Economics and
Environmental Policy
Chapter 2
Lab Manual
Name___________________
Period______
Directions: Read the categories below and then read the Case Study. As you read, fill in the table. You
must have at least term in the vocabulary box and a clear thought/explanation in each of the other
boxes.
CLEANING THE TIDES OF SAN DIEGO AND TIJUANA PAGE 35
!
SEEMS
IMPORTANT TO
ME
?
SOMETHING I
DON’T
UNDERSTAND
X
SOMETHING I
DON’T AGREE
WITH
#
WORDS/TERMS
THAT SEEM
IMPORTANT
SOMETHING ELSE I
WANT TO TALK
ABOUT
WHAT’S IN MY HEAD ALREADY ABOUT ENVIRONMENTAL LAWS?
ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES AND HUMAN IMPACT
DIRECTIONS:
1.
Watch the Core Science Series Video on Environmental Issues and Human Impact. Fill in the organizer with the environmental issues mentioned and
their impact on humans.
2. Use the internet and text sources to research laws and policies set forth to address the environmental issue and the human health impacts related to the
issue.
ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUE (PROBLEM)
MINING
INCREASING POPULATION
LANDFILLS
TOURISM
AIR POLLUTION
HUMAN IMPACT (PROBLEM)
LAW OR POLICY TO ADDRESS IT (SOLUTION)
ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUE (PROBLEM)
HUMAN IMPACT (PROBLEM)
LAW OR POLICY TO ADDRESS IT (SOLUTION)
WATER POLLUTION
AGRICULTURE
DEFORESTATION
SPECIES LOSS
CLIMATE CHANGE
GREENHOUSE EFFECT
MAIN IDEA (consider environmental justice, ethics, cultural view, world views, etc.)
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FIND SOMEONE WHO CAN TELL YOU: Write the answer and the student’s name
What EPA stands for
What the Pennsylvania environmental
agency is called
A Pennsylvania law that protects
threatened and endangered species
A federal law that protects threatened and
endangered species
The law known as the farm bill
An amendment to the Clean Water
Act
The name of the Act that is commonly
known as “Superfund”
Considered one of the most important
environmental laws—requires any federal
agency to consider environmental impacts
of their actions
Regulates air emissions from a
number of sources in the USA
ENVIRONMENTAL NON-MARKET VALUES
“Money isn't everything...but it ranks right up there with oxygen.”
― Rita Davenport
DEFINE NON-MARKET VALUE
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DIRECTIONS: USE YOUR VOCABULARY LIST TO DEFINE IN EACH TERM (IN YOUR OWN WORDS) AND
SKETCH A PICTURE OF WHAT THE WORD MEANS.
TERM
AESTHETIC VALUE
CULTURAL VALUE
EDUCATIONAL VALUE
EXISTENCE VALUE
OPTION VALUE
SCIENTIFIC VALUE
USE VALUE
DEFINITION (IN YOUR OWN
WORDS)
SKETCH AND LABEL AN EXAMPLE
ENVIRONMENTAL COST/BENEFIT ANALYSIS
SCENARIO: Maria finishes a jar of peanut butter while making a sandwich. She
starts to rinse out the jar so that she can throw it in the recycling bin. But the
remaining peanut butter is quite stuck to the inside of the jar. AS more and more
water flows down the drain, she thinks, “I know that recycling is important, but so
is water conservation. At what point should I just throw this jar in the trash?”
VOCABULARY PREVIEW:
ECONOMICS—the student of how resources are converted into goods
(materials/products) and services (work that someone does) and how they are
distributed and used.
o Supply—amount of a product for sale at a given price
o Demand—amount of a product people will buy at a given price
o Cost/benefit analysis—compare what is sacrificed and gained by a specific
action
 If the cost outweighs benefits, idea is usually abandoned
 If benefits outweigh costs, idea is usually pursued
Build Science Reasoning Skills
Cost-Benefit Analysis No environmental policy is perfect. All
policies have costs as well as benefits. When considering the
implementation of a policy, the costs and benefits must be carefully
considered.
1. Infer Fill in Data Table 1 with costs and benefits of continuing to
clean out the peanut butter jar vs. just throwing it away.
Data Table 1. Policy Costs and Benefits
Costs
Benefits
2. Evaluate Based on your analysis of costs and benefits, do you
think that a peanut butter jar should be cleaned out and recycled or
just thrown away. Defend your answer.
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3. EXPLAIN: How is Maria’s decision similar to the cost-benefit analysis that
a company might perform when decided to develop a new product or purchase
new equipment.
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4. POSE QUESTIONS: Maria decides to research her question. List three
questions that Maria should try to answer as she does her research.
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5. Extend: Make a list of other common situations in your life where a
cost/benefit analysis could help you make a more informed decision.
Daily Water Use
The United States used about 349 billion gallons of fresh water per day in 2005. The water use
in each of four categories is shown below as a percentage of total water use. In this activity,
you will calculate the billion gallons of water these percentages represent. You also will
calculate the average amount of fresh water used per person per day for each category
To find how much water is used in each
category, first write the percentage as
a decimal. Then, multiply the decimal
by the total amount of water used. The
calculation for the gallons of fresh water
used per day in the electricity category is
modeled at the right:
41% =
41
= 0.41
100
water used = decimal × total amount used
billion gallons = 0.41 × 349
= 143.09 billion gallons
1. Calculate the gallons of water used per day for each of the other three categories shown in the table
above. Write your answers in the table.
To find the average amount of fresh
water used per person per day, divide
each amount by the population. In
2005, the U.S. population was 301
million (0.301 billion). The calculation
for the average amount of water used
water used per
person per day = amount used = 143.09 billion gallons
population
0.301 billion people
 475.38 gallons per person
2.
Calculate the average daily water use per person for each of the other three categories shown in the table.
Write your answers on the table.
per person per day for electricity is