Learning Guide Unit 8: Unit 8: Sustaining Human Societies
Learning Guide Unit 8: Unit 8: Sustaining Human Societies
Overview
Topics:
Environmental Economics
Learning Objectives:
4. Know what incentive policies are, what they do, and what their strengths and weaknesses
are.
7. Recognize some of the main urbanization challenges facing the developing world.
Tasks:
Participate in the Discussion Assignment (post, comment, and rate in the Discussion
Forum)
Read the Unit 9 Learning Guide carefully for instructions on the Final Exam
The overview below will help you review the material covered in this unit.
Environmental and natural resource economists study the tradeoffs associated with one of
the most important scarce resources we havenature. Economic activity generally
affects the environment, usually negatively.
Natural resources are used, and large amounts of waste are produced. These side effects
can be seen as ways in which the actions of a producer impact the well being of a
bystander. The market fails to allocate adequate resources to address such external costs
because it is only concerned with buyers and sellers, not with the well-being of the
environment. Only direct costs are considered relevant. External costs are harmful social
or environmental effects caused by the production or consumption of economic goods.
Environmental laws today encompass a wide range of subjects such as air and water
quality, hazardous wastes and biodiversity. The purpose of these environmental laws is to
prevent, minimize, remedy and punish actions that threaten or damage the environment
and those that live in it. Conventions, or treaties, generally set forth international
environmental regulations. These conventions and treaties often result from efforts by
international organizations such as the United Nations (UN) or the World Bank.
Urbanization is the study of the social, political, and economic relationships in cities.
There are three prerequisites for the development of a city. First, good environment with
fresh water and a favorable climate; second, advanced technology, which will produce a
food surplus to support non-farmers; and third, strong social organization to ensure social
stability and a stable economy.
Urbanization levels are affected by two things migration and natural increase.
Global urbanization reached the 50 percent mark in 2008, meaning that more than half of
the global population was living in cities compared to only 30 percent 50 years ago.
The access to basic services clean water, sanitation, electricity, and roadsare some of
the main urbanization challenges facing the developing world.
Long commute times, observed in sprawling metropolitan areas are unsustainable from
many aspects. Various negative health and environmental consequences can be
identified related to these development trends.
Green urbanism is a conceptual model that seeks to transform and re-engineer existing
city districts and regenerate the post-industrial city centre. It promotes the development
of socially and environmentally sustainable city districts. The principles of green
urbanism offer practical steps on the path to sustainable cities, harmonizing growth and
usage of resources.
Reading Assignment
Read chapters 16 and 17 in the textbook and answer the 'End of Chapter Review Questions' in
each chapter.
Discussion Assignment
Your posts should cover the questions below in full, and be at least 300 words long. Then
reply to and peer-review at least three other posts by next Wednesday 11:59PM UoPeople
Time, and rate the posts and replies.
There are many current projects around the world to support sustainable development and
growth in urban areas. The general goal is to create livable cities in which people have open
spaces, nature, and areas for congregation and relaxation. The idea is also to have well developed
public transport systems that would reduce the need for cars and other transport that contribute to
air pollution. Through good education programs there can be less litter and reduced waste.
Finally, thoughtful use of more eco-friendly products, renewable energy, and materials can make
a huge difference in reducing both waste production and energy use. Basically, cities can be built
and developed in a way that is healthy for the local environment as well as those living within
the city. Curitiba, Brazil, is a city that has become a model of sustainable city growth and quality
urban planning. At the following links you can learn more about the different ways in which
Curitiba, and its mayor, have supported sustainable, environmentally friendly, urban growth.
Read and learn about this city at the following links and the textbook, then answer the questions
below:
Wikipedia article
UNEP article
Questions to answer:
1. What is the most significant change or project in the city of Curitiba that you feel has
influenced it becoming more livable, clean, or sustainable?
2. What do you think the future steps in Curitiba should be? For example, what would be a
good 'next project' to continue their movement forth in sustainable development and
quality urban planning?
3. Do you feel that any of the planning, projects, policy, education programs, and/or
changes they have made would work well in your own city? Which one, and why?
Explain.
Any materials cited should be referenced using the style guidelines established by the American
Psychological Association (APA).
References
Gnatek, T. (2003, Dec). Brazil - Curitiba's Urban Experiment. Retrieved from
PBS.Org: http://www.pbs.org/frontlineworld/fellows/brazil1203/
Written Assignment (Instructor Graded)
Reflect on environmental issues you learned about in this course so far. What have been the most
important decisive experiences or convincing arguments in shaping your own attitudes?
Congratulations! You are in charge of your own city. List three strategies to make you city more
environmentally sustainable. Explain each strategy.
Your answer should be between 700900 words long and should include introduction and
conclusion sections.
I am a city boy living (and suffering) in a developing country and its biggest,
polluted, most crowded city. My city, Hochiminh, has been facing heavy problems of
urbanization. First, less-than-ideal environment with less green spaces as
development increase. Second, unsafe food production and sanitation. Third, weak
social organization. Forth, chaos road. Yet this city is a home of more than 8 million
people, out of 90 million total population in Vietnam.
1. Rapid population growth: the city continues to attract migrants from the
provinces. The unofficial population is estimated 8,000,000 people. There is a high
level of unregistered ruralurban migration and the spread of settlement, housing
and industry.
4. Lack of housing: Land prices has increased by over 500% in the 1990s, making
it difficult for either the government or private sector to redress housing shortages.
All of the above urbanization problems make the future especially dim for
Hochiminh city.
New job-training and small-business incubators run by the city will helps
lower-income learn technical skills and launch new businesses.
Increase "green areas" to protected from future development, and invest in technology
parks to attract new-economy business.
Conclusion
According to (Vietnamnet, 2015), forty years ago, Saigon was dubbed the Pearl of
the Far East because the US poured millions of dollars into this city to build an
empire of indulgence to serve their huge war machine.
It can be said that after 40 years, from being the Pearl of the Far East, Ho Chi Minh
City the windy and sunny land in the rich, beautiful and hospitable southern
region, is becoming a modern megacity with a firm economic, cultural and social
foundation and is developing on a par with the region and the world.
The masterplan will take 10-30 years to achieve. And then finally, I will rename
Hochiminh to Saigon again. There is no reason why we should let a dictator and
mass-murderer - Ho Chi Minh, take over the name of our beloved city.
References
Gnatek, T. (2003, Dec). Brazil - Curitiba's Urban Experiment. Retrieved from
PBS.Org: http://www.pbs.org/frontlineworld/fellows/brazil1203/
RMIT. (n.d.). Ho Chi Minh City - Vietnam. Retrieved from Global Cities: http://global-
cities.info/placemarks/ho-chi-minh-city-viet-nam
Vietnamnet. (2015, Apr 23). 40 Years of Saigon - Ho Chi Minh City. Retrieved from
Vietnamnet: http://vietnam.vnanet.vn/english/40-years-of-saigon-ho-chi-minh-
city/184078.html
World Bank. (2014). GDP per capita. Retrieved from The World Bank:
http://data.worldbank.org/indicator/NY.GDP.PCAP.PP.CD?
order=wbapi_data_value_2013+wbapi_data_value+wbapi_data_value-
last&sort=desc
Learning Journal
1. Go to the textbook and read the section about the Tragedy of the Commons.
2. Summarize, in YOUR own words (do NOT copy-n-paste from the book or article) what
the Tragedy of the Commons means.
3. What natural resource in your area, environment, community, or town has been a victim
of the Tragedy of the Commons? In what way? Explain.
4. Offer one solution to that problem. Should there be new laws, policies or resource
management plans to help reduce the problem?
5. Choose one the Review Questions from this weeks readings and answer it in full.
6. Tell me what aspects of the course you really liked and would not want changed if we
update/revise this course.
Tragedy of the Commons is the situation when people donot care about how their
actions will affect the shared public resource. Vietnamese has a similar phrase: Cha
chung khng ai khc, which means: Noone cries over a shared resource.
Over 2 thousand billion VND had been offered to address the Mekong Deltas
problem in Vietnam. But months had passed, still the fund has not been released
even for a single cent. Why? Because it was a shared resource between The Science
& Investment Department and the Agriculture Development Department. While the
Science Department wished to divide it evenly for each provinces to relieve the
damage, the Agriculture Department aka shitty department (see what I did
there), wished to bring some of its unfinished projects to gain more funds.
The result was, the fund has not been released, while millions famers suffer in hell.
The solution should be simple: a deadline for the fund release, a project
management thinking to the old governments administrative system. It is hard to
believe, but most government department function in the most unsystematic ways
possible. A legal law can be passed to require every fund to be released within a
certain amount of days, those who violates this will have to pay 1% of the fund
amount.
Dear professor, to admit, I only chose the course as it is a required part of my
Computer Science education. I intended to skip as much Environmental things as
possible, to focus on programming. The reality was surprisingly different. I enjoyed
each weeks chapter, devoured new things about environmental and our ways of
lives. Each week I learned something new and interesting. The only thing that I
wishes to update is more links to videos, which would make the course twice as fun.