Lesson 9 - The Cost of Ignoring Economics and Geography

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Lesson 9 - The Cost of Ignoring Economics and
Geography

• The impact of geography and economics on the
  environment.

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The Cost of Ignoring Economics and Geography

• Is it a good idea to breathe gases from the
  tailpipe of a car?
• Gases and emissions from cars, factories, and
  other industrial sources can cause pollution and
  health problems in many large cities.

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The Cost of Ignoring Economics and Geography

• What natural forces can help reduce the effects
  of pollution in the air?

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The Cost of Ignoring Economics and Geography

• What are some other sources of pollution and
  waste that people put into the environment?

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The Cost of Ignoring Economics and Geography

• Waste is often put into our rivers, in part
  because water is another way to wash and diffuse
  waste. Much like the motion of the air by winds,
  the motion of water diffuses and dilutes waste so
  it is less concentrated. These physical processes
  of degradation or decomposition are the result of
  bacteria in the water that break waste down into
  less-harmful substances. As waste moves down a
  river, these processes reduce the impact of the
  waste on the surrounding environment.

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The Cost of Ignoring Economics and Geography

• How can we best control the amount of waste that
  is being released into the environment?
• What are the issues we must consider when making
  our decisions?
• Natural Processes
• Costs

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The Cost of Ignoring Economics and Geography

• Dilution As waste flows further and further
  downstream, the water dilutes the waste so that
  it has a smaller impact on the environment.
• Decomposition Organic waste will decompose over
  time and will have a smaller impact on the
  environment as it decomposes.

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The Cost of Ignoring Economics and Geography

• Flow Map
• Points 1, 2, 3, and 4 are each 10 miles apart.
• The river flows downstream toward Kleenville.
• Each company uses the river to dispose of waste
  created during production.

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The Cost of Ignoring Economics and Geography

• Each company currently releases 8 units of waste
  into the river during production.
• As waste flows downstream, it is diluted or
  decomposed by half every 10 miles.
• How much waste reaches Kleenville from Acme?
• 8 units (at the factory) 4 units (at point 2)
  2 units (at point 3) 1 unit (at point 4) 1
  unit reaches Kleenville.

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The Cost of Ignoring Economics and Geography

• How much waste reaches Kleenville from all the
  factories along the river if each releases 8
  units into the river?

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The Cost of Ignoring Economics and Geography

• The residents of Kleenville want to reduce the
  amount of pollution reaching their town by half
  because their river is smelly and the pollution
  could cause health problems for people who use
  water from the river to bathe, cook, drink, and
  swim.

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The Cost of Ignoring Economics and Geography

• How can the companies achieve this goal?
• Would all of the options cost the companies the
  same amount?

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The Cost of Ignoring Economics and Geography
The Least Costly Alternative to Reduce Waste
Acme Bilt Cogs Dyno Epay
1st Unit 1 1 1 1 1
2nd Unit 2 1 2 2 1
3rd Unit 3 1 3 3 1
4th Unit 4 2 4 4 2
5th Unit 5 3 5 5 3
6th Unit 7 4 7 7 4
7th Unit 9 4 9 9 4
8th Unit 12 5 12 12 5
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The Cost of Ignoring Economics and Geography

• How much would it cost for Acme to reduce its
  pollution to 4 units of waste?
• 1 (1st Unit) 2 (2nd Unit) 3 (3rd Unit)
  4 (4th Unit) 10 to reduce waste to 4 units.
• How much would it cost for each company to reduce
  its pollution to 4 units of waste?

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The Cost of Ignoring Economics and Geography

• What are some other options for reducing the
  total pollution reaching Kleenville to 5 Units?
• What is the least costly combination of units of
  waste from each company to achieve the goal of 5
  units of pollution reaching Kleenville?

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The Cost of Ignoring Economics and Geography

• Why does the location where waste enters a river
  influence the impact of the waste downstream?
• Appleville City Council is concerned about waste
  in the river, much of which comes from companies
  upstream from Appleville. What economic and
  geographic factors should the council members
  think about as they decide how much to clean up
  the waste in the river?

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The Cost of Ignoring Economics and Geography

• Can you think of any situation here in Oklahoma
  where there is pollution in a river that is
  similar to the pollution situation in Kleenville?

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The Cost of Ignoring Economics and Geography

• Oklahoma is currently negotiating with Arkansas
  to reduce the amount of phosphorous being
  released into the Illinois River and Oklahoma
  rivers and streams.
• The phosphorous comes from the waste products
  from large poultry farms in northwest Arkansas.

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Review Questions

• Describe the situation with the Illinois River in
  your own words.
• What do you think should be done about the
  pollution of the Illinois River?
• Will dilution and decomposition take care of the
  problem without further action?

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Review Questions

• Which parties will be the most impacted by
  your solution?
• What are the potential costs and benefits of your
  solution to the problem?
• Do the benefits outweigh the costs?

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The Cost of Ignoring Economics and Geography

• Resources
• Oklahoma Council on Economic Education
  http//www.ocee-ok.org
• National Council on Economic Education
  http//www.ncee.net
• Econ Ed Link http//www.econedlink.org
• United States Geological Survey Education Page
  http//education.usgs.gov
• Arkansas Democrat-Gazette Newspaper
  http//www.ardemgaz.com/
• Tulsa World Newspaper http//www.tulsaworld.com/
  
• The Oklahoman/News 9 http//www.newsok.com/

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The Cost of Ignoring Economics and Geography

• Resources
• Oklahoma Department of Environmental Quality
  http//www.deq.state.ok.us/
• Oklahoma Rural Water Association
  http//www.okruralwater.org/
• Arkansas Department of Environmental Quality
  http//www.adeq.state.ar.us/
• US Environmental Protection Agency
  http//www.epa.gov/

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For additional information, contact

• Sue Lynn Sasser, PhD
• President, Oklahoma Council on Economic Education
• 100 N. University Drive, Box 103
• Edmond, OK 73034
• 405.974.5343
• econed_at_ucok.edu