What Is Environmental Economics?

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What is Environmental Economics? I. • Economics is the study of the allocation of scarce resources. o Note that the theories of economics can be applied to any scarce resource, not just traditional commodities. o Economics is not simply about profits or money. It applies anywhere constraints are faced, so that choices must be made. o Economists study how incentives affect people’s behavior. • Environmental and natural resource economics is the application of the principles of economics to the study of how environmental and natural resources are developed and managed. o Natural resources – resources provided by nature that can be divided into increasingly smaller units and allocated at the margin. o Environmental resources – resources provided by nature that are indivisible. o Natural resources serve as inputs to the economic system. Environmental resources are affected by the system (e.g. pollution). II. Why Study Environmental Economics? • In general, prices reflect the relative scarcity of goods. o However, in environmental economics, markets, and thus prices, often do not exist. • What aspects of environmental and natural resource economics make it unique? 1. Market failures When market failures exist, government intervention may be appropriate. 2. Dynamics The decision to consume a good today typically does not affect the ability to consume it tomorrow. However, the decision to use natural resources today does affect what will be available tomorrow. Note that prices will influence this. Higher prices both provide incentives to conserve resources, encourage exploration for new sources, and the development of technologies to better obtain resources. 3. Irreversibility Damage to natural resources has long-term effects. For example, if the Grand Canyon were flooded, future generations would be unable to enjoy its beauty. This is

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