Unit 3: Environmental Decision Making

influenced by the values and moral principles held by a person or culture and are the criteria that help differentiate right from wrong

“it is valuable because it is useful or beneficial in some way”

“it is valuable in itself”

the application of ethical standards to relationships between people and nonhuman entities and involves issues of sustainability, environmental justice, and intrinsic values

human-centered and often ignores the notion that nonhuman entities also have intrinsic value

ascribes intrinsic value to all living things, including nonhuman life

assesses actions in terms of their benefit or harm to the integrity of whole ecological systems, both living and nonliving

preserving natural systems intact and for their own intrinsic value; pioneered by John Muir

advocating wise use of natural resources, a utilitarian standard; pioneered by Gifford Pinchot

called upon humans to include the environmental in their ethical framework

positing the important of the fair and equitable treatment of all people with respect to environmental policy and practice, regardless of their income, race, or ethnicity

the study of how people decide to use potentially scarce resources to provide goods and services in the face of demand for them

a social system that converts resources into goods and services

founded by Adam Smith; argues that self-interested economic behavior will benefit society as long as the behavior is constrained by law and private property rights, and is operating within a competitive marketplace

the psychological factors underlying consumer choices and considers demand, costs, and benefits

an approach of neoclassical economics; used to evaluate public projects, assessing the capital costs that must be paid in order to gain benefits/value for a large group of people

an increase in an economy’s production and consumption of goods and services

costs affecting members of society other than the immediate buyer or seller

an economy that neither grows nor shrinks, but actually mirrors natural economic ecological systems

maintains that civilizations, like natural populations, cannot permanently overcome their limits to growth and should not expect endless economic growth, but should support the principles of stability, steady-state, and sustainability

the total monetary value of final goods and services a country produces each year

values not usually included in the price of a good or service such as ecosystem services

differentiates between desirable and undesirable economic activity and is more accurate indicator of a society’s well-being

provides businesses a powerful incentive to move towards more sustainable processes when these products are preferentially purchased EX. labeling tuna as “dolphin-safe”