Lesson 9 - The Cost of Ignoring Economics and Geography The impact of geography and economics on the...

Lesson 9 - The Cost of Ignoring Economics and Geography

The impact of geography and economics on the environment.

The Cost of Ignoring Economics and Geography

Is it a good idea to breathe gases from the tailpipe of a car?

Gases and emissions from cars, factories, and other industrial sources can cause pollution and health problems in many large cities.


What natural forces can help reduce the effects of pollution in the air?


What are some other sources of pollution and waste that people put into the environment?


Waste is often put into our rivers, in part because water is another way to wash and diffuse waste. Much like the motion of the air by winds, the motion of water diffuses and dilutes waste so it is less concentrated. These physical processes of degradation or decomposition are the result of bacteria in the water that break waste down into less-harmful substances. As waste moves down a river, these processes reduce the impact of the waste on the surrounding environment.


How can we best control the amount of waste that is being released into the environment?

What are the issues we must consider when making our decisions? Natural Processes Costs


Dilution: As waste flows further and further downstream, the water dilutes the waste so that it has a smaller impact on the environment.

Decomposition: Organic waste will decompose over time and will have a smaller impact on the environment as it decomposes.


Flow Map Points 1, 2, 3, and

4 are each 10 miles apart.

The river flows downstream toward Kleenville.

Each company uses the river to dispose of waste created during production.


Each company currently releases 8 units of waste into the river during production.

As waste flows downstream, it is diluted or decomposed by half every 10 miles.

How much waste reaches Kleenville from Acme? 8 units (at the factory) – 4 units (at point 2) – 2 units (at

point 3) – 1 unit (at point 4) = 1 unit reaches Kleenville.


How much waste reaches Kleenville from all the factories along the river if each releases 8 units into the river?


The residents of Kleenville want to reduce the amount of pollution reaching their town by half because their river is smelly and the pollution could cause health problems for people who use water from the river to bathe, cook, drink, and swim.


How can the companies achieve this goal?

Would all of the options cost the companies the same amount?


Acme Bilt Cogs Dyno Epay

1st Unit $1 $1 $1 $1 $1

2nd Unit 2 1 2 2 1

3rd Unit 3 1 3 3 1

4th Unit 4 2 4 4 2

5th Unit 5 3 5 5 3

6th Unit 7 4 7 7 4

7th Unit 9 4 9 9 4

8th Unit 12 5 12 12 5

The Least Costly Alternative to Reduce Waste


How much would it cost for Acme to reduce its pollution to 4 units of waste? $1 (1st Unit) + $2 (2nd Unit) + $3 (3rd Unit) + $4 (4th Unit)

= $10 to reduce waste to 4 units.

How much would it cost for each company to reduce its pollution to 4 units of waste?


What are some other options for reducing the total pollution reaching Kleenville to 5 Units?

What is the least costly combination of units of waste from each company to achieve the goal of 5 units of pollution reaching Kleenville?

Why does the location where waste enters a river influence the impact of the waste downstream?

Appleville City Council is concerned about waste in the river, much of which comes from companies upstream from Appleville. What economic and geographic factors should the council members think about as they decide how much to clean up the waste in the river?



Can you think of any situation here in Oklahoma where there is pollution in a river that is similar to the pollution situation in Kleenville?


Oklahoma is currently negotiating with Arkansas to reduce the amount of phosphorous being released into the Illinois River and Oklahoma rivers and streams.

The phosphorous comes from the waste products from large poultry farms in northwest Arkansas.

Review Questions

Describe the situation with the Illinois River in your own words.

What do you think should be done about the pollution of the Illinois River?

Will dilution and decomposition take care of the problem without further action?

Review Questions

Which parties will be the most impacted by your solution?

What are the potential costs and benefits of your solution to the problem?

Do the benefits outweigh the costs?


Resources Oklahoma Council on Economic Education:

http://www.ocee-ok.org National Council on Economic Education: http://

www.ncee.net Econ Ed Link: http://www.econedlink.org United States Geological Survey Education Page:

http://education.usgs.gov Arkansas Democrat-Gazette Newspaper:

http://www.ardemgaz.com/ Tulsa World Newspaper: http://www.tulsaworld.com/ The Oklahoman/News 9: http://www.newsok.com/


Resources Oklahoma Department of Environmental Quality:

http://www.deq.state.ok.us/ Oklahoma Rural Water Association:

http://www.okruralwater.org/ Arkansas Department of Environmental Quality: http://

www.adeq.state.ar.us/ US Environmental Protection Agency:

http://www.epa.gov/

For additional information, contact:

Sue Lynn Sasser, PhD President, Oklahoma Council on Economic Education 100 N. University Drive, Box 103 Edmond, OK 73034 405.974.5343 [email protected]

Lesson 9 - The Cost of Ignoring Economics and Geography The impact of geography and economics on the...

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