Economic Impact of Population and Technology on the Environment :: Environment Environmental Pollution Preservation

Economic Impact of Population and Technology on the EnvironmentAsk any economist what devil things have changed in the past three or so million years since human beingsity first began appearing in demographically signifi orduret numbers and he ordain tell you with unwavering confidence population and technology. And that economist would be right. These two factors atomic number 18 the root cause of every change in the ensample of living we have experienced since the dawn of humanity. Any anthro-ecologist posed with the analogous question and will offer up little more than a puzzled look. Only two? The point, here, is that economists have a certain purpose to apply Razors Axiom to every situation imaginable. Looking at the forcefulness humans have on the surroundings is most commonly a qualitative exercise. While it may be possible to count stainless number of deer hunted or squ ar miles of forest burned as the result of human involvement in nature, such calculations ar e more commonly done with anecdotes and broad estimates. Ask an economist to barroom the damage done to the environment by humans and you will view about equivalent and compentating differentials two quantitative methods of valuing a qualitative loss. some(prenominal) neccesitate understanding humans preferences and values, and take an understandably anthropocentric view of the man. Regardless, in absolute, per capita, and relative terms, both of those differentials have increased consistently over the course of human history. The first step in evaluating human impact on the environment is to elucidate what we consider human-caused ecological damage. There are, not surprisingly, a owing(p) many approaches possibly in defining such a broad concept, but there are a few basic principles which are nearly universal bads. The damages in this illumination are delimit with a Darwinian perspective. One such bad is the loss of variety show among non-human population. This lo ss of diversity can take the form of extinction of plants or animals, a loss of genetic diversity among one species, or a forced-relocation of an existing population. Another bad is the transformation of terra, whether intentional or unintentional, as the result of human activity. Examples are common think 1930 s okay Dust Bowl and are often caused by agricultural activities. The side by side(p) step in evaluating the extent human-caused environmental damages lies in the measure of such damages. Since no dollar value can be primed(p) on the extinction of a species, we must estimate the value that species contributes to the Earth s consumption (evaluating changes in consumption is the only way we can say that one situation is better than another).