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May 9, 2013

GEOG 370GEOG 370

May 9th “Ecological Economics” thanks to Robert Costanza

Read and respond in class to Costanza's “Four Visions of the Future”:http://www.ecologyandsociety.org/vol4/iss1/art5/

B-C exercises due on May 14

Second Essay exam questions handed out May 16.

Second exam responses due on May 21.

Reading for class ES 151-229

Discussion questions:

1.Did anyone in your group take too many fish? How did that make you feel? Did anyone try to take as many aspossible? Why or why not? Does society reward those with the “most’?

2. Did anyone sacrifice the # of fish, for the good of the community? Why or why not? Does society ever rewardthat type of person?

3. In Game Two… how did your strategy change, if at all? Does it make a difference to know what the rewards are?

4. Is it possible to maximize the number of fish caught/person ANAND the number of fish remaining in the pond at the same tiat the same time? Why or why not?

5. Think of a local commons local commons that you are familiar with [parking lots. Dorm social rooms, bathrooms,, bookstall, etc.]. Do similar problems arise? Explain. How might those problems be solved?

3. What are some natural resources natural resources that are commoncommon resources?

4. What are global commonsglobal commons? Are these being used wisely? Why or why not?

  1. In order to effectively envision, it is necessary to focus on what one really wants, not what one will settle for. For example, the list below shows the kinds of things people really want, compared to the kinds of things they often settle for.

Really want Settle for Self-esteem Fancy car

Serenity Drugs

Health Medicine

Human happiness GNP

Permanent prosperity Unsustainable growth   

2. A vision should be judged by the clarity of its goals, not the clarity of its implementation path. Holding to the vision and being flexible about the path is often the only way to find the path.

  3. Responsible vision must acknowledge, but not get crushed by, the physical constraints of the real world.

  4. It is critical for visions to be shared, because only shared visions can be responsible.

  5. Vision has to be flexible and evolving. Thus, the process of envisioning is at least as important as the particular visions themselves.

Table 1. Some characteristics of the basic worldviews.

Technological optimist Technological skeptic technical progress can deal with technical progress is limited and any future challenge ecological carrying capacity

must be preserved

competition cooperation

linear systems with no discontinuities complex, nonlinear systems with or irreversibilities discontinuities and irreversibilities

humans dominant over nature humans in partnership with nature

everybody for themselves partnership with others

market as guiding principle market as servant of larger goals

Fig. 1. Four visions of the future based on the two basic worldviews and two alternative real states of the world.