Environmental economics: Econ 2505

Sean MacDonald

Diana Mincyte

Overshoot day

Extraction of resources surpasses Earth’s capacity

August 13, 2015

It takes 1.6 Earths to support human activity—but we only have 1.

The Independent: http://www.independent.co.uk/news/science/earth-overshoot-day-humanity-consumes-100-of-planets-resources-in-eight-months-10457683.html

What is sustainability?

Brudtland report Our Common Future (1987):

Sustainable development is the kind of development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.

Sustainability and waste

BAU: Business As Usual

Profit interests (responsibilities to shareholders)

Political stagnation

Lack of education

What are possible solutions?

Infrastructural changes/investments: Difficult to implement

Local responses: Difficult to scale up

Community-supported agriculture Members buy shares

Weekly deliveries

No choice

Risk sharing

What are the advantages of CSA’s? Juliet Schor: Plenitude economies

Reducing environmental footprint

Reimbedding of economy into community (not individual consumption)

Plenitude economies

Citizen-consumer Self-fulfillment Empowerment Reskilling the consumer

Answer to the changing labor markets

Source: NCES Digest of Education Statistics, 2012

Solution?

Shorter hours and four-day workweek

History of an 8 hour workday

19th century factory jobs:

10-18 hours of work Company towns

Tin factory: Pullman

Source: publications.newberry.rg

Weyerhaeuser Timber Co. at Vail, CO

Source: www.seattlepi.com

Advocating for 8 hour “formal” employment day

1791 – workers in Philadelphia asked for a 10 hour work day + include 2 hours for meals.

1817 – Robert Owen (British socialist): “Eight hours labour, eight hours recreation, eight

hours rest.” 

 

8 hour workday

 1914 – Ford Motor Company

1937 – Fair Labor Standards Act in the US No more that 44 hours per week Any hours over 40 hours – overtime

compensation

Projections that work day will decline to 4 hours by 2000

Overview Why should we study groups of people for understanding

environmental issues?

What is sustainability and where did the term come from?

What is an overshoot day?

What is community-supported agriculture?

How is a citizen-consumer different from a “purchasing” consumer?

How do you understand the term BAU (business as usual)?

What is consumer re-skilling?