Name: EST/SGSEP 285—Ecology, Economy, and Ethics Subject: Category: Abstract: Keywords: EST/SGSEP 285—Ecology, Economy, and Ethics Antioch College Spring Semester, 2001 M, W, F--1:20-2:30 305 South Hall 4 credits INSTRUCTOR Rick Peterson Assistant Professor of Environmental Studies Office: 407 South Hall Tel: 769-1082, ext. 1082 E-mail: rpeterson@antioch-college.edu Office Hours: Mon 2:30-4:30 Tues 9-11 or by appointment COURSE DESCRIPTION This course begins with an introduction to basic concepts and tools of analysis in environmental economics. We will critically examine the assumptions and values underlying these concepts and discuss the arguments both pro and con for “value-neutral” economically driven environmental policy making. Following this foundational material, we will explore various alternative schools of environmental economics focusing particularly on “ecological economics”. We will then compare traditional and alternative economic analyses of a range of domestic and international environmental policy issues including pollution prevention and control, the use of renewable and nonrenewable resources, private/public/communal property rights, international trade, economic growth and development, environmental justice, global climate change, and the loss of biodiversity. We will assess the implications of these analyses in light of various social, ethical, and ecological considerations. The course concludes with a discussion of several radical economic visions for the future. ADA Statement To facilitate the learning of students with disabilities, I encourage those students to inform me of their strengths and needs within the first two class meetings. LEARNING OBJECTIVES Students will gain or improve their knowledge of the following concerns: ? Basic concepts and tools of analysis of environmental economics ? Underlying values and assumptions of environmental economics ? Similarities and differences between environmental and ecological economics in regard to their basic assumptions, values, theories, and tools of analysis ? Similarities and differences between environmental and ecological economics as applied to specific environmental problems ? Evaluation and assessment of these applications on the basis of equity (race, class, gender, future generations) and ecology (ecosystem principles and limits) ? Radical economic alternatives and visions Students will also gain or improve on the following skills: ? Discussion skills—ability to identify key points, communicate ideas clearly and coherently, and respond respectfully to other points of view ? Critical thinking skills—ability to raise critical questions about the readings, uncover tacit assumptions and value choices, draw insightful connections, and make comparisons between issues and ideas ? Research skills—ability to gather appropriate data and information using library and internet resources, and to identify and learn from key informants in the community and the field ? Analytic writing and verbal presentation skills—ability to use grammatically correct sentences, organize paragraphs and themes coherently, develop and support a thesis or argument, engage in analysis as well as description, and present original work in a well-organized and engaging manner RESPONSIBILITIES Your knowledge of environmental economics will be enriched and expanded through this course only if each of you fully participates in the variety of learning activities it involves. Therefore, I expect you to: ? Attend class regularly. This is extremely important for your own personal and professional development, for you to get the most out of this class, and for us to create common ground and an atmosphere of respect in the class. If you miss 4 or more classes, you will automatically receive no credit for this course. ? Arrive on time and stay for the entire class period. Being consistently late will count toward your absences. ? Come to class well prepared. I can’t emphasize this enough. The quality of our discussions and our learning depends directly on how carefully and critically each of you does the reading prior to class. Critical reading involves raising questions, comparing what the author says to your own experience and to other readings, synthesizing ideas, and identifying key points out of a lot of detail. I recommend making your own copies of assigned reserve materials but please do not unfairly remove materials from the library—this shows great disrespect for your peers and does the entire class a disservice. ? Participate actively, thoughtfully, and responsibly in class discussions and learning activities. Education cannot be passively received but must be claimed fair and square. To be active in your own learning, you should initiate and facilitate informed discussion, engage with me and your colleagues in debate, raise questions and alternative points of view, challenge arguments, and involve yourself in all in-class assignments, small group activities, and field trips. Equally important is creating a respectful classroom space by sticking to the subject at hand rather than giving uninformed opinions, and being aware of and sensitive to uses and abuses of time, attention, and power during our meetings. ? Successfully complete all written and oral assignments on time. Turning work in late without prior approval and not being prepared for oral presentations will affect whether or not you earn credit for the course. Late research papers will not be accepted. ? Schedule a mandatory individual conference with me over the course of the semester to discuss how and what you are learning in the class, ways we can improve the class, and areas in which you are having difficulty. Failure to attend this conference will result in no credit for the course. ASSIGNMENTS All written work (except in-class writing) must be typed and stapled, and you should clearly specify your name and the nature of the assignment (e.g., Reflection Paper on Field Chapter 2; Media Report on . . .). I expect you will have fully edited your papers, including drafts, before you hand them in to make sure words are spelled correctly, sentences are intelligible, and paragraphs are coherently organized. As a rule, you should use active rather than passive voice as much as possible. Make good use of the Writing Center—it is a great resource. Specific assignments: ? Weekly reflection papers on the readings (1-2 single spaced typed pages). Each week, you will select one or more of the week’s assigned readings (or chapters of the text) and write a thoughtful and informed response. You may criticize the reading, extol it, question it, propose clarifications, point out weaknesses, relate it to your own experience, examine its methodological approach or underlying values and assumptions, or critically compare it to other readings. You may react to the reading in any way you choose as long as you give evidence of having seriously engaged the reading. The goal is for you to have done your reading carefully and thoughtfully enough to be able to talk about it in class. Regardless of the specific topics you choose to reflect on in writing, you are expected to come to class prepared to discuss all aspects of the readings. I encourage you to work together in discussing the readings and formulating responses. Each student must, however, write an individual response using her or his own words. I will review your responses and return them to you with one of the following symbols prominently displayed: - Unsatisfactory; you didn’t seriously engage the reading + OK, but I’d prefer you put a little more into it ++ Very good; just keep doing it PAPERS MUST BE TYPED AND HANDED IN AT THE BEGINNING OF CLASS EACH FRIDAY WHEN WE WILL DISCUSS THEM TOGETHER. ? Weekly discussion questions. Along with your reflection papers, each of you will develop three thoughtful discussion questions on which you wish to have input from your colleagues. These should be probing questions that are directly related to the material and cause the rest of us to do some in-depth thinking. Together with your reflection papers, these questions will form the basis of our class discussions.. Questions must be typed and handed in with your weekly reflection paper at the beginning of class each Friday. ? Report on Environmental Economics in the popular media. Once during the semester, each student will be responsible for making a very short class presentation on an article from a major newspaper (NY Times, Washington Post, Christian Science Monitor, etc.), environmental bulletin, or website that deals with some aspect of environmental economics. In addition to the presentation, each student will submit a one page typed summary of the key political/economic, social, environmental, and/or ethical points made in the article and an original critique of those points. ? Outreach activity and report. The goal of this assignment is to get you out of the classroom and into the field where the environmental and economic issues we are learning about take place. The assignment requires only a one-time activity but it certainly could be on-going if you so desire. Outreach activities might include volunteering with a local environmental organization addressing some aspect of environmental economics (see me for suggestions); interviewing a local official, economist, businessperson, etc. on a local environmental economics issue (pricing garbage disposal, incinerating volatile chemicals, maintaining well-head protection); doing an environmental/economic assessment of Antioch’s use, or lack of use, of a certain resource (e.g. paper, natural gas, solar energy, recyclables), working on an organic farm to learn the economics and equity issues surrounding healthy food production; speaking to an elementary class on an environmental issue including its economic dimensions. . . . I welcome any of your ideas but require that you approve them with me before embarking on your activity. On or before Friday April 13, you will need to hand in a short report and analysis of your activity (1-2 single spaced typed pages) that relates your activism to the themes of the course. ? Final paper and presentation. Students may choose either of two options: 1) A research paper comparing and contrasting how a particular environmental issue is addressed by (a) Environmental/Natural Resource Economics (or neo-classical economics), and (b) Ecological Economics (or a more radical school of economics). Papers need to examine and compare the fundamental assumptions, analyses, and proposed solutions put forth by each school and evaluate those solutions on the basis of equity (race, class, gender, future generations) and ecology. 2) A thorough review of a significant book on environmental economics (of any perspective) other than those read in class. Book reviews are different than book reports. They require first, an in-depth reading of the book and second, informed assessment of the book’s strengths and weaknesses. Book reviews should also relate the book to the themes discussed in the class and to the other works we’ve read. What does this author add to our discussion? What does she or he miss? What are your personal responses to the book? Consult the Book Review section of the NY Times, or look at reviews in any of the scholarly journals in the library to gain additional perspectives on how to write a good review. Both the paper and the review should be around 5-7 single spaced typed pages. Writing is a process and needs to progress through several stages. To help keep these final papers from overwhelming you at the last minute, students will work to meet the following deadlines: Fri Feb 16—Final paper proposals due Fri Mar 30—First drafts due Mon, Wed April 23, 25—Paper presentations in class Thur April 26—Final papers due EVALUATION I will evaluate your learning in this course based on the extent to which you have met the learning objectives and fulfilled your responsibilities, and on the quality and timely completion of all assignments. Self Evaluation Self-evaluations are also very useful in assessing the quality of your learning experience. In the middle and at the end of the semester you will complete a self-evaluation of your learning, specifically with regard to your effort, accomplishments, completion and understanding of readings, fulfillment of responsibilities, and the quality of your assignments. Grade Equivalent If you would like a grade equivalent for this course, you must let me know within the first two weeks of class. COURSE TEXTS Two books have been ordered for this course. They are available only through the Antioch College Bookstore located in the Student Union. In addition to these texts, readings will be assigned from various books which have been placed on two-hour reserve in Kettering Library. I have also placed on two-hour reserve required journal articles in two identical three-ring binders. In class and in the syllabus I clearly identify where to find each assigned reading. • Required Books: Brian C. Field, 1997. Environmental Economics: An Introduction. 2nd Ed. New York: McGraw Hill. Robert Costanza, et.al., 1997. An Introduction to Ecological Economics. Boca Raton, FL: St. Lucie Press. • Books on Reserve in Kettering Library: 3-Ring Binder of Selected Articles. EST/SGSEP 285. Professor Rick Peterson. Duane Chapman. 2000. Environmental Economics: Theory, Application, and Policy. Reading, MA: Addison-Wesley. Herman E. Daly and Kenneth N. Townsend, eds. 1993. Valuing the Earth: Economics, Ecology, Ethics. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press. William Ophuls, and A. Stephan Boyan, Jr. 1992. Ecology and the Politics of Scarcity Revisited: The Unraveling of the American Dream. San Francisco: W.H. Freeman. Tom Tietenberg. 2000. Environmental and Natural Resource Economics. 5th Ed. Reading, MA: Addison-Wesley. Donald VanDeVeer, and Christine Pierce, eds. 1998. The Environmental Ethics and Policy Book: Philosophy, Ecology, Economics. 2nd Edition. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth. COURSE READINGS AND SCHEDULE • Introduction Week 1 Jan 17-19 The Economy, the Environment, and Ethics READ: World Scientists’ Warning to Humanity (HANDOUT) Field, Chapters 1, 2 • Part I: Basic Concepts and Methods of Environmental Economics Week 2 Jan 22-26 Basic Analytical Tools and Frameworks of Analysis READ: Field, Chapters 3-6 Week 3 Jan 29-Feb 2 Benefit Cost Analysis and Various Policy Approaches READ: Field, Chapters 7, 8, 10-13 Supplementary Reading for Part I: Chapman, Chapters 1-4 (RESERVE) Tietenberg, Chapters 3-5 (RESERVE) • Part II: Assumptions, Values, and Historical Context Week 4 Feb 5-9 Underlying Assumptions, Values, and Ethics READ: Hackett (RESERVE) VanDeVeer and Pierce 1998a (RESERVE) Freeman OR Sagoff (RESERVE) Kelman OR Leonard and Zeckhauser (RESERVE) Supplementary Reading: VanDeVeer and Pierce 1998b (RESERVE) Week 5 Feb 12-16 Historical Context READ: Henderson (RESERVE) **FINAL PAPER PROPOSALS DUE FRIDAY FEBRUARY 16** • Part III: Ecological Economics: An Emerging Alternative Week 6 Feb 19-23 Background and Historical Development READ: Costanza, et.al., Chapters 1, 2 **NO CLASS ON WED FEB 21--COMMUNITY DAY!!!** Week 7 Feb 26-Mar 2 Principles and Policies READ: Costanza, et.al., Chapters 3, 4 (selections assigned) Waring (RESERVE) • Part IV: Comparative Applications to Environmental Policy Week 8 Mar 5-9 Pollution Prevention and Control READ: Field, Chapters14-17 RE-READ: Relevant sections in Costanza et.al. Supplementary Reading: Chapman, Chapters 11, 12 (RESERVE) Tietenberg, Chapters 15-20 (RESERVE) Week 9 Mar 12-16 Use of Renewable and Nonrenewable Resources READ: Tietenberg, Chapters 7, 14 and two chapters of your choice between 8-13 (RESERVE) RE-READ: Relevant sections in Costanza et. al. Supplementary Reading: Chapman, Chapters 9, 10, 13, 14 Week 10 Mar 19-23 Economic Development, International Trade, and the Environment READ: Field, Chapter 19, Chapter 21 (pp. 465-471 only) Moseley (RESERVE) At least one of the following: Goldsmith, Morris, Daly (RESERVE) RE-READ: Relevant sections in Costanza, et.al. Supplementary Reading: Chapman, Chapter 17 (RESERVE) Tietenberg, Chapters 22, 23 (RESERVE) **NO CLASS ON FRIDAY MARCH 23--SPRING BREAK!!!** Week 11 Mar 26-30 Global Environmental Problems and Policies READ: Field, Chapter 20, Chapter 21 (pp. 453-465 only) RE-READ: Relevant sections in Costanza, et.al. Supplementary Reading: Chapman, Chapters 15, 18 (RESERVE) **FIRST DRAFTS OF FINAL PAPER DUE FRIDAY MARCH 30** • Part V: Evaluation and Assessment Week 12 Apr 2-6 Ethics and Equity READ: Field, Chapter 9 Grossman (RESERVE) Norton (RESERVE) Shiva (RESERVE) Nelson OR McMahon (RESERVE) Supplementary Reading: Chapman, Chapter 5 (RESERVE) Tietenberg, Chapter 21 (RESERVE) Week 13 Apr 9-13 Ecology and Thermodynamics READ: Capra (RESERVE) Georgescu-Roegen (RESERVE) Daly and Cobb (RESERVE) **OUTREACH ACTIVITY REPORTS DUE** • Part VI: Economic Visions for the Future Week 14 Apr 16-20 Radical Models READ: Berry (RESERVE) Schumacher (RESERVE) Hawken (RESERVE) Bookchin (RESERVE) Week 15 Apr 23-25 Final Presentations and Conclusions **FINAL PAPERS DUE APRIL 26** COURSE READINGS Berry, Wendell. 1999. Back to the Land: The Radical Case for Local Economy. Amicus Journal 20 (4): 37-40. 3-RING BINDER ON RESERVE Bookchin, Murray. 1986. Market Economy or Moral Economy? Chapter 3 in The Modern Crisis, 77-97. Philadelphia: New Society Publishers. 3-RING BINDER ON RESERVE Capra, Fritjof. 1996. Ecological Literacy. Epilogue in The Web of Life: A New Scientific Understanding of Living Systems, 297-304. New York: Anchor Books. 3-RING BINDER ON RESERVE Chapman, Duane. 2000. Environmental Economics: Theory, Application, and Policy. Reading, MA: Addison-Wesley. BOOK ON RESERVE Costanza, Robert et.al., 1997. An Introduction to Ecological Economics. Boca Raton, FL: St. Lucie Press. REQUIRED TEXT Daly, Herman. 1996. Free Trade: The Perils of Deregulation. In The Case Against the Global Economy: And For a Turn Toward the Local, eds. Jerry Mander and Edward Goldsmith, 229-238. San Francisco: Sierra Club Books. 3-RING BINDER ON RESERVE Daly, Herman and John B. Cobb, Jr. 1989. From Matter and Rent to Energy and Biosphere. Chapter 10 in For the Common Good: Redirecting the Economy Toward Community, the Environment, and a Sustainable Future, 190-206. Boston: Beacon Press. 3-RING BINDER ON RESERVE Field, Brian C. 1997. Environmental Economics: An Introduction. 2nd Ed. New York: McGraw Hill. REQUIRED TEXT Freeman, A. Myrick, 1998. The Ethical Basis of the Economic View of the Environment. In The Environmental Ethics and Policy Book: Philosophy, Ecology, Economics. 2nd Edition, eds. Donald VanDeVeer and Christine Pierce, 293-301. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth. BOOK ON RESERVE Georgescu-Roegen, Nicholas. 1993. The Entropy Law and the Economic Problem. In Valuing the Earth: Economics, Ecology, Ethics, eds. Herman E. Daly and Kenneth N. Townsend, 75-88. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press. BOOK ON RESERVE Goldsmith, Edward. 1996. Global Trade and the Environment. In The Case Against the Global Economy: And For a Turn Toward the Local, eds. Jerry Mander and Edward Goldsmith, 78-91. San Francisco: Sierra Club Books. 3-RING BINDER ON RESERVE Grossman, Karl. 1998. Environmental Racism. In The Environmental Ethics and Policy Book: Philosophy, Ecology, Economics. 2nd Edition, eds. Donald VanDeVeer and Christine Pierce, 553-559. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth. BOOK ON RESERVE Hackett, Stephen C. 1998. Value Systems and Economic Systems. Chapter 2 in Environmental and Natural Resource Economics: Theory, Policy, and the Sustainable Society, 17-31. Armonk, NY: M.E. Sharpe. 3-RING BINDER ON RESERVE Hawken, Paul. 1997. Natural Capitalism. Mother Jones March/April, 40. 3-RING BINDER ON RESERVE Henderson, Hazel. 1988. Economists as Apologists; Three Hundred Years of Snake Oil: Defrocking the Economics Priesthood. Chapters 7 and 8 in The Politics of the Solar Age: Alternatives to Economics, 155-241. Indianapolis: Knowledge Systems, Inc. 3-RING BINDER ON RESERVE Kelman, Steven. 1998. Cost-Benefit Analysis: An Ethical Critique. In The Environmental Ethics and Policy Book: Philosophy, Ecology, Economics. 2nd Edition, eds. Donald VanDeVeer and Christine Pierce, 316-322. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth. BOOK ON RESERVE Leonard, Herman B. and Richard J. Zeckhauser. 1998. Cost-Benefit Analysis Defended. In The Environmental Ethics and Policy Book: Philosophy, Ecology, Economics. 2nd Edition, eds. Donald VanDeVeer and Christine Pierce, 322-325. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth. BOOK ON RESERVE McMahon, Martha. 1997. From the Ground Up: Ecofeminism and Ecological Economics. Ecological Economics 20: 163-173. 3-RING BINDER ON RESERVE Morris, David. 1996. Free Trade: The Great Destroyer. In The Case Against the Global Economy: And For a Turn Toward the Local, eds. Jerry Mander and Edward Goldsmith, 218-228. San Francisco: Sierra Club Books. 3-RING BINDER ON RESERVE Moseley, William G. 2000. Discounted Forethought: Juxtaposing the Behavior of Food Insecure Households in Africa and the Perceived Economic Wisdom Regarding Poverty, Time Preference, and the Environment. Paper presented at the Annual Meeting of the African Studies Association, Nashville, TN, November 16-19, 25 pp. 3-RING BINDER ON RESERVE Nelson, Julie A. 1997. Feminism, Ecology, and the Philosophy of Economics. Ecological Economics 20: 155-162. 3-RING BINDER ON RESERVE Norton, Bryan. 1998. Environmental Problems and Future Generations. In The Environmental Ethics and Policy Book: Philosophy, Ecology, Economics. 2nd Edition, eds. Donald VanDeVeer and Christine Pierce, 440-448. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth. BOOK ON RESERVE Sagoff, Mark. 1998. At the Shrine of Our Lady of Fatima,, or Why Political Questions Are Not All Economic. In The Environmental Ethics and Policy Book: Philosophy, Ecology, Economics. 2nd Edition, eds. Donald VanDeVeer and Christine Pierce, 301-310. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth. BOOK ON RESERVE Schumacher, E.F. 1993. Buddhist Economics. In Valuing the Earth: Economics, Ecology, Ethics, eds. Herman E. Daly and Kenneth N. Townsend, 173-181. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press. BOOK ON RESERVE Shiva, Vandana. 1998. Development, Ecology, and Women. In The Environmental Ethics and Policy Book: Philosophy, Ecology, Economics. 2nd Edition, eds. Donald VanDeVeer and Christine Pierce, 271-277. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth. BOOK ON RESERVE Tietenberg, Tom. 2000. Environmental and Natural Resource Economics. Fth Ed. Reading, MA: Addison-Wesley. BOOK ON RESERVE VanDeVeer, Donald and Christine Pierce. 1998a. Preview to Chapter 5.A in The Environmental Ethics and Policy Book: Philosophy, Ecology, Economics. 2nd Edition, 286-293. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth. BOOK ON RESERVE VanDeVeer, Donald and Christine Pierce. 1998b. Sidelight: Cost-Benefit Analysis: Tool for all Seasons? In The Environmental Ethics and Policy Book: Philosophy, Ecology, Economics. 2nd Edition, 326-327. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth. BOOK ON RESERVE Waring, Marilyn. 1994. Ecological Economics. In Women Reconnect Ecology, Health, and Development Worldwide, ed. Vandana Shiva, 155-161. Philadelphia: New Society Publishers. 3-RING BINDER ON RESERVE ADDITIONAL BOOKS FOR FURTHER READING AND BOOK REPORTS Albert, Michael and Robin Hahnel. 1991. Looking Forward: Participatory Economics for the Twenty First Century. Boston: South End Press. Beaton, Russ and Chris Maser. 1999. Reuniting Economy and Ecology in Sustainable Development. Boca Raton, FL: Lewis Publishers. Berry, Wendell. 1987. Home Economics: Fourteen Essays. San Francisco : North Point Press. Costanza, Robert, Olman Segura, and Juan Martinez-Alier, eds. 1996. Getting Down to Earth: Practical Applications of Ecological Economics. Washington D.C.: Island Press. Daly, Herman E. and John B. Cobb, Jr. 1989. For the Common Good: Redirecting the Economy Toward Community, the Environment, and a Sustainable Future. Boston: Beacon Press. Eggert, Jim. 1992. Meadowlark Economics : Perspectives on Ecology, Work, and Learning. Armonk, NY: M.E. Sharpe. Ekins, Paul, Mayer Hillman, and Robert Hutchinson. 1992. The Gaia Atlas of Green Economics. New York: Anchor Books. Foster, John, ed. 1997. Valuing Nature? Ethics, Economics, and the Environment. London: Routledge. Gowdy, John and Sabine O’Hara. 1995. Economic Theory for Environmentalists. Delray Beach, FL: St. Lucie Press. Hawkins, Paul, Amory Lovins, and Hunter Lovins. 1999. Natural Capitalism. Boston: Little Brown and Company. Hodge, Ian. 1995. Environmental Economics: Individual Incentives and Public Choices. New York: St. Martin’s Press. Khavari, F. A. 1993. Environomics: The Economics of Environmentally Safe Prosperity. Westport, CT: Praeger. Markandya, Anil and Julie Richardson, eds. 1992. Environmental Economics: A Reader. New York: St. Martin’s Press. Meeker-Lowery, Susan. 1988. Economics As If the Earth Really Mattered : A Catalyst Guide to Socially Conscious Investing. Philadelphia, PA: New Society Publishers. Schumacher, E.F. 1975. Small is Beautiful: Economics As If People Mattered. New York: Harper and Row.