Biodiversi Biodiversi ty ty What is it and What is it and Why is it Why is it Important? Important? Jon D. Erickson Jon D. Erickson University of Vermont University of Vermont Burlington, Vermont, USA Burlington, Vermont, USA
Dec 27, 2015
BiodiversityBiodiversityWhat is it andWhat is it andWhy is it Important?Why is it Important?
Jon D. EricksonJon D. EricksonUniversity of VermontUniversity of VermontBurlington, Vermont, USABurlington, Vermont, USA
BiodiversityBiodiversityWhat is it andWhat is it andWhy is it Important?Why is it Important?
Jon D. EricksonJon D. EricksonUniversity of VermontUniversity of VermontBurlington, Vermont, USABurlington, Vermont, USA
Allocation of scarce resources Allocation of scarce resources toward alternative desirable endstoward alternative desirable ends
1.1. What are the desirable ends?What are the desirable ends?
2.2. What scarce resources are needed What scarce resources are needed to obtain those ends?to obtain those ends?
3.3. What ends get priority? (How do we What ends get priority? (How do we allocate?)allocate?)
Household Firms (production
Factor services
Goods
Investment(3)
Personal consumption(4)
Savings(3)
Imports(5)Exports(5)
(2)GovernmentSpendingTaxes(2) Government
Financial markets
Other countries
Wages, rents, interest, profits(1)
What’s Wrong with this Picture?
The Epoch of Fossil Fuel Exploitation(after Hubbert, 1969)
0-5 -4 -3 -2 -1 +1 +2 +3 +4 +5
Iron inMiddleEast
StonehengeBuilt
Parthenoncompleted
Pyramidsconstructed
Mayanculture
Inquisition
BlackDeath
Magellan'sCircumnavigation
Steam Engine
100
200
300
Tri
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n k
wh
per
yea
r
K
Allocated toAllocated toHumansHumans
Allocated toAllocated tothe Rest of Naturethe Rest of Nature
Time
Low
en
trop
y m
att
er
& e
nerg
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Allocation of scarce resources Allocation of scarce resources toward alternative desirable endstoward alternative desirable ends
1.1. What are the desirable ends?What are the desirable ends?
2.2. What scarce resources are needed What scarce resources are needed to obtain those ends?to obtain those ends?
3.3. What ends get priority? (How do we What ends get priority? (How do we allocate?)allocate?)
What are the characteristics of resources What are the characteristics of resources relevant to the allocation question?relevant to the allocation question?
Goods vs. Services (Flows vs. Funds)Goods vs. Services (Flows vs. Funds) SubstitutabilitySubstitutability IrreversibilityIrreversibility RenewabilityRenewability UncertaintyUncertainty ExternalityExternality
RivalnessRivalness ExcludabilityExcludability
ExcludableExcludable Non-ExcludableNon-Excludable
RivalRival
Non-Non-RivalRival
MarketMarketGoodsGoods
Open AccessOpen Access(tragedy of the commons)(tragedy of the commons)
Tragedy of theTragedy of theNon-commonsNon-commons
Pure PublicPure PublicGoodsGoods
Biodiversity: What is it andBiodiversity: What is it andWhy is it Important?Why is it Important?
Structure of the functionStructure of the function Our ultimate means and our ultimate endsOur ultimate means and our ultimate ends Characteristics that make market Characteristics that make market
allocation problematic, if not impossibleallocation problematic, if not impossible We are ignorantWe are ignorant Steps towards shifting “to a culture of Steps towards shifting “to a culture of
permanence, both for ourselves and for permanence, both for ourselves and for the biosphere that sustains us” the biosphere that sustains us” – E.O. Wilson– E.O. Wilson