ENVS 1000U Lecture Notes - Lecture 5: Affluenza, Environmental Economics, Invisible Hand
1 Nov 2016
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Document Summary
Examine how humans use the resources available on earth. Find that developed countries use considerably more resources to maintain a modern life-style than developing countries which have higher populations but poorer quality of life. Si(cid:374)(cid:272)e (cid:374)atural or e(cid:272)ologi(cid:272)al (cid:858)rules(cid:859) appl(cid:455) to hu(cid:373)a(cid:374)s: an affluent lifestyle is not sustainable. Ipat model: i = p x a x t x s. Our total impact (i) on environment results from interaction of population (p), affluence (a) and technology (t), with an added sensitivity (s) factor. Population = individuals need space and resources. Affluence = greater per capita resource use. Sensitivity = how sensitive an area is to human pressure. Further model refinements include education, laws, ethics. Ipat model = shows environmental impact of a person, population or business by including population size, affluence (excessive use of resources) and technology. Include both population and consumption effects that lie at the root of many environmental impacts.
