestle can have serious and long-term consequences. Water mining depletes reserves and worsens water scarcity issues. This puts the availability of clean water at risk for everyone. With excessive extraction causing depletion of groundwater reserves and contamination of water sources.